Acura RL (2011 year). Manual — part 3

CONTINUED

The passenger’s advanced front
airbag system has weight sensors
under the seat. Although Acura does
not encourage carrying an infant or
small child in front, if the sensors
detect the weight of an infant or
small child (up to about 65 lbs or 29
kg), the system will automatically
turn the passenger’s front airbag off.

Be aware that objects placed on the
passenger’s seat can also cause the
airbag to be turned off.

When the passenger airbag gets
turned off by the weight sensors, a
‘‘passenger airbag off’’ indicator in
the center of the dashboard comes
on (see page

).

If the weight sensors detect there is
no passenger in the front seat, the
airbag is automatically turned off.
However, the passenger airbag off
indicator in this situation will not
come on.

To ensure that the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system will
work properly,

This includes:

Hanging heavy items on the front
passenger seat, or placing heavy
items in the seat-back pocket.

Moving the front seat forcibly
back against cargo on the seat or
floor behind it.

A rear passenger pushing or
pulling on the back of the front
passenger’s seat.

Back seat passengers should not
wedge objects or intentionally
force their feet under the front
passenger seat.

35

Additional Information About Your Airbags

do not do anything

that would increase or decrease the
weight on the f ront passenger’s seat.

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PASSENGER’S SEAT WEIGHT SENSOR

10/08/04 18:46:06 31SJA660_036

Also, make sure the floor mat behind
the front passenger’s seat is hooked
to the floor mat anchor (see page

). If it is not, the mat may

interfere with the proper operation
of the sensors and operation of the
seat.

If you ever have a moderate to
severe side impact, sensors will
detect rapid acceleration and signal
the control unit to instantly inflate
either the driver’s or the passenger’s
side airbag.

Only one airbag will deploy during a
side impact. If the impact is on the
passenger’s side, the passenger’s
side airbag will deploy even if there
is no passenger.

To get the best protection from the
side airbags, front seat occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.

477

Additional Information About Your Airbags

How Your Side Airbags Work

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10/08/04 18:46:13 31SJA660_037

Your vehicle has a side airbag cutoff
system designed primarily to protect
a child riding in the front passenger’s
seat.

Although Acura does not encourage
children to ride in front, if the
position sensors detect a child has
leaned into the side airbag’s
deployment path, the airbag will shut
off.

The side airbag may also shut off if a
short adult leans sideways, or a
larger adult slouches and leans
sideways into the airbag’s
deployment path.

Objects placed on the front
passenger seat can also cause the
side airbag to be shut off.

If the side airbag off indicator comes
on (see page

), have the

passenger sit upright. Once the
passenger is out of the airbag’s
deployment path, the system will
turn the airbag back on, and the
indicator will go out.

There will be some delay between
the moment the passenger moves
into or out of the airbag deployment
path and when the indicator comes
on or goes off.

A front seat passenger should not
use a cushion or another object as a
backrest. It may prevent the cutoff
system from working properly.

In a moderate to severe side impact,
sensors will detect rapid acceleration
and signal the control unit to
instantly inflate the side curtain
airbag.

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CONTINUED

Additional Information About Your Airbags

Side Airbag Cutof f System

How Your Side Curtain Airbags
Work

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SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG

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If the impact is on the passenger’s
side, the passenger’s side curtain
airbag will inflate even if there are no
occupants on that side of the vehicle.

To get the best protection from the
side curtain airbags, occupants
should wear their seat belts and sit
upright and well back in their seats.

The SRS indicator alerts you to a
potential problem with your airbag
system components.

When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, this indicator
comes on briefly 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,
you should have the system checked
by your dealer. For example:

If the SRS indicator does not come
on after you turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position.

If the indicator stays on after the
engine starts.

If the indicator comes on or
flashes on and off while you drive.

You will also see a ‘‘CHECK
AIRBAG SYSTEM’’ message on the
multi-information display (see page

).

If you see any of these indications,
the airbag system components may
not work properly when you need
them.

63

Additional Information About Your Airbags

How the SRS Indicator
Works

34

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
the SRS indicator alerts you to
a possible problem.

10/08/04 18:46:39 31SJA660_039

CONTINUED

This indicator alerts you that the
passenger’s side airbag has been
automatically shut off. It does
mean there is a problem with your
side airbags.

When you turn the ignition switch to
the ON (II) position, the indicator
should come on briefly and then go
out (see page

). If it does not

come on, stays on, or comes on while
driving without a passenger in the
front seat, you will also see a
‘‘PASSENGER SIDE AIRBAG OFF’’
message on the multi-information
display. Have the system checked
(see page

).

This indicator alerts you that the
passenger’s front airbag has been
shut off because weight sensors
detect about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less
(the weight of an infant or small
child) on the front passenger’s seat.
It does

there is a problem

with the airbag.

If an adult or teenage passenger is
riding in front, move the seat as far
to the rear as possible, and have the
passenger sit upright and wear the
seat belt properly.

Be aware that objects placed on the
front seat can cause the indicator to
come on.

If no weight is detected on the front
seat, the airbag will be automatically
shut off. However, the indicator will
not come on.

The passenger airbag off indicator
may come on and off repeatedly if
the total weight on the seat is near
the airbag cutoff threshold.

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63

Additional Information About Your Airbags

How the Side
Airbag Of f
Indicator Works

How the Passenger Airbag Of f
Indicator Works

not

not mean

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U.S.

Canada

U.S.

PASSENGER AIRBAG OFF INDICATOR

Canada

10/08/04 18:46:53 31SJA660_040

If the indicator comes on with no
front seat passenger and no objects
on the seat, or with an adult riding
there, something may be interfering
with the weight sensors. Look for
and remove:

Any items under the front
passenger’s seat.

Any object hanging on the seat or
in the seat-back pocket.

Any object(s) touching the rear of
the seat-back.

If no obstructions are found, have
your vehicle checked by a dealer as
soon as possible.

Your airbag systems are virtually
maintenance free, and there are no
parts you can safely service.
However, you must have your
vehicle serviced if:

Any airbag

that has deployed must be
replaced along with the control
unit and other related parts. Any
seat belt tensioner that activates
must also be replaced.

Do not try to remove or replace
any airbag by yourself. This must
be done by an authorized dealer or
a knowledgeable body shop.

Take your vehicle to an

authorized dealer as soon as
possible. If you ignore this
indication, your airbags may not
operate properly.

Even if your

airbags do not inflate, your dealer
should inspect the driver’s seat
position sensor, the front
passenger’s weight sensors, the
front seat belt tensioners, and all
seat belts and their anchors worn
during a crash to make sure they
are operating properly.

Additional Information About Your Airbags

Airbag Service

An airbag ever inf lates.

The SRS indicator alerts you to a
problem.

If your vehicle has a moderate to
severe impact.

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10/08/04 18:47:04 31SJA660_041

Together, airbags and

seat belts provide the best
protection.

Tampering could cause

the airbags to deploy, possibly
causing very serious injury.

If water or

another liquid soaks into the seat-
back, it can prevent the side airbag
cutoff system from working
properly.

This could make the

driver’s seat position sensor or the
front passenger’s weight sensors
ineffective. If it is necessary to
remove or modify a front seat to
accommodate a person with
disabilities, first contact Acura
Client Services. In the US, call 800-
382-2238, and in Canada, call 888-9-
ACURA-9.

Additional Information About Your Airbags

Additional Saf ety Precautions

Do not attempt to deactivate your
airbags.

Do not tamper with airbag
components or wiring f or any
reason.

Do not expose the f ront passenger’s
seat-back to liquid.

Do not remove or modif y a f ront
seat without consulting your
dealer.

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−

−

−

If you have children, or ever need to
drive with a child in your vehicle, 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 because
they are either unrestrained or not
properly restrained. In fact, traffic
collisions are the number one cause
of death of children age 12 and
under.

To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state,
Canadian province and territory
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.

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43

properly

Protecting Children

General Guidelines

All Children Must Be Restrained

Inf ants and small children must be
restrained in an approved child seat
that is properly secured to the
vehicle

Larger children must be restrained
with a lap/shoulder belt and ride on
a booster seat until the seat belt f its
them properly

38

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.

10/08/04 18:47:21 31SJA660_043

−

Front airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate to
severe frontal collision. To do this,
the passenger’s front airbag is quite
large, and it can inflate with enough
force to cause very serious injuries.

If the vehicle seat is

too far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating front airbag can strike the
child with enough force to kill or
very seriously injure a small child.

According to crash statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in a
back seat.

Children who ride in back are less
likely to be injured by striking
interior vehicle parts during a
collision or hard braking. Also,
children cannot be injured by an
inflating front airbag when they ride
in the back.

The National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration and Transport
Canada recommend that all children
aged 12 and under be properly
restrained in a back seat. Some
states have laws restricting where
children may ride.

Even though your vehicle has an
advanced front airbag system that
automatically turns the passenger’s
front airbag off under certain
circumstances (see page

), please

follow these guidelines:

Whenever possible,

larger children should sit in the back
seat, on a booster seat if needed, and
be properly restrained with a seat
belt (see page

for important

information about protecting larger
children).

If

the airbag inflates, it can hit the back
of the child seat with enough force
to kill or very seriously injure an
infant.

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35

CONTINUED

Protecting Children

General Guidelines

The Passenger’s Front Airbag
Can Pose Serious Risks

All Children Should Sit in a Back
Seat

Small Children
Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s f ront airbag can
be hazardous.

Larger Children
Children who have outgrown child
seats are also at risk of being injured
or killed by an inf lating passenger’s
f ront airbag.

Never put a rear-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s f ront airbag.

Inf ants

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10/08/04 18:47:36 31SJA660_044

−

To remind you of the passenger’s
front airbag hazards, and that
children must be properly restrained
in a back seat, your vehicle has
warning labels on the dashboard
(U.S. models) and on the front visors.
Please read and follow the
instructions on these labels.

Protecting Children

General Guidelines

U.S. Models

Canadian Models

40

DASHBOARD

SUN VISORS

SUN VISORS

10/08/04 18:47:50 31SJA660_045

−

Many parents say they prefer to put
an infant or a small child in the front
passenger seat so they can watch the
child, or because the child requires
attention.

Placing a child in the front seat
exposes the child to hazards in a
frontal collision, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at risk.

Your vehicle has a back seat where
children can be properly restrained.
If you ever have to carry a group of
children, and a child must ride in
front:

Move the vehicle seat as far to the
rear as possible (see page

).

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

).

Make sure the seat belt is properly
positioned and secured (see page

).

If a child requires close physical
attention or frequent visual contact,
we strongly recommend that another
adult ride with the child in a back
seat. The back seat is far safer for a
child than the front.

Place the largest child in the front
seat, provided the child is large
enough to wear the lap/shoulder
belt properly (see page

).

During a crash, the

belt could press deep into the child
and cause serious or fatal injuries.

If they do, they

could be very seriously injured in a
crash.

If you are not wearing a

seat belt in a crash, you could be
thrown forward and crush the
child against the dashboard or a
seat-back. If you are wearing a
seat belt, the child can be torn
from your arms and be seriously
hurt or killed.

17

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CONTINUED

Protecting Children

General Guidelines

If You Must Drive with Several
Children

If a Child Requires Close
Attention

Additional Saf ety Precautions

Never put a seat belt over yourself
and a child.

Never let two children use the
same seat belt.

Never hold an inf ant or child on
your lap.

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10/08/04 18:48:05 31SJA660_046

−

Leaving children without

adult supervision is illegal in most
states, Canadian provinces and
territories, and can be very
hazardous.

Children

who play in vehicles can
accidentally get trapped inside.
Teach your children not to play in
or around vehicles. Know how to
operate the emergency trunk
opener and decide if your children
should be shown how to use this
feature (see page

).

This can prevent

children from accidentally falling
out (see page

).

If a child wraps a loose

seat belt around their neck, they
can be seriously or fatally injured.
(See pages

and

for how to

activate and deactivate the
lockable retractor.)

Even very young

children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the ignition
switch, and open the trunk, which
can lead to accidental injury or
death.

For example, infants and small
children left in a vehicle on a hot
day can die from heatstroke. A
child left alone with the key in the
ignition switch can accidentally set
the vehicle in motion, possibly
injuring themselves or others.

49

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Do not leave children alone in a
vehicle.

Lock all doors and the trunk when
your vehicle is not in use.

Use the childproof door locks to
prevent children f rom opening the
rear doors.

Make sure any unused seat belt
that a child can reach is buckled,
the lockable retractor is activated,
and the belt is f ully retracted and
locked.

Keep vehicle keys/remote
transmitters out of the reach of
children.

Protecting Children

General Guidelines

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10/08/04 18:48:14 31SJA660_047

A rear-facing child seat can be placed
in any seating position in the back
seat, but not in the front.

If the passenger’s front airbag
inflates, it can hit the back of the
child seat with enough force to kill or
seriously injure an infant.

When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent the
driver or a front passenger from
moving their seat as far back as
recommended, or from locking their
seat-back in the desired position.

Two types of seats may be used: a
seat designed exclusively for infants,
or a convertible seat used in the rear-
facing, reclining mode.

If placed

facing forward, an infant could be
very seriously injured during a
frontal collision.

An infant must be properly
restrained in a rear-facing, reclining
child seat until the child reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height limit
for the seat, and the child is at least
one year old.

Only a rear-facing child seat provides
proper support for a baby’s head,
neck, and back.

It could also interfere with proper
operation of the passenger’s
advanced front airbag system.

CONTINUED

Protecting Infants and Small Children

Rear-f acing Child Seat Placement

Never put a

rear-f acing child seat in the f ront
seat.

Do not put a rear-f acing child seat in
a f orward-f acing position.

Child Seat Type

Protecting Inf ants

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In any of these situations, we
strongly recommend that you install
the child seat directly behind the
front passenger’s seat, move the seat
as far forward as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. Or, you may wish to get
a smaller rear-facing child seat.

Many states, Canadian provinces and
territories allow a child one year of
age or older who also meets the
minimum size and weight
requirements to transition from a
rear-facing child seat to a forward
facing seat. Know the requirements
where you are driving and follow the
child seat instructions. Many experts
recommend use of a rear-facing seat
up to age two, if the child’s height

and weight are appropriate for a
rear-facing seat.

Of the different seats available, we
recommend those that have a five-
point harness system as shown.

We also recommend that a small
child use the child seat until the child
reaches the weight or height limit
for the seat.

Protecting Infants and Small Children

Protecting Small Children

Child Seat Type

44

Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death during a
crash.

Always place a rear-facing child
seat in the back seat, not the
front.

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CONTINUED

In seating positions and vehicles not
equipped with LATCH, a LATCH-
compatible child seat can be installed
using a seat belt.

When buying a child seat, you need
to choose either a conventional child
seat, or one designed for use with
the Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren (LATCH) system.

Conventional child seats must be
secured to a vehicle with a seat belt,
whereas LATCH-compatible seats
are secured by attaching the seat to
hardware built into the two outer
seating positions in the back seat.

Since LATCH-compatible child seats
are easier to install and reduce the
possibility of improper installation,
we recommend selecting this style.

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, and be sure the child seat is
firmly secured to the vehicle and the
child is properly strapped in the seat.

We strongly recommend placing a
forward-facing child seat in a back
seat, not the front.

If the vehicle seat is too

far forward, or the child’s head is
thrown forward during a collision, an
inflating airbag can strike the child
with enough force to cause very
serious or fatal injuries.

Even with advanced front airbags
that automatically turn the
passenger’s front airbag off (see
page

), a back seat is the safest

place for a small child.

30

Protecting Infants and Small Children, Selecting a Child Seat

Selecting a Child Seat

Child Seat Placement

Placing a f orward-f acing child seat in
the f ront seat of a vehicle equipped
with a passenger’s airbag can be
hazardous.

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Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat can result
in serious injury or death if the
front airbag inflates.

If you must place a forward-
facing child seat in front, move
the vehicle seat as far back as
possible, and properly restrain
the child.

10/08/04 18:48:47 31SJA660_050

After selecting a proper child seat
and a good place to install the seat,
there are three main steps in
installing the seat:

All child seats must be

secured to the vehicle with the lap
part of a lap/shoulder belt or with
the LATCH (Lower Anchors and
Tethers for CHildren) system. A
child whose seat is not properly
secured to the vehicle can be
endangered in a crash.

After installing a child

seat, push and pull the seat
forward and from side-to-side to
verify that it is secure.

A child seat secured with a seat belt
should be installed as firmly as
possible. However, it does not need
to be ‘‘rock solid.’’ Some side-to-side

movement can be expected and
should not reduce the child seat’s
effectiveness.

If the child seat is not secure, try
installing it in a different seating
position, or use a different style of
child seat that can be firmly secured.

Make sure the child is properly
strapped in the child seat
according to the child seat maker’s
instructions. A child who is not
properly secured in a child seat
can be seriously injured in a crash.

The following pages provide
guidelines on how to properly install
a child seat. A forward-facing child
seat is used in all examples, but the
instructions are the same for rear-
facing child seats.

Whatever type of seat you choose, to
provide proper protection, a child
seat should meet three
requirements:

Before purchasing a conventional
child seat, or using a previously
purchased one, we recommend that
you test the seat in the specific
vehicle seating position or positions
where the seat will be used.

Look for FMVSS 213 or CMVSS
213 on the box.

Rear-facing for infants, forward-
facing for small children.

Selecting a Child Seat, Installing a Child Seat

Installing a Child Seat

Properly secure the child seat to
the vehicle.

Make sure the child seat is f irmly
secured.

Secure the child in the child seat.

The child seat should meet
Federal Motor Vehicle Saf ety
Standard 213 or Canadian Motor
Vehicle Saf ety Standard 213.

The child seat should be of the
proper type and size to f it the child.

The child seat should f it the
vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be used.

1.

2.

3.

1.

2.

3.

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