2003 MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE Owners Manual (in English)

WARNING: Seating Position with Side Air Bags
Sitting 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 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.
WARNING: Modification of the Supplemental Restraint 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 provide 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.
WARNING: Disposing of an air bag can be dangerous. Unless all
safety procedures are followed, injury can result. Ask an
Authorized Mazda Dealer how to safely dispose of an air bag or
how to scrap an air bag equipped vehicle.
WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the air
bag Supplemental Restraint System, its fuses or the seat cover
on a seat containing an air bag. See your authorized Mazda
dealer.
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WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle including the driver
should always wear their safety belts even when an air bag SRS
is provided.
How does the side air bag system work?
The side air bag system consists of
the following:
²An inflatable nylon bag (air bag)
with a gas generator concealed
behind the outboard bolster of
the driver and front passenger
seatbacks.
²A special seat cover designed to
allow airbag deployment.
²The same warning light,
electronic control and diagnostic unit as used for the front air bags.
²The two side sensors are located on the lower portion of the b-pillar.
NOTE:A side air bag, in combination with seat belts, can help reduce
the risk of severe injuries in the event of a significant side impact
collision.
The side air bags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the air bag on the side affected
by the collision will be inflated, even if the respective seat is not
occupied. The air bag was designed to inflate between the door panel
and occupant to further enhance the protection provided occupants in
side impact collisions.
The air bag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates air bag inflation.
The fact that the air bags did not inflate in a collision does not mean that
something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were
not of the type sufficient to cause activation. Side air bags are designed
to inflate in side-impact collisions, not roll-over, rear-impact, frontal,
near-frontal or opposite side collisions, unless the collision causes
sufficient lateral deceleration.
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WARNING: Several air bag
system components get hot
after inflation. Do not touch
them after inflation.
WARNING: If the side air bag has deployed, the air bag will not
function again. The side air bag system (including the seat)
must be inspected and serviced by a qualified technician in
accordance with the vehicle service manual. If the air bag is not
replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of injury in
a collision.
Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to theAir bag readiness
section in theInstrumentationchapter. Routine maintenance of the air
bag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
²The readiness light (same light as for front air bag system) will either
flash or stay lit.
²The readiness light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is
turned on.
²A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your authorized Mazda dealership immediately. Unless serviced, the
system may not function properly in the event of a collision.
Disposal of air bags and air bag equipped vehicles
For disposal of safety belt pretensioners, air bags, or air bag equipped
vehicles, see your authorized Mazda dealership. Air bags MUST BE
disposed of by qualified personnel.
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WARNING: Disposing of an air bag can be dangerous. Unless all
safety procedures are followed, injury can result. Ask an
Authorized Mazda Dealer how to safely dispose of an air bag or
how to scrap an air bag equipped vehicle.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS FOR CHILDREN
See the following sections for directions on how to properly use safety
restraints for children. Also seeAir bag supplemental restraint system
(SRS)in this chapter for special instructions about using air bags.
Important child restraint precautions
NOTE:You are required to use safety restraints for children in the U.S.
and Canada. Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific
requirements regarding the safety of children in your vehicle.
WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
NOTE:Always follow the instructions and warnings that come with any
infant or child restraint you might use.
WARNING: When possible, always place children under age 12
in the rear seat of your vehicle. Accident statistics suggest that
children are safer when properly restrained in the rear seating
positions than in the front seating position.
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.
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WARNING: Do not leave children, unreliable adults, or pets
unattended in your vehicle.
WARNING: Placing a child, 12 years or younger, in the front
seat is dangerous. The child could be hit by a deploying air bag
and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more
likely to lean against the door and be hit by the side air bag in a
moderate collision. Whenever possible, always secure a child, 12
years or younger, in the rear seat, with an appropriate child
restraint system for the child's age and size. Never use a
rear-facing child restraint system in the front seat with an air
bag that could deploy.
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
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).
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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.
²Those with a high back.
If, with a backless booster seat,
you cannot find a seating position
that adequately supports your
child's head, a high back booster
seat would be a better choice.
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Both can be used in any vehicle in a seating position equipped with
lap/shoulder belts if your child is over 40 lbs.
The shoulder belt should cross the chest, resting snugly on the center of
the shoulder. The lap belt should rest low and snug across the hips,
never up high across the stomach.
If the booster seat slides on the vehicle seat, placing a rubberized mesh
sold as shelf or carpet liner under the booster seat may improve this
condition.
The importance of shoulder belts
Using a booster without a shoulder belt increases the risk of a child's
head hitting a hard surface in a collision. For this reason, you should
never use a booster seat with a lap belt only. It is best to use a booster
seat with lap/shoulder belts in the back seat- the safest place for children
to ride.
WARNING: Follow all instructions provided by the
manufacturer of the booster seat.
WARNING: Never put the shoulder belt under a child's arm or
behind the back because it eliminates the protection for the
upper part of the body and may increase the risk of injury or
death in a collision.
WARNING: Never use pillows, books, or towels to boost a
child. They can slide around and increase the likelihood of
injury or death in a collision.
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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.
²Place seat back in upright position.
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