2004 HONDA Element Owners Manual

Your Vehicle at a Glance 2 POWER DOOR LOCK SWITCH MIRROR CONTROLS GAUGES POWER WINDOW SWITCHES A/T model is shown. HOOD RELEASE HANDLE INSTRUMENT PANEL HEATING/COOLING CONTROLS PARKING BRAKE (P.70) (P.81) (P.112) (P.82) (P.53) (P.58) (P.90) (P.83)

＊＊ To use the horn, press the center pad of the steering wheel. : Your Vehicle at a Glance 3 HEADLIGHTS/TURN SIGNALS REAR WINDOW DEFOGGER A/T model is shown. HORN HAZARD WARNING BUTTON STEERING WHEEL ADJUSTMENT SHIFT LEVER AUDIO SYSTEM WINDSHIELD WIPERS/WASHERS DIGITAL CLOCK (P.62) (P.107) CRUISE CONTROL MASTER SWITCH (P.64) (P.63) (P.127) (P.63) (P.94) (P.105) (P.61)

－ This section gives you important information about how to protect yourself and your passengers. It shows you how to use seat belts properly. It explains how your airbags work. And it tells you how to properly restrain infants and children in your vehicle. ......... Important Safety Precautions .6 ....... Your Vehicle’s Safety Features .7 ....................................... Seat Belts .8 ......................................... Airbags . 10 ......... Protecting Adults and Teens . 11 ..... 1. Close and Lock the Doors . 11 ........... 2. Adjust the Front Seats . 11 ............ 3. Adjust the Seat-Backs . 13 ... 4. Adjust the Head Restraints . 14 5. Fasten and Position the .. Lap/Shoulder Seat Belts . 14 .... 6. Adjust the Steering Wheel . 16 7. Maintain a Proper Sitting ................................ Position . 16 ..... Advice for Pregnant Women . 17 ... Additional Safety Precautions . 18 Additional Information About Your ................................. Seat Belts . 19 .. Seat Belt System Components . 19 ...................... Lap/Shoulder Belt . 19 Automatic Seat Belt ............................... Tensioners . 20 ............... Seat Belt Maintenance . 21 Additional Information About Your ..................................... Airbags . 22 ...... Airbag System Components . 22 How Your Front Airbags ......................................... Work . 22 ... How Your Side Airbags Work . 25 How the SRS Indicator ....................................... Works . 26 How the Side Airbag Off ...................... Indicator Works . 27 ............................. Airbag Service . 27 ... Additional Safety Precautions . 28 Protecting Children General ................................ Guidelines . 29 All Children Must Be ............................... Restrained . 29 All Children Should Sit in the ................................. Back Seat . 30 The Passenger’s Front Airbag ............... Poses Serious Risks . 30 If You Must Drive with Several ................................... Children . 32 If a Child Requires Close .................................. Attention . 32 ... Additional Safety Precautions . 32 Protecting Infants and ......................... Small Children . 34 ....................... Protecting Infants . 34 ......... Protecting Small Children . 36 ..................... Selecting a Child Seat . 37 .................... Installing a Child Seat . 38 ........... Protecting Larger Children . 44 ............. Carbon Monoxide Hazard . 48 ................................... Safety Labels . 49 Driver and Passenger Saf ety Driver and Passenger Saf ety 5

You’ll find many safety recommendations throughout this section, and throughout this manual. The recommendations on this page are the ones we consider to be the most important. A seat belt is your best protection in all types of collisions. Airbags supplement seat belts, but airbags are designed to inflate only in a moderate to severe frontal collision. So even though your vehicle is equipped with airbags, make sure you and your passengers always wear your seat belts, and wear them properly. (See page .) Children age 12 and under should ride properly restrained in a back seat. Infants and small children should be restrained in a child seat. Larger children should use a booster and a lap/shoulder belt until they can use the belt properly without a booster (see page ). Excessive speed is a major factor in crash injuries and deaths. Generally, the higher the speed the greater the risk, but serious accidents can also occur at lower speeds. Never drive faster than is safe for current conditions, regardless of the maximum speed posted. 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 (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. Infants, young children, and short adults are at the greatest risk. Be sure to follow all instructions and warnings in this manual. 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. 14 29 152 Important Safety Precautions Always Wear Your Seat Belt Restrain All Children Be Aware of Airbag Hazards Control Your Speed Keep Your Vehicle in Saf e Condition Don’t Drink and Drive Driver and Passenger Saf ety 6

Your vehicle is equipped with many features that work together to protect you and your passengers during a crash. Some safety 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 seat belt tensioners that tighten the front seat belts in the event of a crash. CONTINUED Your Vehicle’s Safety Features Driver and Passenger Saf ety 7 (1) (2) (2) (3) (4) (5) (8) (6) (9) (7) (10) (1) Safety Cage (2) Crush Zones (3) Seats and Seat-Backs (4) Head Restraints (5) Collapsible Steering Column (6) Seat Belts (7) Front Airbags (8) Side Airbags (optional on EX model) (9) Front Seat Belt Tensioners (10) Door Locks

However, you and your passengers can’t take full advantage of these safety features unless you remain sitting in a proper position and In fact, some safety features can contribute to injuries if they are not used properly. Your vehicle is equipped with seat belts in all seating positions. Your seat belt system also includes a light on the instrument panel to remind you and your passengers to fasten your seat belts. Seat belts are the single most effective safety device for adults and larger children. (Infants and smaller children must be properly restrained in child seats.) Not wearing a seat belt properly increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash, even though your vehicle has airbags. In addition, most states and all Canadian provinces require you to wear seat belts. The following pages explain how you can take an active role in protecting yourself and your passengers. Your Vehicle’s Safety Features always wear your seat belts properly. Why Wear Seat Belts Seat Belts Driver and Passenger Saf ety 8

When properly worn, seat belts: Help keep you from being thrown against the inside of the vehicle and against other occupants. Keep you from being thrown out of the vehicle. Help keep you in a good position should the airbags ever deploy. A good position reduces the risk of injury from an inflating airbag, and allows you to get the best advantage from the airbag. Of course, seat belts cannot completely protect you in every crash. But in most cases, seat belts can reduce your risk of serious injury. Always wear your seat belt, and make sure you wear it properly. Keep you connected to the vehicle so you can take advantage of the vehicle’s built-in safety features. Help protect you in almost every type of crash, including frontal, side, and rear impacts and rollovers. Your Vehicle’s Safety Features Driver and Passenger Saf ety What You Should Do: 9 Not wearing a seat belt properly increases the chance of serious injury or death in a crash, even if you have airbags. Be sure you and your passengers always wear seat belts and wear them properly.

Your vehicle has a Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) with front airbags to help protect the heads and chests of the driver and a front seat passenger during a moderate to severe frontal collision (see page for more information on how your front airbags work). The most important things you need to know about your airbags are: Your vehicle also has side airbags to help protect the upper torso of the driver or a front seat passenger during a moderate to severe side impact (see page for more information on how your side airbags work). They are designed to supplement the seat belts. To do their job, airbags must inflate with tremendous force. So while airbags help save lives, they can cause minor injuries or more serious or even fatal injuries if occupants are not properly restrained or sitting properly. Always wear your seat belt properly, sit upright, and as far back from the steering wheel while allowing full control of the vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as possible. 22 25 Optional on EX models Your Vehicle’s Safety Features Driver and Passenger Saf ety Airbags Airbags do not replace seat belts. Airbags offer no protection in rear impacts, rollovers, or minor f rontal or side collisions. Airbags can pose hazards. What You Should Do: 10

After everyone has entered the vehicle, be sure the doors are closed and locked. If you sit too close to the steering wheel or dashboard, you can be seriously injured by an inflating front airbag, or by striking the steering wheel or dashboard. See page for important guidelines on how to properly protect infants, small children, and larger children who ride in your vehicle. The following pages provide instructions on how to properly protect the driver, adult passengers and teenage children who are large enough and mature enough to ride in the front seat. Remember however, that no safety system can prevent all injures or deaths that can occur in severe crashes, even where seat belts are properly worn and the airbags deploy. The rest of this section gives more detailed information about how you can maximize your safety. Locking the doors reduces the chance of someone being thrown out of the vehicle during a crash, and it helps prevent passengers from accidentally opening a door and falling out. Locking the doors also helps prevent an outsider from unexpectedly opening a door when you come to a stop. See page for how to lock the doors. Adjust the driver’s seat as far to the rear as possible while allowing you to maintain full control of the vehicle. Have a front passenger adjust their seat as far to the rear as possible. 34 70 CONTINUED Close and Lock the Doors Adjust the Front Seats Introduction 1. 2. Protecting Adults and Teens Driver and Passenger Saf ety 11

2004 HONDA Element Owners Manual

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