light Acura RSX 2002 Owner's Guide

The rear window def ogger will clear
fog, frost, and thin ice from the
window. Push the def ogger button to
turn it on and of f . The light in the
button lights to show the def ogger is
on. If you do not turn it of f , the
def ogger will shut itself of f af ter
about25minutes.Italsoshutsoff
when you turn of f the ignition. You
have to turn it on again when you
restart the car.
Pushtheredbuttontoturnonthe
hazard warning lights (f our-way
flashers). This causes all four
outside turn signals and both
indicators in the instrument panel to
f lash. Use the hazard warning lights
if you need to park in a dangerous
area near heavy traffic, or if your car
is disabled. Make sure the rear window is clear
and you have good visibility bef ore
starting to drive.
Thedefoggerwiresontheinsideof
the rear window can be accidentally
damaged. When cleaning the glass,
always wipe side to side.
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Hazard Warning
Rear Window Def ogger
73

See page f or important saf etyinf ormation about how to properlyposition the steering wheel. 17
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving.
To adjust the steering wheel upward
or downward:Push the lever under the steering
column all the way down. Move the steering wheel to the
desired position, making sure the
wheel points toward your chest,
not toward your f ace. Make sure
you can see the instrument panel
gauges and the indicator lights.
Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
1. 3.
4. 2.
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Steering Wheel A djustment
74
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
car and be seriously injured in a
crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the car is stopped.

CONT INUED
Your car comes with two master
keys and a valet key.The valet key works only in the
ignition and the door locks. You can
keepthegloveboxlockedwhenyou
leave your car and the valet key at a
parking f acility.
Youshouldhavereceivedakey
number plate with your set of keys.
You will need this number if you
ever have to get a lost key replaced.
Keep the plate stored in a saf e place.
When replacing keys, use only
Acura-approved key blanks.
These keys contain electronic
circuits that are activated by the
Immobilizer System. They will not
work to start the engine if the
circuits are damaged.
Protect the keys f rom direct
sunlight, high temperature, and
high humidity.
Donotdropthekeysorsetheavy
objects on them.
Keep the keys away f rom liquids.
If they get wet, dry them immedi-
ately with a soft cloth.
The keys do not contain batteries.
Do not try to take them apart.
The master key fits all the locks on
your car:
 Ignition
 Doors
Glovebox Keys
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols75
K KE
EY
Y
N
NU UMM B
BEER
R
P
P L
LAA T
TE
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V
A
AL
LEE T
T K
KEEY
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(
( G
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M
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(
( B
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If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may sometimes make
it difficult to turn the key from
LOCK to ACCESSORY. Firmly turn
the steering wheel to the lef t or to
the right as you turn the key. You can insert or
remove the key only in this position.
To switch f rom ACCESSORY to
LOCK, you must push the key in
slightly as you turn it. If your car has
an automatic transmission, the shif t
lever must also be in Park. The anti-
thef t lock will lock the steering
column when you remove the key.
This is the normal key
position when driving. All f eatures
and accessories on the car are usable.
Several of the lights on the instru-
ment panel come on as a test when
you turn the ignition switch f rom
ACCESSORY to ON. Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON (II) when you let go of
the key.
The engine will not start if the
Immobilizer System does not
recognize the key’s coding (see page ).
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
thedriver’sdoor.Removethekeyto
turn of f the beeper.
In this position,
you can operate the audio system
and the accessory power socket. 76
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
LOCK (0)
ON (II)ST A RT (III)
A CCESSORY (I)
78
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

You can lock and unlock your car
with the remote transmitter. When
you push the LOCK button, both
doors and the hatch lock.When you push the UNLOCK button
once, only the driver’s door unlocks.
The passenger’s door and the hatch
unlock when you push the button a
second time. The parking lights, side
marker lights, taillights and license
plate light flash twice.
If you unlock the doors and the
hatch with the remote transmitter,
but do not open either door or the
hatch within 30 seconds, the doors
and the hatch automatically relock
and the security system sets.
The ceiling light (if the ceiling light
switch is in the center position) will
come on when you press the
UNLOCK button. If you do not open
either door or the hatch, the light
will go out in about 30 seconds and
the doors and the hatch will
automatically relock. If you relock
the doors and the hatch with the
remote transmitter before 30
seconds have elapsed, the light will
go of f immediately.
You cannot lock the doors and the
hatch with the remote transmitter if
any door or the hatch is not f ully
closed. You cannot lock or unlock
the doors and the hatch with the key
in the ignition switch.
CONT INUED
Remote Transmitter
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols81

Panic mode allows you to remotely
activate your vehicle’s horn and
lights to attract attention. When
activated, the horn will sound, and
the headlights, parking lights, side
marker lights, taillights and
instrument panel lights will f lash f or
about 30 seconds. To activate panic
mode,pressandholdthePANIC
button f or about one second.
To cancel Panic mode bef ore 30
seconds, press any button on the
remote transmitter. You can also
turn the ignition switch to ON (II).
Panic mode will not activate if the
key is in the ON (II) position.When the remote transmitter’s
battery begins to get weak, it may
take several pushes on the button to
lock or unlock the doors and the
tailgate, and the LED will get dim.
Replace the battery as soon as
possible.
Battery type: CR2025To replace the battery, place a cloth
on the edge of the transmitter and
remove the upper half by carefully
prying on the edge with a small f lat-
tip screwdriver.
Panic Mode
Replacing t he Bat t ery
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols82

Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
f irm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key.The glove box light comes on only
when the instrument panel lights are
on.
U.S.:
Canada: All models
Premium and Type-S modelsonly
Glove Box
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols84
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
inacrash,evenifthe
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.

On Canadian models
Both f ront seats are equipped with
seat heaters. The ignition switch
must be ON (II) to use them. Push
the heater switch to turn the power
on or of f . The pilot lamp lights and
remains on while the heaters are on.Do not use the seat heaters when the
engine is of f or when idling f or a
long period of time. They can drain
the battery, making your car hard to
start.
Seat Heaters
Inst rument s and Cont rols88
S SE
EA
A T
T H
HE
EA
A T
TE
ER
R S
SWWI ITT C
CH H

To open or close the driver’s window
partially, push down or pull back on
the window switch lightly and hold it.
The window will stop when you
release the switch.
If the driver’s window runs into any
obstacle while it is closing
automatically, it will stop, and then
reverse direction. To close the
window, remove the obstacle, then
use the window switch again.
Auto reverse stops sensing when the
window is almost closed. You should
always check that all passengers and
objects are away from the window
bef ore closing it.The MAIN switch controls power to
the passengers’window. With this
switch of f , the passengers’window
cannot be raised or lowered. The
MAIN switch does not af f ect the driv-
er’s window. Keep the MAIN switch
off whenyouhavechildreninthecar
so they do not injure themselves by
operating the window unintentionally.
The lights inside the switches come
onwhenyouturntheparkinglights
or headlights on.
If your car’s battery is disconnected
or goes dead, or the driver’s window
f use is removed, the AUTO f unction
will be disabled. The power window
system needs to be reset af ter
reconnecting the battery or installing
the f use. You should do the f ollowing.
Start the engine. Push down on
the driver’s window switch until
the window is f ully open.
Pull back on the driver’s window
switch to close the window
completely, then hold the switch
f or a second or two more.
If the power windows do not operate
properly af ter resetting, have your
car checked by an Acura dealer. 1.
2.
Auto Reverse
Power Windows
Inst rument s and Cont rols92

Keeptheinsideandoutsidemirrors
clean and adjusted f or best visibility.
Be sure to adjust the mirrors bef ore
you start driving.
The inside mirror has day and night
positions. The night position reduces
glare f rom headlights behind you.
Flip the tab on the bottom edge of
the mirror to select the day or night
position.Adjust the outside mirrors with the
adjustment switch on the lef t side of
the dashboard:
Turn the ignition switch ON (II).
Move the selector switch to L
(driver’s side) or R (passenger’s
side). Push the appropriate edge of the
adjustment switch to move the
mirrorright,left,up,ordown.
When you f inish, move the
selector switch to the center (off)
position. This turns of f the
adjustment switch so you can’t
move a mirror out of position by
accidentally bumping the switch.
1.
2. 3.
4.
Adjusting the Power Mirrors
Mirrors
Inst rument s and Cont rols94
T T
A
A B
B
A
AD
DJ
JUUS STTM
M E
EN
NT T S
SWWI ITT C
CH H
S
SE EL
LEE C
CT TO
OR R S
SWWI ITT C
CH H