Acura TL 2004 User Guide

However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
saf ety f eatures unless you remain
sitting in a proper position and
always wear your seat belts properly.
Infact,somesafetyfeaturescan
contribute to injuries if they are not
used properly.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers.Your vehicle is equipped with seat
belts in all seating positions.
Your seat belt system also includes
an indicator on the instrument panel
to remind you and your passengers
to f asten your seat belts.
Seat belts have proven to be the
single most ef f ective saf ety device.
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
though your vehicle has airbags.In addition, most states and all
Canadian provinces require you to
wear seat belts.
Help protect you in almost every
type of crash, including f rontal,
side, and rear impacts and
rollovers. Keep you connected to the vehicle
so you can take advantage of the
vehicle’s built-in saf ety f eatures.
When properly worn, seat belts:
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Seat Belts
Why Wear Seat Belt s
Driver and Passenger Saf ety8
Not wearing a seat belt properly
increases the chance of serious
injury or death in a crash, even
if you have airbags.
Be sure you and your
passengers always wear seat
belts and wear them properly.

Help keep you f rom being thrown
against the inside of the vehicle
and against other occupants.
Keep you f rom being thrown out
of the vehicle.
Help keep you in a good position
should the airbags ever deploy. A
good position reduces the risk of
injury f rom an inf lating airbag, and
allows you to get the best
advantage f rom the airbag.
Of course, seat belts cannot
completely protect you in every
crash.Butinmostcases,seatbelts
can reduce your risk of serious
injury.
Always wear your seat belt, and
make sure you wear it properly. Your vehicle has a Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) with f ront
airbags to help protect the heads and
chests of the driver and a front seat
passenger during a moderate to
severe f rontal collision (see page
f or more inf ormation on how
your f ront airbags work). Your vehicle also has side airbags to
help protect the upper torso of the
driver or a f ront seat passenger
during a moderate to severe side
impact. (See page f or more
information on how your side airbags
work.)
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CONT INUED
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
What You Should Do:
Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety9

They are designed to supplement
the seat belts.
The most important things you need
to know about your airbags are:
Always wear
your seat belt properly, and sit
upright, and as f ar back f rom the
steering wheel while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. A f ront
passenger should move their seat as
f ar back f rom 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 injures or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even where seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
Your vehicle also has side curtain
airbags to help protect the heads of
the driver, f ront passenger, and
passengers in the outer rear seating
positions. (See page f or more
inf ormation on how your side curtain
airbags work.) 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.
26
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
A irbags of f er no prot ect ion in rear
impact s, rollovers, or minorcollisions.
Airbags do not replace seat belts.
What you should do:
Airbags can pose serious hazards.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety10

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 ride in
the front seat.
See page f or important guidelines
on how to properly protect inf ants,
small children, and larger children
who ride in your vehicle.Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors are closed
and locked.
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.
Locking the doors also helps prevent
an outsider f rom unexpectedly
opening a door when you come to a
stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
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. Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the
rear as possible while allowing you to
maintain control of the vehicle. Have
your f ront passenger adjust their
seat as far to the rear as possible.
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Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Front Seats
Close and L ock the Doors 2.
1.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety11

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
allow at least 10 inches (25 cm)
between the center of the steering
wheel and the chest.
If you cannot get f ar enough away
f rom the steering wheel and still
reach the controls, we recommend
that you investigate whether some
type of adaptive equipment may help.
Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure it
is locked into position. See pagef or how to adjust the f ront seats. Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
center of the steering wheel.
Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.
88
Protecting A dults and Teens
Adjust the Seat-Backs
3.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety12
Sitting too close to an airbag
can result in serious injury or
death if the airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
airbags as possible while
allowing full control of the
vehicle.

Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.See page f or how to adjust seat-
backs.Adjust the driver’s head restraint so
the back of your head rests against
the center of the restraint.
Have passengers with adjustable
restraints adjust their restraints
properly as well. A taller person
should adjust their restraint as high
as possible.
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CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
A djust the Head Restraints
4.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety13
Reclining the seat-back too far
can result in serious injury or
death in a crash.
Adjusttheseat-backtoan
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.

Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries.
See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints.Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Also check
that the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash.
Position the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across your hips,
then pull up on the shoulder part of
thebeltsothelappartfitssnugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
89
Protecting A dults and Teens
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts
5.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety14
Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness, and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned properly
before driving.

If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the center of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash. To adjust the height of a f ront seat
belt anchor, press and hold the
release buttons, and slide the anchor
up or down as needed (it has f our
positions).
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm orbehind your back.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety15
Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.

If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your Acura dealer check the
belt as soon as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.
Adjust the steering wheel, if needed,
so that the wheel points toward your
chest, not toward your f ace. This
provides optimal protection f rom the
f ront airbag.
See page f or how to adjust the
steering wheel.After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on seat belts, it is
very important that they continue to
sit upright, well back in their seats,
with their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is parked and the engine is
of f .
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
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Protecting A dults and Teens
No one should sit in a seat wit h aninoperat ive seat belt .
Adjust the Steering Wheel Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position
6.
7.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16

In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inf lating airbag.If you are pregnant, the best way to
protect yourself and your unborn
child when driving or riding in a
vehicle is to always wear a seat belt,
and keep the lap part of the belt as
low as possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
Each time you have a check-up, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive. This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inf lating airbag.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Advice f or Pregnant Women
Driver and Passenger Saf ety17
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the
floor.