Honda Civic Sedan 2023 Seat Belts

Seat belts are a reliable safety feature that is built into every part of the 2023 Honda Civic Sedan. These simple but important parts are more than just passive restraints. They are at the center of occupant safety, ready to wrap around and protect in times of uncertainty. As a sign of security, seat belts are made to keep people from flying out of their seats during accidents by securing them to their seats. Seat belts are the only way to stay safe in a car, whether you’re the driver or a passenger. Shoulder and lap belts need to be in the right place for the best protection. With pretensioners that spring into action when they’re needed, these belts tighten in the blink of an eye, so there isn’t much extra movement when the car hits something. Everyone in the car, including those in the back, has to wear a seat belt, not just those in the front. As you travel, the seat belts of the 2023 Honda Civic Sedan stand as a reassuring embrace, offering to keep you securely connected to the road and the peace of mind that comes from knowing that safety is never compromised.

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 five 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 and rear seat belts also have a lockable retractor for use with child seats.
Installing a Child Seat with a Lap/Shoulder Seat Belt

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.

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.
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.

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.

If a front or 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.

Seat Belt Reminder

Front seats
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.

The beeper will periodically sound and the indicator will blink while the vehicle is moving until the seat belt is fastened.

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.
Protecting Child Passengers
The driver information interface uses colors to aid the driver in checking the status of the passengers.

For the front seating positions:

• Green indicates the seat belt is fastened.
• An unfastened gray graphic indicates the seat belt is not fastened and an occupant has not been detected.
• An unfastened red graphic indicates the seat belt is unfastened and an occupant has been detected.

Rear seats

Your vehicle monitors rear seat belt use.
A driver information interface notifies you if any of the rear seat belts are unfastened after they were previously fastened.

In order to encourage the driver to evaluate rear seat belt usage, the display appears when:

• Any of the rear passengers’ seat belts are unfastened when the power mode is turned to ON.
• A rear door is opened and then closed.
• Any of the rear passengers fastens or unfastens their seat belt.

The seat belt reminder indicator blinks and beeper sounds if any rear passenger’s seat belt is unfastened while driving.

The system will not detect a passenger in the rear seats who has not fastened the seat belt.
The driver should check the status of the rear passengers’ seat belts at the start of each trip and each time a passenger is seated in the rear seats, using the driver information interface as an aid. An alert will sound if a passenger in the rear seats unfastens the seat belt while the vehicle is in motion or if motion resumes while the graphic is red.
The driver information interface uses colors to aid the driver in checking the status of the passengers.

For the rear seating positions:

• Green indicates the seat belt is fastened.
• An unfastened gray graphic indicates the seat belt has not been fastened recently.
• An unfastened red graphic indicates the seat belt was unfastened recently.

The system does not monitor harnesses that are part of a child seat, the anchors of the LATCH system, or the anchor buckle of the rear center seat belt. While the system can inform you that a seat belt buckle is fastened, it cannot determine whether the rear center seat belt anchor buckle is in use or if a child seat is properly installed or used.
Protecting Child Passengers

Automatic Seat Belt Tensioners

The front seats and the outer rear seats are equipped with automatic seat belt tensioners to enhance safety.
The tensioners automatically tighten the front seat belts and the outer rear 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 front knee airbags.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 both sides of the vehicle also activates.

Fastening a Seat Belt

After adjusting a front seat to the proper position, and while sitting upright and well back in the seat:
Seats

No one should sit in a seat with an inoperative seat belt or one that does not appear to be working correctly. Using a seat belt that is not working properly may not protect the occupant in a crash. Have a dealer check the belt as soon as possible.
Never insert any foreign objects into the buckle or retractor mechanism.
If the seat belt appears to be locked in a fully retracted position, firmly pull out on the shoulder belt once, then push it back in.
Then, smoothly pull it out of the retractor and fasten. If you are unable to release the seat belt from a fully retracted position, do not allow anyone to sit in the seat, and take your vehicle to a dealer for repair.
About Your Seat Belts
Seat Belt Inspection

1. Pull the seat belt out slowly.
2. Insert the latch plate into the buckle, then tug on the belt to make sure the buckle is secure.
   • Make sure that the belt is not twisted or caught on anything.
3. 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 fits snugly. This lets your strong pelvic bones take the force of a crash and reduces the chance of internal injuries.
4. If necessary, pull up on the belt again to remove any slack, then check that the belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder. This spreads the forces of a crash over the strongest bones in your upper body.

WARNING
Improperly positioning the seat belts can cause serious injury or death in a crash.
Make sure all seat belts are properly positioned before driving.

To release the belt, push the red PRESS button and then guide the belt by hand until it has retracted completely.
When exiting the vehicle, be sure the belt is properly stowed so that it will not get caught in the closing door.

Adjusting the Shoulder Anchor

The front seats have adjustable shoulder anchors to accommodate taller and shorter occupants.

1. Move the anchor up and down while holding the release button.
2. Position the anchor so that the belt rests across the center of your chest and over your shoulder.

 

After an adjustment, make sure that the shoulder anchor position is secure.
The shoulder anchor height can be adjusted to four levels. If the belt contacts your neck, lower the height one level at a time.

Advice for Pregnant Women

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.Each time you have a checkup, ask your doctor if it is okay for you to drive.
To reduce the risk of injuries to both you and your unborn child that can be caused by an inflating front airbag:

• When driving, sit upright and adjust the seat as far back as possible while allowing full control of the vehicle.
• When sitting in the front passenger’s seat, adjust the seat as far back as possible.

Seat Belt Inspection

Regularly check the condition of your seat belts as follows:

• Pull each belt out fully, and look for frays, cuts, burns, and wear.
• Check that the latch plates and buckles work smoothly and the belts retract easily.
  • If a belt does not retract easily, cleaning the belt may correct the problem. Only use a mild soap and warm water. Do not use bleach or cleaning solvents. Make sure the belt is completely dry before allowing it to retract.

Any belt that is not in good condition or working properly will not provide proper protection and should be replaced as soon as possible.
A belt that has been worn during a crash may not provide the same level of protection in a subsequent crash. Have your seat belts inspected by a dealer after any collision.

WARNING
Not checking or maintaining seat belts can result in serious injury or death if the seat belts do not work properly when needed.
Check your seat belts regularly and have any problem corrected as soon as possible.

FAQ