2001 MAZDA MODEL 626 Owners Manual

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment
2-37
child-restraint system on the front
seat with an air bag that could
deploy.

000–00?
WARNING
!
Child-Restraint SystemPositioning:Rear-facing child-restraint
systems on the front seat are
particularly dangerous. The
child-restraint system can be hit
by a deploying air bag and moved
violently backward resulting in
serious injury or death to the
child. Never use a rear-facing
child-restraint system in the front
seat with an air bag that could
deploy.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
*Some models.Side crash sensor*Inflator and air bag*
Inflators and air bags
Crash sensors and
diagnostic module
(SAS unit)
Inflator and air bag* Side crash sensor*
J16E2067Essential Safety Equipment2-38

000–00?
 System Description
The supplemental restraint systems
have two basic subsystems:
• The air bag system with inflators
and air bags. •
The electric system with crash
sensors and diagnostic module. The air bags are mounted in the
following locations: the center of the
steering wheel, the passenger-side of
the dashboard, and in the outboard
sides of the
front seatbacks. They are
out of sight until activated.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment
2-39

000–00?
J54A2218 How the Air Bags Work
When air bag crash sensors detect a
frontal or side impact of greater than
moderate force, an electrical current is
sent to the inflators. Nitrogen and
argon gases are produced to inflate the
air bags. After the inflation, the air bags quickly deflate.
J54A2214H
The air bags will function only once.
After that, the air bags will not work
again and must be replaced.
Only an Authorized Mazda Dealer can
replace the systems.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment2-40
WARNING
!
Seating Position with Front AirBags:Sitting too close to the air bag
storage compartments or placing
hands or feet on them is
extremely dangerous. Front air
bags inflate with great force and
speed.
Serious injuries could occur if
someone is too close. The driver
should always hold onto only the
rim of the steering wheel. The
front seat passenger should keep
both feet on the floor. Front seat
occupants should adjust their
seats as far back as possible and(Continued)
always sit upright against the
seatbacks with seat belts worn
properly.
WARNING
!
Seating Position with Side AirBagsSitting too close to the side air bag
storage compartments or placing
hands on them is extremely
dangerous. A side air bag inflates
with great force and speed directly
out of the outboard shoulder of
the front seat and expands along
the front door on the side the car
is hit.
Serious injury could occur if
someone is sitting too close to the
door or leaning against a window
in the front seats or if rear seat
occupants grab the sides of the(Continued)

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment
2-41
front seatbacks. Furthermore,
sleeping up against the door or
hanging out the driver’s-side
window while driving could block
the side air bag and eliminate the
advantages of supplemental
protection.
Give the side air-bags room to
work by sitting in the center of the
seat while the vehicle is moving
with seat belts worn properly.

021–3GE
NOTEWhen an air bag deploys, a loud
inflation noise can be heard and
some smoke will be released.
Neither is likely to cause injury.

021-11AE
WARNING
!
Hot Air Bag Inflators:Hot air bag inflators are
dangerous. Immediately after
inflation, the inflators in the
steering wheel, dashboard or the
seatbacks are very hot. You could
get burned. Don’ t touch the
internal components of the air
bag storage areas after the bags
have inflated.

021-2C1E
WARNING
!
Modification of the SupplementalRestraint System:Modifying the components or
wiring of the supplemental
restraint system is dangerous. You
could accidentally activate it or
make it inoperable. Don’ t make
any modifications to the
supplemental restraint system.
This includes installing trim,
badges, or anything else over the
air bag storage areas. It also
includes installing extra electric
equipment on or near system
components or wiring.
An Authorized Mazda Dealer can (Continued)

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment2-42provide the special care needed in
the removal and installation of
front seats. It is important to
protect the side air bag wiring and
connections to assure that the
bags do not accidently deploy and
that the seats retain an
undamaged air bag connection.

021-12B1E
WARNING
!
Installation of Front-EndEquipment:Installation of front-end
equipment, such as a frontal
protection bar (kangaroo bar, bull
bar, push bar, etc.), snowplow, or
winches, is dangerous. The air
bag crash sensor system could be
affected. This could cause air
bags to inflate unexpectedly, or it
could prevent the air bags from
inflating during an accident.
Front occupants could be
seriously injured. Never install
any front-end equipment to your
vehicle.

021–9AE
WARNING
!
Front Air Bag Storage Areas:Attaching an object to a front air
bag storage area or placing
something in front of it is
dangerous. In an accident, the
object could interfere with front
air bag inflation and injure the
occupants.
Always keep the front air bag
storage areas free of objects.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment
2-43
WARNING
!
Side Air Bag Storage Areas:Attaching things to the seat in
such a way as to cover the
outboard side of the seat in any
way is dangerous. In an accident
the object could interfere with the
side air bag, which inflates from
the outboard side of the front
seats, impeding the added
protection of the side air bag
system or redirecting the air bag
in a way that is dangerous.
Furthermore, the bag could be
cut open spewing exhaust.
Do not hang net bags, map
pouches or back pads with side(Continued)
straps on the front seats. Always
keep the side air bag storage
areas in your front seats free to
deploy in the event of a side
collision.

021–4DE
WARNING
!
Using Seat Covers:Using a seat cover on the front
seats could be dangerous. In a
severe side collision, the seat
covers could interfere with the
side air bag inflation and serious
injuries could result. Never use
seat covers on the front seats.
WARNING
!
Damaged Air Bag Sensors:Driving with damaged air bag
sensors is dangerous. A collision,
even one not strong enough to
inflate the air bags, could damage
the sensors. If there was a
subsequent collision, a damaged
sensor would not inflate the air
bags. Always have an Authorized
Mazda Dealer inspect the
supplemental restraint systems
after a collision.

Form No. 8P95-EA-00G
Essential Safety Equipment2-44

021-??
WARNING
!
Suspension Adjustment:Adjusting the vehicle suspension
is dangerous. If the vehicle’ s
height or the suspension’ s
damping is changed, the vehicle
will be unable to accurately detect
a collision resulting in incorrect
or unexpected air bag deployment
and the possibility of serious
injuries.
CAUTION
!
To prevent damage to the side air
bag wiring, don’ t place luggage or
other objects under the front seats.