Acura MDX (2018 year). Manual — part 2

20

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

VSA® On and Off

(P518)

● The vehicle stability assist (VSA®) system

helps stabilize the vehicle during
cornering, and helps maintain traction
while accelerating on loose or slippery
road surfaces.

● VSA® comes on automatically every time

you start the engine.

● To partially disable or fully restore VSA®

function, press and hold the button until
you hear a beep.

CMBS

TM

On and Off

(P539)
● When a possible collision is likely

unavoidable, the CMBS

TM

can help you to

reduce the vehicle speed and the severity
of the collision.

● The CMBS

TM

is turned on every time you

start the engine.

● To turn the CMBS

TM

on or off, press and

hold the button until you hear a beep.

Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) with Tire
Fill Assist

(P524, 657)

● The TPMS monitors tire pressure.

● TPMS is turned on automatically every time you start the engine.

● TPMS fill assist provides audible and visual guidance during tire pressure adjustment.

Refueling

(P568)

a

Press the fuel fill door
release button.

b

After refueling, wait for
about five seconds
before removing the
filler nozzle.

Fuel recommendation: Unleaded premium gasoline, pump octane number 91 or

higher recommended

Fuel tank capacity: 19.5 US gal (73.8 liters)

Wait for five seconds

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21

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

AcuraWatch

TM

AcuraWatch

TM

is a driver support system

which employs the use of two distinctly
different kinds of sensors, a radar sensor
located in the front grille and a front sensor
camera mounted to the interior side of the
windshield, behind the rear view mirror.

The camera is located
behind the rearview
mirror.

The radar sensor is in
the front grille.

Front Sensor
Camera

Radar Sensor

Adaptive Cruise Control
(ACC) with Low Speed
Follow (LSF)

(P489)

Helps maintain a constant vehicle speed and
a set following-interval behind a vehicle
detected ahead of yours and, if the detected
vehicle comes to a stop, can decelerate and
stop your vehicle, without you having to
keep your foot on the brake or the
accelerator.

Road Departure
Mitigation (RDM) System

(P504)

Alerts and helps to assist you when the
system detects a possibility of your vehicle
unintentionally crossing over detected lane
markings and/or leaving the roadway
altogether.

Lane Keeping Assist
System (LKAS)

(P509)

Provides steering input to help keep the
vehicle in the middle of a detected lane and
provides tactile and visual alerts if the
vehicle is detected drifting out of its lane.

Collision Mitigation
Braking System

TM

(CMBS

TM

)

(P536)

Can assist you when there is a possibility of
your vehicle colliding with a vehicle or a
pedestrian detected in front of yours. The
CMBS

TM

is designed to alert you when a

potential collision is determined, as well as
to reduce your vehicle speed to help
minimize collision severity when a collision is
deemed unavoidable.

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22

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

Maintenance

(P573)

Under the Hood

(P581)

● Check engine oil, engine coolant, and windshield washer

fluid. Add when necessary.

● Check brake fluid.

● Check the battery condition monthly.

a

Pull the hood release handle under the corner of the
dashboard.

b

Locate the hood latch lever, push it to the side, and then
raise the hood. Once you have raised the hood slightly, you
can release the lever.

c

When finished, close the hood and make sure it is firmly
locked in place.

Lights

(P593)

● Inspect all lights regularly.

Wiper Blades

(P598)

● Replace blades if they leave streaks

across the windshield.

Tires

(P602)

● Inspect tires and wheels regularly.

● Check tire pressures regularly.

● Install snow tires for winter

driving.

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Quick

Referenc

e Guide

23

Handling the Unexpected

(P625)

Flat Tire

(P627)

● Park in a safe location and repair the flat

tire using the tire repair kit.

● Park in a safe location and replace the

flat tire with the compact spare tire
located under the cargo area.

Indicators Come On

(P653)

● Identify the indicator and consult the

owner’s manual.

Vehicles with tire repair kit

Vehicles with compact spare tire

Engine Won’t Start

(P646)

● If the battery is dead, jump start using a

booster battery.

Blown Fuse

(P658)

● Check for a blown fuse if an electrical

device does not operate.

Overheating

(P651)

● Park in a safe location. If you do not see

steam under the hood, open the hood,
and let the engine cool down.

Emergency Towing

(P666)

● Call a professional towing service if you

need to tow your vehicle.

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24

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

What to Do If

The power mode does not
change from VEHICLE OFF
(LOCK) to ACCESSORY.
Why?

●

The steering wheel may be locked.

●

Move the steering wheel left and right
after pressing the ENGINE START/STOP
button.

Why does the brake pedal
pulsate slightly when
applying the brakes?

This can occur when the ABS activates and does not indicate a
problem. Apply firm, steady pressure on the brake pedal. Never
pump the brake pedal.

2 Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) (P534)

The rear door cannot be
opened from inside the
vehicle. Why?

Check if the childproof lock is in the
lock position. If so, open the rear
door with the outside door handle.
To cancel this function, slide the
lever up to the unlock position.

Why do the doors lock
after I unlocked the doors?

If you do not open the doors within 30 seconds, the doors are
relocked automatically for security.

Canadian models

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25

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

Why does the beeper
sound when I open the
driver’s door?

The beeper sounds when:

●

The power mode is in ACCESSORY.

●

The exterior lights are left on.

●

Auto Idle Stop

*

is in operation.

Why does a beeper sound
when I walk away from the
vehicle after I close the
door?

The beeper sounds if you move outside the walk away auto lock
operating range before the door completely closes.

2 Locking the doors and tailgate (Walk away auto lock) (P144)

Why does the beeper
sound when I start driving?

The beeper sounds when the driver and/or front passenger are
not wearing their seat belts.

Pulling the electric parking
brake switch does not
release the parking brake.
Why?

Pull the electric parking brake switch with the brake pedal
depressed.

I’m seeing an amber
indicator of a tire with an
exclamation point. What is
that?

The Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) needs attention.
Check tire pressure.

2 If the Low Tire Pressure/TPMS Indicator Comes On or Blinks (P657)

* Not available on all models

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26

Quick

Referenc

e Guide

Depressing the accelerator
pedal does not release the
parking brake
automatically. Why?

●

Fasten the driver’s seat belt.

●

Check if the transmission is in

(

P

or

(

N

. If so, select any other

position.

Why does the gear position
automatically change to

(

P

when I open the driver’s
door to check for parking
space lines when
reversing?

●

Fasten the driver’s seat belt.

●

Close the driver’s door and manually change the gear
position.

u

When opening the driver’s door

(P475)

Why do I hear a screeching
sound when I apply the
brake pedal?

The brake pads may need to be replaced. Have your vehicle
inspected by a dealer.

Unleaded gasoline with a
Pump Octane Number
(PON) of 91 or higher is
recommended.
Is it possible to use
unleaded gasoline with a
Pump Octane Number
(PON) of 87 or lower on
this vehicle?

Unleaded gasoline with a Pump Octane Number (PON) of 91 or
higher is recommended.
Use of lower octane gasoline can cause occasional metallic
knocking noise in the engine and will result in decreased engine
performance.
Use of gasoline with a pump octane less than 87 can lead to
engine damage.

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27

Safe Driving

You can find many safety recommendations throughout this chapter, and throughout this manual.

For Safe Driving

Important Safety Precautions. . . .. 28
Important Handling Information. . . 30
Your Vehicle’s Safety Features. . . 31
Safety Checklist . . . . . . . . . 32

Seat Belts

About Your Seat Belts . . . . . . 33
Fastening a Seat Belt . . . . . . .. 36
Seat Belt Inspection. . . . . . . 40

Airbags

Airbag System Components. . . ... 41
Types of Airbags . . . . . . . . 44
Front Airbags (SRS) . . . . . . . 44
Driver’s Knee Airbag . . . . . . .. 48
Side Airbags. . . . . . . . . ... 50
Side Curtain Airbags . . . . . . .. 52
Airbag System Indicators. . . . . 53
Airbag Care . . . . . . . . . ... 55

Child Safety

Protecting Child Passengers . . . ... 56
Safety of Infants and Small Children .. 58
Safety of Larger Children . . . . ... 72

Exhaust Gas Hazard

Carbon Monoxide Gas. . . . . ... 74

Safety Labels

Label Locations . . . . . . . . .. 75

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28

Safe Driving

For Safe Driving

The following pages explain your vehicle’s safety features and how to use them
properly. The safety precautions below are ones that we consider to be among the
most important.

Important Safety Precautions

■

Always wear your seat belt

A seat belt is your best protection in all types 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 passengers always wear your seat belts, and
wear them properly.

■

Restrain all children

Children ages 12 and under should ride properly restrained in a back seat, not the
front seat. Infants and small children should be restrained in a child seat. Larger
children should use a booster seat and a lap/shoulder seat belt until they can use the
belt properly without a booster seat.

■

Be aware of airbag hazards

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. Infants, young children,
and short adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and
warnings in this manual.

■

Don’t drink and drive

Alcohol 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.

1

Important Safety Precautions

Some states, provinces and territories prohibit the use
of cell phones other than hands-free devices by the
driver while driving.

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29

uu

For Safe Driving

u

Important Safety Precautions

Safe Driving

■

Pay appropriate attention to the task of driving safely

Engaging in cell phone conversation or other activities that keep you from paying
close attention to the road, other vehicles, and pedestrians could lead to a crash.
Remember, situations can change quickly, and only you can decide when it is safe to
divert some attention away from driving.

■

Control your speed

Excessive speed is a major 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.

■

Keep your vehicle in safe condition

Having a tire blowout or a mechanical 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.

■

Do not leave children unattended in the vehicle

Children left unattended in the vehicle may be injured if they activate one or more
of the vehicle controls. They may also cause the vehicle to move, resulting in a crash
in which the children and/or another person(s) can be injured or killed. Also,
depending on the ambient temperature, the temperature of the interior may reach
extreme levels, which can result in injury or death.
Even if the climate control system is on, never leave children in the vehicle
unattended as the climate control system can shut off at any time.

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uu

For Safe Driving

u

Important Handling Information

Safe Driving

Important Handling Information

Your vehicle has higher ground clearance than a passenger vehicle designed for use
only on pavement. Higher ground clearance has many advantages for off-highway
driving. It allows you to travel over bumps, obstacles, and rough terrain. It also
provides good visibility so you can anticipate problems earlier.

These advantages come at some cost. Because your vehicle is taller and rides higher
off the ground, it has a higher center gravity making it more susceptible to tipping
or roll over if you make abrupt turns. Utility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles. In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt. As a reminder,
make sure you and your passengers always wear seat belts.

1

Important Handling Information

For information on how to reduce the risk of rollover,
read:

2 Driving Guidelines for Your Utility Vehicle

P. 470

2 Off-Highway Driving Guidelines P. 463

Failure to operate your vehicle correctly might result
in a crash or a rollover.

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31

uu

For Safe Driving

u

Your Vehicle’s Safety Features

Safe Driving

Your Vehicle’s Safety Features

The following checklist will help you take an active role in protecting yourself and
your passengers.

1

Your Vehicle’s Safety Features

Your vehicle is equipped with many features that
work together to help protect you and your
passengers during a crash.

Some features do not require any action on your part.
These include a strong steel framework that forms a
safety cage around the passenger compartment,
front and rear crush zones, a collapsible steering
column, and tensioners that tighten the front seat
belts in a sufficient crash.

However, you and your passengers cannot take full
advantage of these features unless you remain seated
in the correct position and always wear your seat
belts. In fact, some safety features can contribute to
injuries if they are not used properly.

6

7

8

9

10

12

Safety Cage
Crush Zones
Seats and Seat-Backs
Head Restraints
Collapsible Steering Column
Seat Belts
Front Airbags

Side Curtain Airbags
Door Locks

Side Airbags

11

Seat Belt Tensioners

6

7

8

9

9

10

11

11

12

7

Knee Airbag

10

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For Safe Driving

u

Safety Checklist

Safe Driving

Safety Checklist

For the safety of you and your passengers, make a habit of checking these items
each time before you drive.
• After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure all doors and the tailgate are

closed and locked. Locking the doors and the tailgate helps prevent an occupant
from being ejected and an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door or the
tailgate.

2 Locking/Unlocking the Doors from the Inside P. 151

• Adjust your seat to a position suitable for driving. Be sure the front seats are

adjusted as far to the rear as possible while allowing the driver to control the
vehicle. Sitting too close to a front airbag can result in serious or fatal injury in a
crash.

2 Adjusting the Seats P. 192

• Adjust head restraints to the proper position. Head restraints are most effective

when the center of the head restraint aligns with the center of your head. Taller
persons should adjust their head restraint to the highest position.

2 Adjusting the Front and Second Row Outer Head Restraint Positions P. 198

• Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Confirm that any

passengers are properly belted as well.

2 Fastening a Seat Belt P. 36

• Protect children by using seat belts or child seats according to a child’s age, height

and weight.

2 Child Safety P. 56

1

Safety Checklist

If the door and/or tailgate open message appears on
the multi-information display (MID), a door and/or
the tailgate is not completely closed. Close all doors
and the tailgate tightly until the message disappears.

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33

Continued

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 being 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 six or seven seating positions are equipped with lap/shoulder seat belts with
emergency locking retractors. In normal driving the retractor 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, second row and third row seat belts also have a lockable
retractor for use with child seats.

2 Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt P. 66

1

About Your Seat Belts

Seat belts cannot completely 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 wear seat belts.

If you extend the seat belt too quickly, it will lock in
place. If this happens, slightly retract the seat belt,
then extend it slowly.

3

WARNING

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.

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Seat Belts

u

About Your Seat Belts

34

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 reduce 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 belts. Devices intended to improve comfort

or reposition the shoulder part of a seat belt 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.

■

Seat Belt Reminder

1

About Your Seat Belts

If a 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.

1

Seat Belt Reminder

The indicator will also come on if a front passenger
does not fasten their seat belt within six seconds after
the power mode is set to ON.

When no one is sitting in the front passenger’s seat,
the indicator will not come on and the beeper will not
sound.
The indicator also may not 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. 56

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Seat Belts

u

About Your Seat Belts

Safe Driving

The 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 or
the driver’s knee airbag.

■

Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners

1

Automatic 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-severe side impact, the
tensioner on that side of the vehicle also activates.

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