Acura TL 2007 Owner's Guide
Page 21 of 369
Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all five seating
positions. The front seat belts are
also equipped w ith automatic seat
belt tensioners.
This system uses the same sensors
as the front airbags to monitor
whether the front seat belts are
latched or unlatch ed, and how much
weight is on the front passenger’s
seat (see pages and ). The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a b eeper to
remind you and your passengers to
fasten your seat belts.
This system monitors the front seat
belts. If you turn the ignition switch
to the ON (II) position before your
seat be lt is fastened, the beeper will
sound and the indicator will fl ash. If
your seat belt is not fastened before
the beeper stops, the indicator will
stop fl ashing but remain on.
If a front passenger does not fasten
their seat belt, the indicator will
come on about 6 seconds after the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
(II) position. If either the driver or a front
passenger does not fasten their seat
belt while driving, the b
eeper will
sound and the indicator will fl ash
again at regular intervals.
You  will also  see a ‘‘FAS TEN  SEAT
BELT’’  or ‘‘FASTEN  PASSENGER
SEAT  BELT’’  message  on the  multi-
info rmation  display  (see page  ).
When no one is sitting in the f ront
passenger’s seat, or a child or small
adult is riding there, the indicator
should not come on and the beeper
should not sound.
26 27 68
Seat Belt System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
18
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 22 of 369
CONTINUED
If the  indicator  comes on or the
beeper  sounds  when the  driver’s  seat
belt  is latched  and there  is no  front
seat  passenger  and no items  on the
front  seat, something  may be
interfering  with the monito ring
system.  Look for and  remove:
Any  items  under  the front
passenger’s  seat.
Any  objects  hanging  on the  seat  or
in  the  seat-back  pocket.
Any  objects,  such as a folded-down
back  seat, that are touching  the
rear  of the  seat-back. The 
lap/shoulder  belt  goes  over
your  shoulder,  across your chest,
and  across  your hips.
To  fasten  the belt,  insert  the latch
plate  into the buckl e, then  tug  on the
belt  to make  sure the buckle  is
latched  (see page  for how  to
properly  position the belt).
To  unlock  the belt,  press  the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the  belt  across  your body  so that  it
retracts  completely.  After 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 emerge ncy
locking  retractor.  In normal  driving,
the  retractor  lets  you  move  freely  in
your  seat while  it keeps  some
tension  on the  belt.  During  a collision
or  sudden  stop, the retractor
automati cally locks  the belt  to help
restrain  your body.
The  seat  belts  in all  positions  except
the driver’s have an additional
lockable retractor that must be
activated to secure a child seat (see
page ).
If no obstructions are f ound, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer. If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the lockable
retractor will activate. The belt will
retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.45
14
L ap/Shoulder Belt
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
19
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 23 of 369
To deactivate the lockable retractor,
unlatch the buckle and let the seat
belt fully retract. To refasten the
seat belt, pull it out only as f ar as
needed.For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in position.The tensioners are designed to
activate in any collision severe
enough to cause the f ront airbags to
inf late.
If a side airbag or side curtain airbag
deploys during a side impact, the
tensioner on that side of the vehicle
will also deploy.
The tensioners can also be activated
during a collision in which the f ront
airbags
. In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
additional restraint could be helpf ul.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled.
do not deploy
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
20
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 24 of 369
For safety,  you should  check  the
condition  of your  seat belts  regularly. If 
a seat  belt is worn  during  a crash,
it  must  be replaced  by your  dealer. A
belt  that  has  been  worn during  a
crash  may not provide  the same  level
of  protection  in a subsequent  crash.
The  dealer  should  also inspect  the
anchors  for damage  and replace
them  if needed.  If the  automatic  seat
belt  tensioners  activate  during  a
crash,  they must  be replaced.
Pull 
each  belt out fully,  and look  for
frays,  cuts, burns,  and wear.  Check
that  the latches  work smoothly  and
the  belts  retract  easily. If a belt  does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page ). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.
Acura provides a limited warranty on
seat belts. See your booklet f or details.
299
Acura Warranty
Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
21
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.
Check your seat belts regularly,
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 25 of 369
Your airbag  system  includes:
Two  SRS (supplemental  restraint
system)  front airbags.  The driver’s
airbag  is stored  in the  center  of
the  steering  wheel; the front
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard.  Both are marked  ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’  (see page  ).
Two  side airbags,  one for the
driver  and one for a front
passenger.  The airbags  are stored
in  the  outer  edges  of the  seat-
ba cks.  Both  are marked  ‘‘SIDE
AIRBAG’’  (see page  ).
Two  side curtain  airbags, one  for
each  side of the  vehicle.  The
airbags  are stor ed in the  ceiling,
above  the side  windows.  The front
and  rear  pillars  are marked  ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’ (see page ). 24
27
29
A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
22
(1)
(2)
(3)
(4)(5)
(8)
(7)
(10) (11)
(9)
(6) (7)
(8)
(10)(5)
(4)
(6) Driver’s Seat Position Sensor
(7) Front Passenger’s Weight Sensors
(8) Front Impact Sensors
(9) Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
(10) Side Impact Sensors (1) Driver’s Airbag
(2) Front Passenger’s Airbag
(3) Control Unit
(4) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(5) Side Airbags
(11) Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) Sensors
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 26 of 369
Sensors that can detect  a
moderate  to severe  front impact  or
side  impact.
Automatic 
front seat belt
tensioners  (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  ).
Sensors  that can detect  whether  a
child  is in  the  passenger’s  side
airbag  path  and  signal  the control
unit  to turn  the airb ag off  (see
page  ). A 
sophisticated  electronic system
that  continually  monitors and
reco rds information  about the
sensors,  the control  unit, the
airbag  activators,  the seat  belt
tensioners,  and driver  and front
passenger  seat belt use when  the
ignition  switch is in  the  ON  (II)
position.
An  indicator  on the  instrument
panel  that alerts  you that  the
passenger’s  side airbag  has  been
turned  off (see  page  ). An 
indicator  on the  dashboard  that
alerts  you that  the passenger’s
front  airbag  has been  turned  off
(see  page  ).
Emergency  backup  power  in case
your  vehicle’s  electrical  system is
disconnected  in a crash.
A  driver’s  seat position  sensor that
monitors  the distance  of the  seat
from  the front  airbag.  If the  seat  is
too  far forward,  the airbag  will
inflate  with less force  (see page
).
Sensors 
that can detect  whether
the  driver’s  seat belt and a front
passenger’s  seat belt is latched  or
unlatch ed (see  page  ). Sensors 
that monitor  the weight
on  the  front  passenger’s  seat. If
the  weight  is about  65 lbs  (29  kg)
or  less  (the  weight  of an  infant  or
small  child),  the passenger’s  front
airbag  will be turned  off (see  page
).
18 20
28
26 26
30 29
30
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
23
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 27 of 369
During  a frontal  crash, your seat belt
restrains  your lower  body and torso,
and  the front  airbag  helps protect
your  head  and chest.
After inflating,  the front  airbags
immediately  deflate, so they  won’t
interfere  with the driver’s  visibility,
or  the  ability  to steer  or operate
other  controls.
This 
can happen  if the  severity  of a
collision  is at  the  margin,  or
threshold,  that determines  whether
or  not  the  airb ags  will  deploy.  In
such  cases,  the seat  belt will provide
sufficient  protection,  and the
supplemental  protection offered by
the  airbag  would be minimal.
If 
you  ever  have  a moderate  to
severe  frontal  collision,  sensors will
detect  the vehicle’s  rapid
deceleration. Al
though  both airbags  normally
inflate  within a split  second  of each
other,  it is  possible  for only  one
airbag  to deploy.
Only  the driver’s  airbag  can deploy  if
there is no passenger in the f ront
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger’s
airbag off (see page ).
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will instantly
inf late the driver’s and f ront
passenger’s airbags, at the time and
with the f orce needed.
26
How Your Front Airbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
24
——
yy
(%yy 
Page 28 of 369
The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In a
crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection. Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
sensors detect the occupant is
wearing a seat belt or not.
If the occupant’s belt is , the
airbag will inf late at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
In a
crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force. If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
protection.
CONT INUED
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severe Dual-T hreshold A irbags
latched
less severe not lat ched
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
25
——
y
y
(%yy 
Page 29 of 369
Your f ront airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children who ride in f ront.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any cargo or metal objects
under the f ront seats.
Back-seat passengers should not
put their f eet under the f ront seats.
Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly. The driver’s advanced front airbag
system includes a seat position
sensor under the seat. If the seat is
too f ar f orward, the airbag will
inf late with less f orce, regardless of
the severity of the impact.
If there is a problem with the sensor,
the SRS indicator will come on, and
the airbag will inf late in the normal
manner regardless of the driver’s
seating position.The passenger’s advanced f ront
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Acura does
not encourage carrying an inf ant or
small child in f ront, if the sensors
detect the weight of an inf ant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger’s front airbag off.
Advanced Airbags
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
26
DRIVER’S
SEAT
POSITION
SENSOR
PASSENGER’S
SEAT WEIGHT
SENSOR
——
yy
(%y
y 
Page 30 of 369
Hanging heavy items on the  front
passenger  seat, or placing  heavy
items  in the  seat-back  pocket.
Also,makesurethe floormatbehind
the  front  passenger’s  seat is hooked
to  the  floor  mat anchor  (see page
).  If  it is  not,  the mat  may
interfere  with the proper  operation
of  the  sensors  and operation  of the
seat.
Wh
en the  airbag  is turned  off,  a
‘‘passenger  airbag off’’ indicator  in
the  center  of the  dashboard  comes
on  (see  page  ).
Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger’s seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the f ront seat, the
airbag will be off. However, the
passenger airbag of f indicator will
not come on.
To ensure that the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system will
work properly,
This includes:
A rear passenger pushing or
pulling on the back of the f ront
passenger’s seat. Moving the front seat or seat-back
forcibly back against cargo on the
seat or f loor behind it.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid acceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag and activate the seat belt
tensioner on that side of the vehicle.
30
300
CONT INUED
How Your Side A irbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
do not do anyt hing
t hat would increase or decrease t he weight on the f ront passenger’s seat.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
27
——
yy
(%yy