stop start Acura TL 2004 Owner's Manual

Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all f ive seating
positions. The f ront seat belts are
also equipped with automatic seat
belt tensioners.The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel to remind you and
your passengers to f asten your belts.
If you turn the ignition switch to ON
(II) without f astening your belt, a
beeper will sound and the indicator
will blink. The beeper will stop af ter
a f ew seconds, but the indicator will
stay on until the driver’s seat belt is
f astened.
If you do not f asten your seat belt
bef ore the beeper stops, the
indicator will stop blinking but
remain on. If you continue driving
without f astening your seat belt, the
indicator will start blinking again and
the beeper will sound at regular
intervals. The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched (see page f or how to
properly position the belt).
To unlock the belt, push the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. Af ter exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door.
All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.
The seat belts in all positions except
the driver’s have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat (see
page ).
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
14
40
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt System Components L ap/Shoulder Belt
Driver and Passenger Saf ety19

See page f or important saf etyinf ormation about how to properlyposition the steering wheel. 16
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving. Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
To adjust the steering wheel: Push the lever under the steering
column all the way down.
Move the steering wheel up or
down, and in or out 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 indicators. Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up, down, in,
and out.
1.
2. 3.
4.
Steering Wheel A djustment
Inst rument s and Cont rols78
Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of the
vehicle and be seriously injured
inacrash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the vehicle is stopped.

You can open all of the windows and
the moonroof f rom outside with the
remote transmitter.You can open and close the windows
and moonroof with the key in the
driver’s door lock. Turnthekeyclockwiseagain,and
hold it. All f our windows and
moonroof start to open. To stop
the windows and the moonroof ,
release the key.
Turn the key clockwise, then
release it. Insert the key in the driver’s door
lock.
To open: To open the windows and
moonroof f urther, turn and hold
the key again (within 15 seconds).
NOTE: If the windows and moonroof
stop bef ore the desired position,
repeat steps 2 and 3. To close the windows and
moonroof f urther, turn and hold
the key again (within 15 seconds). Turn the key counterclockwise
again, and hold it. All four
windows and moonroof start to
close. To stop the windows and
moonroof , release the key. Turn the key counterclockwise,
then release it. Insert the key in the driver’s door
lock.
To close:
Press the UNLOCK button once
to unlock the driver’s door.
Press the UNLOCK button a
second time, and hold it. The
passenger’s doors unlock, and all
f our windows and moonroof start
to open. To stop the windows and
moonroof , release the button.
To open the windows and
moonroof f urther, press the
button again and hold it. If the
windows and the moonroof stop
bef ore the desired position, repeat
steps 1 and 2.
You cannot close the windows or the
moonroof with the remote
transmitter. 1.
2.
3. 1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2. 3.
4.
Power Windows, Moonroof
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Opening the Windows and
Moonroof with the Remote
Transmitter
Opening/Closing the Windows
and Moonroof with the K ey
100
UNLOCK BUTTON
Close Open

Your Acura’s audio system has an in-
dash disc changer that holds up to
six discs. You operate this disc
changer with the same controls used
f or the radio. To operate the disc
changer, the ignition switch must be
in the ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II)
position.With the ignition in ACCESSORY
(I)orON(II),pressandholdthe
LOAD button until you hear a
beep and see ‘‘LOAD’’ in the
display, then release the button.
Insert the disc into the slot. Insert
it only about half way; the drive will
pull it in the rest of the way.
When the ‘‘DISC LOAD’’ appears
in the display, insert the next disc
into the slot.
Repeat this until all six positions
are loaded. The system will then
begin playing the last disc loaded.
The disc changer can play these disc
formats:
To load multiple discs in one
operation:
If you stop loading discs bef ore all
six positions are f illed, the system
will wait f or 15 seconds, stop the load
operation, and begin playing the last
disc loaded.
To load a single disc:
Press and release the LOAD
button.
The disc number f or an empty
position is highlighted and the
green load indicator comes on.
When you see ‘‘LOAD’’ in the
display, insert the disc into the slot.
Insert it only about halfway; the
drive will pull it in the rest of the
way.
If you press the LOAD button while
a disc is playing, the system will stop
playing that disc and start the
loading sequence. It will then play
the disc just loaded.
CD
CD-R
DVD-A
DTS
DVD-A discs not meeting DVD
verification standards may not be
playable.
The changer cannot play DVD-V,
DVD-R/RW, MP3, or WMA f ormats.
Some CD-DA and CD-ROM mixed
discs are not playable.
DTS is registered trademark of
Digital Theater System, Inc. 1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
Playing Discs
L oading Discs in the Changer
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures130
TM
TM

Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).
During this period:Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
Do not change the oil until the
multi-inf ormation display indicates
it is needed.
Youshouldfollowthesesame
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are relined.
Your Acura is designed to operate on
unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 91 or higher.
Useof aloweroctanegasolinecan
cause occasional metallic knocking
noises in the engine and will result in decreased engine perf ormance.
You may hear a knocking noise from
the engine if you drive the vehicle at
low engine speed (below about 1,000
rpm) in a higher gear. To stop this,
raise engine speed by shif ting to a
lower gear.
We recommend gasolines containing
detergent additives that help prevent
f uel system and engine deposits. In
addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to
come on. If this happens, contactyour authorized Acura dealer f or
service.
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
Quick Start Guide.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
On TL with manual transmission
Break-in Period, Gasoline T ype
Break-in Period
Gasoline Type
Bef ore Driving164

The 6-speed manual transmission
has an electric lockout so you cannot
accidentally shif t f rom Fif th to
Reverse instead of Sixth. If you
cannot shif t to Reverse when the
vehicle is stopped:With the clutch pedal pressed,
move the shift lever to the first/
second gear side of the Neutral
gate, then shif t to Reverse.If you are still unable to shif t to
Reverse, apply the parking brake
and turn the ignition key to
ACCESSORY (I) or LOCK (0).
Press the clutch pedal, and shif t to
Reverse.
With the clutch pedal still pressed,
start the engine.
If you need to use this procedure to
shif t to Reverse, your vehicle may be
developing a problem. Have the
vehicle checked by your Acura
dealer.
1. 2.
3.
4.
Driving
6-speed Manual T ransmission
Reverse Lockout
180

µµµ
µ
µ µ
To avoid transmission damage, come
to a complete stop bef ore shif ting
into Park. The shif t lever must be in
Park bef ore you can remove the key
from the ignition switch.
Your vehicle has a reverse lockout so
you cannot accidentally shif t to
Reverse from Neutral or any other
driving position when the vehicle
speed exceeds 5 6 mph (8 10
km/h).
If you cannot shif t to Reverse when
the vehicle is stopped, press the
brake pedal and slowly shift to
Neutral, and then to Reverse.
If there is a problem in the reverse
lockout system, or your vehicle’s battery is disconnected or goes dead,
you cannot shif t to Reverse. (Ref er
to Shif t Lock Release on page ).
Use Neutral if you
need to restart a stalled engine, or if
it is necessary to stop brief ly with
the engine idling. Shif t to the Park
position if you need to leave your
vehicle for any reason. Press on the
brake pedal when you are moving
the shift lever from Neutral to
another gear.
Use this position f or
your normal driving. The transmis-
sion automatically selects a suitable
gear f or your speed and acceleration.
ForfasteraccelerationwheninD,
you can get the transmission to
automatically downshif t by pushing
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
The transmission will shif t down one,
two or three gears, depending on
your speed.
This position mechani-
cally locks the transmission. Use
Park whenever you are turning of f or
starting the engine. To shif t out of
Park, you must press on the brake
pedal and have your f oot of f the
accelerator pedal.
If you have done all of the above and
still cannot move the lever out of
Park, see on
page . Press the brake
pedal to shift from Park to Reverse.
To shift from Neutral to Reverse,
come to a complete stop and then
shif t.
185 185
To shift from:
PtoR
RtoN
NtoD DtoL
LtoD
DtoN NtoR RtoP Do this:
Press the brake pedal, then
move the shift lever.
Move the lever.
Neutral (N)
Drive (D)
Park (P)
Shif t L ock Release Reverse (R)
Automatic Transmission
Driving182

µµ When you accelerate away f rom a
stop, the transmission will start in
first gear and then automatically
upshif t to second gear. You have to
manually upshif t between second
and f if th gears. Make sure you
upshif t bef ore the engine speed
reaches the tachometer’s red zone.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5, 4, 3). There is no
automatic downshif t when you push
the accelerator pedal to the floor.
When you move the
shif t lever to this position, the
transmission shifts to the lowest
gear that can be selected without
exceeding the engine redline. At
normal speeds, it selects third gear.
As the vehicle slows, it selects
second gear at about 53 mph
(85 km/h), and f irst gear at about 28
mph (45 km/h). Accelerating in f irst
gear, the transmission upshif ts to
second gear at about 37 mph
(59 km/h). You must move the shif t
lever to D f or the transmission to
upshif t to third gear.
In Sequential SportShif t mode, each
time you push f orward on the shif t
lever, the transmission shifts to a
higher gear. Pull back on the lever to
downshif t. The number of the gear
selected is displayed on the
instrument panel.
With
the shif t lever in ‘‘D’’ position, you
can select the Sequential SportShif t
Mode to shif t gears much like a
manual transmission, but without a
clutch pedal.
To enter the Sequential SportShif t
Mode, move the shif t lever f urther to
the driver’s side. To return to ‘‘D’’,
move the shift lever to the passenger’s side.
When you move the shif t lever f rom
‘‘D’’ to the Sequential SportShift
mode, the display shows the selected
gear.
CONT INUED
Automatic Transmission
Driving
Low (L)
Sequent ial Sport Shif t Mode
183
Down shift
SELECTED GEAR

à
à
à
To shift from
32
43
54 When you are in Sequential
Sportshif t mode, and the vehicle is
stopped, push f orward on the shif t
lever to shif t to second gear. You will
see ‘‘2’’ in the display. Starting out in
second gear will help to reduce
wheelspin in deep snow or on a
slippery surf ace.
If you exceed the maximum speed
f or the gear you are in, the engine
speed will enter into the tachometer’s
red zone. If this occurs, you may f eel
the engine cut in and out. This is
caused by a limiter in the engine’s
computer controls. The engine will
run normally when you reduce the
RPM below the red zone. This allows you to move the shif t
lever out of Park if the normal
method of pushing on the brake
pedal does not work. This procedure
is also used to release the Reverse
Lockout.
Set the Parking brake.
Make sure the ignition switch is in
the LOCK (0) position.
To release the Reverse Lockout,
make sure the ignition switch is in
the ACCESSORY (I) position.
Speed range
under 63 mph
(102 km/h)
under 97 mph
(156 km/h)
under 149 mph
(240 km/h) 1.
2.
CONT INUED
Starting in Second Gear
Engine Speed L imiterShif t L ock Release
Driving
Automatic Transmission
185

The Vehicle Stability Assist system
helps to stabilize the vehicle during
cornering if the vehicle turns more
or less than desired. It also assists
you in maintaining traction while
accelerating on loose or slippery
road surf aces. It does this by
regulating the engine’s output, and
by selectively applying the brakes.
When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times.If the VSA system indicator comes
on while driving, pull to the side of
theroadwhenitissafe,andturnoff
the engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine. If the VSA
system indicator stays on, or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by an Acura dealer.
The VSA system cannot enhance the
vehicle’s driving stability in all
situations and does not control your
vehicle’s entire braking system. It is
still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety.
When VSA activates, you will see the
VSA Activation indicator blink.
In manual transmission models, if
the VSA system is of f and you
accelerate f rom a stop, the vehicle
may pull, and it may take extra effort
to return the steering wheel to
center. VSA A ctivation Indicator
VSA System Indicator
Vehicle Stability Assist (VSA) System
Driving190