2004 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK Owner's Manual (in English)

2-5
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Rear Seat
Stacking Cargo:
Stacking luggage or other cargo
higher than the seatbacks, and
placing articles on the rear package
tray or on the luggage compartment
cover is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can fly
around and become projectiles that
may hit and injure passengers. Don’t
stack cargo higher than the seatbacks
or on the luggage compartment cover.
Not Securing Luggage and Cargo:
Not securing cargo while driving is
dangerous as it could move or be
crushed during sudden braking or a
collision and cause injury. Make sure
luggage and cargo is secured before
driving.
Securing Seats:
Adjustable seats 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.
WARNINGUnlocked Seatback:
The 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.
Passenger 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. Do not give the car keys to
children and do not allow them to
play in the vehicle.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Split-Folding Rear Seatback
To fold the seatbacks
1. Unfasten the lap portion of the rear
center seat belt (page 2-16).
2. Position the outboard seat belts to the
side when folding the seatbacks down.
3. Support the seatback with your hand.
4. Push the rear seatback knob down.To return the seatbacks to the upright
position
1. Position the outboard seat belts to the
side.
2. Lift the seatbacks upright.
3. Make sure the seat belts are fully
pulled out from under the seatbacks.
4. Pull on the top of the seatbacks from
inside the vehicle to make sure they are
locked.
5. Fasten the rear-center lap/shoulder belt
and check that all seat belts are routed
properly for passenger use (page 2-16).
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.
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
Rear seatback knob
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
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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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2-8
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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2-9
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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2-10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for specific recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIPS.
The shoulder belt should be worn across your shoulder properly, but never across the
stomach area.
Persons with serious medical conditions also should wear seat belts. Check with your
doctor for any special instructions regarding specific medical conditions.
One Belt, One Passenger:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used
in this way can’t spread the impact forces properly and the two passengers could be
crushed together and seriously injured or even killed. Never use one belt for more
than one person at a time.
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep them
clean.
WARNING
CAUTION
Ring
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2-11
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Emergency Locking Mode
If the belt has fully retracted, it will always be in the emergency locking mode until you
move it into automatic locking mode by pulling the belt all the way out to its full length. In
the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the
retractor will lock in position during a collision.
If the belt feels tight and hinders comfortable movement while the vehicle is stopped or in
motion, you may be in the automatic locking mode because you have pulled the belt too far
out. To return to the more comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until you can stop
the vehicle in a safe level area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking
mode and then again extend it around you.

Automatic Locking Mode
Always use the automatic locking mode to keep the child-restraint system from shifting to
an unsafe position in the event of an accident. To get the seat belt into the automatic
locking mode, pull it all the way out and connect it as instructed on the child-restraint
system. It will retract down to the child-restraint system and stay locked on it. See the
section on child restraint (page 2-21).
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2-12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Fastening the Seat Belts
1. Grasp the buckle and tongue.
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
3. Insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear a click.4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.
3-Point Type Seat Belt
NOTE
When using the rear center seat belt,
refer to "Rear Center Position Seat
Belt" (page 2-16).
Belt
Tongue
Tongue
Buckle
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
Always make sure the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is positioned
across your shoulder and near your
neck, but never under your arm, on
your neck, or on your upper arm.
Positioning the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision,
this would concentrate the impact
force directly on the abdominal area,
causing serious injury. Wear the lap
portion of the belt snugly and as low
as possible.
WARNING
Keep low on
hip boneTake up slack
Too high
WARNING
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