Front seat HONDA RIDGELINE 2023 User Guide

37Continued
Safe Driving
Seat Belts
About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts are the single most effective safety device because they keep you
connected to the vehicle so that you can take advantage of many built-in safety
features. They also help keep you from be ing thrown against the inside of the
vehicle, against any passengers, or out of the vehicle. When worn properly, seat
belts also keep your body properly positioned in a crash so that you can take full
advantage of the additional protection provided by the airbags.
In addition, seat belts help protect you in almost every type of crash, including:
- frontal impacts
- side impacts
- rear impacts
- rollovers
■Lap/shoulder seat belts
All five seating positions are equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts with emergency
locking retractors. In normal driving, the re tractor lets you move freely while keeping
some tension on the belt. During a collision or sudden stop, the retractor locks to
restrain your body.
The front passenger’s and rear seat belts al so have a lockable retractor for use with
child seats.
2 Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt P. 67
1About Your Seat Belts
If a front and/or rear seat passenger moves around
and extends the seat belt, the lockable retractor may
activate. If this happens, release the retractor by
unfastening the seat belt and allow the belt to retract
completely. Then, refasten the belt.
If you extend the seat belt t oo quickly, it will lock in
place. If this happens, sli ghtly retract the seat belt,
then extend it slowly.
3WARNING
Not wearing a seat belt properly increases
the chance of serious injury or death in a
crash, even though your vehicle has
airbags.
Be sure you and your passengers always
wear seat belts and wear them properly.
3WARNING
Allowing passengers to ride in the pickup
bed or on the tailgate can result in death or
serious injury in a crash.
Make sure all passengers ride in a seat and
wear a seat belt properly.

uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
38
Safe Driving
■Proper use of seat belts
Follow these guidelines for proper use:
• All occupants should sit upright, well back in the seat, and remain in that position
for the duration of the trip. Slouching and leaning reduc e the effectiveness of the
belt and can increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
• Never place the shoulder part of a lap/shoulder seat belt under your arm or
behind your back. This could cause very serious injuries in a crash.
• 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 the seat be lts. Devices intended to improve comfort
or reposition the shoulder part of a seat be lt can reduce the protective capability
and increase the chance of serious injury in a crash.
The seat belt system includes an indicator on
the instrument panel to remind the driver or a
front passenger or both to fasten their seat
belts.
If you set the power mode to ON and a seat
belt is not fastened, a beeper will sound and
the indicator will blink. After a few seconds,
the beeper will stop and the indicator will
come on and remain illuminated until the seat
belt is fastened.
The beeper will periodically sound and the
indicator will blink while the vehicle is moving
until the seat belt is fastened.
■Seat Belt Reminder
1 About Your Seat Belts
Seat belts cannot complete ly protect you in every
crash. But in most cases, seat belts can reduce your
risk of serious injury.
Most states and all Canadian provinces and territories
require you to w ear seat belts.
The pickup bed is not equipp ed with seats or seat
belts. Do not let anyone ride in the pickup bed as they
can easily be thrown out and be killed or seriously
injured.
1 Seat Belt Reminder
The indicator will also co me on if a front passenger
does not fasten their seat be lt within six seconds after
the power mode is set to ON.
When no one is sitting in th e front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound.
The indicator also may no t come on and the beeper
may not sound when the occupant is not heavy
enough to trigger the weight sensor. Such occupants
(e.g., infants and smaller children) should be moved
to the rear seat as a deploying front airbag likely will
injure or kill them. 2 Protecting Child Passengers P. 59

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uuSeat Belts uAbout Your Seat Belts
Safe DrivingThe front seats are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners to enhance safety.
The tensioners automatically tighten the front
seat belts during a moderate-to-severe frontal
collision, sometimes even if the collision is not
severe enough to inflate the front airbags.
■Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners1Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners
The seat belt tensioners can only operate once.
If a tensioner is activated, the SRS indicator will come
on. Have a dealer replace the tensioner and
thoroughly inspect the seat belt system as it may not
offer protection in a subsequent crash.
During a moderate-to-sev ere side impact, the
tensioner on that side of the vehicle also activates.

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uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
Fastening a Seat Belt
After adjusting a front seat to the proper position, and while sitting upright and well
back in the seat:
2 Seats P. 166
1.Pull the seat belt out slowly.
2. Insert the latch plate into the buckle, then
tug on the belt to make sure the buckle is
secure.
u Make sure that the belt is not twisted or
caught on anything.
1Fastening a Seat Belt
No one should sit in a seat with an inoperative seat
belt or one that does not appear to be working
correctly. Using a seat be lt that is not working
properly may not protect the occupant in a crash.
Have a dealer check the belt as soon as possible.
Never insert any foreign obj ects into the buckle or
retractor mechanism.
If the seat belt appears to be locked in a fully
retracted position, firmly pull out on the shoulder belt
once, then push it back in.
Then, smoothly pull it out of the retractor and fasten.
If you are unable to release the seat belt from a fully
retracted position, do not allow anyone to sit in the
seat, and take your vehicle to a dealer for repair.
2 About Your Seat Belts P. 37
2 Seat Belt Inspection P. 43
Pull out slowly.
Correct
Seated
Posture.
Latch
Plate
Buckle

Continued41
uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
Safe Driving
3. Position the lap part of the belt as low as
possible across your hips, then pull up on
the shoulder part of the belt so the lap part
fits snugly. This lets your strong pelvic
bones take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.
4. If necessary, pull up on the belt again to
remove any slack, then check that the belt
rests across the center of your chest and
over your shoulder. This spreads the forces
of a crash over the strongest bones in your
upper body.
The front seats have adjustab le shoulder anchors to accommodate taller and shorter
occupants.
1.Move the anchor up and down while
holding the release buttons.
2. Position the anchor so that the belt rests
across the center of your chest and over
your shoulder.1 Fastening a Seat Belt
To release the belt, push the red PRESS button and
then guide the belt by hand until it has retracted
completely.
When exiting the vehicle, be sure the belt is properly
stowed so that it will not get caught in the closing
door.
3WARNING
Improperly positioning the seat belts can
cause serious injury or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are properly
positioned be fore driving.Lap belt
as low as
possible
■Adjusting the Shoulder Anchor1Adjusting the Shoulder Anchor
After an adjustment, make sure that the shoulder
anchor position is secure.
The shoulder anchor height can be adjusted to four
levels. If the belt contacts your neck, lower the height
one level at a time.
Push
Push

uuSeat Belts uFastening a Seat Belt
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Safe DrivingIf you are pregnant, the best way to protect yourself and your unborn child when
driving or riding in a vehicle is to always wear a seat belt and keep the lap part of the
belt as low as possi ble across the hips.
■Advice for Pregnant Women1Advice for Pregnant Women
Each time you have a checkup, ask your doctor if it is
okay for you to drive.
To reduce the risk of inju ries to both you and your
unborn child that can be caus ed by an inflating front
airbag:
•When driving, sit upright a nd adjust the seat as far
back as possible while allowing full control of the
vehicle.
•When sitting in the front passenger’s seat, adjust
the seat as far back as possible.
Wear the shoulder belt
across the chest avoiding
the abdomen.
Wear the lap part of the
belt as low as possible
across the hips.

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uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
Continued
Safe Driving
The front, side, and side curtain airbags are
deployed according to the direction and
severity of impact. Both side curtain airbags
are deployed in a rollover. The airbag
system includes:
aTwo SRS (Supplemental Restraint System)
front airbags. The driver’s airbag is stored
in the center of the steering wheel; the
front passenger’s airbag is stored in the
dashboard. Both are marked SRS
AIRBAG.
bTwo side airbags, one for the driver and
one for the front passenger. The airbags
are stored in the outer edges of the seat-
backs. Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
cTwo side curtain ai rbags, one for each
side of the vehicle. The airbags are stored
in the ceiling, above the side windows.
The front and rear pillars are marked
SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG .
dAn electronic control unit that, when the
power mode is in ON, continually
monitors information about the various
impact sensors, seat and buckle sensors,
rollover sensor, airbag activators, seat
belt tensioners, passenger seat weight
sensors, driver’s seat position sensor,
passenger airbag off indicator and other
vehicle information. During a crash event
the unit can record such information.
eAutomatic seat belt tensioners for the
front seats. In additi on, the driver’s and
front passenger’s seat belt buckles
incorporate sensors that detect whether
or not the belts are fastened.
fDriver’s seat position sensor. This sensor
detects the driver’s s eat slide position to
help determine the optimal deployment
of the driver’s airbag.
gWeight sensors in the front passenger’s
seat. The sensors are used for occupant
classification to activate or deactivate the
front passenger’s airbag.
hImpact sensors that can detect a
moderate-to-severe front or side impact.
iAn indicator on the dashboard that alerts
you that the front passenger’s front
airbag has been turned off.
jAn indicator on the instrument panel that
alerts you to a possib le problem with your
airbag system or seat belt tensioners.
kSafing Sensor
lA rollover sensor that can detect if your
vehicle is about to ro ll over and signal the
control unit to deploy both side curtain
airbags.

uuAirbags uAirbag System Components
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Safe DrivingAirbags can pose serious hazards. To do their job, airbags must inflate with
tremendous force. So, while airbags help save lives, they can cause burns, bruises,
and other minor injuries, sometimes even fatal ones if occupants are not wearing
their seat belts properly and sitting correctly.
What you should do: Always wear your seat belt properly and sit upright and as
far back from the steering wheel as possi ble while allowing full control of the
vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as
possible.
Remember, however, that no safety system can prevent all injuries or deaths that
can occur in a severe crash, even when seat belts are properly worn and the airbags
deploy.
Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front airbag.
Carrying hard or sharp objects on your lap, or driving with a pipe or other sharp
object in your mouth, can result in in juries if your front airbag inflates.
Do not attach or place object s on the front airbag covers. Objects on the
covers marked SRS AIRBAG could interfere with the pr oper operation of the airbags
or be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone if the airbags inflate.
■Important Facts About Your Airbags1 Important Facts About Your Airbags
Do not attempt to deactivate your airbags. Together,
airbags and seat belts pr ovide the best protection.
When driving, keep hands and arms out of the
deployment path of the front airbag by holding each
side of the steering wheel. Do not cross an arm over
the airbag cover.

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uuAirbags uTypes of Airbags
Continued
Safe Driving
Types of Airbags
Your vehicle is equipped wi th three types of airbags:
• Front airbags: Airbags in front of the driver’s and front passenger’s seats.
• Side airbags: Airbags in the driver’s and front passenger’s seat-backs.
• Side curtain airbags: Airbags above the side windows.
Each is discussed in the following pages.
Front Airbags (SRS)
The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to-severe frontal collision to help protect
the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger.
SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indica tes that the airbags are designed to
supplement seat belts, not replace them . Seat belts are the occupant’s primary
restraint system.
The front airbags are housed in the center of the steering wheel for the driver, and
in the dashboard for the front pass enger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.
■Housing Locations
1Types of Airbags
The airbags can inflate whenever the power mode is
in ON.
After an airbag inflates in a crash, you may see a
small amount of smoke. This is from the combustion
process of the infl ator material and is not harmful.
People with respiratory pr oblems may experience
some temporary discomfort. If this occurs, get out of
the vehicle as soon as it is safe to do so.
1 Front Airbags (SRS)
During a frontal crash severe enough to cause one or
both front airbags to deploy, the airbags can inflate
at different rates, dependi ng on the severity of the
crash, whether or not the se at belts are latched, and/
or other factors. Frontal airbags are designed to
supplement the seat belts to help reduce the
likelihood of head and chest injuries in frontal
crashes.

uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
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Safe DrivingFront airbags are designed to inflate du ring moderate-to-severe frontal collisions.
When the vehicle decelerates suddenly, the sensors send information to the control
unit which signals one or both front airbags to inflate.
A frontal collision can be either head-on or angled between two vehicles, or when a
vehicle crashes into a stationary object, such as a concrete wall.
While your seat belt restrains your torso, the
front airbag provides supplemental protection
for your head and chest.
The front airbags deflate immediately so that
they won’t interfere with the driver’s visibility
or the ability to steer or operate other
controls.
The total time for inflation and deflation is so fast that most occupants are not
aware that the airbags deployed until th ey see them lying in front of them.
■Operation
■How the Front Airbags Work1How the Front Airbags Work
Although the driver’s and fr ont passenger’s airbags
normally inflate within a spli t second of each other, it
is possible for only one airbag to deploy. This can
happen if the severity of a collision is at the margin,
or threshold that determines whether or not the
airbags will deploy. In such cases, the seat belt will
provide sufficient protec tion, and the supplemental
protection offered by the airbag would be minimal.