belt HONDA ELEMENT 2011 1.G Owner's Manual

During a frontal crash, your seat belt
restrains your lower body and torso,
and the front airbag helps protect
your head and chest.
Although both airbags normally
inflate within a split second of each
other, it is possible for 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
sufficient protection, and the
supplemental protection offered by
the airbag would be minimal.
Only the driver's airbag can deploy if
there is no passenger in the front
seat, or if the advanced airbag
system has turned the passenger's
airbag off (see page 26).
After inflating, the front airbags
immediately deflate, so they won't
interfere with the driver's visibility,
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.The total time for inflation and
deflation is one-tenth of a second, so
fast 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 from the airbag's surface.
Although the powder is not harmful,
people with respiratory problems
may experience some temporary
discomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do
so.
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Additional Information About Your Airbags
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Driver and Passenger Safety
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Dual-Stage, Multiple-Threshold FrontAirbags (SRS)Your vehicle is equipped with dual-
stage, multiple-threshold front
airbags (SRS). During a frontal crash
severe enough to cause one or both
front airbags to deploy, the airbags
can inflate at different rates,
depending on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the seat belts
are latched, and / or other factors.
Front airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help
reduce the likelihood of head and
chest injuries in frontal crashes.
Advanced AirbagsYour front airbags are also advanced
airbags. The main purpose of this
feature is to help prevent airbag-
caused injuries to short drivers and
children or small statured adults who
ride in front.
For both advanced airbags to work
properly:
●Occupants must sit upright and
wear their seat belts properly.●Do not spill any liquids on or
under the seats, cover the sensors,
or put any objects or metal items
under the front seats.●Objects placed or pushed under
the front passenger's seat may
cause the sensor to malfunction,
increasing the risk of injury in a
crash.
Failure to follow these instructions
could damage the sensors or prevent
them from working properly.
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●Moving the front seat forcibly back
against cargo on the seat or floor
behind it.●Hanging heavy items on the front
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket.●Moving the front seat or seat-back
forcibly back against the folded
rear seat.●Back seat passengers should not
wedge objects or intentionally
force their feet under front
passenger seat.
If your vehicle has optional floor
mats, make sure the mat behind the
front passenger's seat is hooked to
the floor mat anchor (see page 209).
If it is not, the mat may interfere with
the proper operation of the sensors
and operation of the seat. How Your Side Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to severe
side impact, sensors will detect rapid
acceleration and signal the control
unit to instantly inflate either the
driver's or the passenger's side
airbag.
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 from the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
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If the impact is on the passenger's
side, the passenger's side curtain
airbag will inflate even if there are no
occupants on that side of the vehicle.In a RolloverIf the rollover sensor detects your
vehicle is about to roll over, it signals
the control unit, which immediately
deploys both side curtain airbags and
activates both front seat belt
tensioners.
The airbag on the passenger's side
will deploy, and the seat belt
tensioner will activate, even if there
are no passengers on that side of the
vehicle.To get the best protection from the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.
How the SRS Indicator Works
The SRS indicator alerts
you to a potential problem
with your airbag system components.
When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on briefly then goes off. This
tells you the system is working
properly.
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How the Passenger Airbag Off
Indicator WorksThis indicator alerts you that the
passenger's front airbag has been
shut off because weight sensors
detect about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less
(the weight of an infant or small
child) on the front passenger's seat.
It does
not mean
there is a problem
with the airbag. Be aware that objects placed on the
front seat can cause the indicator to
come on.
If no weight is detected on the front
seat, the airbag will be automatically
shut off. However, the indicator will
not come on.
The passenger airbag off indicator
may come on and off repeatedly if the
total weight on the seat is near the
airbag cutoff threshold.
If an adult or teenage passenger is
riding in front, move the seat as far to
the rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.
If the indicator comes on with no
front seat passenger and no objects
on the seat, or with an adult riding
there, something may be interfering
with the weight sensors. Look for
and remove:
●Any items under the front
passenger's seat.●Any object(s) hanging on the seat
or in the seat-back pocket.●Any object(s) touching the rear of
the seat-back.
If no obstructions are found, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible.
PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATORAdditional Information About Your Airbags3210/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

Airbag Service
Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance free, and there are no
parts you can safely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:●An airbag ever inflates.
Any airbag
that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.
Do not try to remove or replace
any airbag by yourself. This must
be done by an authorized dealer or
a knowledgeable body shop.
●The SRS indicator alerts you to a
problem.
Take your vehicle to an
authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.
●If your vehicle has a moderate to
severe impact.
Even if your airbags
do not inflate, your dealer should
inspect the driver's seat position
sensor, the front passenger's
weight sensors, the front seat belt
tensioners, and all seat belts and
their anchors worn during a crash
to make sure they are operating
properly. Additional Safety Precautions
●Do not attempt to deactivate your
airbags.
Together, airbags and
seat belts provide the best
protection.
●Do not tamper with airbag components or wiring for any
reason.
Tampering could cause
the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.
●Do not expose the front
passenger's seat-back to liquid.
If
water or another liquid soaks into
the seat-back, it can prevent the
side airbag cutoff system from
working properly.
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Additional Information About Your Airbags
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Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to
properly
protect child
passengers.
If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicle, be
sure to read this section. It begins
with important general guidelines,
then presents special information for
infants, small children, and larger
children. All Children Must Be Restrained
Each year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, traffic
collisions are the number one cause
of death of children age 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state
requires that infants and children be
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
Infants and small children must be
restrained in an approved child seat
that is properly secured to the vehicle(see pages 40 －48).
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt and
use a booster seat if necessary.
Larger children must be restrained
with a lap/shoulder belt and ride on a
booster seat until the seat belt fits
them properly
(see pages 49 －51).
Protecting Children －General Guidelines
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All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat
According to crash statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration recommends that all
children aged 12 and under be
properly restrained in a back seat.
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.The Passenger's Front Airbag Can
Pose Serious Risks
Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger's front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.
Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger's
front airbag off under certain
circumstances (see page 32), please
follow these guidelines:
Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag.
If the
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or very seriously injure an infant.
Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child seat inthe front seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger's front airbag can be
hazardous.
If the vehicle seat is too
far forward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children
Children who have outgrown childseats are also at risk of being injuredor killed by an inflating passenger's
front airbag.
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 49 for important
information about protecting larger
children).
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If You Must Drive with Several
Children
Your vehicle has two back seats
where children can be properly
restrained. If you ever have to carry a
group of children, and a child must
ride in front:●Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page 49).●Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page 83).●Have the child sit upright and well
back in the seat (see page 15).●Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page
14).If a Child Requires Close
Attention
Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or a small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
frontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.
If a child requires physical attention
or frequent visual contact, we
strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in the back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.Protecting Children
－General Guidelines3810/08/06 08:34:41 11 ELEMENT MMC North America Owner's Man 50 31SCV680 enu

Additional Safety Precautions●Never hold an infant or child onyour lap.
If you are not wearing a
seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a seat
belt, the child can be torn from
your arms and be seriously hurt or
killed.
●Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.
During a crash, the
belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.
●Never let two children use the
same seat belt.
If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a
crash.
●Make sure any unused seat belt that a child can reach is buckled,the lockable retractor is activated,
and the belt is fully retracted and
locked.
If a child wraps a loose
seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or fatally injured.
(See page 46 for how to activate
and deactivate the lockable
retractor.)
●Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle.
Leaving children without
adult supervision is illegal in most
states, and can be very hazardous.
For example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. A
child left alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.
●Lock all doors, the tailgate and the hatch when your vehicle is not in
use.
Children who play in vehicles
can accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles.
●Keep vehicle keys and remote transmitters out of the reach of
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.
Protecting Children －General Guidelines
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