2003 MAZDA MODEL 6 ignition

5-4
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
5. Turn the ignition switch to the START
position and hold (up to 10 seconds at a
time) until the engine starts.
6. After starting the engine, let it idle for
about 10 seconds.

Foot Brake
Your Mazda has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop by
applying greater force than normal to the
brake pedal. But the distance required to
stop will be greater than usual. Don’t try the starter for more than 10
seconds at a time. If the engine stalls or
fails to start, wait 10 seconds before
trying again. Otherwise, you may
damage the starter and drain the
battery.
NOTE
•
In extremely cold weather, below
-18°
C (0°
F), or after the vehicle has
stood idle several days, let the
engine warm up without operating
the accelerator.
•
Whether cold or warm, the engine
should be started without use of the
accelerator.
CAUTION
Brake System
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5-6
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Brake System Warning Light
This warning has the following functions:
Parking brake warning
The light comes on when the parking
brake is applied with the ignition switch
in the START or ON position. It goes off
when the parking brake is fully released.
Low brake fluid level warning/
Electronic brake force distribution system warning
If the light stays on after the parking brake
is fully released, you may have a brake
problem.
Drive to the side of the road and park off
the right-of-way.
Low brake fluid level warning
You may notice that the pedal is harder to
push or that it may go closer to the floor.
In either case, it will take longer to stop
the vehicle.
1. With the engine stopped, check the
brake fluid level immediately and add
fluid as required (page 8-15).
2. After adding fluid, check the light
again.If the warning light remains on, or if the
brakes do not operate properly, do not
drive the vehicle. Have it towed to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Even if the light goes off, have your brake
system inspected as soon as possible.
Electronic brake force distribution
system warning
If the electronic brake force distribution
control unit determines that some
components are operating incorrectly, the
control unit may turn the brake system
warning light on.
In this case, the ABS warning light comes
on at the same time (page 5-31).
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5-8
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

ABS Warning Light
The warning light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.
If the ABS warning light stays on while
you’re driving, the ABS control unit has
detected a system malfunction. If this
occurs, your brakes will function
normally as if the vehicle had no ABS.
Should this happen, consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
Brake Pad Wear Indicator
When the disc brake pads become worn,
the built-in wear indicators contact the
disc plates. This causes a screeching noise
to warn that the pads should be replaced.
When you hear this noise, consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
ABS Warning Light and Brake Warning Light on at the Same Time:Driving when the brake system
warning light and ABS warning light
are on at the same time is dangerous.
When both lights are on, the rear
wheels could lock more quickly in an
emergency stop than under normal
circumstances.
Don’t drive with both lights on, and
contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer
to have the brakes inspected as soon
as possible.
WARNING
NOTE
When the engine is jump-started to
charge the battery, uneven rpm occurs
and the ABS warning light comes on.
This is due to a weak battery, not a
malfunction.
Recharge the battery.
Driving with Worn Disc Pads:Driving with worn disc pads is
dangerous. The brakes could fail and
cause a serious accident. As soon as
you hear a screeching noise consult
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
WARNING
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5-10
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I
3.0-liter engine
For normal acceleration, we recommend
these shift points.
For cruising
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy
traffic or on a steep upgrade
, downshift
before the engine starts to overwork. This
reduces the chance of stalling and gives
better acceleration when you need more
speed.
On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps
maintain safe speed and prolongs brake
life.
Various Lockouts:
1 to 2 27 km/h (17 mph)
2 to 3 48 km/h (30 mph)
3 to 4 56 km/h (35 mph)
4 to 5 63 km/h (39 mph)
1 to 2 13 km/h (8 mph)
2 to 3 34 km/h (21 mph)
3 to 4 52 km/h (32 mph)
4 to 5 66 km/h (41 mph)
Automatic Transaxle
Controls
Indicates that you must
depress the brake pedal to
shift (The ignition switch
must be in the ACC or ON
position).
Indicates the shift lever can
be shifted freely into any
position.
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5-12
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

Shift-Lock System
The shift-lock system prevents shifting
out of P unless the brake pedal is
depressed.

To shift from P:
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Move the shift lever.

Manual Shift Mode
This mode gives you the feel of driving a
manual transaxle vehicle by tapping the
shift lever forward and back while in this
mode.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.To return to automatic shift mode, shift
the lever from M to D.

Indicators
Shift position indicator
In manual shift mode, the "M" of the shift
position indicator in the instrument panel
illuminates.
Gear position indicator
In manual shift mode, the numeral for the
selected gear illuminates below the shift
position indicator.
NOTE
•
When the ignition switch is in the
LOCK position, the transaxle
cannot be shifted from P.
•
To be sure the vehicle is in park,
the ignition key cannot be
removed unless the shift lever is in
P.
NOTE
•
If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the
gear will shift to M1.
•
If you tap the shift lever back when
the vehicle is stopped and the gear
is at M1, the gear will shift to M2.
M2 is helpful for starting on
slippery surfaces.
Shift position
indicator
Gear position
indicator
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5-20
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

To C a n c e l
To turn off the system, use one
of these
methods:
•
Press the ON/OFF switch.
•
Slightly depress the brake pedal.
•
Press the CANCEL button.
•(Manual transaxle)

Depress the clutch pedal.
The system is off when the ignition is off.The Traction Control System (TCS)
enhances traction and safety by regulating
engine torque. When the TCS detects
driving wheel slippage, it lowers engine
torque to prevent loss of traction.
This means that on a slick surface, the
engine adjusts automatically to provide
optimum power to the drive wheels
without causing them to spin and lose
traction.
NOTE
Cruise control will cancel at about 15
km/h (9 mph) below the preset speed
or below 40 km/h (25 mph).
Traction Control System
(TCS)
TCS and Unsafe Driving:The traction control system (TCS)
cannot compensate for unsafe and
reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), and hydroplaning
(reduced tire friction and road
contact because of water on the road
surface). You can still have an
accident. So don’t rely on the traction
control system as a substitute for safe
driving.
TCS and Snow and Ice:
Driving without proper traction
devices on snow and ice-covered
roads is dangerous. The traction
control system (TCS) alone cannot
provide adequate traction and you
could still have an accident. Use snow
tires or tire chains and drive at
reduced speeds when roads are
covered with ice and snow.
WARNING
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5-21
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

TCS Indicator Light
This indicator light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position. If the TCS is
operating, the indicator light flashes.
If the light stays on, the TCS may have a
malfunction and it may not operate
correctly. Take your vehicle to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.

TCS OFF Indicator Light
This indicator light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.
It also comes on when the TCS OFF
switch is pressed and TCS is switched off.
If the light stays on when the TCS is not
switched off, take your vehicle to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer. The TCS may
have a malfunction.
NOTE
•
In addition to the indicator light
flashing, a slight lugging sound will
come from the engine. This
indicates that the TCS is operating
properly.
•
On slippery surfaces, such as fresh
snow, it will be impossible to
achieve high rpm when the TCS is
on.
NOTE
After starting the engine when the
coolant temperature is extremely low,
the TCS is automatically turned off. At
this time, the TCS OFF indicator light
will remain on, but this does not
indicate an abnormality. After the
engine has warmed, TCS will resume
normal operation and the indicator
light will go out.
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5-22
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

TCS OFF Switch
Press the TCS OFF switch to turn off the
TCS. The TCS OFF indicator light will
illuminate.
Press the switch again to turn the TCS
back on. The TCS OFF indicator light
will go out.
NOTE
•
When TCS is on and you attempt to
free the vehicle when it is stuck, or
drive it out of freshly fallen snow,
the TCS will activate. Depressing
the accelerator will not increase
engine power and freeing the
vehicle may be difficult. When this
happens, turn off the TCS.
•
If the TCS is off when the engine is
turned off, it automatically activates
when the ignition switch is turned
on.
•
Leaving the TCS on will provide the
best traction.
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