sensor Acura TL 2012 Owner's Manual

Your vehicle is equipped with many
features that work together to
protect you and your passengers
during a crash.
The f ollowing pages explain how you
cantakeanactiveroleinprotecting
yourself and your passengers. However, you and your passengers
can’t take f ull advantage of these
f eatures unless you remain sitting in
the correct position and. In fact, some safety
f eatures can contribute to injuries if
they are not used properly. Some f eatures do not require any
action on your part. These include a
strong steel f ramework that f orms a
saf ety cage around the passenger
compartment, front and rear crush
zones, a collapsible steering column,
and tensioners that tighten the f ront
seat belts in a crash.
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
always wear
your seat belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
7
(11) (10)
(1) (12) (3)
(7)
(5)
(8) (9)(6)
(9)
(4)
(7)
(8)
(10)
(2) (2)
(1) Safety Cage
(2) Crush Zones
(3) Seats and Seat-Backs
(4) Head Restraints
(5) Collapsible Steering Column
(6) Seat Belts
(7) Front Airbags
(8) Side Airbags
(9) Side Curtain Airbags
(10) Door Locks
(11) Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
(12) Occupant Position Detection System (OPDS) Sensors
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A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
24
(1)(3)
(8)
(4)
(5)
(15) (2)
(11)
(14)
(13)
(14)
(16)
(13)
(4)
(10)
(5)
(8)
(6) (9)
(7) (12)
(1) Driver’s Front Airbag
(2) Passenger’s Front Airbag
(3) Control Unit
(4) Front Seat Belt Tensioners
(5) Side Airbags
(15) Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Indicator
(16) Safing Sensor (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 (First)
(11) Occupant Detection System (ODS) Sensors
(12) Front Passenger’s Weight Sensors Control Unit/
ODS Sensors Control Unit
(13) Side Impact Sensors (Second)
(14) Side Curtain Airbags
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2012 TL

Automatic front seat belt
tensioners (see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact or
side impact.
Sensors that can detect whether a
child is in the passenger’s side
airbag path and signal the control
unit to turn the airbag of f (see
page ).
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 ). 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 ).
Two side curtain airbags, one for
each side of the vehicle. The
airbags are stored in the ceiling,
above the side windows. The front
and rear pillars are marked ‘‘SIDE
CURTAIN AIRBAG’’ (seepage ). Sensors that can detect whether
the driver’s seat belt and the f ront
passenger’s seat belt are latched
or unlatched (see page ). A driver’s seat position sensor that
monitors the distance of the seat
from the front airbag. If the seat is
too f ar f orward, the airbag will
inflate with less force (see
).
Weight sensors that monitor the
weight on the f ront passenger’s
seat. If the weight is about 65 lbs
(29 kg) or less (the weight of an
inf ant or small child), the
passenger’s f ront airbag will be
turned of f (see page ).
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30
32 22
20
31
29
29
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Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
25
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page
2012 TL

Î
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision,
sensors will detect the
vehicle’s rapid deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will inf late
the driver’s and f ront passenger’s
airbags, at the time and with the
f orce needed.
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 switch is in the ON (II)
position.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbag system
components (see page ).
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ).
An indicator on the dashboard that
alerts you that the passenger’s
f ront airbag has been turned of f
(see page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.33
34 32
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Front Airbags Work
26
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Î
Models equipped with the keyless access
system have an engine start/stop button
instead of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For more
information, see
page s 184 and 187.
:
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
2012 TL

Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
stage, multiple-threshold f ront
airbags (SRS). During a f rontal crash
severe enough to cause one or both
f ront airbags to deploy, the airbags
can inf late at dif f erent rates,
depending on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the seat belts
are latched, and/or other factors.
Front airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help
reduce the likelihood of head and
chest injuries in f rontal crashes.Objects placed or pushed under
the f ront passenger’s seat may
cause the sensor to malf unction,
increasing the risk of injury in a
crash.
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 or small-statured adults who
ride in f ront.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:
Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly. Failure to f ollow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them f rom working properly.
Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the f ront seats.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-Stage, Multiple-T hreshold Front A irbags (SRS) Advanced Airbags
28
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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.Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger’s seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.
When the passenger airbag gets
turned of f by the weight sensors, a
‘‘passenger airbag of f ’’ indicator in
the center of the dashboard comes
on (see page ).
If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the f ront seat, the
airbag is automatically turned off.
However, the passenger airbag of f
indicator in this situation will not
come on.
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. 34
CONT INUED
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29
DRIVER’S SEAT
POSITION SENSOR
PASSENGER’S SEAT
WEIGHT SENSOR
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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.
Hanging heavy items on the f ront
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket. 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.
Also,makesurethefloormat
behind the f ront passenger’s seat
is hooked to the f loor mat anchor
(see page ). If it is not, the mat
may interfere with the proper
operation of the sensors and
operation of the seat. Back seat passengers should not
wedge objects or intentionally
f orce their f eet under the f ront
passenger seat.
565 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.
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There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f .
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or another object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly.
Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.
To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
Thesideairbagmayalsoshutoff if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to be shut of f . Your vehicle has a side airbag cutoff
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the front
passenger’s seat.If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
Although Acura does not
encourage children to ride in front,
if the position sensors detect a
child has leaned into the side
airbag’s deployment path, the
airbag will shut off. 33
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
31
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Î
If the impact is on the passenger’s
side, the passenger’s side curtain
airbag will inflate even if there are no
occupants on that side of the vehicle.
One or both side curtain airbags may
inflate in a moderate to severe
f rontal collision which causes the
f ront airbags to deploy.
To get the best protection f rom the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.When you turn the ignition switch
to the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on brief ly then goes of f . This
tells you the system is working
properly.
In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid
acceleration and signal the control
unit to instantly inflate the side
curtain airbag. The SRS indicator alerts you to a
potential problem with your airbag
system components.
How Your
Side Curtain Airbags Work
How the SRS Indicator
Works
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
32
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG
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Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Î
Models equipped with the keyless access
system have an engine start/stop button
instead of an ignition switch. ON Mode
is the equivalent of ON (II). For more
information, see
page s 184 and 187.
:
2012 TL

Be aware that objects placed on the
f ront seat can cause the indicator to
come on.
If no weight is detected on the f ront
seat, the airbag will be automatically
shut of f . However, the indicator will
not come on.The passenger airbag of f indicator
may come on and of f repeatedly if
the total weight on the seat is near
the airbag cutof f threshold.
If an adult or teenage passenger is
riding in f ront, move the seat as f ar
to the rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.
This indicator alerts you that the
passenger’s f ront airbag has been
shut of f because weight sensors
detect about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less
(the weight of an inf ant or small
child) on the f ront passenger’s seat.
It does there is a problem
with the airbag.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the Passenger Airbag Of f
Indicator Works
not mean
34
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR Canada
U.S.
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2012 TL