HONDA S2000 2003 1.G Owner's Manual

If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
severely compromise the
protective capability of the seat
belt and increase the chance of
serious injury in a crash.
Carrying hard or sharp objects on
your lap, or driving with a pipe or
other sharp object in your mouth,
can result in injuries if your
airbags inflate. If your
hands or arms are close to the
airbag covers in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, they could be injured if
the airbags inf late.
Any object
attached to or placed on the
covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG,’’
in the center of the steering
wheelandontopof the
dashboard, could interf ere with
the proper operation of the
airbags. Or, if the airbags inflate,
the objects could be propelled
inside the car and hurt someone. Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many parents and other
adults may not know how to
protect young passengers.
So if you have children, or if you ever
need to drive with a grandchild or
otherchildreninyourcar,besureto
read this section.
properly
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
Do not put any accessories on seatbelts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and an airbag. K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers.
Do not at t ach or place object s onthe airbag covers.
Additional Saf ety Precautions Protecting Children
Protecting Adults, Protecting Children
18

µ
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In f act, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
inf ants and children be restrained
whenever they ride in a vehicle.
(See page
.)
(See page
.) We strongly recommend that you do
not carry any child in this car.
One reason is that your car does not
have a back seat, and accident
statistics show that a child of any
size or age is saf er when they are
properly restrained in the back seat
of a vehicle.
In addition, your car has a passenger’s
airbag which poses serious risks to
children particularly inf ants and
small children.
26
29
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
A ll Children Must Be Restrained Your Car is Not Recommended f or Child Passengers
Anychildwhoistoosmalltoweara
seat belt should be properlyrest rained in a child seat .
A larger child should always berest rained wit h a seat belt .
19
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt.

Airbags have been designed to help
protect adults in a moderate to
severe f rontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s airbag is quite large,
and it inf lates with tremendous
speed.
As a result, we urge you to f ollow
these guidelines.If a larger child must ride in
this car, see page f or important
guidelines on how to decide whether
a child is large enough and mature
enough to ride as a passenger, and
how to properly protect the child. If the vehicle seat is too
f ar f orward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can strike the child
with enough f orce to kill or very
seriously injure a small child. If a
small child must ride in this car,
f ollow the instructions on page .
If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure an inf ant.
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 car crashes into a parked
vehicleat30mph(48km/h),a
30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) f orce, and you will
not be able to hold on.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries. 2926
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
The Passenger’s Airbag Poses
Serious Risks to ChildrenSmall Children
Inf ant s Children who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sairbag.
Larger Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag can behazardous.
Never put a rear-f acing child seat in t he f ront seat of a car equipped wit ha passenger’s airbag.
Never hold a small child on your
lap.
Never put a seat belt over yourselfand a child.
20

To remind you of the passenger’s
airbag hazards, your car has warning
labels on the dashboard and on the
driver’s and passenger’s visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.To remind you of the airbag hazards,
your car has warning labels on the
driver’s and passenger’s visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
U.S. Models
Canadian Models
21

Leaving a child without adult
supervision is illegal in most states
and Canadian provinces and can
be very hazardous. For example, a
small child lef t in a car on a hot
day can die f rom heatstroke. A
child lef t alone with the key in the
ignition can accidentally set the
car in motion, possibly injuring
themselves or others. As discussed on page , because
your car does not have a back seat,
and because of the passenger’s
airbag hazard, we strongly
recommend that you do not carry a
small child as a passenger in this car.
However, if you must carry a small
child in this car, the child must be
properly restrained in a child seat.
The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
a child seat. See page f or
additional information.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the trunk, which can
lead to accidental injury or death.
Children who play in cars can
accidentally get trapped inside the
trunk. Teach your children not to
play in or around cars. Know how
to operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
f eature (See page ). 26
67 19
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not leave a child alone in your
car. K eep car keys and remot e
transmitters out of the reach ofchildren.
Lock both doors and the trunk when your car is not in use.
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Additional Saf ety Precautions
22

CONT INUED
To provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:The child seat should
meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Saf ety Standard 213 (FMVSS 213)
or Canadian Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 (CMVSS 213). Look
for the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and seat. Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not f it all
seating positions in all cars.
However, Honda is conf ident that
one or more child seat models can f it
andbeproperlyinstalledinall
recommended seating positions in
your car.
Bef ore purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat to make sure it f its
properly in the passenger’s seat. If a
previously purchased child seat does
not f it, you will need to buy a
dif f erent one that will f it.
A child who is too
large f or a rear-f acing child seat, and
who can sit up without support,
should be restrained in a f orward-
f acing child seat. See page f or
additional inf ormation on protecting
small children. 26
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
T he child seat should f it the
passenger’s seat .
T he child seat should be of the
proper t ype and size t o f it t he child.
T he child seat should meet saf et y st andards.
Select ing a Child Seat
Small Children:
2.
3.
1.
23

The passenger’s airbag inf lates
with enough f orce to kill or
seriously injure an inf ant in a
rear-facing child seat.Never in the passenger’s
seat, due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard.
Not recommended,
due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard. If a small child must ride
in this car, move the vehicle seat
to the rear-most position and
secure a f ront-f acing child seat
with the seat belt. (see page ).
A small child in a f orward-f acing
child seat is also at risk. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward,
or the child’s head is thrown
f orward during a collision, an
inf lating airbag can kill or
seriously injure the child.
This page brief ly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place a child seat in your car.
If a small child must ride in this
car, f ollow the instructions
provided in this section. This car is not equipped with a
tether attachment point.
27
Placing a Child Seat
Inf ant s:
Small children:
Passenger’s Seat
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Airbags Pose Serious
Risks to Children
24

Af ter selecting a proper child seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat: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. 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.
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.
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 car during a
crash or sudden stop and injure
someone.
However, a child seat does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ 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.
All child
seats must be secured to the car
with the lap part of a lap/shoulder
belt. A child whose seat is not
properly secured to the car can be
endangered in a crash. See page for instructions on how to
secure a f orward-f acing child seat
in this car. 27
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Make sure t he child seat is f irmly
secured. Secure the child in the child seat.
Storing a Child Seat
Inst alling a Child Seat
Properly secure t he child seat t othe car with a seat belt.
1.
2. 3.
25

The passenger’s airbag poses
serious risks to small children. If the
vehicle seat is too f ar f orward, or the
child’s head is thrown f orward
during a collision, or the child is
unrestrained or improperly
restrained, an inf lating airbag can kill
or seriously injure the child.
For these reasons, we recommend
that you do not carry a small child as
a passenger.If you decide to carry a small child in
this car, f ollow the instructions and
guidelines below.
A child at least one year old who can
sit up without support, and who f its
within the child seat maker’s weight
and height limits, should be
restrained in a f orward-f acing,
upright child seat.
We also recommend that a small
child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit f or the seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a f ive-
point harness system as shown. If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the passenger’s
seat, move the passenger’s seat as
f ar to the rear as possible, be sure
the child seat is f irmly secured to the
car, and the child is properly
strappedintheseat.
Protecting Small Children
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Child Seat T ype
26
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the airbags inflate.
Ifyoumustplaceaforward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible and properly restrain
the child.

To activate the lockable retractor,
slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops,
then let the belt f eed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
Af ter the belt has retracted, tug on
it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pull
the belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps.
The passenger’s seat belt has a
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat.
Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position. Moving the seat as
f ar back as possible reduces the
chance of a child being injured or
killed if the passenger’s airbag
inflates. (See page for
instructions on how to adjust the
seat.) With the child seat in position,
route the belt through the child
seat according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
1.
2.3.
4.
69
CONT INUED
Child Seat Inst allat ion
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27