instrument panel HONDA ELEMENT 2003 1.G User Guide

Canadian models only
With the headlight switch off, the
high beam headlights come on with
reduced brightness when you turn
the ignition switch to ON (II) and
release the parking brake. They
remain on until you turn the ignition
of f , even if you set the parking brake.
The headlights revert to normal
operation when you turn them on
with the switch.Signal a turn or lane change with this
lever. Push down on the lever to
signal a lef t turn, and up to signal a
right turn. If you push it up or down
all the way, the turn signal continues
to blink even when you release the
lever. It shuts off automatically as
you complete the turn.
Push the knob in the speedometer
repeatedly to adjust the brightness
of the instrument panel lights. There
are six brightness levels. A segment
display shows the current brightness
level.
CONT INUED
Instrument Panel Brightness
Daytime Running L ights T urn Signals
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols77
TURN SIGNAL LEVER

The rear window def ogger will clear
fog, frost, and thin ice from the
window. Push the def ogger button to
turn it on and of f . The light in the
button lights to show the def ogger is
on.Make sure the rear window is clear
and you have good visibility bef ore
starting to drive.
Thedefoggerwiresontheinsideof
the rear window can be accidentally
damaged. When cleaning the glass,
always wipe side to side.
Push the button next to the shift
levertoturnonthehazardwarning
lights (f our-way f lashers). This
causes all f our outside turn signals
and both indicators in the instrument
panel to f lash. Use the hazard
warning lights if you need to park in
a dangerous area near heavy traffic,
or if your vehicle is disabled.
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Hazard Warning Rear Window Def ogger
81

Push the lever up to lock the
steering wheel in that position.
Make sure you have securely
locked the steering wheel in place
by trying to move it up and down.
To adjust the steering wheel upward
or downward:
Make any steering wheel adjustment
bef ore you start driving.
Push the lever under the lef t side
of the steering column all the way
down.
Move the steering wheel 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 indicator lights.
1.
2. 3.
4.
See page f or important saf ety
inf ormation about how to properlyposition the steering wheel. 20
Steering Wheel A djustment
Controls Near the Steering Wheel
Inst rument s and Cont rols82
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.

µ
µ
µ Use this position
only to start the engine. The switch
returns to ON (II) when you let go of
the key.
You will hear a reminder beeper if
you leave the key in the ignition
switch in the LOCK (0) or
ACCESSORY (I) position and open
the driver’s door. Remove the key to
turn of f the beeper. The engine will not start if the
Immobilizer System does not
recognize the key’s coding (see page ).
If the f ront wheels are turned, the
anti-thef t lock may sometimes make
it difficult to turn the key from
LOCK to ACCESSORY. Firmly turn
the steering wheel to the lef t or to
the right as you turn the key.
In this position,
you can operate the audio system
and the accessory power sockets.
This is the normal key
position when driving. All f eatures
and accessories on the vehicle are
usable. Several of the lights on the
instrument panel come on as a test
when you turn the ignition switch
f rom ACCESSORY to ON. 84
ST A RT (III)
A CCESSORY (I)
ON (II)
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols86
Removing the key from the
ignition switch while driving
locks the steering. This can
cause you to lose control.
Remove the key from the
ignition switch only when
parked.

To apply the parking brake, pull the
lever up f ully. To release it, pull up
slightly, push the button, and lower
the lever. The parking brake light on
the instrument panel should go out
when the parking brake is f ully
released (see page ).66
Parking Brake
Inst rument s and Cont rols111
PARKING BRAKE LEVER
Driving the vehicle with the parking
brake applied can damage the rear
brakes and axles.

For inf ormation, see page .
You can use the instrument panel
brightness control knob to adjust the
illumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
You operate the CD player with the
same controls used f or the radio.
With the ignition switch in
ACCESSORY (I) or ON (II), insert
the disc into the CD slot. Push the
disc in half way, the drive will pull it
in the rest of the way and begin to
play. The number of the track that is
playing is shown in the display.You can also play 3-inch (8-cm) discs
without using an adapter ring. Play
only standard round discs. Odd-
shaped CDs may jam in the drive or
cause other problems.
For best results when using CD-R
discs, use only high quality discs
labeled f or audio use. When
recording a CD-R, the recording
must be closed in order f or the disc
to be used by CD players. CD-RW
discs will not work in this unit.
77
143
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Audio System
Radio Frequencies and Reception
A udio System L ighting
Operating the CD Player
132
EJECT BUTTON
CD SLOT
CD BUTTON
PWR/VOL KNOB SEEK/SKIP BAR A.SEL/RDM BUTTON
RAMDOM INDICATOR REPEAT INDICATOR

CONT INUED
You can use the instrument panel
brightness control knob to adjust the
illumination of the audio system (see
page ). The audio system
illuminates when the parking lights
are on, even if the radio is turned of f .
Your Honda’s radio can receive the
complete AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band:
530 to 1,710 kilohertz
FM band:
87.7 to 107.9 megahertz
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least ten
kilohertz apart (530, 540, 550).
Stations on the FM band are
assigned f requencies at least 0.2
megahertz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’
How well your Honda’s radio
receives stations is dependent on
many f actors, such as the distance
from the station’s transmitter,
nearby large objects, and atmos-
pheric conditions.
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator willgo of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
77
Audio System
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
A udio System L ighting
Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
143

You can increase the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
When climbing a steep hill, the
automatic transmission may
downshif t to hold the set speed.
Press and release the SET/
DECELbuttononthesteering
wheel. The CRUISE CONTROL
light on the instrument panel
comes on to show the system is
now activated. Thecruisecontrolmaynotholdthe
set speed when you are going up and
down hills. If your speed increases
going down a hill, use the brakes to
slow down to the desired speed. This
will cancel the cruise control. To
resume the set speed, press the
RES/ACCEL button. The CRUISE
CONTROL light on the instrument
panel comes on.
Press and hold the RES/ACCEL
button. The vehicle will accelerate.
When you reach the desired
cruising speed, release the button.
To increase your speed in very
small amounts, tap the RES/
ACCEL button repeatedly. Each
time you do this, your vehicle will
speed up about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Push on the accelerator pedal.
Accelerate to the desired cruising
speed and press the SET/DECEL
button.
3.
Changing t he Set Speed
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Cruise Control
154
RESUME/ACCEL
SET/DECEL

Resting your f oot on the brake or
clutch pedal will cause the cruise
control to cancel.
You can decrease the set cruising
speed in any of these ways:
Tap the brake or clutch pedal.
Youcancancelthecruisecontrolin
any of these ways:
Push the CANCEL button on the
steering wheel.
Press the Cruise Control Master
Switch.
Even with the cruise control turned
on, you can still use the accelerator
pedal to speed up f or passing. Af ter
completing the pass, take your foot
of f the accelerator pedal. The vehicle
will return to the set cruising speed.
Press and hold the SET/DECEL
button. The vehicle will decelerate.
Release the button when you
reach the desired speed.
To slow down in very small
amounts, tap the SET/DECEL
button repeatedly. Each time you
do this, your vehicle will slow
down about 1 mph (1.6 km/h).
Tap the brake or clutch pedal
lightly with your f oot. The
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out.
When the vehicle slows to the
desired speed, press the SET/
DECEL button. The vehicle will
then maintain the desired speed.
CONT INUED
Cancelling t he Cruise Cont rol
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures155
CANCEL BUTTON

Pressing the Cruise Control Master
Switch turns the system completely
of f and erases the previous cruising
speed f rom memory. To use the
system again, ref er to.
When you push the CANCEL button,
or tap the brake or clutch pedal, the
CRUISE CONTROL light on the
instrument panel will go out and the
vehicle will begin to slow down. You
can use the accelerator pedal in the
normal way.
The system remembers the
previously-set cruising speed. To
return to that speed, accelerate to
above25mph(40km/h),thenpress
the RES/ACCEL button. The
CRUISE CONTROL light comes on,
and the vehicle will accelerate to the
same cruising speed as bef ore.
Cruise Control
Comf ort and Convenience Feat ures
Using t he
Cruise Cont rol
156