Honda Civic 5 Owners Manual

							Passengers with adjustable seat-
backs should also adjust their seat-
back to a comf ortable, upright
position.Reclining a seat-back so that the
shoulder part of the belt no longer
rests against the occupant’s chest
reduces the protective capability of
the belt. It also increases the chance
of sliding under the belt in a crash
and being seriously injured. The
farther a seat-back is reclined, the
greater the risk of injury.
See page f or how to adjust the
seat-backs. Adjust the driver’s seat-back to a
comf ortable, upright position,
leaving ample space between your
chest and the airbag cover in the
centre of the steering wheel.Adjust the driver’s head restraint so
the centre of the back of your head
rests against the centre of the
restraint.
Have passengers adjust their head
restraints properly as well. Taller
persons should adjust their restraint
as high as possible. 165 Adjust the Seat-Backs Adjust the Head Restraints 3.4.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety16
Reclining the seat-back too
far can result in serious injury
or death in a crash.
Adjust the seat-back to an
upright position, and sit well
back in the seat.
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							Properly adjusted head restraints
will help protect occupants f rom
whiplash and other crash injuries. Insert the latch plate into the buckle,
then tug on the belt to make sure the
belt is securely latched. Check that
the belt is not twisted, because a
twisted belt can cause serious
injuries in a crash. See page f or how to adjust the
head restraints and how the driver’s
and f ront passenger’s active head
restraints work. When a passenger is seated in the
rear seating position, make sure the
rear head restraint is adjusted to its
highest position.
166
CONT INUED
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Fasten and Position the Seat
Belts 5.
17
Improperly positioning head
restraints reduces their
effectiveness and you can be
seriously injured in a crash.
Make sure head restraints are
in place and positioned
properly before driving.
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							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 f its snugly.
This lets your strong pelvic bones
take the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.If necessary, pull up on the belt again
to remove any slack, then check that
the belt rests across the centre of
your chest and over your shoulder.
This spreads the f orces of a crash
over the strongest bones in your
upper body.If the seat belt touches or crosses
your neck, or if it crosses your arm
instead of your shoulder, you need to
adjust the seat belt anchor height.
The front seats have adjustable seat
belt anchors. To adjust the height of
an anchor, press and hold the release
button and slide the anchor up or
down as needed (it has f our
positions).
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Protecting A dults and Teens
18
Improperly positioning the
seat belts can cause serious
injury or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are
properly positioned before
driving.
RELEASE
BUTTON
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							After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and head restraints, and
put on their seat belts, it is very
important that they continue to sit
upright, well back in their seats, with
their feet on the floor, until the
vehicle is safely parked and the
engine is of f . This could cause
very serious injuries in a crash.
If a seat belt does not seem to work
as it should, it may not protect the
occupant in a crash.
Using a seat
belt that is not working properly can
result in serious injury or death.
Have your dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.
See page f or additional
inf ormation about your seat belts
and how to take care of them.In a f ront passenger leans sideways
and his head is in the deployment
path of the side airbag, an inf lating
side airbag can strike the passenger
with enough f orce to very seriously
injure him.
Sitting improperly can increase the
chance of injury during a crash. For
example, if an occupant slouches,
lies down, turns sideways, sits
forward, leans forward or sideways,
or puts one or both f eet up, the
chance of injury during a crash is
greatly increased.
In addition, an occupant who is out of
position in the f ront seat can be
seriously or f atally injured in a crash
by striking interior parts of the
vehicle or being struck by an
inflating front airbag. 22
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Maintain a Proper Sitting
Position 6.Never place t he shoulder port ion of a
lap/shoulder belt under your arm or
behind your back.
No one should sit in a seat wit h an
inoperat ive seat belt .
19
Sitting improperly or out of
position can result in serious
injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright, well back
in the seat, with your feet on
the floor.
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							If 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 possible across the hips.When driving, remember to sit
upright and adjust the seat as f ar
back as possible while allowing f ull
control of the vehicle. When riding
as a f ront passenger, adjust the seat
as far back as possible.
This will reduce the risk of injuries
to both you and your unborn child
that can be caused by a crash or an
inflating front airbag.
Each time you have a checkup, ask
your doctor if it’s okay f or you to
drive.If they do, they could be
very seriously injured in a crash.
A passenger who is not
wearing a seat belt during a crash
or emergency stop can be thrown
against the inside of the vehicle,
against other occupants, or out of
the vehicle.
If they do, they
couldbeveryseriouslyinjuredina
crash. Advice f or Pregnant Women Additional Saf ety Precautions
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Never let passengers ride in t he
area in front of a folded-up rear
seat or on t op of a f olded-down
rear seat.
Passengers should not st and up or
change seats while the vehicle is
moving.
T wo people should never use t he
same seat belt .
20
09/01/28 17:34:47 32SMG631_025 
						

							Devices intended to improve
occupant comf ort or reposition the
shoulder part of a seat belt can
reduce the protective capability of
the seat belt and increase the
chance of serious injury in a crash.
Carrying hard or sharp
objects on your lap, or driving with
a pipe or other sharp object in
your mouth, can result in injuries
if your f ront airbag inf lates.
If your
hands or arms are close to an
airbag cover, they could be injured
if the airbag inf lates.Objects on
the covers marked ‘‘SRS AIRBAG’’
could interf ere with the proper
operation of the airbags or be
propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone if the airbags inf late.
If a side airbag or a
side curtain airbag inf lates, a cup
holder or other hard object
attached on or near the door could
be propelled inside the vehicle and
hurt someone.
Protecting A dults and Teens
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Do not put any accessories on seat
belts.
Do not place hard or sharp object s
bet ween yourself and a f ront
airbag.
K eep your hands and arms away
f rom t he airbag covers.Do not at t ach or place object s on
the f ront airbag covers.
Do not at t ach hard object s on or
near a door.
21
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							Your seat belt system includes lap/
shoulder belts in all seating positions.
The f ront seat belts are also
equipped with automatic seat belt
tensioners.
The seat belt system
includes an indicator on the
instrument panel and a beeper to
remind you and your passengers to
f asten your seat belts.
This system monitors the seat belts
in all seating positions.
If you turn the ignition switch to the
ON (II) position bef ore your seat
belt is f astened, the beeper will
sound and the indicator will f lash. If
your seat belt is not f astened bef ore
the beeper stops, the indicator will
stop f lashing but remain on.The seat belt system also monitors
the seat belt use of all three rear
seating positions according to each
seat belt buckle latch f unction. The
multi-inf ormation display will show
you the seat belt use on the rear seat
(see page ).
The f ront passenger’s seat belt use
monitoring system uses the occupant
detectionsensorinthefront
passenger’s seat. The system may
not work properly under these
conditions:
Youplaceheavyitemsonthefront
passenger’s seat.
You place a cushion on the f ront
passenger’s seat.
The f ront passenger is not sitting
properly. If a f ront passenger does not f asten
their seat belt, the indicator will
come on about 6 seconds af ter the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
(II) position.
If either the driver or a f ront
passenger does not f asten their seat
belt while driving, the beeper will
sound and the indicator will f lash
again at regular intervals.
When no one is sitting in the f ront
passenger’s seat, or a child or small
adult is riding there, the indicator
should not come on and the beeper
should not sound.
You will also see a symbol ‘‘ ’’
(f or a driver)/‘‘ ’’ (f or a f ront
passenger), or a ‘‘FASTEN SEAT
BELT’’ or ‘‘PASSENGER FASTEN
SEAT BELT’’ message with a
symbol on the multi-inf ormation
display to remind you and your
passengers to f asten your seat belts.100
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
Seat Belt System Components
22
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							CONT INUED
To unlock the belt, press the red
PRESSbuttononthebuckle.Guide
the belt across your body so that it
retracts completely. Af ter exiting the
vehicle, be sure the belt is out of the
way and will not get closed in the
door.
All seat belts have an emergency
locking retractor. In normal driving,
the retractor lets you move f reely in
your seat while it keeps some
tension on the belt. During a collision
or sudden stop, the retractor
automatically locks the belt to help
restrain your body. The lap and shoulder belt goes over
your shoulder, across your chest,
and across your hips.
To fasten the belt, insert the latch
plate into the buckle, then tug on the
belt to make sure the buckle is
latched (see page f or how to
properly position the belt). Have your vehicle checked by a
dealer if the indicator comes on or
the beeper sounds when there is no
frontpassengerorthereareno
objects on the f ront seat.
17
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
L ap/Shoulder Belt
23
SHOULDER
PORTION
LATCH
PLATE
BUCKLEUPPER
SEAT
BELT
ANCHOR
LAP PORTION
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							The tensioners are designed to
activate in any collision severe
enough to cause the f ront airbags to
deploy. For added protection, the f ront seat
belts are equipped with automatic
seat belt tensioners. When activated,
the tensioners immediately tighten
the belts to help hold the driver and
a f ront passenger in position. If the shoulder part of the belt is
pulled all the way out, the lockable
retractor will activate. The belt will
retract, but it will not allow the
passenger to move f reely.
To deactivate the lockable retractor,
unlatch the buckle and let the seat
belt fully retract. To refasten the
seat belt, pull it out only as f ar as
needed. The seat belts in all rear seating
positions have a lockable retractor
that must be activated to secure a
child restraint (see page ).The tensioners can also be activated
during a collision in which the f ront
airbags . In this case, the
airbags would not be needed, but the
extra tension in the seat belt could
be helpf ul.
If the f ront seat belt tensioners ever
activate, they must be replaced as
the belts will no longer retract
properly. When the tensioners are activated,
the seat belts will remain tight until
they are unbuckled.
The SRS indicator will
come on if there is a
problem with your automatic seat
belt tensioners (see page ). If a side curtain airbag deploys
during a side impact, the tensioner
on that side of the vehicle will also
deploy. 53
30
If equipped with the lockable retractor
do not deploy
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety
A utomatic Seat Belt T ensioners
24
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							For saf ety, you should check the
condition of your seat belts regularly.If a seat belt is worn during a crash,
it must be replaced by the dealer. A
belt that has been worn during a
crash may not provide the same level
of protection in a subsequent crash. Pull each belt out f ully, and look f or
f rays, cuts, burns, and wear. Check
that the latches work smoothly and
the belts retract easily. If a belt does
not retract easily, cleaning the belt
may correct the problem (see page
). Any belt that is not in good
condition or working properly will
not provide good protection and
should be replaced as soon as
possible.The dealer should also inspect the
anchors f or damage and replace
them if needed. If the automatic seat
belt tensioners activate during a
crash, they must be replaced. 525
It is essential to replace
the entire assembly af ter it has been
worn in a severe impact even if damage
to the assembly is not obvious.
Care should be taken to
avoid contamination of the webbing with
polishes, oils and chemicals, and
particularly battery acid. Cleaning may
saf ely be carried out using mild soap and
water. The belt should be replaced if
webbing becomes f rayed, contaminated
or damaged.
No modif ications or
additions should be made by the user
which will either prevent the seat belt
adjusting devices f rom operating to
remove slack, or prevent the seat belt
assembly f rom being adjusted to remove
slack.
CONT INUED
Seat Belt Maintenance
Additional Inf ormation About Your Seat Belts
Driver and Passenger Saf ety25
WARNING:
WARNING:
WARNING:
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