Page 97 of 365

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Knowing Your Mazda3-32
015-5AE
CAUTION
!
Make sure the fuel-filler cap is
tightened securely. The check
engine light comes on when the
cap isn’ t tightened securely. If the
light remains on (even after you
have tightened the cap securely,
driven, and restarted the engine
several times), it may indicate a
different problem. Contact an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon
as possible.
022-1FE
Steering WheelJ94A2052_aTilt wheel
release lever Tilt Wheel
To change the angle of the steering
wheel, stop the vehicle, pull the tilt
wheel release lever on the left side of
the steering column down, adjust the
wheel, then push the release lever up
to lock the column. After adjusting, push the wheel up and
down to be certain it’
s locked before
driving.
WARNING
!
Adjusting the Tilt Wheel:Adjusting the tilt wheel while the
vehicle is moving can be
dangerous. Moving it up and
down can very easily cause the
driver to abruptly turn to the left
or right. This can lead to loss of
control or an accident. Never
adjust the tilt wheel while the
vehicle is moving.
Page 98 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Knowing Your Mazda
3-33
022-2HE
J94A2053
Horn
To sound the horn, press the center of
the steering wheel.
Check the horn’ s operation regularly.
023-1A1E
MirrorsOutside Mirrors
Check the mirrors’ angles before
driving.
023-2C1E
WARNING
!
Convex Mirror on Passenger Side:Changing lanes without taking
into account the actual distance
of the vehicle in the convex
mirror is dangerous. You could
have a serious accident. What you
see in the convex mirror
(passenger ’s side) is closer than it
appears. Be sure to look over your
shoulder or to check your inside
mirror before changing lanes.
023-3FE
Outside mirror
J94A2054
Manual control mirror
Adjust by hand.
Page 115 of 365

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-9
036-1AE
Money-Saving SuggestionsHow you operate your Mazda
determines how far it will travel on a
tank of fuel. Use these suggestions to
help save money on fuel and repairs.
•Avoid long warm-ups. Once the
engine runs smoothly, begin
driving.
• Avoid fast starts.
• Keep the engine tuned. Follow the
maintenance schedule (page 8-3)
and have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer perform inspections and
servicing.
• Use the air conditioner only when
necessary. •
Slow down on rough roads.
• Keep the tires properly inflated.
• Don’ t carry unnecessary weight.
• Don’ t rest your foot on the brake
pedal while driving.
• Keep the wheels in correct
alignment.
• Keep windows closed at high
speeds.
• Slow down when driving in
crosswinds and headwinds.
036-2AE
WARNING
!
Coasting:Turning off the engine to coast
down a hill can be dangerous.
This causes the loss of power
steering and power brake control.
Any loss of steering or braking
control could cause an accident.
Never turn off the engine and
coast down a hill.
Page 116 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-10
037-1CE
Special Driving Conditions Hazardous Driving
When driving on ice or in water, snow,
mud, sand, or similar hazard:
• Be cautious and allow extra
distance for braking.
• Avoid sudden braking and quick
steering.
• Brake with the pedal by using a
light up-down motion. Don’ t hold
the pedal down constantly.
• If you get stuck, shift to 1 or 2 and
accelerate slowly. Don’ t spin the
front wheels. •
For more traction in starting, use
sand, rock salt, chains, carpeting, or
other nonslip material under the
front wheels.
037-3A1E
WARNING
!
Downshifting on SlipperySurfaces:Downshifting into first gear with
a manual transaxle or into low
with an automatic transaxle while
driving on slippery surfaces could
be dangerous. The sudden change
in tire speed could cause the tires
to skid. This could lead to loss of
vehicle control and an accident. If
it is necessary to downshift on
slippery surfaces, be very careful.
Page 117 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-11
037-4A1E
Rocking the Vehicle
If you must rock the vehicle to free it
from snow, sand, or mud, depress the
accelerator slightly and...
(Automatic transaxle)
Slowly move the shift lever back and
forth from D to R.
(Manual transaxle)
Slowly move the shift lever back and
forth from 1 to R.
037-6A1E
WARNING
!
Spinning the Wheels:When the vehicle is stuck,
spinning the wheels at high speed
could be dangerous. The
spinning tire could overheat and
explode. This could cause serious
injuries. Don’ t spin the wheels at
more than 56 km/h (35 mph), and
don’ t allow anyone to stand
behind a wheel when pushing the
vehicle.
CAUTION
!
Too much rocking may cause
engine overheating, transaxle
failure, and tire damage.
Page 118 of 365

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-12
Q037-7IE
Winter Driving
• Carry emergency gear, including
tire chains, window scraper, flares,
a small shovel, jumper cables, and
a small bag of sand or salt.
• Have the proper ratio of antifreeze
in the radiator (page 8-22).
• Inspect the battery and its cables.
Cold reduces battery capacity.
• Use only cold-weather engine oil
(page 8-16).
• Inspect the ignition system for
damage and loose connections. •
Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze—but don’ t use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-33).
• Don’ t use the parking brake if it
might freeze. Instead, shift to P
with an automatic transaxle and to
1 or R with a manual. Block the
rear wheels.
037-8H1E
Snow tires
Your vehicle is originally equipped
with all season radials designed to be
used all year around. In some extreme
climates you may find it necessary to
replace them with snow tires during
the winter months to further improve
traction on snow and ice covered roads.
Use snow tires on all four wheels.
Don’ t go faster than 120 km/h (75
mph). Inflate snow tires 28 kPa (0.3
kgf/cm
2, 4 psi) more than
recommended on the tire pressure
label (driver ’s door), but never more
than the maximum cold-tire pressure
shown on the tires.
Page 119 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda
4-13
WARNING
!
Mixing Tire Types:Using tires different in size or type
is dangerous. Your vehicle’s
handling could be greatly affected
and result in an accident. Use
only the same size and type tires
(snow, radial, or non-radial) on
all four wheels.NOTECheck local regulations before
using studded tires.
037-9A5E
Tire chains
Check local regulations before using
tire chains.
Install the chains on the front tires.
Don’ t use chains on the rear tires.
Use only SAE Class “S” chains, and
make sure they fit.
To install the chains:
1. Remove the wheel covers, or the chain bands will scratch them.
2. Secure the chains on the front tires as tightly as possible. Always
follow the chain manufacturer ’s
instructions. 3. Retighten the chains after driving
1/2-1 km (1/4-1/2 mile).
Page 120 of 365
Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Protecting Your Mazda4-14
CAUTION
!
•Chains may scratch or chip
aluminum wheels. Install tire
chains on steel wheels only.
• Chains may affect handling.
• Don’ t go faster than 50 km/h
(30 mph) or the chain
manufacturer ’s recommended
limit, whichever is lower.
• Drive carefully and avoid
bumps, holes, and sharp turns.
• Avoid locked-wheel braking.
(Continued)
•Don’ t use chains on the
temporary tire; it may result in
damage to the vehicle and to
the tire.
• Don’ t use chains on roads that
are free of snow or ice. The
tires and chains could be
damaged.
037-10AE
Driving in Flooded Areas
CAUTION
!
Make sure water does not enter the
vehicle interior or the engine area.
The vehicle interior could become
wet or the engine could be
damaged.