HONDA ODYSSEY 1996 Owner's Manual

Child Safety

Children depend on adults to protect
them. To help make sure we do, every state and Canadian province
has laws requiring infants and young children to be properly restrained
whenever they ride in a car. Where Should Children Sit?
According to accident statistics,
children of all sizes and ages are
safer when they are properly
restrained in the rear seat rather
than the front seat.
We recommend that you place your child's infant or toddler seat in thesecond seat and secure it with the
vehicle's lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven-passenger model). If you use
the lap/shoulder belt, be sure to
follow the instructions on page 25 .
We strongly recommend that you do not put an infant seat in the front
passenger's seat. If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the infant seat with
great force. The infant seat can bedislodged or struck with enough
force to cause very serious injury to
the infant.
Driver and Passenger Safety
An infant or child who is not
properly restrained can be killed
or seriously injured in a crash.
Be sure any child too small for
seat belts is properly secured in a child restraint.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t Table of Contents

Child Safety

If a toddler seat is used in the front
passenger's seat, the vehicle seat should be moved as far back as
possible. If the passenger's bag
inflates, it could seriously hurt a
toddler who is not in the proper position or properly restrained.
We also recommend that any child who is too large to use an infant ortoddler seat ride in the second or
third seat and wear a lap/shoulder
belt properly for protection. If thechild is not large enough to wear the
lap/shoulder belt properly, you should use a booster seat.
Important Safety Reminders

Never hold a baby or child on your
lap when riding in a car. If you are
wearing your seat belt, the violent
forces created during a crash will tear the child from your arms. The child could be seriously hurt or killed.
If you are holding a child and not
wearing a seat belt in a crash, you could crush the child against the car's
interior.
Never put your seat belt over
yourself and a child. During a crash, the belt could press deep into thechild, causing serious internal

injuries.
Two children should never use the
same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.
If you are driving with small children
in the car, you should use thechildproof door locks to prevent
them from opening the rear doors (see page 54).
For their safety, do not leave
children alone in your car without
adult supervision.
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Child Safety

General Guidelines for
Restraining Children Under
18 kg (40 Ibs)
Use an approved child seat. The seat

must meet Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 (FMVSS-213) or Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards. Look for the manufac-
turer's statement of compliance on
the box and seat.

Use a seat of the right size. Make sure

the seat fits your child. Check the seat manufacturer's instructions and
labels for height and weight limits.

Secure the child seat to the car. All

approved child seats are designed to
be secured to the car seat by the lap
belt or the lap belt portion of a lap/ shoulder belt. A child whose seat is
not properly secured to the car can
be endangered in a crash. To properly route a seat belt through
a child seat, follow the seat maker's
instructions. If you use a lap/ shoulder belt, follow the instructions

on page 25.

Secure the child in the child seat. Make

sure the infant or child is firmly
secured to the child seat. Use the
straps provided, and carefully follow
the manufacturer's instructions.
Restraining an Infant Who
Weighs Less Than 9 kg
(20 Ibs)
An infant up to about 9 kg (20 Ibs) must be restrained in an infant seator a convertible seat designed for a
baby. Because infants must ride in a
reclining position, be sure the infant seat always faces the REAR of the
car as shown.
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Child Safety

We recommend that you place your child's infant seat in the second seat
and secure it with the vehicle's lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven-
passenger model). If you use the
lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow
the instructions on page 25.
We strongly recommend that you do not put an infant seat in the frontpassenger's seat. If the airbag
inflates, it can hit the infant seat with
great force. The infant seat can be dislodged or struck with enough
force to cause very serious injury to the infant. Restraining a Child Who Weighs
Between 9 and 18 kg (20 and 40 Ibs)

Toddler seats are designed for children who weigh between 9 and
18 kg (20 and 40 Ibs). We recommend that you place your
child's toddler seat in the second seat and secure it with the vehicle's
lap/shoulder belt or lap belt (seven- passenger model). If you use the
lap/shoulder belt, be sure to follow the instructions on page 25 .

CONTINUED

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Child Safety

If you are using a toddler seat in the

front passenger's seat, move the
passenger's seat as far back as
possible before installing the child
seat. If the passenger's bag inflates,

it could seriously hurt a toddler who
is not in the proper position or

properly restrained.
Restraining a Child Who Weighs
Over 18 kg (40 Ibs)

We recommend that, whenever
possible, a child who has outgrown a

toddler seat ride in the second or
third seat and use a lap/shoulder

belt. Put the seat belt on your child and
check its fit. The shoulder belt
should fit over the collarbone and
across the chest. The lap belt should sit low on your child's hips, not
across the stomach.
If the shoulder belt crosses the neck,
while sitting in the second or third
bench seat, have your child move
toward the center of the seat until the belt fits properly. If the belt still
crosses the child's neck, you should
use a booster seat.
Several styles of booster seats areavailable. We recommend a design
that allows the child to use the car's
lap/shoulder belt.
Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat manufacturer's
instructions.

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Child Safety

Securing a Child Seat with a Lap/
Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belt retractors in the passenger seating positions havea built-in locking mechanism
intended to secure a child seat. If
you are placing a child seat in one of the outside seating positions, do the

following:
1. Place the child restraint in the
desired seating position. Route the
lap/shoulder belt through the seat
according to the seat manufac-
turer's instructions.
2. Insert the latch plate into the buckle. Make sure it is fully

latched.

3. Slowly pull the shoulder portion of the belt out of the retractor until it

stops.

4. Allow the belt to slowly feed back into the retractor. You should hear
a clicking noise that indicates the
locking mechanism has engaged.
5. After the belt has retracted fully, pull up on the shoulder portion to
remove any slack. 6. Push and pull on the child seat to
verify that it is held firmly in place.
If not, unlatch the seat belt, allow
it to retract fully, and repeat these

steps.

To unlatch the seat belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle.Guide the belt across to the door
pillar. If the belt doesn't retract easily, pull it out and check for twists

or kinks.

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Child Safety

Using Child Restraints with
Tethers

U.S. Models

35 mm (1.4 in)

Your Honda has two attachment points on the tailgate sill that allow
for a tether-style child seat to beinstalled in the third row seat. Use
the dimensions in the above illustra-
tion to locate the attachment point
you want to use. Cut a 22 mm (7/8 inch) diameter hole. Install the tether hardware that came
with the child seat.
Tighten to:
22 N.m (2.2 kgf.m , 16 lbf.ft)

If you are not sure how to install the
bracket, have it installed by your Honda dealer.
If you need an anchor plate and mounting hardware, you can obtain
them by writing to:
American Honda Motor Co., Inc. Consumer Affairs1919 Torrance Blvd.
Torrance, CA 90501-2746
Canadian Models

Your Honda has attachment points for a tether-style child seat to beinstalled on the second or third seat
as shown.

Driver and Passenger Safety
265 mm

(10.5
in)ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t Table of Contents

Child Safety

Second Seat Installation:

There are three attachment points available for the seven-passenger
model, and two attachment points
available for the six-passenger model.
To install a child seat in the second seat, fold the third seat into the floor
recess (see page 60 ). You will find a U-shaped slit in the carpeting at each
attachment point. Select the attach-
ment point you want to use, and pull
up the carpeting at the slit.
Third Seat Installation:

There are two attachment points on the tailgate sill. Select the attach-
ment point you want use, and
remove the plug with a small flat-
tipped screwdriver or a fingernail file.
Install the tether hardware that came
with the child seat.
Tighten to:
22 N.m (2.2 kgf.m , 16 lbf.ft)

If you are not sure how to install the
bracket, have it installed by your Honda dealer.

Canadian Cars

The anchor plate and mounting hardware for a top tether aresupplied with the car. When install-
ing, make sure the toothed washer is
on the bottom of the bolt.
TOOTHED WASHER

The supplied anchor plate is designed only for mounting a child
restraint. Do not use it for any other
purpose.
Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using an infant seat or other child restraint, either
remove it or make sure it is properly secured so it cannot be thrown
around the car during a crash.
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Alcohol and Drugs

Driving a car requires your full at-
tention and alertness. Traffic condi-
tions change rapidly. You must beable to react just as rapidly. Alcoholor drugs directly affect your alert-
ness and ability to react. Even pre-scription and non-prescription medi-
cines can have this effect.
There are laws that deal with drunken driving. These laws define
how much alcohol it takes in your system to be legally "drunk." How-ever, your judgment and reaction
time get worse with every drink— even the first one. The safest thing you can do is never
drink and drive. This can be done if
you plan ahead. If you know you are going to be drinking, make plans toride with a friend who will not be drinking.
What if you find that you've been drinking and cannot get a ride from a
friend? Find alternative transpor- tation. Call a taxi. Take a bus. Many communities have transportation
services devoted to shuttling people
who have been drinking. If you have no choice but to drive,
stop drinking and give yourself lots
of time to sober up. Time is the only
thing that can make you sober.
Things like coffee or a cold shower don't speed up the process.
If you see friends trying to get
behind the wheel after drinking, stop
them. Drive them yourself or arrange other transportation. If you
think you are interfering, remember
that your interference will keep them
from sharing the road with you.

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Carbon Monoxide Hazard

Your car's exhaust contains carbon monoxide gas. You should have no
problem with carbon monoxide
entering the car in normal driving ifyou maintain your car properly.Have the exhaust system inspected
for leaks whenever:
The car is raised for an oil change.
You notice a change in the soundof the exhaust. The car was in an accident that
may have damaged the underside. 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
car out of the garage.
With the tailgate open, air flow can pull exhaust gas into your car'sinterior and create a hazardous
condition. If you must drive with the
tailgate open, open all the windows and set the heating and cooling
system as follows. If you must sit in your parked car,
even in an unconfined area, with the engine running, adjust the heating
and cooling system as follows:

1. Push the
button. 2. Select the mode.
3. Turn the fan on high speed.
4. Set the temperature control to a
comfortable setting.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Carbon monoxide gas is toxic.
Breathing it can cause
unconsciousness and can even

kill you.

Avoid any enclosed areas or activities that expose you tocarbon monoxide.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu s t Table of Contents