Acura 3.5 RL Manual page 1395

Description
SRS Airbag System - '96 - 98 Models
The SRS is a safety device which, when used in conjunction with the seat belt, is designed to help protect the driver and
front passenger in a frontal impact exceeding a certain set limit. The system consists of the SRS unit (including safing sen-
sor and impact sensor), the cable reel, the driver's airbag, and front passenger's airbag.
Seat Belt Tensioner
The seat belt tensioner is linked with the SRS airbags to further increase the effectiveness of the seat belt. In a front-end
collision, the tensioner instantly retracts the belt firmly to secure the occupants in their seats.
Operation
The main circuit in the SRS unit senses and judges the force of impact and, if necessary, ignites the inflator charges. If battery
voltage is too low or power is disconnected due to the impact, the back-up power circuit will keep voltage at a constant level.
For the SRS to operate:
(1) The impact sensor and safing sensor must activate and send electric signals to the microprocessor.
(2) The microprocessor must compute the signals and send signals to the airbag inflators and seat belt tensioners.
(3) The inflators must ignite and deploy the airbags and activate the tensioners.
Self-diagnosis System
A self-diagnosis circuit is built into the SRS unit; when the ignition switch is turned ON (II), the SRS indicator light comes
on and goes off after about 6 seconds if the system is operating normally.
If the light does not come on, or does not go off after 6 seconds, or if it comes on while driving, it indicates an abnormality
in the system. The system must be inspected and repaired as soon as possible.
For better serviceability, the memory will store the cause of the malfunction, and the data link circuit passes on the infor-
mation from the memory to the data link connector (DLC). This information can be read with the Honda PGM Tester con-
nected to the DLC (16P).