HONDA ELEMENT 2003 1.G Owners Manual

The f ront doors can be locked and
unlocked f rom the outside with the
key.
The master door lock switch on the
driver’s door locks and unlocks all of
the doors and the hatch. Push the
switch down to lock all of the doors
and the hatch, and up to unlock them. To lock the f ront passenger’s door
when getting out the vehicle, push
the lock tab down and close the door.
To lock the driver’s door, remove the
key f rom the ignition switch, pull the
outside door handle and push the
locktabdownorpushthemaster
switch down. Release the handle,
then close the door.
Each f ront door has a lock tab at the
top of the door. When you push
down the lock tab on the driver’s
door, all doors and the hatch lock.
Pulling up the lock tab on the driver’s
door unlocks only that door. The
locktabonthefrontpassenger’s
door only locks and unlocks that
door.
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Power Door L ocks
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols87
MASTER DOOR LOCK SWITCH

All doors and the hatch lock when
youpushdownthelocktabonthe
driver’s door, or lock the driver’s
door from the outside with the key.
Only the driver’s door unlocks when
you use the key or the lock tab. To
unlock the f ront passenger’s door,
use the master door lock switch or
the lock tab on the f ront passenger’s
door.The Element has no center pillars
between front and rear seats, and
the rear doors pivot at the rear.
The rear door handle is located in
the rear door edge. The rear door
canbeopenedonlywhenthefront
door is open. Pull the handle to open
the rear door.
To close the doors when both f ront
and rear doors are open, close the
rear door first, then the front door.
The f ront door cannot be latched
without f irst closing the rear door.
Closing the rear door on the f ront
door will damage both doors.
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Rear Doors
88

CONT INUED
You can lock or unlock the hatch in
any of these ways:Useyourmasterkeytolockand
unlock the hatch.
Turnthekeyclockwisetolockthe
hatch, and counterclockwise to
unlock it. Lock the hatch by pushing down
the lock tab on the driver’s door
(see page ), or by using the
master key in the driver’s door
lock.
Lock or unlock the hatch with the
master door lock switch.
With the hatch unlocked, open it by
pulling the handle and lif ting up.
To close the hatch, lower it, then
press down on the back edge.
When both the hatch and tailgate are
open, the hatch cannot be latched
without f irst closing the tailgate.
87
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Hatch
89

See page for information on
cargo loading. Keep the hatch closed
at all times while driving to avoid
damaging the hatch, and to prevent
exhaust gas from getting into the
interior. Seeon page .
Youcanopenthetailgateonlywhen
the hatch is open. To open the
tailgate, slide the lock lever to the
lef t and swing down the tailgate. To
close the tailgate, lif t it up and push
it f irmly until it latches.
Bef ore closing the tailgate, make
sure the hatch is raised. Closing the
tailgate on the lowered hatch can
damage the hatch and the tailgate. See page for information on
cargo loading. Keep the tailgate and
the hatch closed at all times while
driving to avoid damaging them, and
to prevent exhaust gas f rom getting
into the interior. See
on page .
60 60
167
167
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Carbon Monoxide
Hazard Tailgate
Carbon
Monoxide Hazard
90

Open the glove box by pulling the
bottom of the handle. Close it with a
f irm push. Lock or unlock the glove
box with the master key. Glove Box
Keys and Locks
Inst rument s and Cont rols91
An open glove box can cause
serious injury to your passenger
inacrash,evenifthe
passenger is wearing the seat
belt.
Always keep the glove box
closed while driving.

µ
See pages f or important saf ety
inf ormation and warnings about how toproperly position seats and seat-backs. 13 15
Make all seat adjustments bef ore
you start driving.
To change the angle of the seat-back,
pull up on the lever on the outside of
the seat bottom. Move the seat-back
to the desired position and release
the lever. Let the seat-back latch into
the new position.
To adjust the seat forward and
backward, pull up on the bar under
the seat cushion’s f ront edge. Move
the seat to the desired position and
releasethebar.Trytomovetheseat
to make sure it is locked in position.
FrontSeatAdjustments
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols92

To adjust the height of the driver’s
seat, turn the dial on the outside of
the seat bottom.The driver’s seat has an armrest on
thesideof theseat-back.Touseit,
pivotitdown.On EX models
Driver’s Seat Height Adjustment Driver’s Seat Armrest
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols93

See page f or important saf etyinf ormation and a warning about how toproperly position the head restraints. 16
Your vehicle is equipped with head
restraints in all seating positions.
The head restraints help protect you
and your passengers f rom whiplash
and other injuries. They are most
ef f ective when you adjust them so
the back of the occupant’s head rests
against the center of the restraint. A
taller person should adjust the
restraint as high as possible. To remove a head restraint f or
cleaning or repair, pull it up as f ar as
it will go. Push the release button,
then pull the restraint out of the seat-
back.
The head restraints adjust f or height.
You need both hands to adjust the
restraint. Do not attempt to adjust it
while driving. To raise it, pull upward.
To lower the restraint, push the
release button sideways, and push
the restraint down.
Head Restraints
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols94
RELEASE BUTTON

Although your vehicle has rear doors,
the rear seat passengers can get out
of the vehicle f rom the open f ront
passenger’s door. Push down on the
release lever at the base of the front
passenger’s seat-back, and push the
seat-back forward. The seat-back will
tilt f orward and the entire seat will
move forward to allow easier exit
through the f ront door.After you return the seat cushion to
the desired position, pull the seat-
back upright until it latches. Make
sure the seat is f ully latched bef ore
sitting in it.
Rear Seat Access
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols95
RELEASE LEVER

µ
See pages f or important saf ety
inf ormation and warnings about how toproperly position seats and seat-backs. 13 15
Make all seat adjustments bef ore
you start driving.
The seat-back angle of each rear
seat can be adjusted separately.
To change the seat-back angle, pull
the strap at the inside edge of the
seat cushion, and move the seat-back
to the desired position, then release
the strap. Make sure the seat-back
latches in the new position.
Rear Seat-back Adjustment
Seats
Inst rument s and Cont rols96
SEAT-BACK ADJUSTMENT STRAP