belt HONDA ODYSSEY 1999 Owner's Guide

Protecting Children

2. To activate the lockable retractor, slowly pull the shoulder part of the
belt all the way out until it stops, then let the belt feed back into theretractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt retracts).
3. After the belt has retracted, tug on it. If the belt is locked, you will not
be able to pull it out. If you can pullthe belt out, it is not locked and
you will need to repeat these steps. 4. After confirming that the belt is
locked, grab the shoulder part of
the belt near the buckle and pull
up to remove any slack from the
lap part of the belt. Remember, if the lap part of the belt is not tight,
the child seat will not be secure. It may help to put weight on the
child seat, or push on the back of
the seat, while pulling up on the belt. 5. Push and pull the child seat
forward and from side to side to
verify that it is secure enough to stay upright during normal drivingmaneuvers. If the child seat is not
secure, unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these

steps.

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Protecting Children

To deactivate the locking
mechanism and remove a child seat, unlatch the buckle, unroute
the seat belt, and let the belt fully retract. Installing a Child Seat in the Center
Position of the Third Seat
To install a forward-facing child seat in the center position of the third
seat, use the lap part of the lap/
shoulder belt. Follow instructionnumber 1 on page 36 for routing and
latching the seat belt.
Then pull hard on the loose end of the belt to remove any slack (it may
help to put weight on the child seat
while pulling on the belt). Finally, follow instruction number 5 on page 37 to verify that the child

seat is secure.

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Protecting Children

Additional Precautions for Small
Children
Never hold a small child on your

lap. If you are not wearing a seat
belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward into the dashboard and crush the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt, the
child can be torn from your armsduring a crash. For example, if
your vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a 30-lb (14 kg) child will become a
900-lb (410 kg) force, and you will
not be able to hold on.
Never put a seat belt over yourself

and a child. During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.
Protecting Larger Children
When a child reaches the recommended weight or height limit
for a forward-facing child seat, the child should sit in the back seat and
wear a lap/shoulder belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder
part of the belt to properly fit, we
recommend that the child use a
booster seat until they are tallenough to use the seat belt without a

booster.

The following pages give instructions on how to check properseat belt fit, what kind of boosterseat to use if one is needed, and
important precautions for children
who must sit in the front seat.
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Driver and Passenger Safety

Allowing a larger child to sit
improperly in the front seat can
result in injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
If a larger child must sit in front,
make sure the child moves the
seat as far back as possible
and wears the seat belt properly.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Protecting Children

Checking Seat Belt Fit

To determine if a lap/shoulder belt
properly fits a child, have the child

put on the seat belt. Follow the
instructions on page 15 . Then check

how the belt fits. If the shoulder part of the belt rests
over the child's collarbone and
against the center of the chest, as
shown, the child is large enough to
wear the seat belt.
However, if the belt touches or
crosses the child's neck, the child
needs to use a booster seat.
Do not let a child wear a seat belt

across the neck. This could result in
serious neck injuries during a crash.

Do not let a child put the shoulder

part of a seat belt behind the back or
under the arm. This could cause
very serious injuries during a crash. It also increases the chance that the
child will slide under the belt in a
crash and be injured.

Do not put any accessories on a seat

belt. Devices intended to improve
occupant comfort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt, severely
compromise the protective capability
of the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.

Two children should never use the

same seat belt. If they do, they could
be very seriously injured in a crash.

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Protecting Children

Using a Booster Seat

If a child needs a booster seat, we
recommend choosing a style that
allows the child to use the lap/
shoulder belt directly, without a

shield, as shown.

Whichever style you select, follow the booster seat maker's instructions. A child may continue using a booster
seat until the tops of the ears are
even with the top of the seat-back. A
child of this height should be tall
enough to use the lap/shoulder belt
without a booster.
When Can a Larger Child Sit in Front

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport Canada recommend that all children
ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat.
The back seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
In addition, the passenger's airbag
poses serious risks to children. If the seat is too far forward, or the child's
head is thrown forward during a collision, or the child is unrestrainedor out of position, an inflating airbag
can kill or seriously injure the child.
Of course, children vary widely. And
while age may be one indicator of
when a child can safely ride in the front, there are other important
factors you should consider.

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Driver and Passenger Safety
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Protecting Children

Physical Size
Physically, a child must be large
enough for the lap/shoulder belt to
properly fit over the hips, chest, and shoulder (see pages 15 and 39). If
the seat belt does not fit properly,
the child should not sit in the front.

Maturity

To safely ride in front, a child must be able to follow the rules, includingsitting properly and wearing the seat
belt properly throughout a ride. If you decide that a child can safely
ride up front, be sure to: Carefully read the owner's manual
and make sure you understand all seat belt instructions and all safety
information. Move the vehicle seat to the rear-
most position. Have the child sit up straight, back
against the seat, and feet on or
near the floor.
Check that the child's seat belt is
properly positioned and secured. Supervise the child. Even mature
children sometimes need to be
reminded to fasten the seat belts or sit properly.
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Additional Information About Your Seat Belts

Seat Belt System Components
Your seat belt system includes lap/ shoulder belts in all seven seating
positions.
The system also includes alight on the instrument
panel to remind you and your
passengers to fasten your belts. If
the driver's seat belt is not fastened
before the ignition is turned ON (II), the light will come on and a beeper
will also sound. The beeper will stop after a few seconds, but the light will
stay on until the driver's seat belt is

fastened.
Lap/Shoulder Belt
Your vehicle has two types of lap/ shoulder belts. The center position
of the third seat has a combination of
a lap belt and a shoulder belt. For maximum safety, they are designed
to be used together.
All other seating positions have a one-piece lap/shoulder belt. This
seat belt goes over your shoulder,
across your chest and across your

hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle.
Guide the belt across your body so
that it retracts completely. After exiting the vehicle, be sure the belt
is out of the way and will not get closed in the door.
All seat belts have an emergency locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move freely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body.

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Additional Information About Your Seat Belts

The seat belts in all positions except the driver's and the center position
of the third seat have an additional
locking mechanism that must be
activated to secure a child seat. (See
pages 31 and 36 for instructions on
how to secure child seats with this type of seat belt.)
If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the locking
mechanism will activate. The belt
will retract, but it will not allow a
passenger to move freely.
To deactivate the locking mechanism, unlatch the buckle and
let the seat belt fully retract. To
refasten the belt, pull it out only as
far as needed.
See page 15 for instructions on how to wear the lap/shoulder belt
properly. The combination lap belt and
shoulder belt in the center position
of the third seat goes over your
shoulder, across your chest and over
your hips. The shoulder belt has an emergency locking retractor that
works in combination with the lap belt.
To fasten the seat belt, unlatch the metal plate of the shoulder belt from
the anchor on the ceiling and extend
the belt by pulling the metal plate. Attach the metal hook on the edge of
the shoulder belt to the metal loopon the latch plate of the lap belt
marked CENTER, then tug on the
shoulder belt to make sure it is
securely attached.
Insert the latch plate of the lap belt
into the buckle marked CENTER,
then tug on the lap belt to make sure
the buckle is latched.
To unlock the belt, push the red PRESS button on the buckle and
detach the shoulder belt from the lap
belt.
See page 17 for how to lengthen the
lap belt, and how to properly position
the lap and shoulder belts.
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Additional Information About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Maintenance
For safety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.
Pull each belt out fully and look for
frays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
that the lap/shoulder belts retract easily. Any belt not in good condition
or not working properly will not
provide good protection and should
be replaced as soon as possible.

U.S. Models

Honda provides a lifetime warranty
on seat belts. Honda will repair or
replace any seat belt component that
fails to function properly during normal use. Please see your Honda
Warranty Information booklet for

details.
After a crash, you should have your
dealer inspect the seat belts. A belt
that has been worn during a crash
may not provide the same level of protection. The dealer should also
inspect the anchors for damage and
replace them if needed. For information on how to clean your
seat belts, see page 280.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Not checking or maintaining
seat belts can result in serious injury or death if the seat belts
do not work properly when
needed.

Check your seat belts regularly

and have any problem

corrected as soon as possible.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Additional Information About Your SRS
SRS Components

Your Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) includes: Two front airbags. The driver's
airbag is stored in the center of
the steering wheel; the front
passenger's airbag is stored in thedashboard. Both are marked "SRS
AIRBAG." Automatic seat belt tensioners
that tighten the front seat beltsduring a moderate to severe
frontal collision. Sensors that can detect a
moderate to severe frontal

collision.

A sophisticated electronic system
that continually monitors the sensors, control unit, the airbag
activators, and all related wiring
when the ignition is ON (II). An indicator light on the
instrument panel that alerts you toa possible problem with the
system (see page 50). Emergency backup power in case
your vehicle's electrical system is
disconnected in a crash. How Your Airbags Work
If you ever have a moderate to
severe frontal collision, the sensors

will detect rapid deceleration and
signal the control unit to instantly
inflate the airbags and activate the
automatic seat belt tensioners.

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