airbag HONDA ELEMENT 2006 1.G User Guide

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 f ront airbag inf lates.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash. Objects on
the covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’
could interf ere with the proper
operation of the airbags or be
propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone if the airbags inf late.
If a side airbag
inflates,acupholderorotherhard
object attached on or near the
door could be propelled inside the
vehicle and hurt someone.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the front airbag inflates.
Additional Saf ety Precautions
Do not put any accessories on seat
belts.
Do not place hard or sharp object sbet ween yourself and a f rontairbag.
Never let passengers ride in t he
cargo area or on t op of a f olded-down back seat .
Passengers should not stand up orchange seats while the vehicle ismoving.
T wo people should never use t hesame seat belt . Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
On models wit h side airbags, donot at t ach hard object s on or neara f ront door.
K eep your hands and arms awayf rom t he airbag covers.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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CONT INUED
For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in place.For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
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. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page
). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.
Honda provides a lif etime warranty
on seat belts f or U.S. models. See
your
booklet f or details.
The tensioners are designed to
activate in any collision severe
enough to cause f ront airbag
inf lation.
The tensioners can also be activated
during a collision in which the f ront
airbags
. In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
additional restraint could be helpf ul.
When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled in the normal
manner.
If the f ront seat belt tensioners ever
activate, they must be replaced as
the belts will no longer retract
properly. 185
Honda Warranty Inf ormation
do not deploy
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
21

Your airbag system includes:Two SRS (supplemental restraint
system) f ront airbags. The driver’s
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the f ront
passenger’sairbagisstoredinthe
dashboard. Both are marked ‘‘SRS
AIRBAG’’ (see page ).
On models equipped with two side
airbags, one for the driver and one
f or a f ront passenger. The airbags
arestoredintheouteredgesof
the seat-backs. Both are marked
‘‘SIDE AIRBAG’’ (see page ). On models equipped with side
airbags, an indicator on the
dashboard that alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
turned of f (see page ).
Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle’s electrical system is
disconnected in a crash.
Automatic seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe front impact,
or side impact in models with side
airbags. On models with side airbags,
sensors that can detect whether
a child is in the passenger’s side
airbag path and automatically
turn the airbag off (see page
).
A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors and
records inf ormation about the
sensors, the control unit, the
airbag activators, the seat belt
tensioners, and driver and f ront
passenger seat belt use when the
ignition switch is in the ON (II)
position.
An indicator on the instrument
panel that alerts you to a possible
problem with your airbags,
sensors, or seat belt tensioners
(see page ).
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A irbag System Components
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
23

Af ter inf lating, the f ront airbags
immediately def late, so they won’t
interf ere with the driver’s visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate
other controls.
Although both airbags normally
inf late within a split second of each
other, it is possible f or only one
airbag to deploy.
This can happen if the severity of a
collision is at the margin, or
threshold, that determines whether
or not the airbags will deploy. In
such cases, the seat belt will provide
suf f icient protection, and the
supplemental protection of f ered by
the airbag would be minimal.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe f rontal collision, sensors will
detect the vehicle’s rapid
deceleration.
If the rate of deceleration is high
enough, the control unit will instantly
inf late the driver’s and f ront
passenger’s airbags, at the time and
with the f orce needed. During a f rontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the f ront airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How Your Front Airbags Work
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Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
or not the occupant is wearing a seat
belt.
Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In a
crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
protection.
If the occupant’s belt is , the
airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Dual-T hreshold A irbags
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe not lat ched
latched
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.To get the best protection f rom the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid deceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inf late
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag. Your vehicle has a side airbag cutof f
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the f ront passenger’s
seat.
Although Honda does not encourage
children to ride in f ront, if the
sensors in the seat detect a child has
leaned into the side airbag’s
deployment path, the airbag will shut
off.
Thesideairbagmayalsoshutoff if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.
Objects placed on the f ront
passenger seat can also cause theside airbag to be shut off.
A f ront seat passenger should not
use a cushion or other object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutof f
system f rom working properly. There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
pathandwhentheindicatorcomes
on or goes of f . If the side airbag of f indicator comes
on (see page ), have the
passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.
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Standard on EX models
How Your Side A irbags Work
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Side A irbag Cut of f Syst em
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If the indicator comes on at any
other time, or does not come on at all,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example:If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.
If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.
If the indicator comes on or
flashesonandoff whileyoudrive.
If you see any of these indications,
the airbags and seat belt tensioners
may not work properly when you
need them.
The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbags or seat belt
tensioners.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on brief ly then goes of f . This
tells you the system is working
properly.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
How the SRS Indicator Works
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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Ignoring the SRS indicator can
result in serious injury or death
if the airbag systems or
tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer as soon as possible if
the SRS indicator alerts you to
a possible problem.

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 dealer or a
knowledgeable body shop. Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the indicator
should come on brief ly and go of f
(see page ). If it doesn’t come on,
stays on, or comes on while driving
without a passenger in the f ront seat,
have the system checked. This indicator alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
automatically shut off. It does
mean there is a problem with your
side airbags. 55
Standard on U.S. EX models andCanadian Y package
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
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 a
problem.
not
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U.S. Canada

Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection. Improperly replacing
or covering f ront seat-back covers
can prevent your side airbags f rom
inf lating during a side impact.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
If water or another liquid
soaks into a seat-back, it can
prevent the side airbag cutof f
system f rom working properly.
Models with side airbags:Additional Saf ety Precautions
Donotattempttodeactivateyour
airbags. Do not cover or replace f ront seat -
back covers wit hout consult ingyour dealer.
Do not t amper wit h airbag component s or wiring f or anyreason.
Do not expose the f ront seat-backsto liquid.
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
29

µ
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.If the vehicle seat is
too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown f orward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough f orce to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Whenever possible,
larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page f or important
inf ormation about protecting larger
children).
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
saf er when they are restrained in a
back seat. The National Highway
Traf f ic Saf ety Administration and
Transport Canada recommend that
all children age 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
If
the airbag inf lates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
inf ant.
Some states have laws restricting
where children may ride.
Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back.
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CONT INUED
Protecting Children General Guidelines
Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag canbe hazardous.
Larger ChildrenChildren who have outgrown childseat s are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inf lat ing passenger’sfront airbag.
Inf ant s
Never put a rear-f acing child seat inthe f ront seat of a vehicle equippedwit h a passenger’s f ront airbag.All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Poses Serious Risks
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
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