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2020 Acura RDX Owners Manual - Airbags



Airbags

Your vehicle is equipped with several types of airbags: front airbags, front knee airbags, side airbags, and side curtain airbags.

 

■Front Airbags (SRS)

 

The front SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to-severe frontal collision to help protect the head and chest of the driver and/or front passenger. They are housed in the center of the steering wheel for the driver and in the dashboard for the front passenger. Both airbags are marked SRS AIRBAG.

SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) indicates that the airbags are designed to supplement seat belts, not replace them. Seat belts are the occupant's primary restraint system.

Front Knee Airbags

The knee SRS airbags inflate in a moderate-to-severe front collision to help keep the driver and/or front passenger in the proper position and to help maximize the benefit provided by the vehicle's other safety features.

 

■Advanced Airbags

The airbags have advanced features to help reduce the likelihood of airbag related injuries to smaller occupants.

The driver's advanced airbag system includes a seat position sensor. Based on information from this sensor and the severity of the impact, the advanced airbag system determines the optimal deployment of the driver's airbag.

The front passenger's advanced airbag system has weight sensors.

We advise against allowing a child age 12 or under to ride in the front passenger's seat. However, if you do allow a child age 12 or under to ride in the front passenger's seat, note that the system will automatically turn off the front passenger's airbag if the sensors detect that the child is approximately 65 lbs (29 kg) or less.

For the advanced airbags to work properly:
  • Do not spill any liquid on or under the seats.
  • Do not put any object under the passenger's seat.
  • Make sure any objects are positioned properly on the floor. Improperly positioned objects can interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
  • All occupants should sit upright and wear their seat belts properly.
  • Do not cover the passenger's side dashboard with a cloth, towel, cover, etc.
  • Make sure the floor mat behind the front passenger's seat is hooked to the floor mat anchor. An improperly placed mat can interfere with the advanced airbag sensors.
 

■Side Airbags

The side airbags help protect the upper torso and pelvis of the driver or a front passenger during a moderate-to-severe side impact. They are housed in the outside edge of the driver's and front passenger's seat-backs. Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.

 

Side Curtain Airbags

Side curtain airbags help protect the heads of the driver and passengers in outer seating positions during a moderate-to-severe side impact. The side curtain airbags equipped in this vehicle are also designed to help reduce the likelihood of partial and complete ejection of vehicle occupants through side windows in crashes, particularly rollover crashes.

The side curtain airbags are located in the ceiling above the side windows on both sides of the vehicle.

The side curtain airbags are deigned to deploy in a rollover or moderate-to-severe side impact. If the SRS control unit senses that your vehicles is about to roll over, it immediately deploys both side curtain airbags and activates both front seat belt tensioners. 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 properly and sit upright and well back in their seats.

Do not attach any objects to the side windows or roof pillars, as they can interfere with the proper operation of the side curtain airbags.

 

When side curtain airbags deploy in a frontal collision

One or both side curtain airbags may inflate in a moderate-to-severe angled frontal collision.

 

Important Facts About Your Airbags

Always wear your seat belt properly, sit upright, and as far back from the steering wheel as possible while allowing full control of the vehicle. A front passenger should move their seat as far back from the dashboard as possible.

Do not place hard or sharp objects between yourself and a front 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 front airbag inflates.

Do not attach or place objects on the front airbag covers. Objects on the covers marked SRS AIRBAG could interfere with the proper operation of the airbags or be propelled inside the vehicle and hurt someone if the airbags inflate.

Do not attach accessories on or near the side airbags. They can interfere with the proper operation of the airbags or hurt someone if an airbag inflates.

Do not attach any objects to the side windows or roof pillars. They can interfere with the proper operation of the side curtain airbags.

Do not cover or replace the front seat-back covers. This can prevent your side airbags from properly deploying during a side impact.

Warning

An open glove box can cause serious injury to your passenger in a crash, even if the passenger is wearing the seat belt.

Always keep the glove box closed while driving.

 

Airbag System Indicators

If a problem occurs in the airbag system, the SRS indicator comes on and a message appears on the Multi-Information Display.

 

Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Indicator

If the indicator comes on at any other time besides vehicle start-up or does not come on at all, have the system checked by a dealer as soon as possible. If you don't, your airbags and seat belt tensioners may not work properly when they are needed.
Warning

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.

 

Passenger Airbag Off Indicator

The indicator comes on to alert you that the front passenger’s front airbag has been turned off. This occurs when the front passenger’s weight sensors detect 65 lbs (29 kg) or less, the weight of an infant or small child, on the seat.

Infants and small children should always ride properly restrained in a back seat.

If the front passenger‘s seat is empty, the indicator will come on and, in the event of a crash, the front passenger's airbag will not deploy. The front passenger's knee airbag will not deploy either.
To ensure the passenger is detected properly, confirm that:
  • There is no child seat or other object pressing against the rear of the seat-back.
  • There is no rear passenger pushing or pulling on the back of the front passenger's seat.
  • The front seat or seat-back is not forced back against an object on the seat or floor behind it.
  • There is no object placed under or beside the front passenger's seat.
  • The occupant is sitting in an upright position and the seat-back is not excessively reclined.
  • The occupant is not leaning against the door or center console.
  • The occupant's feet are placed on the floor in front of them.
  • There are no objects hanging from the front passenger's seat.
  • Only small, lightweight objects are in the seat-back pocket.
Have your vehicle checked by a dealer as soon as possible if:
  • All of the above conditions are met and the indicator comes on with an adult seated in the front passenger seat.
  • The seat is empty and the indicator is off

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

Do not allow a passenger to ride in the front seat when the indicator is on.

 

Airbag System Components

  1. Two SRS (Supplemental Restraint System) front airbags. The driver’s airbag is stored in the center of the steering wheel; the front passenger’s airbag is stored in the dashboard. Both are marked SRS AIRBAG.

  2. Two front knee airbags. The driver's knee airbag is stored under the steering column; the front passenger's knee airbag is stored under the glove box. Both are marked SRS AIRBAG.

  3. Two side airbags, one for the driver and one for a front passenger. The airbags are stored in the outer edges of the seat-backs. Both are marked SIDE AIRBAG.

  4. Two side curtain airbags, one for each side of the vehicle. The airbags are stored in the ceiling, above the side windows. The front and rear pillars are marked SIDE CURTAIN AIRBAG.

  5. An electronic control unit that, when the power mode is in ON, continually monitors information about the various impact sensors, seat and buckle sensors, rollover sensor, airbag activators, seat belt tensioners, and other vehicle information. During a crash event the unit can record such information.

  6. Automatic front seat belt tensioners. The driver’s and front passenger’s seat belt buckles incorporate sensors that detect whether or not the belts are fastened.

  7. A driver’s seat position sensor. This sensor determines the optimal force at which the airbag will deploy in a crash.

  8. Weight sensors in the front passenger’s seat. The front passenger’s airbag will be turned off if the weight on the seat is about 65 lbs (29 kg) or less (the weight of an infant or small child).

  9. Impact sensors that can detect a moderate-to-severe front or side impact.
  10. An indicator on the dashboard that alerts you that the front passenger’s front airbag has been turned off.
  11. An indicator on the instrument panel that alerts you to a possible problem with the airbag system or seat belt tensioners.

  12. A rollover sensor that can detect if your vehicle is about to roll over and signal the control unit to deploy both side curtain airbags.
 

■Airbag Care

You do not need to, and should not, perform any maintenance on or replace any airbag system components yourself. However, you should have your vehicle inspected by a dealer in the following situations:

When the airbags have deployed

If an airbag has inflated, the control unit and other related parts must be replaced. Similarly, once an automatic seat belt tensioner has been activated, it must be replaced.

When the vehicle has been in a moderate-to-severe collision

Even if the airbags did not inflate, have your dealer inspect the following: the driver’s seat position sensor, weight sensors in the passenger’s seat, front seat belt tensioners, and each seat belt that was worn during the crash.

Do not remove or modify a front seat without first consulting a dealer

This would likely disable or affect the driver’s seat position sensor or the weight sensors in the passenger’s seat. If it is necessary to remove or modify a front seat to accommodate a person with disabilities, contact an Acura dealer. For U.S. vehicles, call Acura Client Relations at (800) 382-2238. For Canadian vehicles, call Acura Client Services at (888) 922-8729.

 

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