Honda Passport (2002 year). Instruction

Driver and Passenger Safety

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.

To adjust the height of a seat belt
anchor in the front or the rear,
press the release button and slide
the anchor up or down as needed
(it has four positions).

Never place the shoulder portion
of a lap/shoulder belt under your
arm or behind your back. This
could cause very serious injuries
in a crash.

Using the Lap Belt

Insert the latch plate into the
buckle marked

CENTER

If the belt is too short, hold the
latch plate at a right angle and
pull on the plate to extend the
belt. Then insert the latch plate

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into the buckle, and tug on the
belt to make sure the belt is
securely latched.

Position the belt as low as
possible across your hips. This
lets your strong pelvic bones take
the force of a crash and reduces
the chance of internal injuries.

Pull on the loose end of the belt
for a snug but comfortable fit.

If a Seat Belt Doesn’t Work
Properly
If a seat belt does not seem to
work as it should, it may not
protect the occupant in a crash.
No one should sit in a seat with
an inoperative seat belt. Anyone
using a seat belt that is not
working properly can be seriously
injured or killed. Have your
Honda dealer check the belt as
soon as possible.

See page

for additional

information about your seat belt
system and how to take care of
your belts.

. Adjust the Steering Wheel

Adjust the steering wheel, if
needed, so that the wheel points
toward your chest, not toward
your face.

Pointing the steering wheel
toward your chest provides
optimal protection from the
airbag.

See page

115

for how to adjust the

steering wheel.

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7. Maintain a Proper Sitting

Position

After all occupants have adjusted
their seats and put on 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
parked and the engine is off.

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 feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly
increased.

In addition, an occupant who is
out of position in the front seat
can be seriously or fatally injured
by striking interior parts of the

vehicle, or by being struck by an
inflating airbag.

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.

Remember, to get the best
protection from your vehicle’s
airbags and other safety features,
you must sit properly and wear
your seat belt properly.

Advice for Pregnant Women

Because protecting the mother is
the best way to protect her unborn
child, a pregnant woman should

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always wear a seat belt whenever
she drives or rides in a vehicle.

We recommend that a pregnant
woman use a lap/shoulder belt
whenever possible. Remember to
keep the lap portion of the belt as
low as possible across your hips.

Pregnant women should also sit as
far back as possible from the
steering wheel or dashboard. This
will reduce the risk of injuries to
both the mother and her unborn
child that can be caused by a
crash or an inflating airbag.

Each time you have a checkup,
ask your doctor if it’s okay for
you to drive.

Additional Safety
Precautions

•

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
seat belts. Devices intended to
improve occupant comfort, or
reposition the shoulder part of a
seat belt, can severely
compromise the protective
capability of the seat belt and
increase the chance of serious
injury in a crash.

•

Do not place hard or sharp
objects between yourself and
an airbag. 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 airbags
inflate.

•

Keep your hands and arms
away from the airbag covers.
If your hands or arms are close

to the SRS covers in the center
of the steering wheel or on top
of the dashboard, they could be
injured if the airbags inflate.

•

Never let passengers ride in
the cargo area or on top of a
folded-down back seat. All
passengers must sit in locked,
upright seats and be properly
restrained by seat belts.

•

Do not attach or place objects
on the airbag covers. Any
object attached to or placed on
the covers marked “SRS
AIRBAG” in the center of the
steering wheel and on top of
the dashboard could interfere
with the proper operation of the
airbags. Or, if the airbags
inflate, the objects could be
propelled inside the car and
hurt someone.

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Children depend on adults to
protect them. However, despite
their best intentions, many parents
and other adults may not know
how to properly protect young
passengers.

So if you have children, or if you
ever need to drive with a
grandchild or other children in
your vehicle, be sure to read this
section.

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.

All Children Must Be
Restrained

Each year, many children are
injured or killed in vehicle crashes
because they are either
unrestrained or not properly
restrained. In fact, vehicle
accidents are the number one
cause of death of children ages 12
and under.

To reduce the number of child
deaths and injuries, every state
requires that infants and children
be restrained whenever they ride
in a vehicle.

Any child who is too small to
wear a seat belt should be
properly restrained in a child
seat. (See page

A larger child should always be
restrained with a seat belt. (See
page

Additional Precautions to
Parents

•

Never hold an infant or child
on your lap. If you are not
wearing a seat belt in a crash,
you could be thrown forward
into the dashboard and crush
the child.

Protecting Children

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If you are wearing a seat belt,
the child can be torn from your
arms. For example, if your
vehicle crashes into a parked
vehicle at 30 mph (48 km/h), a
20 lb (9 kg) infant will become
a 600 lb (275 kg) force, and
you will not be able to hold on.

•

Never put a seat belt over
yourself and an infant or
child. During a crash, the belt
could press deep into the child
and cause very serious injuries.

Children Should Sit in the
Back Seat

According to accident statistics,
children of all ages and sizes are
safer when they are restrained in
the back seat, not the front seat.
The National Highway Traffic
Safety Administration
recommends that all children ages
12 and under be properly
restrained in the back seat.

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

The Passenger’s Airbag
Poses Serious Risks to
Children

Airbags have been designed to
help protect adults in a moderate
to severe frontal collision. To do
this, the passenger’s airbag is
quite large, and it inflates with
tremendous speed.

Infants
Never put a rear-facing child
seat in the front seat of a vehicle
equipped with a passenger’s
airbag. 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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Small Children
Placing a forward-facing child
seat in the front seat of a vehicle
equipped with a passenger’s
airbag can be hazardous. 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 kill or very
seriously injure a small child.

Larger Children
Children who have outgrown
child seats are also at risk of
being injured or killed by an
inflating passenger’s airbag.
Whenever possible, larger
children should sit in the back
seat, properly restrained with a
seat belt. (See page

for

important information about
protecting larger children.)

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

If You Must Drive With
Several Children

Your vehicle has three seating
positions in the back seat where
children can be properly
restrained.

If you ever have to carry more
than three children in your
vehicle:

•

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

•

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

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If a Child Requires Close
Attention

Many parents say they prefer to
put an infant or 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 from
the airbag, and paying close
attention to a child distracts the
driver from the important tasks of
driving, placing both of you at
risk.

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

Additional Safety
Precautions

•

Use child-safe door locks to

prevent children from opening
the doors. Using this feature
will prevent children from
opening the doors and
accidentally falling out (see
page

105

•

Use the main power window
switch to prevent children
from opening the rear
windows. Using this feature
will prevent children from
playing with the windows,
which could expose them to
hazards or distract the driver
(see page

107

•

Do not leave children alone in
your vehicle. Leaving children
without adult supervision is
illegal in most states and can be
very hazardous. For example,
infants and small children left
in a vehicle on a hot day can
die from heat stroke. And
children left alone with the key
in the ignition can accidentally
set the vehicle in motion,
possibly injuring themselves or
others.

•

Keep vehicle keys and remote
transmitters out of the reach
of children. Even very young
children learn how to unlock
vehicle doors, turn on the
ignition, and open the tailgate,
which can lead to accidental
injury or death.

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General Guidelines for
Using Child Seats

The following pages give general
guidelines for selecting and
installing child seats for infants
and small children.

Selecting a Child Seat
To provide proper protection,
a child seat should meet three
requirements:

1. The child seat should meet

safety standards. The child
seat should meet Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard
213 (

FMVSS

213). Look for

the manufacturer’s statement
of compliance on the box and
seat.

2. The child seat should be of

the proper type and size to fit
the child.

Infants: Children up to about one
year old should be restrained in a
rear-facing, reclining child seat.
Only a rear-facing seat provides
the proper support to protect an
infant’s head, neck, and back. See
page

for additional information

on protecting infants.

Small Children: A child who is
too large for a rear-facing child
seat, and who can sit up without
support, should be restrained in a
forward-facing child seat. See
page

for additional information

on protecting small children.

3. The child seat should fit the

vehicle seating position (or
positions) where it will be
used.

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Due to variations in the design of
child seats, vehicle seats, and seat
belts, all child seats will not fit all
vehicle seating positions.

However, Honda is confident that
one or more child seat models can
fit and be properly installed in all
recommended seating positions in
your vehicle.

Before purchasing a child seat, we
recommend that parents test the
child seat in the specific vehicle
seating position (or positions)
where they intend to use the seat.
If a previously purchased child
seat does not fit, you may need to
buy a different one that will fit.

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Placing a Child Seat
This page briefly summarizes
Honda’s recommendations on where
to place rear-facing and forward-
facing child seats in your vehicle.

Airbags Pose Serious

Risks to Children

The passenger’s airbag inflates
with enough force to kill or
seriously injure an infant in a
rear-facing child seat.

A small child in a forward-
facing child seat is also at risk.
If the vehicle seat is too far
forward, or the child’s head is
thrown forward during a
collision, an inflating airbag can
kill or seriously injure the child.

If a small child must ride in the
front, follow the instructions
provided in this section.

Front Passenger’s Seat

Infants: Never in the front seat,
due to the passenger’s airbag
hazard.

Small children: Not
recommended, due to the
passenger’s airbag hazard. If a
small child must ride in front,
move the vehicle seat to the
rear-most position and secure a
front-facing child seat with the
seat belt (see page

Back Seats

Infants: Recommended positions.
Properly secure a rear-facing child
seat (see page

Small children: Recommended
positions. Properly secure a
front-facing child seat (see page

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Installing a Child Seat
After selecting a proper child seat,
and a good position to install the
seat, there are three main steps to
installing the seat:

1. Properly secure the child seat

to the vehicle. All child seats
are designed to be secured to
the vehicle with the lap part of
a lap/shoulder belt. Some
child seats can be secured to
the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system instead. A
child whose seat is not
properly secured to the vehicle
can be endangered in a crash.
See pages

, and

for

instructions on how to
properly secure child seats in
this vehicle.

2. Make sure the child seat is

firmly secured. After
installing a child seat, push
and pull the seat forward and
from side to side to verify that
it is secure.

To provide security during normal
driving maneuvers, as well as
during a collision, we recommend
that parents secure a child seat as
firmly as possible.

However, a child seat does not
need to be “rock solid.” In some
vehicles or seating positions, it
may be difficult to install a child
seat so that it does not move at all.
Some side-to-side or back-and-
forth 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 in the desired seating
position.

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3. Secure the child in the child

seat. 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 thrown out
of the seat in a crash and
seriously injured.

Storing a Child Seat
When you are not using a child
seat, either remove it and store it
in a safe place, or make sure it is
properly secured. An unsecured
child seat can be thrown around
the vehicle during a crash or
sudden stop and injure someone.

Protecting Infants

Child Seat Type
Only a rear-facing child seat
provides proper support for a
baby’s head, neck, and back.
Infants up to about one year of
age must be restrained in a
rear-facing child seat.

Two types of seats may be used:
a seat designed exclusively for

infants, or a convertible seat used
in the rear-facing reclining mode.

Placing a rear-facing child seat
in the front seat can result in
serious injury or death if the
airbags inflate.

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

We recommend that an infant be
restrained in a rear-facing child
seat until the infant reaches the
seat maker’s weight or height
limit and is able to sit up without
support.

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Rear-Facing Child Seat
Placement
In this vehicle, a rear-facing child
seat can be placed in any seating
position in the back seat, but not
in the front seat.

Never put a rear-facing child
seat in the front seat. If the
passenger’s airbag inflates, it can
hit the back of the child seat with
enough force to kill or seriously
injure an infant. If an infant must
be closely watched, we
recommend that another adult sit
in the back seat with the baby.

Do not put a rear-facing child
seat in a forward-facing position.
If placed facing forward, an infant
could be very seriously injured
during a frontal collision.

When properly installed, a rear-
facing child seat may prevent a
driver or a front seat passenger
from moving the seat as far back
as recommended (see page

Or it may prevent them from
locking the seat-back in the
desired upright position (see page

In either case, we recommend that
you place the child seat directly
behind the front passenger seat,
move the front seat as far forward
as needed, and leave it
unoccupied. You may also wish to
get a smaller child seat that allows
you to safely carry a front
passenger.

Installing a Rear-Facing Child
Seat With a Lap/Shoulder Belt
The lap/shoulder belts in the outer
back seats have a locking
mechanism that must be activated
to secure a child seat.

The following pages provide
instructions on how to secure a
rear-facing child seat with this
type of seat belt.

See page

for how to secure a

rear-facing child seat in the center
back seat with the lap belt. For
tips on installing an infant seat
with either type of seat belt, see
page

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If you have a child seat designed
to attach to the vehicle’s LATCH
anchorage system, follow the
instructions on page

1. With the child seat in the

desired back seating position,
route the belt through the child
seat according to the seat
maker’s instructions, then
insert the latch plate into the
buckle.

2. To activate the lockable

retractor, slowly pull the
shoulder part of the belt all the
way out until it stops, then let
the belt feed back into the
retractor (you might hear a
clicking noise as the belt
retracts).

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3. After the belt has retracted,

tug on it. If the belt is locked,
you will not be able to pull it
out. If you can pull the belt
out, it is not locked and you
will need to repeat these steps.

4. After confirming that the belt

is locked, grab the shoulder
part of the belt near the buckle
and pull up to remove any
slack from the lap part of the
belt.

Remember, if the lap part of
the belt is not tight, the child
seat will not be secure. To
remove slack, it may help to
put weight on the child seat, or
push on the back of the seat,
while pulling up on the belt.

5. Push and pull the child seat

forward and from side to side
to verify that it is secure
enough to stay upright during
normal driving maneuvers.
If the child seat is not secure,
unlatch the belt, allow it to
retract fully, then repeat these
steps.

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Honda Passport (2002 year). Instruction - part 2