2003 MAZDA MODEL 6 seats

2-7
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
Rear Seat
Stacking Cargo:Stacking luggage or other cargo
higher than the seatbacks, and
putting things on the rear package
tray is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can
become projectiles that may hit and
injure passengers. Don’t stack things
higher than the seatbacks or put
things on the rear package tray.
Securing Seats:
Adjustable seats and seatbacks that
are not securely locked are
dangerous. In a sudden stop or
collision, the seat or seatback could
move, causing injury. Make sure the
adjustable components of the seat are
locked in place.
Unlocked Seatback:
A seatback plays an important role in
your protection in a vehicle. Leaving
the seatback unlocked is dangerous as
it can allow passengers to be ejected
or thrown around and baggage to
strike occupants in a sudden stop or
collision, resulting in severe injury.
After returning the seatback at any
time, even when there are no other
passengers, rock the seatback to make
sure it is locked in place.
WARNINGPassenger on the Folded Seatback:Driving with a passenger on the
folded seatback is dangerous.
Allowing a child to sit up on the
folded seatback while the vehicle is
moving is particularly dangerous. In
a sudden stop or even a minor
collision, a child not in a proper seat
or child-restraint system and seat belt
could be thrown forward, back or
even out of the car resulting in
serious injuries or death. The child or
other objects in the baggage area
could be thrown into other occupants
and cause serious injury. Never allow
a passenger to sit or stand on the
folded seatback while the vehicle is
moving.
Children and the Folding Rear Seats:
Playing with the folding rear seats is
dangerous. Once the seats are back
up, a child in the trunk would not be
able to get out the way they had
entered. If you have small children,
keep the seatbacks locked. Do not give
the car keys to children and do not
allow them to play in the vehicle.
NOTE
When returning a rear seat to its
original position, also replace the seat
belt to its normal position. Verify that
the seat belt pulls and retracts.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Split-Folding Rear Seatback
The seatbacks can be folded down to
provide more space in the luggage
compartment.
To fold the seatbacks
1. Unfasten the lap portion of the rear
center seat belt (page 2-17).
2. After checking that the rear seats are
clear, open the trunk and pull the
remote handle levers on the left and
right.
Folding Seatbacks with Remote Handle Levers:Not checking the rear seat area before
folding the seatbacks with the remote
handle levers is dangerous. The rear
seat area is difficult to see from the
rear of the vehicle. Operating the
remote handle levers without
checking could cause injury to a
person when a seatback suddenly
flips forward. Make sure to check the
rear seat area before operating the
remote handle levers.
Operating the Remote Handle Levers
While a Rear-Facing Child-Restraint System is in the Rear Seat:Operating the remote handle levers
while a rear-facing child-restraint
system is in the rear seat is
dangerous. It could cause injury to a
child seated in the child-restraint
system when the seatback suddenly
flips forward. Always remove the
child-restraint system from the rear
seat before operating the remote
handle levers for the rear seat.
WARNING
Be careful of the following when using
the remote handle levers:
•
On a downward slope, the seatback
could flip forward faster than on a
flat area.
•
On an upward slope, the seatback
may not fold down. When the
seatbacks cannot be folded down
with levers, pull the rear seatback
forward from inside the vehicle.
Always unfasten the lap portion of the
belt before folding the rear-left
seatback. Leaving the lap portion of
the belt fastened could cause damage
to the seat belt, buckle and seatback.
CAUTION
CAUTION
Remote handle lever
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
To return the seatbacks to the upright position
1. Lift the seatbacks upright. Pull on the
tops of the seatbacks from inside the
vehicle to make sure they are locked.
2. Fasten the rear-center lap/shoulder belt
and check that all seat belts are routed
properly for passenger use (page 2-17).

Armrest
The armrest can be used or placed
upright.
Seat Belts Caught Under Seatbacks:A seat belt caught under a seatback
after the seatback is returned to its
upright position is dangerous. In a
collision or sudden stop, the seat belt
cannot provide adequate protection.
Always make sure the seat belts are
fully pulled out from under the
seatbacks.
WARNING
Armrest
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
Child Restraint
Mazda strongly urges the use of child-restraint systems for children small enough to use
them.
You are required by law to use a child-restraint system for children in the U.S. and Canada.
Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety
of children riding in your vehicle.
Whatever child-restraint system you consider, please pick the appropriate one for the age
and size of the child, obey the law and follow the instructions that come with the individual
child-restraint system.
A child who has outgrown child-restraint systems should sit in the rear and use seat belts,
both lap and shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses the neck or face, move the child closer to
the center of the vehicle in the outboard seats, and towards the buckle on the right if the
child is seated in the center seat.
Statistics confirm that the rear seat is the best place for all children up to 12 years of age-
the more so with a supplemental restraint system (air bags).
A rear-facing child-restraint system should NEVER
be used in the front seat because it
would be too close to the air bag. The front passenger’s seat is also the least preferred seat
for other child-restraint systems.
Child Restraint Precautions
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
Accident statistics reveal that a child is
safer in the rear seat. The front
passenger’s seat is clearly the worst
choice for any child under 12, and with
rear-facing child-restraint systems it is
clearly unsafe due to air bags.
Some child-restraint systems now come
with tethers and therefore must be
installed on the seats that take tethers to
be effective. In your Mazda, tethered
child-restraint systems can only be
accommodated in the three positions on
the rear seat.
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint
Systems" (page 2-29).

Rear Seat Child-Restraint
System Installation
Follow these instructions when using a
child-restraint system, unless you are
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the rear LATCH lower
anchors. Refer to "LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems" (page 2-29).
1. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
2. To get the retractor into the automatic
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt
portion of the seat belt until the entire
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
Installing Child-Restraint
Systems
Tethered Child-Restraint Systems Work Only on Tether-Equipped Rear Seats:Installation of a tether equipped
child-restraint system in the front
passenger’s seat defeats the safety
design of the system and will result in
an increased chance of serious injury
if the child-restraint system goes
forward without benefit of being
tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint
systems where there are tether
anchors.
WARNING
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
If you are not sure whether you have a
LATCH system or tether, check in the
child-restraint system manufacturer’s
instructions and follow them
accordingly. Depending on the type of
child-restraint system, it may not
employ seat belts which are in
automatic locking mode.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

If You Must Use the Front Seat
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear
seat, at least put the smallest in the rear
and be sure the largest child up front uses
the shoulder belt over the shoulder.
Do not put rear-facing child-restraint
systems on the front passenger’s seat.
This seat is also not set up for tethered
child-restraint systems, put them in one of
the three rear seat positions set up with
tether anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint
system cannot be secured in the front
passenger’s seat and should be used in the
rear seat.
Don’t allow anyone to sleep against the
right front door if you have an optional
side air bag, it could cause serious injuries
to an out of position occupant. As
children more often sleep in cars, it is
better to put them in the rear seat. If
installing the child-restraint system on the
front seat is unavoidable, follow these
instructions when using a front-facing
child-restraint system in the front
passenger’s seat.
NOTE
To check if your Mazda front seats
have side air bags:
Every Mazda side air bag will have a
"SRS-Air Bag" label on the outboard
shoulder of the front seats.
Front Passenger’s Seat Position:As your vehicle has front air bags and
doubly so if your vehicle has side air
bags, a front-facing child-restraint
system should be put on the front seat
only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back as
possible, because the force of a
deploying air bag could cause serious
injury or death to the child.
Rear-Facing Child-Restraint System:
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.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

LATCH Child-Restraint System
Installation Procedure (Rear
Outboard Seats)
1. Expand the area between the seat
bottom and the seatback slightly to
verify the locations of the LATCH
lower anchors.
2. Secure the child-restraint system using
BOTH LATCH lower anchors,
following the child-restraint system
manufacturer’s instruction.3. If your child-restraint system came
equipped with a tether, that probably
means it is very important to properly
secure the tether for child safety, please
carefully follow the child-restraint
system manufacturer’s instructions
when installing tethers.
NOTE
The markings above the LATCH lower
anchors indicate the locations of
LATCH lower anchors for the
attachment of a child-restraint system.
LATCH
lower anchorMarking
For rear left seat
For rear
right seat
Child-Restraint Tether Usage:Using the tether to secure anything
but a child-restraint system is
dangerous. This could weaken or
damage the tether or tether anchor
and result in injury. Use the tether
and tether anchor only for a child-
restraint system.
For rear right seatFor rear left seat
Anchor bracket
location
CoverOpen
Anchor
bracket
Tether strap
positionTether strap
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
SRS Air Bags
Read this owner’s manual carefully to verify what air bags (driver-side air bag, passenger-
side air bag, side and curtain air bags) are equipped in your vehicle.
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 6 air bags (verify
"SRS AIR BAG" location indicator marks).
They are located in:
•
The steering wheel hub
•
The passenger side dashboard
•
The outboard sides of the front seatbacks (If equipped with side air bags.)
•
The front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (If equipped with
curtain air bags.)
These systems operate independently depending on the type of accident encountered; if
you have side and curtain air bags, the side and curtain air bags are not likely to deploy on
both sides in the same accident because a vehicle is not often hit from both sides. The side
and curtain air bags work together but they and the frontal air bag system will not normally
deploy during the same type of accident unless a combination of frontal and side impacts
occur.
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection
only in the front seats in certain situations and the rear outside passenger positions only in
same-side collisions, so seat belts become important in the following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
•
Keep the passenger away from an inflating air bag.
•
Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
inflation, such as roll-over or rear impact.
•
Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal or side collisions that are not severe enough
to activate the air bags.
•
Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
•
Reduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts.
•
Hold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions
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