child lock HONDA ELEMENT 2003 1.G Owners Manual

This section gives you important
inf ormation about how to protect
yourself and your passengers. It
shows you how to use seat belts
properly. It explains your Supple-
mental Restraint System. And it tells
you how to properly restrain inf ants
and children in your vehicle..........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts .8
.........................................
Airbags .10
.....................
Seats & Seat-Backs .11
..........................
Head Restraints .11
..................................
Door Locks .11
........
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist . 12
............................
Protecting Adults .13
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 13 ...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 13
............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 15
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 16
5. Fasten and Position the Seat .....................................
Belts .17
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 20
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................
Position .20
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 21
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 22
........................
Protecting Children .24
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained .24
Children Should Sit in the Back ...........................................
Seat .25
The Passenger’s Front Airbag Poses Serious Risks to ..............................
Children .25
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children .28
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention .28
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 29
General Guidelines f or Using ...............................
Child Seats .29
.......................
Protecting Inf ants .34 .........
Protecting Small Children . 38
.......
Protecting Larger Children . 42
Using Child Seats with .....................................
Tethers .46
.............................
Using LATCH .47
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts .50
..
Seat Belt System Components . 50
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt .50
Automatic Seat Belt ...............................
Tensioners .52
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 53
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags .54
........................
SRS Components .54
How Your Front Airbags .........................................
Work .54
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 56
How the SRS Indicator Light .......................................
Works .57
How the Side Airbag Cutof f ...........
Indicator Light Works . 58
.............................
Airbag Service .59
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 59
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 60
...................................
Saf ety Labels .61
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5

To make sure you and your
passengers get the maximum
protection f rom your vehicle’s saf ety
f eatures, check the f ollowing each
time before you drive away:All adults, and children who have
outgrown child saf ety seats, are
wearing their seat belts and
wearingthemproperly(seepage ).
Any inf ant or small child is
properly restrained in a child seat
inthebackseat(seepage ).
Frontseatoccupantsaresitting
upright and as f ar back as possible
f rom the steering wheel and
dashboard (see page ).
Seat-backs are upright (see page ). Head restraints are properly
adjusted (see page ).
Alldoorsandthetailgateare
closed and locked (see page ).
All cargo is properly stored or
secured (see page ).
The rest of this section gives more
detailed inf ormation about how you
can maximize your saf ety.
Remember, however, that no saf ety
system can prevent all injuries or
deaths that can occur in severe
crashes, even when seat belts are
properly worn and the airbags deploy.
17
24
13
15 16
13
167
Pre-Drive Saf ety Checklist
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features
Driver and Passenger Saf ety12

The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to properly
protect the driver and other adult
occupants.
These instructions also apply to
children who have outgrown child
seats and are large enough to wear
lap/shoulder belts. (See page f or
important additional guidelines on
how to properly protect larger
children.)
Af ter everyone has entered the
vehicle, be sure the doors and
tailgate (including the hatch glass)
are closed.Your vehicle has a door
monitor light on the
instrument panel to indicate when
any door is not tightly closed. Any driver who sits too close to the
steering wheel is at risk of being
seriously injured or killed by striking
the steering wheel or f rom being
struck by an inflating front airbag
during a crash.
Your vehicle also has a
tailgate and hatch open
indicator light on the instrument
panel to indicate when the tailgate or
the hatch is not tightly closed.
For saf ety, locking the doors reduces
the chance that a passenger,
especially a child, will open a door
while the vehicle is moving and
accidentally f all out. It also reduces
the chance of someone being thrown
out of the vehicle during a crash.
For security, locked doors can
prevent an outsider f rom
unexpectedly opening a door when
you come to a stop.
See page f or how to lock the
doors.
42
87
CONT INUED
Introduction
Close and L ock the Doors Adjust the Front Seats
1. 2.
Protecting Adults
Driver and Passenger Saf ety13

CONT INUED
The f ollowing pages give general
guidelines f or selecting and installing
child seats f or inf ants and small
children.
Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition,
and open the tailgate or hatch,
which can lead to accidental injury
or death. Children
who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside the
vehicle. Teach your children not to
play in or around vehicles.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states and Canadian provinces,
and can be very hazardous. For
example, inf ants and small
childrenleftinavehicleonahot
day can die f rom heatstroke. And
children lef t alone with the key in
the ignition can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting Children
General Guidelines f or Using
Child Seats
Additional Saf ety Precautions
K eep vehicle keys out of t he reach
of children.
L ock all doors and t he hat ch when
your vehicle is not in use.
Do not leave children alone in your
vehicle.
29

CONT INUED
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
seats have a locking mechanism that
must be activated to secure a child
seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions and tips on how to
secure a rear-f acing child seat with
this type of seat belt.With the child seat in the desired
back seating position, route the
belt through the child seat
according to the seat maker’s
instructions, then insert the latch
plate into the buckle.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.
If you have a child seat designed to
attach to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
481.
2.
3.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion
35

Af ter conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure.
To remove slack, it may help to
putweightonthechildseat,or
push on the back of the seat, while
pulling up on the belt.Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat,
unlatch the buckle, unroute the seat
belt, and let the belt f ully retract.
5.
4.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety36

Forproperprotection,aninfantmust
ride in a reclined, or semi-reclined
position. To determine the proper
reclining angle, check with the baby’s
doctor or f ollow the seat maker’s
recommendations.
To achieve the desired reclining
angle, it may help to put a rolled up
towel under the toe of the child seat,
as shown.When properly installed, a rear-
f acing child seat may prevent the
driver or a f ront-seat passenger f rom
moving the seat as far back as
recommended (see page ). Or it
may prevent them f rom locking the
seat-back in the desired upright
position (see page ).
In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the f ront passenger seat,
move the front seat as far forward as
needed, and leave it unoccupied. Or
you may wish to get a smaller child
seat that allows you to safely carry a
f ront passenger.
13
15
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Rear-Facing Child Seat Inst allat ion Tips
37

With the child seat in the desired
seating position, route the belt
through the child seat according
to the seat maker’s instructions,
then insert the latch plate into the
buckle.
The lap/shoulder belts in the back
and f ront passenger seating positions
have a locking mechanism that must
be activated to secure a child seat.
The f ollowing pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
f orward-f acing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
If it is necessary to put a f orward-
f acing child seat in the f ront, move
the vehicle seat as far to the rear as
possible, be sure the child seat is
f irmly secured to the vehicle, and
that the child is properly strapped in
the seat. If you have a child seat designed to
attach to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page .
481.
CONT INUED
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Child Seat Inst allat ion
39
Improperly placing a forward-
facing child seat in the front
seat can result in serious injury
or death if the front 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 conf irming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if
the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It
mayhelptoputweightonthe
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the
belt.
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.
2. 3.
4.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety40

To deactivate the locking
mechanism in order to remove a
child seat, unlatch the buckle,
unroute the seat belt, and let the belt
fully retract.
Push and pull the child seat
f orward and f rom side to side to
verif y that it is secure enough to
stay upright during normal driving
maneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract f ully, then repeat these
steps.
5.
Protecting Children
Driver and Passenger Saf ety41