Honda Accord Coupe Owner's Manual page 321

Driving with the Paddle Shifters
When you accelerate from a stop,
the transmission starts in first gear,
and you must manually upshift
between first and fifth gears. Make
sure you upshift before the engine
speed reaches the tachometer's
red zone.
The transmission remains in the
selected gear (5, 4, 3, 2, or 1). There
is no automatic downshift when
your push the accelerator pedal to
the floor.
When you are driving in 4th or 5th
gear, the transmission downshifts to
the lower gear under the following
conditions:
The vehicle slows down to a
certain speed.
You press the brake pedal.
318
(Automatic Transmission Only)
Downshifting with the paddle shifter
allows you to increase the engine
braking when going down steep or
long hills, and provides more power
when climbing uphills. You can
upshift the transmission manually to
reduce the rpm.
The transmission also shifts
automatically as the vehicle comes to
a complete stop. It downshifts to first
gear when the vehicle speed reaches
6 mph (10 km/h) or less.
2012 Accord Coupe
The automatic transmission will not
allow you to shift up or down if:
You downshift before the engine
speed reaches the highest
threshold of the lower gear.
If you try to do this, the gear
position indicator will flash the
number of the lower gear several
times, then return to a higher gear.
If the vehicle speed decreases
below the redline of the selected
lower gear while the indicator is
flashing, the transmission
downshifts, and the indicator
displays the selected gear.
You upshift before the engine
speed reaches the lowest
threshold of the higher gear.
You pull both paddle shifters at
the same time.