ESP HONDA RIDGELINE 2007 1.G Owners Manual

Several warranties protect your new vehicle. Read the warranty booklet
thoroughly so you understand the coverages and are aware of your rights
and responsibilities.As you read this manual, you will
f ind inf ormation that is preceded by
a symbol. This
inf ormation is intended to help you
avoid damage to your vehicle, other
property, or the environment.
One of the best ways to enhance the enjoyment of your new vehicle is to
read this manual. In it, you will learn how to operate its driving controls and
convenience items. Af terwards, keep this owner’s manual in your vehicle so
youcanrefertoitatanytime.
Maintaining your vehicle according to the maintenance minder shown in the
instrument panel helps to keep your driving trouble-f ree while it preserves
your investment. When your vehicle needs maintenance, keep in mind that
your dealer’s staf f is specially trained in servicing the many systems unique
to your vehicle. Your dealer is dedicated to your satisf action and will be
pleased to answer any questions and concerns. Congratulations! Your selection of a 2007 Honda Ridgeline was a wise
investment. It will give you years of driving pleasure.
Introduction
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Your safety, and the safety of others,
is very important. And operating this
vehicle safely is an important
responsibility.
To help you make inf ormed
decisions about saf ety, we have
provided operating procedures and
other inf ormation on labels and in
this manual. This inf ormation alerts
you to potential hazards that could
hurt you or others.
Of course, it is not practical or
possible to warn you about all the
hazards associated with operating or
maintaining your vehicle. You must
use your own good judgement. You will f ind this important saf ety inf ormation in a variety of f orms,
including:
This entire book is f illed with important saf ety inf ormation please read it
caref ully.
how to use this vehicle correctly and safely.
such as Driver and Passenger Safety.
These signal words mean:
on the vehicle.
preceded by a saf ety alert symbol and one of
three signal words: , , or .
such as Important Saf ety Reminders or Important
Safety Precautions.
Instructions Saf ety Section Saf ety L abels
Saf ety Messages
Saf ety Headings
AFewWordsAboutSafety
DANGER WARNING CAUTION
iii
You CAN be HURT if you don’t follow
instructions. You CAN be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions. You WILL be KILLED or SERIOUSLY
HURT if you don’t follow instructions.

Your vehicle has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed for use only on pavement. Higher ground
cl earance has many advantages for off-highway driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and rough
terrain. It also pro vides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier. Your vehicle also has a shorter
wheelbase, allowing it to respond quicker to the steering wheel than other sport utility vehicles with a longer
wheelbase.
In addition to these characteristics, your vehicle’s pickup bed area allows you to carry more cargo and has the dual-
action tailgate to handle the items easily.
Th ese advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher off the ground, it has a high
center of gravi ty. This means your vehicle can tip or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles have a
signifi cantly higher rollover rate than oth er types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is signifi cantly
more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a reminder, make sure you and your passengers always wear
seat belts.
Overloading or improperly loading cargo could affect your handling and the vehicle’s stability, and could result in a
crash. Make sure the cargo is properly loaded and all items are secur ed in the pickup bed area.
For information on how to reduce the risk of rollover, read ‘‘Driving Guidelines’’ on page of this manual and the
section on page . Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result in loss of
control or an accident. 194
227
Of f -Highway Driving Guidelines
Important Handling Inf ormation
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You’ll
find many safety
recommendations throughout this
section, and throughout this manual.
Therecommendationsonthispage
are the ones we consider to be the
most important. Children
age 12 and under should
ride properly restrained in a back
seat, not the front seat. Infants and
smallchildrenshouldberestrained
in a child seat. Larger children
should use a booster seat and a lap/
shoulder belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat
(see pages ).
Al cohol and driving don’t mix. Even
one drink can reduce your ability to
respond to changing conditions, and
your reaction time gets worse with every
additional drink. So don’t drink
and drive, and don’t let your friends
drink and drive, either.
Having a tire blowout or a
mech anical failure can be extremely
hazardous. To reduce the possibility
of such problems, check your tire
pressures and condition frequently,
and perform all regularly scheduled
maintenance (see page ).
Excessive
speed is a maj or factor in
crash injuries and deaths. Generally,
the higher the speed, the greater the
risk, but serious injuries can also
occur at lower speeds. Never drive
faster than is safe for current
conditions, regardless of the
maximum speed posted.
A
seat belt is your best protection in
all typ es of collisions. Airbags are
designed to supplement seat belts,
not replace them. So even though
your vehicle is equipped with airbags,
make sure you and your passenger
always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly (see page ).While airbags can save lives, they
can cause serious or fatal injuries to
occupants who sit too close to them,
or are not properly restrained.
Inf ants, young children, and short
adults are at the greatest risk. Be
sure to f ollow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.
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235
Always Wear Your Seat Belt
Restrain All Children
Be Aware of Airbag Hazards
Don’t Drink and DriveK eep Your Vehicle in Saf e
Condition Control Your Speed
Important Saf ety Precautions
6

Your f ront airbags are also dual-
threshold airbags. Airbags with this
f eature have two deployment
thresholds that depend on whether
sensors detect the occupant is
wearing a seat belt or not.
Your f ront airbags are dual-stage
airbags. This means they have two
inf lation stages that can be ignited
sequentially or simultaneously,
depending on crash severity.
In a crash, both stages
will ignite simultaneously to provide
the quickest and greatest protection.
In a crash, one stage will
ignite first, then the second stage
will ignite a split second later. This
provides longer airbag inf lation time
with a little less force.
The total time for inflation and
def lation is one-tenth of a second, so
f ast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until
they see them lying in their laps.
After a crash, you may see what
looks like smoke. This is actually
powder f rom the airbag’s surf ace.
Although the powder is not harmf ul,
people with respiratory problems
mayexperiencesometemporary
discomf ort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is saf e to do
so.
If the occupant’s belt is
,
the airbag will deploy at a slightly
lower threshold, because the
occupant would need extra
protection.
If the occupant’s belt is , the
airbag will deploy at a slightly higher
threshold, when the airbag would be
needed to supplement the protection
provided by the seat belt.
Dual-T hreshold A irbags
Dual-Stage A irbags
more severeless severe not lat ched
latched
Additional Inf ormation About Your Airbags
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If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicl e, be
sure to read this section. It begins
with important general guidelines,
then presents special information for
infants, small children, and larger
children. Each
year, many children are injured
or killed in vehicle crashes becau se
th ey are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one cause
of the death of children ages 12 and
under.
To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state and
Canadian province requires that
infants and children be properly
restrained when they ride in a
vehicle.
(see pages ). (see
pages ).
Children depend on adults to protect
them. However, despite their best
intentions, many adults do not know
how to protect child
passengers.
37 4849 52
properly
Protecting Children General Guidelines
All Children Must Be Restrained
Inf ant s and small children must be
rest rained in an approved child seatt hat is properly secured t o t hevehicle Larger children must be restrained
wit h a lap/shoulder belt and ride ona boost er seat unt il t he seat belt f it st hem properly
32
Children who are unrestrained
or improperly restrained can be
seriously injured or killed in a
crash.
Any child too small for a seat
belt should be properly
restrained in a child seat. A
larger child should be properly
restrained with a seat belt and
use a booster seat if necessary.

When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the immobilizer
system indicator should come on f or
a f ew seconds, then go of f . If the
indicator starts to blink, it means the
system does not recognize the
coding of the key. Turn the ignition
switch to the LOCK (0) position,
remove the key, reinsert it, and turn
the ignition switch to the ON (II)
position again.The system may not recognize your
key’s coding if another immobilizer
key or other metal object (i.e. key
f ob) is near the ignition switch when
you insert the key.
Do not attempt to alter this system
or add other devices to it. Electrical
problems could result that may make
your vehicle undrivable. If the system repeatedly does not
recognize the coding of your key,
contact your dealer.
The immobilizer system protects
your vehicle f rom thef t. If an
improperly-coded key (or other
device) is used, the engine’s f uel
system is disabled.
If you have lost your key and cannot
start the engine, contact your dealer.
As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.
Immobilizer System
Inst rument s and Cont rols
81

´
As required by the FCC:This device complies with Part 15 of theFCC rules. Operation is subject to thef ollowing two conditions: (1) This devicemay not cause harmf ul interf erence, and(2) this device must accept anyinterf erence received, includinginterf erence that may cause undesiredoperation.
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
This device complies with IndustryCanada Standard RSS-210.Operation is subject to the f ollowing twoconditions: (1) this device may not causeinterf erence, and (2) this device mustaccept any interf erence that may causeundesired operation of the device.Remove the old battery from the
back of the inner cover, and insert
a new battery into the back of the
cover with the side f acing down.
Install the parts in reverse order.
4.
5.
Remote Transmitter
Inst rument s and Cont rols
91

To swing open the tailgate, first
make sure it is fully closed, then pull
up the right lower handle, and swing
the tailgate to the left.
To close, swing the tailgate back,
and push it firmly until it is latched.
The
dropped open tailgate can be
used as an extended pickup bed.
Make sure to secure the items in the
pickup bed, and do not exceed the
maximum allowable weight on the
tailgate(seepage ).
To turn the bed lights on or off, use
the bed light switch on the
dashboard (see page ).
Bef ore opening or closing the
tailgate, check that passengers,
especially children, are not in the
tailgate’s path.
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189
CONT INUED
T o Swing Open the T ailgate
Dual-Action Tailgate
Inst rument s and Cont rols
93
HANDLESwinging the tailgate open or
closed while anyone is in its
path can cause serious injury.
Make sure all passengers are
clear of the tailgate’s path
before opening or closing it.
Do not drive with the tailgate swung
open. This could damage the tailgate.

Radio signals, especially on the FM
band, are def lected by large objects
such as buildings and hills. Your
radio then receives both the direct
signal f rom the station’s transmitter,
and the def lected signal. This causes
the sound to distort or flutter. This is
a main cause of poor radio reception
in city driving.Radio reception can be af f ected by
atmospheric conditions such as
thunderstorms, high humidity, and
even sunspots. You may be able to
receive a distant radio station one
day and not receive it the next day
because of a change in conditions.
Electrical interf erence f rom passing
vehicles and stationary sources can
cause temporary reception problems.
As required by the FCC:
Changes or modif ications not expresslyapproved by the party responsible f orcompliance could void the user’sauthority to operate the equipment.
A M/FM Radio Reception
Features
141