air condition HONDA ELEMENT 2006 1.G Owners Manual

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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 are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. 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 ).
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 ). Excessive speed is a major f actor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
f aster than is saf e f or current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
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.
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. Children age12and 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
seat and a lap/shoulder belt until
they can use the belt properly
without a booster (see pages ).
15
163
46
30
Important Saf ety Precautions
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
K eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition Control Your Speed
Don’t Drink and Drive Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Restrain All Children
8

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 vehicle’s exhaust contains
carbon monoxide gas. You should
have no problem with carbon
monoxide entering the vehicle in
normal driving if you maintain your
vehicle properly.High levels of carbon monoxide can
collect rapidly in enclosed areas,
such as a garage. Do not run the
engine with the garage door closed.
Even with the door open, run the
engine only long enough to move the
vehicle out of the garage.
Have the exhaust system inspected
f or leaks whenever:
The vehicle is raised f or an oil
change.
You notice a change in the sound
of the exhaust.
The vehicle was in an accident
that may have damaged the
underside. Select the f resh air mode.
Select the mode.
Turn the f an on high speed.
Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.
If you must sit in your parked vehicle
with the engine running, even in an
unconf ined area, adjust the heating
and cooling system as f ollows: With the tailgate or hatch open, air
f low can pull exhaust gas into your
vehicle’s interior and create a
hazardous condition. If you must
drive with the tailgate or hatch open,
openallthewindowsandsetthe
heating and cooling system as shown
below.
1.
2.
3.
4.
Carbon Monoxide Hazard
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
47
Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and even kill
you.
Avoid any enclosed areas or
activities that expose you to
carbon monoxide.

The standard audio system has
many f eatures. This section
describes those f eatures and how to
use them. (If you have an optional
audio system, ref er to the operating
instructions that came with it.) The heating and air conditioning
system in your vehicle provides a
comf ortable driving environment in
all weather conditions.
Your vehicle has an anti-theft audio
system that requires a code number
to enable it................
Vents, Heating, and A/C .90
.......................
Air Flow Controls .91
...................................
Ventilation .92
........................
Using the Heater .92
.............................
Using the A/C .92
.............
Dehumidif y the Interior .93
................
To Def og and Def rost .93
To Remove Exterior Frost
......
or Ice From the Windows .93
............
Playing the AM/FM Radio .94
..............
AM/FM Radio Reception .98
Playing the XM
...........................
Satellite Radio .100
................................
Playing a Disc .106
..................
Protecting Your Discs .113
.......
Disc Player Error Messages .114
...
Disc Changer Error Messages .115
.................
Radio Thef t Protection .116
..........................
Setting the Clock .117
................
Remote Audio Controls .119
...............................
Cruise Control .120
Features
Features
89

Vents, Heating, and A/C
90
FAN CONTROL DIALTEMPERATURE
CONTROL DIALMODE CONTROL DIAL
RECIRCULATION BUTTON AIR CONDITIONING
(A/C) BUTTONREAR WINDOW DEFOGGER
BUTTON
MAX A/C POSITION DEFROST POSITION

The outside air intakes f or the
heating and cooling system are at
the base of the windshield. Keep this
area clear of leaves and other debris.
Thesystemshouldbeleftinfresh
air mode under almost all conditions.
Keeping the system in recirculation
mode, particularly with the A/C of f ,
can cause the windows to fog up.
Switch to recirculation mode when
driving through dusty or smoky
conditions, then return to fresh air
mode.
This button turns the rear window
def ogger of f and on (see page ).
Use the mode control dial to select
the vents the air flows from. Some
air will f low f rom the dashboard
vents in all modes.
Turning this dial clockwise increases
the temperature of the airflow. Turn this dial clockwise to increase
the fan speed and airflow.
This button turns the air
conditioning on and of f . The
indicatorinthebuttonisonwhen
the A/C is on.
When the recirculation indicator is
on, air f rom the vehicle’s interior is
sent throughout the system again.
When the indicator is off, air is
brought in f rom the outside of the
vehicle (fresh air mode). The system automatically
turns on the A/C and
switches to recirculation mode. Air
f lows f rom the center and side vents
in the dashboard.
Air flows from the center
and corner vents in the dashboard.
Airf low is divided between
the vents in the dashboard and the
f loor vents.
Air f lows f rom the f loor
vents. When you select , the
system automatically switches to
f resh air mode.
Airf low is divided between
the f loor vents and the def roster
vents at the base of the windshield.
63
CONT INUED
Rear Window Def ogger Button
Mode Control Dial
Air Conditioning (A/C) Button T emperature Control Dial
Fan Control Dial A ir Flow Controls
Recirculation Button
Vents, Heating, and A/C
Features
91

Air f lows f rom the def roster
vents at the base of the windshield. The heater uses engine coolant to warm the air. If the engine is cold, it
will be several minutes bef ore you
f eel warm air coming f rom the
system.
When you select or ,
the system automatically switches to
f resh air mode and turns on the A/C.
The A/C indicator does not come on.
Select and fresh air mode.
Set the f an to the desired speed.
Adjust the warmth of the air with
the temperature control dial.
The f low-through ventilation system
draws in outside air, circulates it
through the interior, then exhausts it
through vents near the tailgate.
Turn the temperature control dial
all the way to the lef t.
Make sure the A/C is of f .
Select and fresh air mode.
Set the f an to the desired speed. Set the mode control dial to MAX
A/C.
The system automatically turns on
the A/C, selects and
switches to recirculation mode.
Make sure the temperature
control dial is all the way to the left.
Set the f an to the desired speed.you can
cool it down more rapidly by partially
opening the windows, turning on the
A/C, and setting the fan to
maximum speed in Fresh Air mode. Turn on the A/C by pressing the
button. The indicator in the button
comesonwhenafanspeedis
selected.
Make sure the temperature
control dial is all the way to the left.
Select .
If the outside air is humid, select
recirculation mode. If the outside
air is dry, select f resh air mode.
Set the f an to the desired speed.
Air conditioning places an extra load
on the engine. Watch the engine
coolant temperature gauge (see page ). If it moves near the red zone,
turn of f the A/C until the gauge
reading returns to normal.
1.
2.
3.
4. 1.
2.
3.
1.
2.
3. 1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
59
To cool the interior with MAX A/C:
If the interior is very warm,
Vents, Heating, and A/C
Using the A/C Using the Heater
Ventilation
(f resh air mode)
92

Air conditioning, as it cools, removes
moisture from the air. When used in
combination with the heater, it
makes the interior warm and dry.
This setting is suitable f or all driving
conditions whenever the outside
temperature is above 32°F (0°C).To remove f og f rom the inside of the
windows:
Switch the f an on.
Turn on the air conditioning.
Select and fresh air mode.
Adjust the temperature control
dial to your pref erence. Set the f an to the desired speed, or
high f or f aster def rosting.
Select . The system
automatically switches to f resh air
mode and turns on the A/C. (The
A/C indicator will not come on in
U.S. vehicles, if the A/C was of f to
start with)
Adjust the temperature control
dial so the airflow feels warm.
Select to help clear the
rear window.
To increase airf low to the
windshield, close the corner vents.
When you switch to another mode
f rom , the A/C turns of f . But
if it was on to start with, it stays on. Select . The system
automatically switches to f resh air
mode and turns on the A/C. The
A/C indicator does not come on in
U.S. vehicle, if the A/C was off to
start with.
Select .
Set the f an and temperature
controls to maximum level.
Select to help clear the
rear window.
For your saf ety, make sure you have
a clear view through all the windows
bef ore driving. To clear the windows f aster, you can
close the dashboard corner vents by
rotating the wheel below each vent.
This sends more warm air to the
windshield def roster vents. Once the
windshield is clear, select f resh air
mode to avoid f ogging the windows.
1.
2.
3.
4.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.1.
2.
3.
4.
Vents, Heating, and A/C
Dehumidif y the Interior
T o Remove Exterior Frost or Ice
From the Windows
To Def og and Def rost
Features
93

The radio can receive the complete
AM and FM bands.
Those bands cover these f requen-
cies:
AM band: 530 to 1,710 kHz
FM band: 87.7 to 107.9 MHzHow well the radio receives stations
is dependent on many f actors, such
as the distance from the station’s
transmitter, nearby large objects,
and atmospheric conditions.
Driving very near the transmitter of
a station that is broadcasting on a
f requency close to the f requency of
the station you are listening to can
also af f ect your radio’s reception.
You may temporarily hear both
stations,orhearonlythestationyou
are close to.
A radio station’s signal gets weaker
as you get f arther away f rom its
transmitter. If you are listening to an
AM station, you will notice the sound
volume becoming weaker, and the
stationdriftinginandout.If youare
listening to an FM station, you will
see the stereo indicator f lickering of f
and on as the signal weakens.
Eventually, the stereo indicator will
go of f and the sound will f ade
completely as you get out of range of
the station’s signal.
Radio stations on the AM band are
assigned f requencies at least 10 kHz
apart (530, 540, 550). Stations on the
FM band are assigned f requencies at
least 0.2 MHz apart (87.9, 88.1, 88.3).
Stations must use these exact
f requencies. It is f airly common f or
stations to round-of f the f requency in
their advertising, so your radio could
display a f requency of 100.9 even
though the announcer may identif y
the station as ‘‘FM101.’’ Radio Frequencies
Radio Reception
A M/FM Radio Reception
98

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.
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.
an underinf lated tire
causes more ‘‘rolling resistance,’’
which uses more f uel.
Drive moderately. Rapid
acceleration, abrupt cornering,
and hard braking use more f uel. Try to maintain a constant speed.
Everytimeyouslowdownand
speed up, your vehicle uses extra
f uel. Use cruise control when
appropriate.
Always maintain your vehicle
according to the maintenance
schedule. See
on page
.
164
For example,
Improving Fuel Economy
Owner’s
Maintenance Checks
Fuel Economy
Bef ore Driving
129