HONDA ODYSSEY 1997 Owner's Manual

Child Safety
Children depend on adults to protect
them. To help make sure we do, every state and Canadian province
has laws requiring infants and young children to be properly restrained
whenever they ride in a car. Where Should Children Sit?
According to accident statistics, children of all sizes and ages aresafer when they are properly
restrained in a rear seat rather than
the front seat.
We recommend that you place your child's infant or toddler seat in thesecond seat and secure it with the
vehicle's lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven-passenger model). If you use
the lap/shoulder belt, be sure to
follow the instructions for securing a child seat with a lap/shoulder belt on
page 25.
We strongly recommend that you do not put an infant seat in the front
passenger's seat. If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the infant seat with
great force. The infant seat can be dislodged or struck with enough
force to cause very serious injury to
the infant.

Driver and Passenger Safety
An infant or child who is not
properly restrained can be killed
or seriously injured in a crash.
Be sure any child too small for
seat belts is properly secured in
a child restraint.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Child Safety

If a toddler seat is used in the front
passenger's seat, the vehicle seat should be moved as far back as
possible. If the passenger's bag
inflates, it could seriously hurt a
toddler who is not in the proper
position or properly restrained.
We also recommend that any child who is too large to use an infant or
toddler seat ride in the second or
third seat and wear a lap/shoulder
belt properly for protection. If thechild is not large enough to wear the
lap/shoulder belt properly, you should use a booster seat. Important Safety Reminders

Never hold a baby or child on your
lap when riding in a car. If you are
wearing your seat belt, the violent
forces created during a crash will tear the child from your arms. The
child could be seriously hurt or killed.
If you are holding a child and not
wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could crush the child against the car's
interior.
Never put your seat belt over
yourself and a child. During a crash, the belt could press deep into thechild, causing serious internal

injuries.
Two children should never use the
same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
If you are driving with small children
in the car, you should use the
childproof door locks to prevent
them from opening the rear doors (see page 52).
For their safety, do not leave
children alone in your car without adult supervision.

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Child Safety

General Guidelines for
Restraining Children Under 40 Ibs (18 kg)
Use an approved child seat. The seat

must meet Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS-213) orCanadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards. Look for the manufac-
turer's statement of compliance on
the box and seat.

Use a seat of the right size. Make sure

the seat fits your child. Check the seat manufacturer's instructions and
labels for height and weight limits.

Secure the child seat to the car. All

approved child seats are designed to
be secured to the car seat by the lap
belt or the lap belt portion of a lap/ shoulder belt. A child whose seat is
not properly secured to the car can
be endangered in a crash. To properly route a seat belt through
a child seat, follow the seat maker's
instructions. If you use a lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow the
instructions for securing a child seat
with a lap/shoulder belt on page 25 .

Secure the child in the child seat. Make

sure the infant or child is firmly
secured to the child seat. Use the
straps provided, and carefully follow
the manufacturer's instructions. Restraining an Infant Who
Weighs Less Than 20 Ibs (9 kg)
An infant up to about 20 Ibs (9 kg) must be restrained in an infant seator a convertible seat designed for a
baby. Because infants must ride in a reclining position, be sure the infantseat always faces the REAR of the
car as shown.
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Child Safety

We recommend that you place your child's infant seat in the second seat
and secure it with the vehicle's lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven-
passenger model). If you use the
lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow the instructions for securing a childseat with a lap/shoulder belt on page
25 .

We strongly recommend that you do not put an infant seat in the front
passenger's seat. If the airbag inflates, it can hit the infant seat with
great force. The infant seat can be dislodged or struck with enough
force to cause very serious injury to
the infant. Restraining a Child Who Weighs
Between 20 and 40 Ibs
(9 and 18 kg)

Toddler seats are designed for
children who weigh between 20 and

40 Ibs (9 and 18 kg). We recommend that you place your
child's toddler seat in the secondseat and secure it with the vehicle's
lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven-
passenger model). If you use the
lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow the instructions for securing a childseat with a lap/shoulder belt on page
25.

CONTINUED

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Child Safety

If you are using a toddler seat in the
front passenger's seat, move the
passenger's seat as far back as possible before installing the child
seat. If the passenger's bag inflates,
it could seriously hurt a toddler who
is not in the proper position or

properly restrained.
Restraining a Child Who Weighs

Over 40 lbs (18 kg)

We recommend that, whenever
possible, a child who has outgrown a
toddler seat ride in one of the outside positions of the second or
third seat and use a lap/shoulder
belt. Put the lap/shoulder belt on your
child and check its fit. The shoulder
belt should fit over the collarbone and across the chest. The lap belt
should sit low on your child's hips,
not across the stomach.
If the shoulder belt crosses the neck,
while sitting in the second or third bench seat, have your child move
toward the center of the seat until
the belt fits properly. If the belt still
crosses the child's neck, you shoulduse a booster seat.
Several styles of booster seats are
available. We recommend a design
that allows the child to use the car's lap/shoulder belt.
Whichever style you select, follow
the booster seat manufacturer's instructions.

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Child Safety

Securing a Child Seat with a Lap/
Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belt retractors in the passenger seating positions have
a built-in locking mechanism in-
tended to secure a child seat. When
you are placing a child seat in one of these outside seating positions, do
the following: 1. Place the child seat in the desired
seating position. Route the lap/
shoulder belt through the seat
according to the seat manufac-
turer's instructions.
2. Insert the latch plate into the buckle. Make sure it is fully

latched.

3. Slowly pull the shoulder portion of the belt out of the retractor until it
stops.

4. Allow the belt to slowly feed back into the retractor. You should heara clicking noise that indicates the
locking mechanism has engaged.
5. After the belt has retracted fully, pull up on the shoulder portion to
remove any slack.
6. Push and pull on the child seat to
verify that it is held firmly in place.If not, unlatch the seat belt, allow
it to retract fully, and repeat these
steps.

To unlatch the seat belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle.Guide the belt across to the door
pillar. If the belt doesn't retract easily, pull it out and check for twistsor kinks.
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Child Safety

Using Child Restraints with
Tethers
Your Honda has several attachment points that allow a tether-style childseat to be installed.

Tethers do not replace the use of seat

belts. Even if a tether is used, a child
seat must always be secured
properly with the vehicle's seat belts.

U.S. Models

Two tether attachment points are located on the tailgate sill that allowa tether-style child seat to be
installed on the third seat. Use the
dimensions in the illustration to
locate the attachment point you want to use. Cut a 7/8 inch (22 mm)diameter hole.
Install the tether hardware that came
with the child seat.
Tighten the bolt to: 16 lbf.ft (2.2 kgf.m, 22 N.m)
If you are not sure how to install the
hardware, have it installed by your authorized Honda dealer.
If you need an anchor plate and
mounting hardware, contact your
Honda dealer.
Canadian Models
Your Honda has attachment points for a tether-style child seat to be
installed on the second or third seat
as shown.
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Child Safety

Second Seat Installation:

There are three attachment points available for the seven-passenger
model, and two attachment points
available for the six-passenger model.
To use a tether-style child seat in the second seat, the third seat must be
stored in the floor recess (see page 60). You will find a U-shaped slit in
the carpeting at each attachment
point. Select the attachment point
you want to use, and pull up the carpeting at the slit. Attach the
tether strap to the mounting hook and make sure it is secure.

Important Safety Information

Keep the third seat in the floor while
using a tether-style child seat in the second seat. If you attempt to return
the third seat to the upright position,
you may damage the vehicle or
tether, even though the damage may not be obvious. If this happens, the
child seat may not be properly restrained in a crash.

Third Seat Installation:

There are two attachment points on
the tailgate sill. Select the attach-

ment point you want use, and

remove the plug with a small flat-

tipped screwdriver or a fingernail file.

Install the tether hardware that came

with the child seat.

Tighten the bolt to:
16 lbf.ft (2.2 kgf.m , 22 N.m)
If you are not sure how to install the

hardware, have it installed by your
authorized Honda dealer.

The anchor plate and mounting hardware for a top tether are
supplied with the car. When install-

ing, make sure the toothed washer is
on the bottom of the bolt.
TOOTHED WASHER
The supplied anchor plate is designed only for mounting a child
restraint. Do not use it for any other

purpose.

Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using an infant seat or other child restraint, either
remove it or make sure it is properlysecured so it cannot be thrown
around the car during a crash.

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Alcohol and Drugs

Driving a car requires your full at-
tention and alertness. Traffic condi-
tions change rapidly. You must be able to react just as rapidly. Alcohol
or drugs directly affect your alert-
ness and ability to react. Even pre-
scription and non-prescription medi-

cines can have this effect.
There are laws that deal with drunken driving. These laws define
how much alcohol it takes in your system to be legally "drunk." How-
ever, your judgment and reaction
time get worse with every drink — even the first one. The safest thing you can do is never
drink and drive. This can be done if
you plan ahead. If you know you are
going to be drinking, make plans to
ride with a friend who will not be drinking.
What if you find that you've been drinking and cannot get a ride from a
friend? Find alternative transpor-
tation. Call a taxi. Take a bus. Many communities have transportation
services devoted to shuttling people
who have been drinking. If you have no choice but to drive,
stop drinking and give yourself lots
of time to sober up. Time is the only
thing that can make you sober.
Things like coffee or a cold shower don't speed up the process.
If you see friends trying to get
behind the wheel after drinking, stop
them. Drive them yourself or arrange other transportation. If you
think you are interfering, remember
that your interference will keep them
from sharing the road with you.
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Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Your car's exhaust contains carbon monoxide gas. You should have no
problem with carbon monoxide
entering the car in normal driving if
you maintain your car properly. Have the exhaust system inspected
for leaks whenever: The car is raised for an oil change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust. The car was in an accident that
may have damaged the underside. High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move the
car out of the garage. With the tailgate open, air flow can
pull exhaust gas into your car's
interior and create a hazardouscondition. If you must drive with the
tailgate open, open all the windows and set the heating and cooling
system as shown below.
If you must sit in your parked car,
even in an unconfined area, with the
engine running, adjust the heating
and cooling system as follows: 1. Push the button.
2. Select the mode.
3. Turn the fan on high speed.
4. Set the temperature control to a comfortable setting.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and even kill
you.
Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
carbon monoxide.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t