HONDA RIDGELINE 2023 Workshop Manual

49
uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Continued
Safe Driving
■When front airbags should not deploy
Minor frontal crashes: Front airbags were designed to supplement seat belts and
help save lives, not to prevent minor scra pes, or even broken bones that might occur
during a less than moderate-to-severe frontal crash.
Side impacts: Front airbags can provide protection when a sudden deceleration
causes a driver or front passenger to move toward the front of the vehicle. Side
airbags and side curtain airbags have been specifically designed to help reduce the
severity of injuries that can occur during a moderate-to-severe side impact which
can cause the driver or passenger to move toward the side of the vehicle.
Rear impacts: Head restraints and seat belts ar e your best protection during a rear
impact. Front airbags cannot provide any significant protection and are not designed
to deploy in such collisions.
Rollovers: In a rollover, your best form of protection is a seat belt or, if your vehicle
is equipped with a rollover sensor, both a seat belt and a side curtain airbag. Front
airbags, however, are not designed to depl oy in a rollover as they would provide
little if any protection.
■When front airbags deploy with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden deceleration, a strong impact to the
vehicle framework or suspension might caus e one or more of the airbags to deploy.
Examples include running into a curb, the edge of a hole, or other low fixed object
that causes a sudden deceleration in th e vehicle chassis. Since the impact is
underneath the vehicle, damage may not be readily apparent.
■When front airbags may not depl oy, even though exterior damage
appears severe
Since crushable body parts absorb crash energy during an impact, the amount of
visible damage does not always indicate proper airbag operation. In fact, some
collisions can result in severe damage but no airbag deployment because the airbags
would not have been needed or would not have provided protection even if they
had deployed.

uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
50
Safe DrivingThe airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag related
injuries to smaller occupants.
The driver’s advanced airbag system includes a
seat position sensor.
Based on information from this sensor and the
severity of the impact, the advanced airbag
system determines the optimal deployment of
the driver’s airbag.
The front passenger’s advanced airbag system
has weight sensors. The sensors are used for
occupant classification to activate or
deactivate the front passenger’s airbag.
For adult size occupants, the system will
automatically activate the front passenger’s
airbag. If a small adult sits in the front
passenger seat and the system does not
recognize him/her as an adult, see
2Passenger Airbag Off Indicator P. 56
■Advanced Airbags1Advanced Airbags
If there is a problem with the driver’s seat position
sensor or the passenger’s s eat weight sensors, the
SRS indicator will come on, and in the event of a
crash, the airbag will deploy (regardless of the driver’s
seating position or passenger’s occupant
classification) with a force corresponding to the
severity of the impact. 2 Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
Indicator P. 55
For the advanced front airbags to work properly,
confirm that:
•The occupant is sitting in an upright position,
wearing the seat belt prope rly and the seat-back is
not excessively reclined.
•The occupant is not leaning against the door or
center console.
•The occupant’s feet are plac ed on the floor in front
of them.
•There are no objects ha nging from the front
passenger’s seat.
•Only small, lightweight objects are in the seat-back
pocket.
•The steering wheel and passenger’s side dashboard
are not obstructed by any object.
•No liquid has been spille d on or under the seat.
Driver’s
Seat
Position
Sensor
Passenger’s
Seat
Weight
Sensors

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uuAirbags uFront Airbags (SRS)
Safe Driving
We advise against allowing a child age 12 or under to ride in the front passenger’s
seat. However, if you do allow a small child or infant to ride in the front passenger’s
seat, the system is designed to automatically deactiva te the front passenger’s airbag.
Do not let a small child or infant ride in the front passenger’s seat if the airbag does
not automatically deactivate.1 Advanced Airbags
•There is no child seat or other object pressing
against the rear of the seat or seat-back.
•There is no rear passenger pushing or pulling on
the back of the front passenger’s seat.
•There are no objects placed under or beside the
front passenger’s seat . Improperly positioned
objects can interfere with the advanced airbag
sensors.
•The head restraint is not contacting the roof.
2 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator P. 56
•The floor mat behind the front passenger’s seat is
hooked to the floor mat anchor. An improperly
placed mat can interfere with the advanced airbag
sensors. 2Floor Mats P. 530

52
uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Airbags
The side airbags help protect the torso and pelvis of the driver or a front passenger
during a moderate-to-severe side impact.
The side airbags are housed in the outside
edge of the driver’s and passenger’s seat-
backs.
Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.
When the sensors detect a moderate-to-
severe side impact, the control unit signals the
side airbag on the impact side to immediately
inflate.
■Housing Locations
1 Side Airbags
Make sure you and your front seat passenger always
sit upright. Leaning into the path of a side airbag can
prevent the airbag from deploying properly and
increases your risk of serious injury.
Do not attach accessories on or near the side airbags.
They can interfere with the proper operation of the
airbags, or hurt someone if an airbag inflates.
Do not cover or replace the front seat-back covers
without consulting a dealer.
Improperly replac ing or covering front seat-back
covers can prevent your si de airbags from properly
deploying during a side impact.
Housing
Location
■Operation
When
inflated
Side
Airbag

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uuAirbags uSide Airbags
Safe Driving
■When a side airbag deploys with little or no visible damage
Because the airbag system senses sudden acceleration, a strong impact to the side
of the vehicle’s framework can cause a side airbag to deploy. In such cases, there
may be little or no damage, but the side impact sensors detected a severe enough
impact to deploy the airbag.
■When a side airbag may not deploy, even though visible damage appears
severe
It is possible for a side airbag not to deploy during an impact that results in
apparently severe damage. This can occur when the point of impact was toward the
far front or rear of the vehicle, or when the vehicle’s crushable body parts absorbed
most of the crash energy. In either case , the side airbag would not have been
needed nor provided protection even if it had deployed.

54
uuAirbags uSide Curtain Airbags
Safe Driving
Side Curtain Airbags
The side curtain airbags help protect the heads of the driver and passengers in the
outer seating positions during a moderate-to -severe side impact. The side curtain
airbags equipped in this vehicle are also designed to help reduce the likelihood of
partial and complete ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in crashes,
particularly rollover crashes.
The side curtain airbags are located in the
ceiling above the side windows on both sides
of the vehicle.
The side curtain airbag is designed to deploy
in a rollover or a moderate-to-severe side
impact.
■Housing Locations
1Side Curtain Airbags
To get the best protecti on from the side curtain
airbags, occupants should wear their seat belts
properly and sit upr ight and well back in their seats.
Do not attach any objects to the side windows or roof
pillars as they can interfere with the proper operation
of the side curtain airbags.
If the impact is on the passenger’s side, the
passenger’s side curtain airbag deploys even if there
are no occupants on that side of the vehicle.
If the SRS control unit sens es that your vehicle is
about to rollover, it imme diately deploys both side
curtain airbags and activates both front seat belt
tensioners.
Side Curtain Airbag Storage
■Operation
Deployed Side Curtain Airbag

Continued55
uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
Safe Driving
■When side curtain airbags deploy in a frontal collision
One or both side curtain ai rbags may also inflate in a moderate-to-severe angled
frontal collision.
Airbag System Indicators
If a problem occurs in the airbag system , the SRS indicator will come on and a
message appears on the mu lti-information display.
■When the power mode is set to ON
The indicator comes on for a few seconds,
then goes off. This tells you the system is
working properly.
If the indicator comes on at any other time, or
does not come on at all, have the system
checked by a dealer as s oon as possible. If you
don’t, your airbags and seat belt tensioners
may not work properly when they are needed.
■Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Indicator1 Supplemental Restraint Sy stem (SRS) Indicator
3WARNING
Ignoring the SRS indicator can result in
serious injury or death if the airbag systems
or tensioners do not work properly.
Have your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible if th e SRS indicator alerts
you to a possible problem.

uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
56
Safe Driving■When the passenger airbag off
indicator comes on
The indicator comes on to alert you that the
passenger’s airbag ha s been turned off.
This occurs when the weight sensors
determine that a small child or infant is on the
passenger seat.
Children age 12 or under should always ri de properly restrained in a back seat.
2Child Safety P. 59
Objects placed on the seat ca n also cause the indicator to come on. If the indicator
is on, in the event of a crash the passenger’s airbag will not deploy.
If the front passenger’s seat is empty, the passenger’s airbag will not deploy and the
indicator will not come on.
■Passenger Airbag Off Indicator1 Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
To ensure the passenger is detected properly, confirm
that:
•The occupant is sitting in an upright position,
wearing the seat belt prope rly and the seat-back is
not excessively reclined.
•The occupant is not leaning against the door or
center console.
•The occupant’s feet are plac ed on the floor in front
of them.
•There are no objects ha nging from the front
passenger’s seat.
•Only small, lightweight objects are in the seat-back
pocket.
•No liquid has been spille d on or under the seat.
•There is no child seat or other object pressing
against the rear of the seat or seat-back.
•There is no rear passenger pushing or pulling on
the back of the front passenger’s seat.
•There are no objects placed under or beside the
front passenger’s seat . Improperly positioned
objects can interfere with the advanced airbag
sensors.
•The floor mat behind the front passenger’s seat is
hooked to the floor mat anchor. An improperly
placed mat can interfere with the advanced airbag
sensors.
•The head restraint is not contacting the roof.
U.S.Canada

57
uuAirbags uAirbag System Indicators
Safe Driving
1Passenger Airbag Off Indicator
The passenger airbag off indicator may come on and
go off periodically if the tota l weight on the seat is
near the airbag cutoff threshold. For a small adult,
depending on physique and posture, the system may
not recognize him/her as an adult and thus deactivate
the passenger’s airbag.
If this occurs, please confirm that the conditions set
forth in the above bullet points on the previous page
are met.
Have your vehicle checked by a dealer as soon as
possible if:
•All of the above conditions are met, and the
indicator comes on with an adult seated in the
front passenger seat.
•The seat is empty and the indicator is on.
Do not allow an adult passe nger to ride in the front
seat when the indicator is on.

58
uuAirbags uAirbag Care
Safe Driving
Airbag Care
You do not need to, and should not, perform any maintenance on or replace any
airbag system components yourself. However, you should have your vehicle
inspected by a dealer in the following situations:
■When the airbags have deployed
If an airbag has inflated, th e control unit and other related parts must be replaced.
Similarly, once an automatic seat belt te nsioner has been activated, it must be
replaced.
■When the vehicl e has been in a moderate-to-severe collision
Even if the airbags did not inflate, have your dealer inspect the following: the driver’s
seat position sensor, weight sensors in the passenger’s seat, front seat belt
tensioners, and each seat belt that was worn during the crash.
■Do not remove or modify a front seat without consulting a dealer
This would likely disable or affect the prop er operation of the driver’s seat position
sensor or the weight sensors in the passenger ’s seat. If it is necessary to remove or
modify a front seat to accommodate a pe rson with disabilities, contact a Honda
dealer, or for U.S. vehicles, American Honda Automobile Customer Service at
1-800-999-1009 and for Canadian vehicles , Honda Canada Customer Relations at
1-888-9-HONDA-9.
1 Airbag Care
We recommend against the use of salvaged airbag
system components, includi ng the airbag, tensioners,
sensors, and control unit.