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WARNING: Never place a rearward facing child safety restraint
in front of an airbag. Airbags have been known to kill or injure
children in front facing child safety restraints. Whenever
placing a child safety seat in a front seating position (including
center if equipped), turn off the passenger side air bag switch
after being certain the child is properly restrained. If using a
forward facing child safety restraint in the front outboard seat,
slide the seat all the way back, and turn off the passenger air
bag. If using a rear facing child safety seat in the front
outboard seating position, make sure the passenger airbag is
turned off and slide the passenger seat all the way forward
until the safety seat rests on the dashboard. SeePassenger air
bag on/off switchin this chapter.
WARNING: Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump
seat.
WARNING: An air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Child seats should never be placed in the front seats, unless
passenger air bag switch is turned off. SeePassenger air bag
on/off switchin this chapter.
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.
WARNING: Booster seats must be installed only in seating
positions equipped with a combination lap/shoulder belt.
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WARNING: An air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Child seats should never be placed in the front seats, unless
passenger air bag switch is turned off, SeePassenger air bag
on/off switch.
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.
WARNING: Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump
seat.
Children and safety belts
If the child is the proper size, restrain the child in a safety seat.
Children who are too large for child safety seats (as specified by your
child safety seat manufacturer) should always wear safety belts.
Follow all the important safety restraint and air bag precautions that
apply to adult passengers in your vehicle.
If the shoulder belt portion of a combination lap and shoulder belt can
be positioned so it does not cross or rest in front of the child's face or
neck, the child should wear the lap and shoulder belt. Moving the child
closer to the center of the vehicle may help provide a good shoulder belt
fit.
WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
Child booster seats
Children outgrow a typical convertible or toddler seat when they weigh
40 pounds and are around 4 years of age. Although the lap/shoulder belt
will provide some protection, these children are still too small for
lap/shoulder belts to fit properly, which could increase the risk of serious
injury.
To improve the fit of both the lap and shoulder belt on children who
have outgrown child safety seats, Mazda recommends use of a
belt-positioning booster.
Booster seats position a child so that safety belts fit better. They lift the
child up so that the lap belt rests low across the hips and the knees
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bend comfortably. Booster seats also make the shoulder belt fit better
and more comfortably for growing children.
When children should use booster seats
Children need to use booster seats from the time they outgrow the
toddler seat until they are big enough for the vehicle seat and
lap/shoulder belt to fit properly. Generally this is when they weigh about
80 lbs (about 8 to 12 years old).
Booster seats should be used until you can answer YES to ALL of these
questions:
²Can the child sit all the way back
against the vehicle seat back with
knees bent comfortably at the
edge of the seat without
slouching?
²Does the lap belt rest low across the hips?
²Is the shoulder belt centered on the shoulder and chest?
²Can the child stay seated like this for the whole trip?
WARNING: Booster seats must be installed only in seating
positions equipped with a combination lap/shoulder belt.
Types of booster seats
There are two types of belt-positioning booster seats:
²Those that are backless.
If your backless booster seat has a
removable shield, remove the
shield and use the lap/shoulder
belt. If a seating position has a
low seat back and no head
restraint, a backless booster seat
may place your child's head (top
of ear level) above the top of the
seat. In this case, use a
high-backed booster seat.
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SAFETY SEATS FOR CHILDREN
Child and infant or child safety seats
Use a safety seat that is recommended for the size and weight of the
child. Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's instructions with the
safety seat you put in your vehicle. If you do not install and use the
safety seat properly, the child may be injured in a sudden stop or
collision.
When installing a child safety seat:
²Review and follow the information
presented in theAir Bag
Supplemental Restraint System
section in this chapter.
²Use the correct safety belt buckle
for that seating position (the
buckle closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from).
²Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle until you hear a
snap and feel it latch. Make sure
the tongue is securely fastened in
the buckle.
WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.
²Keep the buckle release button pointing up and away from the safety
seat, with the tongue between the child seat and the release button,
to prevent accidental unbuckling.
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²Place seat back in upright position.
²Put the safety belt in the automatic locking mode. Refer toAutomatic
locking mode(passenger side front seat).
Mazda recommends the use of a child safety seat having a top tether
strap. Install the child safety seat in a seating position which is capable
of providing a tether anchorage. For more information on top tether
straps, refer toAttaching child safety seats with tether straps.
WARNING: Carefully follow all of the manufacturer's
instructions included with the safety seat you put in your
vehicle. If you do not install and use the safety seat properly,
the child may be injured in a sudden stop or collision.
Installing child safety seats in combination lap and shoulder belt
seating positions
1. Position the child safety seat in
a seat with a combination lap
and shoulder belt.
WARNING: If there is a tether on the child safety seat, attach
it to the tether anchor point. Refer toAttaching child safety
seats with tether strapsin this chapter.
WARNING: Air bags can kill or inure a child in a child seat.
Never place a rear facing child seat in the right front seat
unless the air bag on/off switch is turned OFF. If you place a
forward-facing child seat in the right front seat, turn the air bag
on/off switch to OFF. SeePassenger air bag on/off switchin
this chapter.
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WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger air bag switch is turned
off.
2. Pull down on the shoulder belt
and then grasp the shoulder
belt and lap belt together.
3. While holding the shoulder and
lap belt portions together, route
the tongue through the child
seat according to the child seat
manufacturer's instructions. Be
sure the belt webbing is not
twisted.
4. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle
closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from) for that
seating position until you hear
and feel the latch engage. Make
sure the tongue is latched
securely by pulling on it.
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Installing child safety seats in the center front seating position
WARNING: Use the appropriate tether anchor when mounting a
child safety seat in the center seating position. SeeChild safety
seats with tether strapsin this chapter.
1. Lengthen the lap belt. To lengthen the belt, hold the tongue so that
its bottom is perpendicular to the direction of webbing while sliding
the tongue up the webbing.
2. Place the child safety seat in the center seating position.
3. Attach the tether strap on the child seat to the appropriate tether
anchor. SeeAttaching child safety seats with tether strapsin this
chapter.
4. Route the tongue and webbing through the child seat according to
the child seat manufacturer's instructions.
5. Insert the belt tongue into the proper buckle for the center seating
position until you hear a snap and feel it latch. Make sure the tongue
is securely fastened to the buckle by pulling on tongue.
6. Push down on the child seat with your knee while pulling on the
loose end of the lap belt webbing to tighten the belt. Tighten the
tether strap.
7. Before placing the child into the
child seat, forcibly move the
child seat from side to side and
forward to make sure that the
seat is held securely. If the child
seat moves excessively, repeat
steps 5 through 6, or properly
install the child seat in the
outboard seating position.
WARNING: Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump
seat.
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Attaching child safety seats with tether straps
Most new forward-facing child safety seats include a tether strap which
goes over the back of the seat and hooks to an anchoring point. Tether
straps are available as an accessory for many older safety seats. Contact
the manufacturer of your child seat for information about ordering a
tether strap.
The tether anchors in your vehicle are located on the back of the front
seat cushion.
The tether strap anchors in your vehicle are in the following positions
(shown from top view):
²Bucket seats
²60/40 seats
WARNING: Attach the tether strap only to the appropriate
tether anchor as shown. The tether strap may not work
properly if attached somewhere other than the correct tether
anchor.
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