airbag HONDA PASSPORT 2000 2.G User Guide

into the buckle, and tug on the
belt to make sure the belt is
securely latched.
Position

the belt as low as
possible across your hips. This lets your strong pelvic bones take
the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
Pull
on the loose end of the belt
for a snug but comfortable fit.
If a Seat Belt Doesn't Work

Properly

If a seat belt does not seem to
work as it should, it may not protect
the occupant in a crash.
No one should sit in a seat with
an inoperative seat belt. Anyone

using
a seat belt that is not
working

properly can be seriously
injured or killed. Have your
Honda

dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
See

page 38 for additional
information

about your seat belt
system and how to take care of
your

belts. 6. Adjust the Steering Wheel
Adjust

the steering wheel, if
needed, so that the wheel points
toward your chest, not toward your face.
Pointing the steering wheel
toward

your face provides optimal
protection from the airbag.
See page 111 for how to adjust the
steering

wheel.
Driver and Passenger Safety

7
. Maintai n a Prope r Sittin g

Positio n

After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on seat belts, itis very important that they
continue to sit upright, well back in their seats, with their feet on
the floor, until the vehicle is
parked and the engine
is off.

Sitting improperly can increase
the chance of injury during a
crash. For example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns
sideways, sits forward, leans
forward or sideways, or puts one
or both feet up, the chance of injury during a crash is greatly

increased.

In addition, an occupant who is
out of position in the front seat
can be seriously or fatally injured
by striking interior parts of the vehicle, or by being struck by an
inflating airbag.
Remember, to get the best
protection from your vehicle's airbags and other safety features,
you must sit properly and wear your seat belt properly.
Advic
e fo r Pregnan t Wome n

Because protecting the mother is
the best way to protect her unborn
child, a pregnant woman should
always wear a seat belt whenever she drives or rides in a vehicle.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Sitting improperly or out of

position can result in serious

injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back in
the seat, with your feet on the

floor.

We recommend that a pregnant
woman use a lap/shoulder belt
whenever possible. Remember to
keep the lap portion of the belt as low as possible across your hips.
Pregnant women should also sit as far back as possible from thesteering wheel or dashboard. This
will reduce the risk of injuries to
both the mother and her unborn
child that can be caused by a
crash or an inflating airbag.
Each time you have a checkup,
ask your doctor if it's okay for
you to drive.

Additiona l Safet y
Precaution s
Two people should never use

the same seat belt. If they do, they could be very seriously
injured in a crash.
Do not put any accessories on

seat belts. Devices intended toimprove occupant comfort, or
reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt, can severely
compromise the protective
capability of the seat belt and increase the chance of serious
injury in a crash. Do not place hard or sharp

objects between yourself and

an airbag. Carrying hard orsharp objects on your lap, or
driving with a pipe or other sharp object in your mouth, can
result in injuries if your airbags inflate.

Keep your hands and arms
away from the airbag covers.
If your hands or arms are close
to the SRS covers in the center of the steering wheel or on top of the dashboard, they could be
injured if the airbags inflate.
Never let passengers ride in the cargo area or on top of a
folded-down back seat. All passengers must sit in locked,upright seats and be properly
restrained by seat belts.
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 theairbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and hurt someone.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Childre
n Shoul d Si t i n th e
Bac k Sea t
According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are safer when they are restrained in
the back seat, not the front seat.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
recommends that all children ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.
In the back seat, children are lesslikely to be injured by striking
hard interior parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an inflating airbag when they ride in
the back.
Th
e Passenger' s Airba g

Pose s Seriou s Risk s t o

Childre n

Airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to severe frontal collision. To do
this, the passenger's airbag is
quite large, and it inflates with
tremendous speed.

Infants
Never put a rear-facing child seat in the front seat of a vehicle

equipped with a passenger's

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 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 inflatingairbag can strike the child with
enough force to kill or very seriously injure a small child.
Larger Children Children who have outgrownchild seats are also at risk of
being injured or killed by an
inflating passenger's airbag.
Whenever possible, larger
children should sit in the back seat, properly restrained with a
seat belt. (See page 33 for
important information about
protecting larger children.)
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

To remind you of the passenger's
airbag hazards, and that children
must be properly restrained in the
back seat, your vehicle haswarning labels on the dashboard,
and on the driver's and front
passenger's visors. Please read and follow the instructions on

these labels.
I
f Yo u Mus t Driv e Wit h

Severa l Childre n

Your vehicle has three seating
positions in the back seat where
children can be properly

restrained.

If you ever have to carry morethan three children in your
vehicle: Place the largest child in the
front seat, provided the child is
large enough to wear a seat belt
properly (see page 33). Move the vehicle seat as far to
the rear as possible (see page

89).

Have the child sit upright and well back in the seat (see page
16).

Make sure the seat belt is
properly positioned and secured (see page 13). I
f a Chil d Require s Clos e

Attentio n

Many parents say they prefer to
put an infant or small child in the front passenger seat so they canwatch the child, or because the
child requires attention.
Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards from
the airbag, 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 thechild in the back seat. The backseat is far safer for a child than the

front.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

Placing a Child Seat

This page briefly summarizes
Honda's recommendations on where to place rear-facing and forward-
facing child seats in your vehicle.
Front Passenger's Seal

Infants: Never in the front seat,
due to the passenger's airbag
hazard.

Small children: Not

recommended, due to the
passenger's airbag hazard. If a small child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat to the
rear-most position and secure a front-facing child seat with theseat belt (see page 30).

Back Seats

Infants: Recommended positions. Secure a rear-facing child seat
with the seat belt (see page 25).
Small children: Recommended positions. Secure a front-facing
child seat with the seat belt (see
page 30).Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Airbag s Pos e
Seriou
s
Risk s t o Childre n
The passenger's airbag inflates
with enough force to kill or seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.
A small child in a forward-
facing child seat is also at risk.
If the vehicle seat is too farforward, or the child's head is
thrown forward during a
collision, an inflating airbag can
kill or seriously injure the child.
If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided in this section.

Protectin
g Infant s

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 theseat 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 childseat can be placed in any seating
position in the 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 seriouslyinjure an infant. If an infant must
be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit in the 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.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y

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

front.

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 toinstall a forward-facing child seatis in one of the seating positions
in the 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 the back seat
with the child. If it is necessary to put a forward-
facing child seat in the front,
move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible, be sure the child seat is firmly secured to the
vehicle, and that the child is
properly strapped in the seat.
Installing a Child Seat With a
Lap/Shoulder Belt The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back and front passenger seating
positions have a lockingmechanism that must be activated
to secure a child seat.
The following pages provide instructions on how to secure a
forward-facing child seat with this
type of seat belt.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
Improperly placing a
forward-facing child seat in the
front seat can result in serious injury or death if the airbags
inflate.
If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in the front, move the vehicle seat as far
back as possible and properly
restrain the child.

seat while pulling on the belt).
Finally, follow instruction number 5 on page 32 to verify that the
child seat is secure.
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 forwardinto the dashboard and crush
the child.
If you are wearing a seat belt,
the child can be torn from your
arms during 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 Ib (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.

Protectin g Large r Childre n

When a child reaches the recommended weight or heightlimit for a forward-facing childseat, the child should sit in one of
the outer back seats and wear a
lap/shoulder belt. The
lap/shoulder belt provides better
protection than the lap belt.
If a child is too short for the shoulder part of the belt to fit
properly, we recommend that the child use a booster seat until they
are tall enough to use the seat belt
without a booster. The following pages give
instructions on how to check
proper seat belt fit, what kind of
booster seat to use if one is

needed, and important precautions

for children who must sit in the
front seat.
Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y
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.

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
recommends that all children ages 12 and under be properly
restrained in the 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
unrestrained or 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.

Drive r an d Passenge r Safet y