traction control HONDA INSIGHT 2003 1.G Owners Manual

If this indicator comes on while
driving, pull to the side of the road
when it is saf e, and turn of f the
engine. Reset the system by
restarting the engine. If the VSA
system indicator stays on or comes
back on while driving, have the VSA
system inspected by your dealer.
If the indicator does not come on
when the ignition switch is turned to
the ON (II) position, there may be a
problem with the VSA system. Have
your dealer inspect your vehicle as
soon as possible. When VSA activates, you will see the
VSA system indicator blink.
The vehicle stability assist (VSA)
system helps to stabilize the vehicle
during cornering if the vehicle turns
more or less than desired. It also
assists you in maintaining traction
while accelerating on loose or
slippery road surf aces. It does this
by regulating the engine’s output and
by selectively applying the brakes.
When VSA activates, you may notice
that the engine does not respond to
the accelerator in the same way it
does at other times. There may also
be some noise f rom the VSA
hydraulic system. You will also see
the VSA activation indicator blink.
The VSA system cannot enhance the
vehicle’s driving stability in all
situations and does not control your
vehicle’s entire braking system. It is
still your responsibility to drive and
corner at reasonable speeds and to
leave a sufficient margin of safety. When VSA is off, the VSA OFF
indicator comes on as a reminder.
The VSA system indicator will also
come on when there is a problem in
the hill start assist system. For more
inf ormation, see page .
The main f unction of the
VSA system is generally known as
Electronic Stability Control (ESC).
The system also includes a traction
control f unction.
When the VSA system indicator
comes on, you will also see a
‘‘CHECK VSA SYSTEM’’ or
‘‘CHECK HILL START ASSIST
SYSTEM’’ message on the multi-
inf ormation display. 295
Vehicle Stability Assist
(VSA ) System Indicator VSA OFF Indicator
Vehicle St abilit y A ssist (VSA), aka Electronic Stability Control (ESC), System
Driving
293
NOTE:

Immediately af ter f reeing your
vehicle, be sure to switch the VSA on
again. We do not recommend driving
your vehicle with the VSA and
traction control systems switched off. In certain unusual conditions when
your vehicle gets stuck in shallow
mud or f resh snow, it may be easier
to free it with the VSA temporarily
switched of f . When the VSA system
is of f , the traction control system is
alsooff.Youshouldonlyattemptto
f ree your vehicle with the VSA of f if
you are not able to f ree it when the
VSA is on. VSA is turned on every time you
start the engine, even if you turned it
off the last time you drove the
vehicle.
When VSA is off, the VSA activation
indicator comes on as a reminder.
Press and hold the switch again. It
turns the system back on. This switch is under the driver’s side
vent. To turn the VSA system on and
of f , press and hold it until you hear a
beep.
If the low tire pressure/TPMS
indicator comes on (see page ),
or the multi-information display
shows a ‘‘CHECK TPMS SYSTEM’’
message with the indicator flashing
(see page ), the VSA system
automatically turns on even if the
VSA system is turned off with the
VSA OFF switch. In this case, you
cannot turn the VSA system of f by
pressing the VSA OFF switch again.
Without VSA, your vehicle will have
normal braking and cornering ability,
but it will not have VSA traction and
stability enhancement.
289
290
On U.S. models
Vehicle St abilit y A ssist (VSA), aka Electronic Stability Control (ESC), System
VSA OFF Switch
294
VSA OFF
SWITCH

µ
Thediagramsinthissectiongive
you the dimensions and capacities of
your vehicle and the locations of the
identif ication numbers. It also
includes inf ormation you should
know about your vehicle’s tires and
emissions control systems.
................
Identif ication Numbers . 378
................................
Specif ications .380
DOT Tire Quality Grading ......................
(U.S. Vehicles) .382
Unif orm Tire Quality ..................................
Grading .382
.................................
Treadwear .382
......................................
Traction .382
.............................
Temperature .383
.................................
Tire Labeling .383
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) Required Federal ............................
Explanation .385 .......................
Emissions Controls .387
.....................
The Clean Air Act .387
Crankcase Emissions Control ....................................
System .387
Evaporative Emissions Control ....................................
System .387
Onboard Ref ueling Vapor ................................
Recovery .387
...
Exhaust Emissions Controls . 388
....................
PGM-FI System .388
Ignition Timing Control ................................
System .388
Exhaust Gas Recirculation ...................
(EGR) System . 388
Three Way Catalytic ...........................
Converter .388
....................
Replacement Parts . 388
..
Three Way Catalytic Converter . 389
........................
Emissions Testing .390
..
Devices that Emit Radio Waves . 392
T echnical Inf ormat ion
T echnical Inf ormation
377

Quality grades can be f ound where
applicable on the tire sidewall
between tread shoulder and
maximum section width. For
example:
All passenger car tires must conf orm
to Federal Saf ety Requirements in
addition to these grades.The traction grades, f rom highest to
lowest, are AA, A, B, and C. Those
grades represent the tire’s ability to
stop on wet pavement as measured
under controlled conditions on
specif ied government test surf aces
of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
perf ormance.
Warning: The traction grade
assignedtothistireisbasedon
straight-ahead braking traction tests,
and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak
traction characteristics.
The tires on your vehicle meet all
U.S. Federal Saf ety Requirements.
All tires are also graded f or
treadwear, traction, and temperature
perf ormance according to
Department of Transportation
(DOT) standards. The f ollowing
explains these gradings.
The treadwear grade is a compara-
tive rating based on the wear rate of
the tire when tested under controlled
conditions on a specif ied government
test course. For example, a tire
graded 150 would wear one and one-
half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded
100. The relative perf ormance of
tires depends upon the actual condi-
tions of their use, however, and may
depart signif icantly f rom the norm
due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and dif f erences in
road characteristics and climate.
Unif orm T ire Quality Grading
T readwear 200
Traction AA
Temperature A T readwear
T raction
DOT T ire Quality Grading (U.S. Vehicles)
382