ECU HONDA PRELUDE 1992 Owners Manual

The Seat Belt System and How It Works

Wearing a Lap/Shoulder Belt
Before putting on a front seat belt,
be sure your seat is adjusted
forward or backward to a good driving or riding position and the
back of your seat is upright (see page 51).
1. Pull the latch plate across your
body and insert it into the buckle.

Tug on
the belt to make sure the

latch is securely locked.

2. Chec
k
that the belt is not twisted.
3. Position the lap portion of the

belt as low as possible across

your hips ,
not across your
stomach. This lets your strong
pelvic bones take the force of a

crash.
4. Pull up on the shoulder part of
the belt to remove any slack.Make sure the belt goes over
your collarbone and across your
chest. Do not place the belt under
your arm or behind your back.
This could increase your chance of serious injuries in a crash.
CONTINUED
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Additional Safety Information

Storing Cargo Safely
Before you drive, make sure you
first securely store or tie down any items that could be thrown around
the car and hurt someone, or interfere with your ability to
operate the controls.
Do not put any items on top of the
rear shelf. They can block your
view and they could be thrown about the car in a crash.
Be sure to keep compartment doors
closed when the car is moving. If a
front passenger hits the door of an open glove box, for example, he
could injure his knees.
Driving with Pets

Loose pets can be a hazard while
you are driving. A loose pet can
interfere with your ability to drive
the car. In a crash or sudden stop,
loose pets or cages can be thrown
around inside the car and hurt you
or your passengers. It is also for
their safety that pets should be properly restrained in your car.
The recommended way to restrain
a medium-sized or larger dog is
with a special traveling harness.
This harness can be secured to the
rear seat with a seat belt. Travel
harnesses are available at pet

stores.
A small dog, cat, or other small
animal will be safest in a rigidly-
sided pet carrier. Choose a style
that allows you to secure it to the
car's seat by routing a seat belt
through the carrier's handle.
For further information, contact
your veterinarian or local animal
protection society.
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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
provided to the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), 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, whenever
possible, you secur
e your child's
infant or toddler seat in the rear
seat with the lap/shoulder belt. You
must use a locking clip with a lap/
shoulder belt.
We also recommend that any child
who is too large to use an infant or
toddler seat ride in the rear seat.
The child should then wear the lap/
shoulder belt properly for protec-

tion.

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 Table of Contents s t

Child Safety
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 an d
a child. During a crash,
the belt could press deep into the
child; causin
g
serious internal

injuries.

Two children should never use the same seat belt. If they do, they
could be very seriously injured in a

crash.
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 manufacturer'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 instruc-
tions and labels for height and
weight limits.
Secure the child seat to the car. All
approved child seats are designed
to be secured in 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 properl y
route a seat belt

through a child seat, follow the seat
maker's instructions. Be sure you

install a locking clip on a lap/

shoulder belt (see page 22).

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.

Driver an d
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Child Safety

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 seat
or a convertible seat designed for a
baby. Because children that size must ride in a reclining position, be
sure the infant seat always faces
the REAR of the car as shown. We recommend that, whenever
possible, you put the infant seat in
the rear seat and secure it to the
car with a lap/shoulder belt. You
must use a locking clip with a lap/
shoulder belt (see page 22).

Special Precaution for Si 4 WS model

We strongly recommend that you do not put an infant seat in the

front passenger's seat. In a severe
frontal collision, the inflating

airbag can hit the infant seat with

considerable force. The infant seat

can be dislodged, causing serious

injury to the infant.
Restraining a Child Who
Weighs Betwee n
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).
The preferred place to put a
toddler seat is in the rear seat. Use
the car's lap/shoulder belt to secure
the seat to the car. You must use a
locking clip on the car's lap/ shoulder belt (see page 22).

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Child Safety
Using a Seat Belt Locking

Clip

Always us
e a seat belt locking clip
when you secure a child seat to your car with a lap/shoulder belt.
This helps prevent the seat from
shifting position or overturning.
A locking clip is usually included
with the child seat. If you need aclip, contact the seat's manufac-
turer or a store that sells child restraints.
To install a locking clip, do the following:
1. Place the child restraint in the

desired position. Route the lap/shoulder belt through the
restraint according to the seat
manufacturer's instructions.

2. Inser t
the latch plate into the

buckle. Pull on the shoulder part
of the belt to make sure there is
no slack in the lap portion.

3. Tightl y
grasp the belt near the

latch plate. Pinch both parts of
the belt together so they won't
slip through the latch plate. Un-
buckle the seat belt.

4. Instal l
the locking clip as shown.
Position the clip as close as
possible to the latch plate.
5. Insert the latch plate into the

buckle. Push and pull on the
child seat to verify that it is held firmly in place. If it is not, repeat
these steps until the restraint is
secure.

Driver an d
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Child Safety

Restraining a Chil
d Who
Weighs Over 18 kg (40 Ibs)

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

a toddler seat ride in the rear seat
and use a lap/shoulder belt.
Put the lap/shoulder belt on your
child and check its fit. The shoul-
der belt should fit over the collar-
bone 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
child's neck, you should use a
booster seat.
Several styles of booster seats are
available. 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.
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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Controls Near the Steering Wheel

Steering Wheel Adjustment

You can adjust the steering wheel height to suit your preference. Do
this before you begin driving.
1. Adjust the seat so you are acomfortable distance from the
pedals.

2. The lever to tilt the steering
wheel is under the steering column to the left. Push this
lever all the way down.

3. Move the steering wheel up or
down to the desired position.

Position the wheel so you can see

all the instrument panel gauges
and warning lights. Push the
lever up to lock the steering
wheel in that position.
4. Make sure you have securely locked the steering wheel inplace by trying to move it up and

down.

Instruments an d
Controls

Adjusting the steering wheel
position while driving may
cause you to lose control of
the car and be seriously injured in a crash.
Adjust the steering wheel only
when the car is stopped.ProCarManuals.comMain Menu Table of Contents s t

Loading Cargo

The maximum load you can carry
in your Honda is 325 kg (700 Ibs). It
includes the total weight of all

passengers and their belongings,

any accessories, and the tongue

weight of a trailer. This 325 kg (700
Ibs) figure
is shown as the Vehicle
Capacity Weight on the tire infor-
mation label attached to the driver's

door jamb.
To figure out how much cargo you
can carry:
Figure the total "occupant
weight" you will be transporting.
To do this, multiply the number
of people (driver and all passen-
gers) by 70 kg (150 Ibs). Subtract this number from the
Vehicle Capacity Weight (325 kg/

700 Ibs).

If you are towing a trailer,
subtract the tongue weight. See
Towing a Trailer on page 121.
This final number is the total
weight of cargo you can load in or on the car. With four occupants
(driver and three passengers), the
maximum recommended weight
for cargo is 45 kg (100 Ibs). Where you store this cargo, and
how well you secure it, are just as
important as how much it weighs.
Make sure you load cargo so it will
not shift while driving. Items
stored in the trunk should be placed as far forward as possible.
You could store additional items on
the floor behind the front seats. Make sure they cannot roll under
the front seat and interfere with
the pedals.
If you must carry large objects that
prevent you from closing the trunk
lid, be aware that exhaust gas can enter the interior. See Carbon
Monoxide Hazard on page 25 .
Never place items on the shelf
behind the back seat. Those items
can fly forward and injure you or
your passengers if you brake hard
or are involved in a collision.

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Preparing to Drive
You should do the following checks and adjustments every day before
you drive your car.
1. Make sure all windows, mirrors, and outside lights are clean and
unobstructed. Remove frost,
snow, or ice.
2. Check that the hood and trunk are fully closed.
3. Check that any items you may be carrying with you inside are
stored properly or fastened down
securely. 4. Check the adjustment of the seat
(see page 51 ).
5. Check the adjustment of the
inside and outside mirrors (see
page 59 ).

6. Chec k
the adjustment of the
steering wheel (see page 43 ).
7. Make sure the doors are securely
closed and locked.

8. Fasten your seat belt. Check that your passengers have fastened
their seat belts (see page 7 ). 9. Turn the ignition ON (II). Check

the indicator lights in the instru-
ment panel.

10.Start th
e
engine.
11.Check the gauges and indicator

lights in the instrument panel
(see page 31 ).

Driving
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