height HONDA ODYSSEY 1999 Owners Manual

Protecting Adults

If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove

any slack from the
shoulder part, then check that the
belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder. Thisspreads the forces of a crash over
the strongest bones in your upper
body. If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm instead of your shoulder, you need toadjust the seat belt anchor height.

RELEASEBUTTON

The front seats and middle row seats have adjustable seat belt anchors. Toadjust the height of a seat belt
anchor, press the release button and slide the anchor up or down as
needed (it has four positions). Never place the shoulder portion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.

Driver and Passenger Safety

Improperly positioning the seat
belts can cause serious injury
or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
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Protecting Children

Protecting Infants
Child Seat Type
Only a rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby's head,
neck, and back. Infants up to about
one year of age must be restrained in
a rear-facing child seat.
Two types of seats may be used: a seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-facing, reclining mode. We recommend that an infant be
restrained in a rear-facing child seat
until the infant reaches the seat maker's weight or height limit and is
able to sit up without support.
Rear-Facing Child Seat Placement

In this vehicle, a rear-facing child
seat can be placed in any seating
position in a back seat, but not in the
front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child seat in
the front seat. If the passenger's
airbag inflates, it can hit the back of
the child seat with enough force to
kill or seriously injure an infant. If an infant must be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit in
a back seat with the baby.
Do not put a rear-facing child seat in
a forward-facing position. If placed
facing forward, an infant could be
very seriously injured during a frontal collision.

Driver and Passenger Safety
Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.
Always place a rear-facing child seat in the back seat, not the

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Protecting Children

Protecting Small Children

Child Seat Type

A child who can sit up without support, and who fits within the child
seat maker's weight and height
limits, should be restrained in a
forward-facing, upright child seat. Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown.
We also recommend that a small child stay in the child seat as long as
possible, until the child reaches the
weight or height limit for the seat.
Child Seat Placement

In this vehicle, the best place to
install a forward-facing child seat is
in one of the seating positions in a
back seat.

Placing a forward-facing child seat in
the front seat of a vehicle equipped

with a passenger's 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 passenger's airbag can
strike the child with enough force to
cause very serious or fatal injuries. If
a small child must be closely
watched, we recommend that
another adult sit in a back seat with the child.

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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.
CONTINUED

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

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.

CONTINUED

Driver and Passenger Safety
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Seats
Head Restraints

See page 14 for important safety
information and a warning about how to

properly position the head restraints.

Your vehicle is equipped with head restraints in all seating positions.
The head restraints help protect you and your passengers from whiplash
and other injuries. They are most
effective when you adjust them so
the back of the occupant's head rests against the center of the restraint. A
taller person should adjust the restraint as high as possible. The head restraints adjust for height.
You need both hands to adjust therestraint. Do not attempt to adjust it
while driving. To raise it, pull upward.
To lower the restraint, push the release button sideways and push
the restraint down. To remove a head restraint for
cleaning or repair, pull it up as far as
it will go. Push the release button
and pull the restraint out of the seat-
back.

Instruments and Controls
RELEASE
BUTTON
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Accessories and Modifications

Modifications
Do not remove any original
equipment or modify your vehicle in any way that would alter its design or
operation. This could make your
vehicle unsafe and illegal to drive.
For example, do not make any
modifications that would change the
ride height of your vehicle, or install
wheels and tires with a different overall diameter.
Such modifications can adversely affect handling, and interfere with
the operation of the vehicle's anti-
lock brakes and other systems. In addition, any modifications that
decrease ground clearance increase
the chance of undercarriage parts striking a curb, speed bump, or other
raised object, which could cause
your airbags to deploy.
Do not modify your steering wheelor any other part of your
Supplemental Restraint System.
Modifications could make thesystem ineffective. Additional Safety Precaution
Do not attach or place objects on the
airbag covers. Any object attached to
or placed on the covers marked "SRS
AIRBAG," in the center of the steering wheel and on top of the
dashboard, could interfere with the
proper operation of the airbags. Or,
if the airbags inflate, the objects could be propelled inside the vehicle
and hurt someone.

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Towing a Trailer

Driving Safely With a Trailer
The added weight, length, and height of a trailer will affect your
vehicle's handling and performance, so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and

techniques.

For your safety and the safety of
others, take time to practice driving
maneuvers before heading for the
open road, and follow the guidelines
discussed below.
Towing Speeds and Gears
Driving slower than normal in all driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits for vehicles with trailers.
Use the D 4
position when towing
a trailer on level roads. D 3
is the
proper shift lever position to use when towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
(See "Driving on Hills" in the next

column for additional gear
information.)
Making Turns and Braking

Make turns more slowly and wider
than normal. The trailer tracks a smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
can hit or run over something the
vehicle misses. Allow more time and distance for braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknife or turn over.

Driving on Hills

When climbing hills, closely watch your temperature gauge. If it nearsthe red mark, turn the air
conditioning off, reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool. Do notdrive over 45 mph (72 km/h) on a
long uphill stretch.
If the transmission shifts frequently
between 3rd and 4th gears while
going up a hill, shift to D 3
. If you must stop when facing uphill,
use the foot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
place by pressing on the accelerator,
as this can cause the transmission to

overheat.

When driving down hills, reduce your speed and shift down to 2ndgear. Do not "ride" the brakes, and
remember it will take longer to slowdown and stop when towing a trailer.

CONTINUED

DrivingProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Tire Information

Tire Size Designation

A tire's sidewall is marked with a tire
size designation. You will need this
information when selecting replace-
ment tires for your vehicle. The
following explains what the letters and numbers in the tire size
designation mean.

(Example tire size designation)
P215/65R16 96T
P — Applicable vehicle type (tires
marked with the prefix "P" are
intended for use on passenger
vehicles; however, not all tires have this marking).
215 — Tire width in millimeters.
65 — Aspect ratio. The tire's section
height as a percentage of its width.
R — Tire construction code (Radial).
16 — Rim diameter in inches. 96 — Load Index, a numerical code

associated with the maximum load

the tire can carry.
T — Speed Symbol. See the speed rating chart in this section for
additional information.

Wheel Size Designation

Wheels are also marked with important information that you need
if you ever have to replace one. The
following explains what the letters and numbers in the wheel sizedesignation mean.
(Example wheel size designation)

16
x 6-1/2 JJ
16 — Rim diameter in inches.
6-1/2 — Rim width in inches.
JJ — Rim contour designation.
Tire Speed Ratings
The chart below shows many of the
different speed ratings currently

being used for passenger vehicle

tires. The speed symbol is part of the

tire size designation on the sidewall
of the tire. This symbol corresponds

to that tire's designed maximum safe

operating speed.

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U.S. Zone Office Map

The addresses and telephone numbers are subject to change. If you cannot
reach your Zone office, ask your Honda dealer for the current information.
Western Zone

P.O. Box 2260

700 Van Ness Avenue
Torrance, California
90509-2260

(310) 781-4565
Northwestern Zone

P.O. Box 20186

12439 N.E. Airport Way
Portland, Oregon 97230

(503) 256-0943

(also includes Alaska and
Hawaii)
South Central Zone

4529 Royal Lane

Irving, Texas 75063

(972) 929-5481

Central Zone101 South Stanfield Road
Troy, Ohio 45373
(937) 332-6250

Northeastern Zone

P.O. Box 337

Eastgate Industrial Park 115 Gaither Drive
Moorestown, New Jersey 08057

(609) 235-5533

Includes: NYC Metro area and
Fairfield County, CT area
Mid-Atlantic Zone

902 Wind River Ln., Suite 200
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20878
(301) 990-2020
Southeastern Zone1500 Morrison Parkway
Alpharetta, Georgia 30004
(770) 442-2045

North Central Zone
601 Campus Drive, Suite A-9
Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004
(847) 870-5600

New England Zone
555 Old County Road
Windsor Locks, Connecticut 06096
(860) 623-3310
See Zone 5 for:
NYC Metro area andFairfield County, CT area
West Central Zone1600 South Abilene Street, Suite D
Aurora, Colorado 80012
(303) 696-3935

Puerto Rico and U.S. V.I.Bella International
P.O. Box 190816
San Juan, PR 00919-0816
(787) 250-4318
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