maintenance HONDA ELEMENT 2004 1.G Owners Manual

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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 how your
airbags work. And it tells you how to
properly restrain infants and
children in your vehicle.
.........
Important Safety Precautions . 6
.......
Your Vehicle’s Saf ety Features . 7
.......................................
Seat Belts . 8
.........................................
Airbags . 10
.........
Protecting Adults and Teens . 11
.....
1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11
...........
2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11 ............
3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 13
...
4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 14
5. Fasten and Position the
..
Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts . 14
....
6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 16
7. Maintain a Proper Sitting
................................
Position . 16
.....
Advice f or Pregnant Women . 17
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 18
Additional Inf ormation About Your .................................
Seat Belts . 19
..
Seat Belt System Components . 19
......................
Lap/Shoulder Belt . 19
Automatic Seat Belt
...............................
Tensioners . 20
...............
Seat Belt Maintenance . 21
Additional Inf ormation About Your .....................................
Airbags . 22
......
Airbag System Components . 22
How Your Front Airbags
.........................................
Work . 22
...
How Your Side Airbags Work . 25
How the SRS Indicator
.......................................
Works . 26
How the Side Airbag Of f ......................
Indicator Works . 27 .............................
Airbag Service . 27
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 28
Protecting Children General ................................
Guidelines . 29
All Children Must Be ...............................
Restrained . 29
All Children Should Sit in the .................................
Back Seat . 30
The Passenger’s Front Airbag ...............
Poses Serious Risks . 30
If You Must Drive with Several ...................................
Children . 32
If a Child Requires Close ..................................
Attention . 32
...
Additional Safety Precautions . 32
Protecting Inf ants and .........................
Small Children . 34
.......................
Protecting Inf ants . 34
.........
Protecting Small Children . 36
.....................
Selecting a Child Seat . 37
....................
Installing a Child Seat . 38
...........
Protecting Larger Children . 44
.............
Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 48
...................................
Saf ety Labels . 49
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Driver and Passenger Saf ety5
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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.
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 .)
Children age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat. Infants and small children
should be restrained in a child seat.
Larger children should use a booster
and a lap/shoulder belt until theycanusethebeltproperlywithouta
booster (see page ). 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.
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 ).
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.
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.
14 29
152
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All ChildrenBe Aware of Airbag Hazards
Control Your Speed
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition
Don’t Drink and Drive
Driver and Passenger Saf ety6
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For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Honda provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash.
Pull each belt out f ully and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. Any belt not
in good condition or not working
properly will not provide good
protection and should be replaced as
soon as possible. The dealer should also inspect the
anchors f or damage and replace
them if needed. If automatic seat belt
tensioners activate during a crash,
they must be replaced.
For inf ormation on how to clean your
seat belts, see page .
170
Honda Warranty Inf ormation
Seat Belt Maintenance
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety21
Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious
injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly whenneeded.
Check your seat belts regularly
and have any problem
corrected as soon as possible.
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If a short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the deployment path,
the system may also shut of f the side
airbag.Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance-f ree, and there are no
parts you can saf ely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. If a
f ront airbag inf lates, the seat belt
tensioners must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
anyairbagbyyourself.Thismust
be done by a Honda dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop.
When you turn the ignition switch to
ON (II), the indicator should light
brief ly and go out. If it doesn’t light,
stays on, or comes on while driving
without a passenger or object in the
f ront seat, have the system checked.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized Honda dealer as soon
as possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
This indicator alerts you
that the passenger’s side
airbag has been automatically shut
of f . It does mean there is a
problem with your side airbags.
To reduce the risk of injury f rom an
inf lating side airbag, your vehicle has
an automatic cutoff system for the
passenger’s side airbag.
Although Honda does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, this system
is designed to shut of f the side
airbag if a child leans sideways and
the child’s head is in the side airbag
deployment path.
Optional on EX models
Airbag Service
How the Side Airbag Of f
Indicator Works
An airbag ever inf lates.
T he SRS indicat or alert s you t o aproblem.
not
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety27
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ÎThe U.S. instrument panel is shown. Dif f erences f or the Canadian models are noted in the text.
Instrument Panel
Inst rument s and Cont rols53
IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
INDICATOR
MAINTENANCE
REQUIRED INDICATOR DOOR-OPEN
INDICATOR
CRUISE CONTROL
INDICATOR
LOW OIL PRESSURE INDICATOR
PARKING BRAKE AND
BRAKE SYSTEM
INDICATOR
CHARGING SYSTEM
INDICATOR LOW FUEL INDICATOR
HIGH BEAM INDICATOR
TAILGATE AND HATCH
OPEN INDICATOR
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM INDICATOR
MALFUNCTION INDICATOR LAMP
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE
SYSTEM INDICATOR
SEAT BELT
REMINDER
INDICATOR
SIDE AIRBAG OFF
INDICATOR
(P.54, 193)
(P.54, 192)
(P.54, 194)
(P.57) (P.54, 192) (P.55)(P.56)
(P.55)
(P.55)(P.57)
(P.57)
(P.55)
(P.56)
(P.56)
(P.54)
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Canadian models onlyThis indicator reminds you that it is
time to take your vehicle in for
scheduled maintenance.
Ref er to the Maintenance Schedules
f or Normal and Severe Driving
Conditions on pages .
For the f irst 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
af ter the Maintenance Required
Indicator is reset, it will come on f or
two seconds when you turn the
ignition switch to ON (II).
Thiscomesonwhenthewasher
f luid level is low. Add washer f luid
when you see this light come on (see
page ).
This indicator comes on if any door
is not closed tightly.
This indicator comes on if the
tailgate or the hatch is not closed
tightly.
Between 8,000 miles (12,800 km)
and 10,000 miles (16,000 km), it will
light f or two seconds when you f irst
turn the ignition switch to ON (II),
andthenflashfortenseconds.
If you exceed 10,000 miles (16,000
km) without having the scheduled
maintenance perf ormed, this
indicator will remain on as a constant
reminder.Your dealer will reset this indicator
af ter completing the scheduled
maintenance. If this maintenance is
done by someone other than your
Honda dealer, reset the indicator as
f ollows.
Turn of f the engine.
Press and hold the Select/Reset
button on the instrument panel,
then turn the ignition switch to
ON (II).
Hold the button for about 10
seconds until the indicator goes
of f .
1.
152 153
2. 3.
161
Inst rument s and Cont rols
Washer L evel Indicator Maintenance Required
Indicator
Door-open Indicator
Tailgate and Hatch Open
Indicator
Instrument Panel
57
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Help assure your vehicle’s f uture
reliability and perf ormance by paying
extra attention to how you drive
during the f irst 600 miles (1,000 km).Avoid full-throttle starts and rapid
acceleration.
Do not change the oil until the
scheduled maintenance time.
Avoidhardbrakingforthefirst
200 miles (300 km).
During this period:
Your Honda is designed to operate
on unleaded gasoline with a pump
octane number of 86 or higher. Use
of a lower octane gasoline can cause
a persistent, heavy, metallic rapping
noise in the engine that can lead to
mechanical f ailure.
We recommend using gasoline
containing detergent additives that
help prevent f uel system and engine
deposits.
In addition, in order to maintain good
perf ormance, f uel economy, and
emissions control, we strongly
recommend, in areas where it is
available, the use of gasoline that
does NOT contain manganese-based
f uel additives such as MMT.
You should also f ollow these
recommendations with an
overhauled or exchanged engine, or
when the brakes are replaced. Do not tow a trailer.
Use of gasoline with these additives
may adversely af f ect perf ormance,
and cause the Malfunction Indicator
Lamp on your instrument panel to come on. If this happens, contact
your authorized Honda dealer f or
service.
Some gasoline today is blended with
oxygenates such as ethanol or
MTBE. Your vehicle is designed to
operate on oxygenated gasoline
containing up to 10 percent ethanol
by volume and up to 15 percent
MTBE by volume. Do not use
gasoline containing methanol.
If you notice any undesirable
operating symptoms, try another
service station or switch to another
brand of gasoline.
Premium f uel is recommended when
towing in certain conditions (see
page ).
For f urther important f uel-related
inf ormation, please ref er to your
.
139
Bef ore Driving
Break-in Period Gasoline Type
Quick Start Guide
Break-in Period, Gasoline T ype
110
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Wait a f ew minutes af ter turning the
engine of f bef ore you check the oil.Remove the dipstick (orange tab).
Wipe the dipstick with a clean
cloth or paper towel.
Insert it all the way back in its tube. Remove the dipstick again and
check the level. It should be
between the upper and lower
marks.
If it is near or below the lower mark,
see on page . Look at the coolant level in the
radiator reserve tank. Make sure it is
between the MAX and MIN lines. If
it is below the MIN line, see
on page f or
inf ormation on adding the proper
coolant.
Refer to on page f or inf ormation
on checking other items in your
Honda.
1. 2. 3.
157
151160
4.
Service Station Procedure
Bef ore Driving
Oil Check
A dding OilEngine Coolant Check
A dding
Engine Coolant
Owner’s Maintenance
Checks
113
DIPSTICK
UPPER MARKLOWER MARK RESERVE TANK
MAX
MIN
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Always maintain your vehicle
according to the maintenance
schedule. See(see page
).
an underinf lated tire
causes more ‘‘rolling resistance,’’
which uses f uel.
The build-up of snow or mud on
your vehicle’s underside adds
weight and rolling resistance.
Frequent cleaning helps your f uel
mileage and reduces the chance of
corrosion.
Drive moderately. Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering and
hard braking use more f uel.
Always drive in the highest gear
possible. The air conditioning puts an extra
load on the engine which makes it
usemorefuel.Usethefresh-air
ventilation when possible.
Combine several short trips into
one.
Try to maintain a constant speed.
Everytimeyouslowdownand
speed up, your vehicle uses extra
fuel.Usethecruisecontrolwhen
appropriate.
151
For example,
Improving Fuel Economy
Owner’s
Maintenance Checks
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving114
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The lights and brakes on your
vehicle and the trailer are working
properly.
Your vehicle tires and spare are
properly inf lated (see page ),
and the trailer tires and spare are
inflated as recommended by the
trailer maker.
When preparing to tow, and bef ore
driving away, be sure to check the
f ollowing:
The vehicle has been properly
serviced, and the tires, brakes,
suspension, and cooling system
are in good operating condition.
If you tow f requently, f ollow the
Severe Conditions maintenance
schedule.
The trailer has been properly
serviced and is in good condition.
All weights and loads are within
limits (see page ).
Thehitch,safetychains,andany
other attachments are secure.
Allitemsonandinthetrailerare
properly secured and cannot shif t
while you drive.
Many states and Canadian provinces
require special outside mirrors when
towing a trailer. Even if they don’t,
you should install special mirrors if
you cannot clearly see behind you, or
if the trailer creates a blind spot.
Askyourtrailersalesorrental
agency if any other items are
recommended or required f or your
towing situation.
136172
Towing a Trailer
Driving
Pre-T ow ChecklistTrailer Mirrors
138
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