dashboard Acura RSX 2005 Owner's Manual

2005 RSX Online Reference Owner's Manual
Use these links (and links throughout this manual) to navigate through\
this reference.
For a printed owner's manual, click on authorized manuals or go to www.h\
elminc.com.
Contents

Owner's Identification Form
Introduction ........................................................................\
................................................................. i
A Few Words About Safet y........................................................................\
.........................................ii
Your Vehicle at a Glance........................................................................\
.............................................4
Driver and Passenger Safety ........................................................................\
..................................... .7
Proper use and care of your vehicle's seat belts, and Supplemental Restr\
aint System.
Instruments and Control s........................................................................\
........................................ .49
Instrument panel indicator and gauge, and how to use dashboard and steering colu\
mn controls.
Features ........................................................................\
......................................................................87
How to operate the climate control system, the audio system, and other c\
onvenience features.
Before Driving........................................................................\
..........................................................119
What gasoline to use, how to brea k-in your new vehicle, and how to load luggage and other cargo.
Driving ........................................................................\
..................................................................... .133
The proper way to start the engine, shift the transmission, and park, pl\
us towing a trailer.
Maintenance........................................................................\
.............................................................153
The Maintenance Schedule shows you when you need to take your vehicle to the dealer.
Taking Care of the Unexpecte d........................................................................\
..............................191
This section covers several problems motorists sometimes experience, and how to handle them.
Technical Informatio n........................................................................\
.............................................215
ID numbers, dimensions, capacities, and technical information.
Warranty and Customer Relations (U.S. and Canada)................................................................227
A summary of the warranties covering your new Acura, and how to contact \
us.
Authorized Manu als (U.S. only)........................................................................\
..............................231
How to order manuals and other technical literature.
Index........................................................................\
........................................................................\
...... I
Service Information Summary
A summary of information you need when you pull up to the fuel pump.

The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
To do
their job, airbags must inf late with
tremendous f orce. So while
airbags help save lives, they can
cause minor injuries or more
serious or even fatal injuries if
occupants are not properly
restrained or sitting properly. Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel as possible while
allowing f ull control of the vehicle. A
f ront passenger should move their
seat as far back from the dashboard
as possible. The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe crash,
even when seat belts are properly
worn and the airbags deploy.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rearimpact s, or minor f ront al or sidecollisions.
A irbags can pose hazards. What you should do:
12

µAf ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain f ull control of the vehicle.
Have a f ront passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
If you sit too close to the steering
wheel or dashboard, you can be
seriously injured by an inf lating f ront
airbag, or by striking the steering
wheel or dashboard.
See pages f or important
guidelines on how to properly
protect inf ants, small children, and
larger children who ride in your
vehicle.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.Your vehicle has a door
monitor indicator on the
instrument panel to indicate when a
specif ic door is not tightly closed.
Locking the doors reduces the
chance of someone being thrown out
of the vehicle during a crash, and it
helps prevent passengers f rom
accidentally opening a door and
f alling out.
See page f or how to lock the
doors, and page f or how the door
monitor indicator works.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver, adult passengers
and teenage children who are large
enough and mature enough to drive
or ride in the f ront seat.
44
67
32
54
CONT INUED
IntroductionClose and L ock the DoorsA djust the Front Seats
1. 2.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
13

Your airbag system includes:Two side airbags, one f or the
driver and one f or a f ront
passenger. The airbags are stored
in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal or side
impact. Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint
System) f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page ). Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ). Sensors that can detect whether a
child is in the passenger’s side
airbag path and automatically turn
the airbag of f (see page ).
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags,
sensors, or seat belt tensioners
(see page ). A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and f ront
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition is in the ON (II) position.
23
20 26
27
25 25
A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
22

µ
To remind you of the passenger’s
f ront airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in a back seat, your vehicle has
warninglabelsonthedashboardand
on the f ront visors. Please read and
f ollow the instructions on these
labels.Your vehicle has a back seat where
children can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry a group of
children, and a child must ride in
front:
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ). 41
16
13
15Canadian Models
U.S. ModelsIf You Must Drive with Several
Children
Protecting Children General Guidelines
30

µ
Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
f rontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For example, infants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
vehicle in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others.
Children who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the hatch, which
can lead to accidental injury or
death.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Never let two children use the
same seat belt .
Neverholdaninfantorchildon
your lap.
Do not leave children alone in avehicle. Lock both doors and the hatch
when your vehicle is not in use.
K eep vehicle keys and remot etransmitters out of reach ofchildren.
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
31

These labels are in the locations
shown. They warn you of potential
hazards that could cause serious
injury. Read these labels caref ully.
If a label comes of f or becomes hard
to read, contact your dealer for a
replacement.U.S. models only
Saf ety L abels
46
RADIATOR CAPDASHBOARD
HOOD

Usetheswitchonthedashboardto
open and close the moonroof . The
ignition switch must be in the ON
(II) position. Push and hold theswitch to open the moonroof .
Release the switch when the
moonroof reaches the desired
position. To close the moonroof ,
press and hold the switch. Keep the inside and outside mirrors
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.
CONT INUED
U.S.: All models
Canada: Premium and Type-S models only
Moonroof Mirrors
Moonroof , Mirrors
Inst rument s and Cont rols
79
TAB
Closing the moonroof on
someone’s hands or fingers can
cause serious injury.
Make sure passengers are
clear of the moonroof before
closing it.
If you try to open the moonroof in
below-f reezing temperatures, or when
it is covered with snow or ice, you can
damage the moonroof panel or motor.

Air conditioning places an extra load
on the engine. Watch the engine
coolant temperature gauge (see page) when using the A/C in heavy
traf f ic or driving up long hills. If it
moves near the red zone, turn of f the
air conditioning until the gauge
reads normally.
This button controls the source of air
going into the system. When the
indicator in this button is on, the
system is recirculating the interior
air (Recirculation mode). When the
indicator is of f , f resh air is brought
in f rom outside the vehicle (Fresh
Air mode). Push the button to
change between recirculated and
f resh air. Use Recirculation mode to heat or
cool the interior more quickly, or to
keep out smoke and dust. Leaving
the system in the Recirculation mode
with the A/C off can cause the
windows to fog up. Switch to Fresh
Air mode as soon as the interior
reaches a comf ortable temperature
or the outside smoky, dusty condi-
tion clears.
You can manually select the f an
speed by turning the f an speed
control dial. Turning this dial
clockwise increases the f an speed,
which increases air flow.
When the dial is set to AUTO, the
system controls the f an speed
automatically.
Use this dial to select the direction of
airf low coming out of the system.
Some air will come out of the side
vents in all modes.
In AUTO mode, the system controls
the air f low direction automatically
between the dashboard vents and
the f loor vents.
The main air flow comes out
of the dashboard vents.
The main air flow is directed
to the floor vents. Airf low is divided between
the vents in the dashboard and the
f loor vents.
The main air flow is divided
between the floor vents and
defroster vents at the base of the
windshield.
58
Vents, Heating, and A/C
Recirculat ion But t on
Fan SpeedMode Cont rol Dial
90

Theheatingandcoolingsystemhas
temperature sensors next to the
steering column and in the top of the
dashboard. Do not cover the sensors
or spill any liquid on them.
If there is actual frost on the win-
dows, f irst select the Recirculation
mode. If the windows are f ogged,
select the Fresh Air mode. Warmed
air will then flow from the wind-
shield and side def roster vents. The main air f low is directed
to the windshield for faster defrost-
ing or def ogging. To def rost or def og
more quickly, turn the temperature
control dial to maximum. Select , and set the f an speed to
high.
When you select or ,
the A/C turns on automatically to
help dehumidif y the air and def og
the windshield. When you select
another mode, the A/C stays on. If
you do not want to use the A/C in
that mode, press the button to turn it
off.
Vents, Heating, and A/C
T emperature Sensors
Features
91