2004 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK seats

2-7
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Rear Seatback Lock (4 Door)
To lock or unlock a seatback, move the
lever.

Head Restraint
Returning Rear Seatbacks to the
Upright Position:
A rear seatback not fully returned
and locked in the upright position is
dangerous. Sudden stops or
maneuvering could cause a seatback
to flip forward suddenly resulting in
injury. If the red indicator is visible
on the back of the rear seatback knob,
the seatback is not locked in the
upright position. When returning the
seatback to the upright position, make
sure there is no red indication.
WARNING
Locked position
Unlocked position
Red indicator
NOTE
The seatback locks are part of the
trunk security system (page 3-15).
Head Restraints Adjustment:
Driving with the head restraints
adjusted too low or removed is
dangerous. With no support behind
your head, your neck could be
seriously injured in a collision.
Always drive with the head restraints
inserted when seats are being used
and make sure they are properly
adjusted.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Height adjustment
To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the
locked position.
To lower the head restraint, press the stop-
catch release, then push the head restraint
down.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top is
parallel with the top of the passenger’s
ears, never the passenger’s neck.
Removal
To remove the head restraint, press the
stop-catch release, then pull up on the
head restraint.
Stop-catch release
Stop-catch release
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Seat Belt Systems
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and all passengers always wear seat belts.
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way
when not in use.
The driver’s seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.
However, the front passenger’s seat lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two modes:
emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode. While
we recommend you put all children in the rear seats, if you must use the front passenger
seat for a child, slide the front passenger seat as far back as possible and make sure the
child-restraint system is secured properly.
Seat Belt Precautions
Not Wearing Seat Belts:
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerous. During a collision, occupants not
wearing seat belts could hit someone or things inside the vehicle or even be thrown
out of the vehicle. They could be seriously injured or even killed. In the same
collision, occupants wearing seat belts would be much safer. Always wear your seat
belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained.
Seat Belt Damaged During an Accident:
Using a damaged seat belt is dangerous. An accident could damage the belt webbing
of the seat belt in use. A damaged seat belt cannot provide adequate protection in a
collision. Whether a front seat was occupied or not, if the front air bags deployed the
seat belt pretensioners also deployed and both front seat belts must be replaced. Have
an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect all seat belt systems in use during an accident
before they are used again.
Twisted Seat Belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt isn’t
available to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt,
which could cause serious injury or death. Don’t wear twisted seat belts.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
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 on the center seat.
Statistics confirm that the rear seat is the best place for all children up to 12 years of age,
and more so with a supplemental restraint system (air bags).
A rear-facing child-restraint system should NEVER
be used on the front seat with the air
bag system activated. The front passenger’s seat is also the least preferred seat for other
child-restraint systems.
If your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors, a front passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light is also equipped (page 2-29). To reduce the chance of
injuries caused by deployment of the front passenger air bag, the front passenger seat
weight sensors work as a part of the supplemental restraint system. This system deactivates
the front passenger front and side air bags and also the front passenger seat belt
pretensioner system when the total seated weight on the front passenger seat is less than
approximately 30 kg (66 lb).
When an infant or small child sits on the front passenger seat, the system shuts off the front
passenger front and side air bags and seat belt pretensioner system, so make sure the front
passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates.
Even if the front passenger air bag is shut off, Mazda strongly recommends that children be
properly restrained and child-restraint systems of all kinds are properly secured on the rear
seats which are the best place for children.
For more details, refer to "Front passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-44)".
Child Restraint Precautions
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Seating Children in a Child-Restraint System on the Front Passenger Seat:
If your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors, a front passenger
air bag deactivation indicator light is also equipped (page 2-29). Even with the front
passenger seat weight sensors, if you must use the front passenger seat for children,
seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat under the
following conditions increases the danger of the front passenger air bag deploying
and could result in serious injury or death to the child.
•The total seated weight of the child with the child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat is approximately 30 kg (66 lb) or more.
•Luggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint
system.
•A rear passenger or luggage push or pull down on the front passenger seatback.
•A rear passenger steps on the front passenger seat rails with the feet.
•Luggage or other items are placed on the seatback or hung on the head restraint.
•The seat is washed.
•Liquids are spilled on the seat.
•The front passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items
placed behind it.
•The front passenger seatback contacts the rear seat.
•Luggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and driver seat.
•Any accessories which might increase the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat are attached to the front passenger seat.
The designated positions with seat belts on the rear seats are the safest places for
children. Always use seat belts and child restraints.
Children and Seating Position with Side and Curtain Air Bags:
Allowing anyone to lean over or against the front door, the area of front seat, front
and rear window pillars and the roof edge along both sides which the side and curtain
air bags deploy even though using a child-restraint system is dangerous. If the vehicle
is equipped with side and curtain air bags, the impact of inflation could cause serious
injury or death to the child. Furthermore, leaning over or against the front door could
block the side and curtain air bags and eliminate the advantages of supplemental
protection. With the front air bag and the additional side air bag that comes out of the
front seat, the rear seat is always a better location for children. Do not allow a child to
lean over or against the doors, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
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 2-32).

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 2-32).
1. Make sure the seatback is securely
latched by rocking the seatback.
2. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the manufacturer’s instructions on
the child-restraint system for belt
routing instructions.
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. 8S18-EA-03I

If You Must Use the Front Seat
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear
seat, at least put the smallest children 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 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 or rear doors if you have an
optional side and curtain 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 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.
•To check if your vehicle has curtain
air bags:
Every Mazda curtain air bag will
have an "SRS-Air Bag" marking on
the front and rear window pillars
along the roof edge.
Fro n t Pa ss en ge r’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.
Even if the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light
illuminates, 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:
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.
Even though you may feel assured
that the front passenger air bag will
not deploy based on the fact that the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates, NEVER
use a rear-facing child-restraint
system in the front seat with an air
bag that could deploy even in a
moderate collision.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Your Mazda is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for attachment of specially designed
LATCH child-restraint systems in the rear outboard seats. Both anchors must be used,
otherwise the seat will bounce around and put the child in danger. Some LATCH child-
restraint systems must also be used in conjunction with a tether to be effective. If they have
a tether you must use it to better assure your child’s safety.
LATCH Child-Restraint Systems
Manufacturer’s Instructions for Child-Restraint System:
An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it
could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make sure
the child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-restraint
system manufacturer’s instructions.
Attaching Two Child-Restraint Systems to the Same LATCH Lower Anchor:
Attaching two child-restraint systems to the same LATCH lower anchor is dangerous.
In a collision, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two child-restraint system
attachments and may break, causing serious injury or death. If you use the seat
position for another child-restraint system when an outboard LATCH position is
occupied, use the center seat belts instead, and the tether if tether-equipped.
Unsecured Child-Restraint System:
An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it
could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Follow the
child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions on belt routing to secure the seat
just as you would with a child in it so that nobody is tempted to put a child in an
improperly secured seat later on. When not in use, remove it from the vehicle or fasten
it with a seat belt, or latch it down to BOTH LATCH lower anchors for LATCH child-
restraint systems.
LATCH Child-Restraint Systems:
Not following the child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions when installing
the child-restraint system is dangerous. If seat belts or a foreign object prevent the
child-restraint system from being securely attached to the LATCH lower anchors and
the child-restraint system is installed improperly, the child-restraint system could
move in a sudden stop or collision causing serious injury or death to the child or other
occupants. When installing the child-restraint system, make sure there are no seat
belts or foreign objects near or around the LATCH lower anchors. Always follow the
child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions.
WARNING
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