ECO HONDA ODYSSEY 2003 RB1-RB2 / 3.G Owners Manual

T his Owner’s Manual should be considered
a permanent part of the vehicle, and should
remain with the vehicle when it is sold.
T he inf ormation and specif ications included
in this publication were in ef f ect at the time
of approval f or printing. Honda Motor Co.,
Ltd. reserves the right, however, to
discontinue or change specif ications or
design at any time without notice and
without incurring any obligation whatsoever. T his Owner’s Manual covers all models of
the Odyssey. You may f ind descriptions of
equipment and f eatures that are not on your
particular model.Si pref iere este Manual del
Propietario en español,
comuníquese con el concesionario
Honda.
POUR CLIENTS CANADIEN
A VIS IMPORT A NT : Si vous avez
besoin d’un Manuel du Conduct eur
en f rançais, veuillez demander à
votreconcessionnairede
commander le numéro de pièce
38S0X640
Owner’s Identif ication
OWNER
ADDRESS
V. I. N.
DELIVERY DATE
DEALER NAME DEALER NO.
ADDRESS
OWNER’S SIGNATURE
DEALER’S SIGNATURE
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE
(Date sold to original retail purchaser)
STREET
CITY STATE/PROVINCE ZIP CODE/
POSTAL CODE

You’ll f ind many saf ety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important.Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed the greater the
risk, but serious accidents can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual. (See page
.)
Having a tire blowout or a
mechanical f ailure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition f requently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance. (See page .)
Children are saf est when they are
properly restrained in a back seat,
notthefrontseat.Achildwhoistoo
smallforaseatbeltmustbeproperly
restrained in a child saf ety seat. (See
page .) Alcohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with
every additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your f riends
drink and drive, either.
A seat belt is your best protection in
all types of collisions. Airbags
supplement seat belts, but airbags
are designed to inf late only in a
moderate to severe f rontal collision.
So even though your vehicle is
equipped with airbags, make sure
you and your passengers always
wear your seat belts, and wear them
properly. (See page .)
17
24 10
288
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat BeltBe Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Restrain All Children Don’t Drink and Drive
6

See page f or how to adjust the
f ront seats. Once your seat is adjusted correctly,
rock it back and f orth to make sure
the seat is locked in position. Most shorter drivers can get f ar
enough away f rom the steering
wheel and still reach the pedals.
However, if you are concerned about
sitting too close, we recommend that
you investigate whether some type
of adaptive equipment may help.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that drivers
adjust the seat so the center of the
chest is at least 10 inches (25 cm)
away f rom the center of the steering
wheel.Alsomakesureyourfront
seat passenger moves the seat as f ar
to the rear as possible. To reduce the chance of injury, wear
your seat belt properly, sit upright
with your back against the seat, and
movetheseatawayfromthe
steering wheel to the f arthest
distance that allows you to maintain
f ull control of the vehicle.
110
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety14
Sitting too close to a front
airbag can result in serious
injury or death if the front
airbags inflate.
Always sit as far back from the
front airbags as possible.

According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in the
back seat, not the f ront seat. The
National Highway Traf f ic Saf ety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
In a back seat, children are less
likely to be injured by striking hard
interior parts during a collision or
hard braking. Also, children cannot
be injured by an inf lating airbag
when they ride in the back.
During a
crash, the belt could press deep
into the child and cause very
serious injuries. If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown f orward into the
dashboard and crush the child.
If youarewearingaseatbelt,the
child can be torn f rom your arms
during a crash. For example, if
your vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
20-lb (9 kg) inf ant will become a
600-lb (275 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Children Should Sit in the Back
Seat
Never put a seat belt over yourself
and an inf ant or child.
A ddit ional Precaut ions t o Parent s
Neverholdaninfantorchildonyour lap.
25

Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s f ront airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
f orce to cause very serious injuries.With an advanced airbag system, the
f ront passenger’s airbag is turned of f
if sensors detect a total weight of
less than about 65 lbs (30 kg) in the
seat, and the ‘‘Passenger Airbag
Cutof f ’’ indicator is turned on. (See
page f or additional inf ormation on
how the passenger’s airbag works.)
Even if the passenger’s f ront airbag
is turned of f , we strongly
recommend that inf ants, small
children, and larger children ride
properly restrained in a back seat
wheretheywillbesafer.
To help prevent airbag-caused
deaths and injuries to children, this
vehicle has an advanced airbag
system. 57
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks
26

Many parents say they pref er to put
an inf ant or small child in the f ront
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Your vehicle has two rows of back
seats where children can be properly
restrained.
Place the largest child in the f ront
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page ).
Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page ).
Have the child sit upright and well
backintheseat(seepage ).
Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page ).
If you ever have to carry a group of
children (when carpooling f or
example), and a child must ride in
front:
Placing a child in the f ront seat
exposes the child to hazards f rom
the passenger’s f ront airbag, and
paying close attention to a child
distracts the driver f rom the
important tasks of driving, placing
both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or f requent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.
42
1321
17 If a Child Requires Close
Attention
If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety28

CONT INUED
Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
vehicle seating positions.
However, Honda is conf ident that
one or more child seat models can f it
andbeproperlyinstalledinall
recommended seating positions in
your vehicle.Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specif ic vehicle
seating position (or positions) where
they intend to use the seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you may need to buy a
different one that will fit.
Your vehicle has lower anchors
installed f or use with LATCH
(Lower Anchors and Tethers f or
Children) - compatible child seats.
For more inf ormation, see page .
48
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T he child seat should f it the
vehicle seat ing posit ion (orposit ions) where it will be used.
3.
31

This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place rear-facing and forward-
f acing child seats in your vehicle.Recommended positions.
Properlysecurearear-facingchild
seat (see page ).
Recommended
positions. Properly secure a f ront-
f acing child seat (see page ).
To help prevent airbag-caused
deaths and injuries to children,
this vehicle has an advanced
airbag system.
With this system, the front
passenger’s airbag is turned of f
if sensors detect a total weight
of less than about 65 lbs (30 kg)
in the seat.
Even if the f ront passenger’s
airbag is turned of f , we strongly
recommend that inf ants and
small children ride properly
restrained in a back seat where
they will be saf er. Not recommended. If
a small child must ride in f ront,
move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position and secure a f ront-
f acing child seat with the seat belt
(see page ). Never in the f ront seat, due
to the f ront airbag hazard. Not
recommended.
39
35 39
Placing a Child Seat Front Passenger’s Seat
Back Seat sInf ant s:
Small children:
Small children:
Inf ant s:
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
32

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:Make sure the child is properly
strappedinthechildseat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
canbethrownoutof theseatina
crash and be seriously injured.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ In some vehicles
or seating positions, it may be
dif f icult to install a child seat so that
it does not move at all. Some side-to-
side or back-and-f orth movement can
be expected and should not reduce
the child seat’s ef f ectiveness. When you are not using a child seat,
either remove it and store it in a saf e
place, or make sure it is properly
secured. An unsecured child seat can
be thrown around the vehicle during
a crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a dif f erent seating
position, or use a dif f erent style of
child seat that can be f irmly secured
in the desired seating position. To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers as well as during
a collision, we recommend that
parents secure a child seat as f irmly
as possible.
Af ter installing a child
seat, push and pull the seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure. All child seats are
designed to be secured to the
vehicle with the lap part of a lap/
shoulder belt. Some child seats
can be secured to the vehicle’s
LATCH anchorage system instead.
A child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash. See pages , and f or instructions on
howtoproperlysecurechildseats
in this vehicle. 39 48
35
Inst alling a Child Seat Secure t he child in t he child seat .
Storing a Child Seat
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly secured.
Properly secure t he child seat t o
the vehicle.
1.
2. 3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety33

Only a rear-f acing child seat provides
proper support f or a baby’s head,
neck, and back.
Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively f or inf ants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
f acing, reclining mode.An inf ant must be restrained in a
rear-f acing child seat until the child
reaches the seat maker’s weight or
height limit and is at least one year
old.We strongly recommend placing a
rear-facing child seat in a back seat,
not the front. Even with advanced
airbags, which can automatically
turn the passenger’s f ront airbag of f
(see page ), a back seat is the
saf est place f or an inf ant.
If an inf ant must be closely watched,
have another adult sit in a back seat
next to the baby.
If placed
f acing f orward, an inf ant could be
very seriously injured during a
f rontal collision. 62
Protecting Inf ants
Child Seat T ype Child Seat Placement
Do not put a rear-f acing child seat ina f orward-f acing position.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety34
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
collision.
Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.