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

2-13
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Unfastening the Seat Belts
Depress the button on the buckle.

Shoulder Belt Adjuster
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt if
the seat belt touches your neck, or if it
crosses your arm instead of your shoulder.
To raise the shoulder belt adjuster, push
the adjuster up. To lower the shoulder belt
adjuster, pull the button and slide it down.
Make sure the adjuster is locked.
NOTE
If a belt does not fully retract, inspect it
for kinks and twists. If it is still not
retracting properly, have it inspected at
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
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.
Shoulder belt
adjuster
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
For optimum protection, the driver and
front passenger seat belts are equipped
with pretensioner and load limiting
systems.
In moderate or greater frontal or near-
frontal accidents, the front air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously. The pretensioners take up
slack in the front seat belts as the air bags
are expanding. The seat belt pretensioner
system will not activate if the seat belt is
not fastened, only you can be sure it is
worn properly. The load limiting system
releases belt webbing in a controlled
manner to reduce belt force on the
occupant’s chest.
Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner and Load
Limiting Systems
Incorrect Positioning of the Driver
and Front Passenger Seat Belts:
Incorrect positioning of the driver
and passenger seat belts is dangerous.
Without proper positioning, the
pretensioner and load limiting
systems cannot provide adequate
protection in an accident and this
could result in serious injury. Wear
seat belts only as recommended in
this owner’s manual.
WARNING
Expended Seat Belt Pretensioners:
Use of front seat belts with the
pretensioner system expended is
dangerous.
The seat belt pretensioners will only
function once. After they are
expended, they will not work again
and must be replaced immediately.
If the seat belt pretensioners are not
replaced, the risk of injury in a
collision will increase.
Always have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer inspect the seat belt
pretensioners and air bags after any
collision. The seat belt pretensioners
and air bags must be replaced after
any collision, which causes them to
deploy.
Modification or Testing of the
Pretensioner System:
Modifying the components or wiring
of the pretensioner system, including
the use of electronic testing devices is
dangerous. You could accidentally
activate it or make it inoperable which
would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants or repairers
could be seriously injured. Never
modify the components or wiring, or
use electronic testing devices on the
pretensioner system.
WARNING
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2-15
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning
Light
If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner
system is OK, the warning light
illuminates when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position or after the
engine is cranked. After about 6 seconds it
goes out.
A system malfunction is indicated when
the warning light stays on or doesn’t
illuminate at all when the ignition switch
is turned to the ON position. If any of
these occur, consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer as soon as possible. The system
may not work in an accident.
Pretensioner System Disposal:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner
system or a vehicle with non-
deactivated pretensioners is
dangerous. Unless all safety
procedures are followed, injury could
result. Ask an Authorized Mazda
Dealer how to safely dispose of the
pretensioner system or how to scrap a
pretensioner-equipped vehicle.
NOTE
•The pretensioner system will only
activate in a moderate or greater
frontal or near-frontal collision. It
will not activate in most rollovers,
side or rear impacts.
•Some smoke (non-toxic gas) will be
released when the air bags and
pretensioners deploy. This does not
indicate a fire. This gas normally
has no effect on occupants,
however, those with sensitive skin
may experience light skin irritation.
If residue from the deployment of
the air bags or the front pretensioner
system gets on the skin or in the
eyes, wash it off as soon as possible.
WARNING
Self-Servicing the Air Bag/
Pretensioner Systems:
Self-servicing or tampering with the
systems is dangerous. An air bag/
pretensioner could accidentally
activate or become disabled. This
could cause serious injuries. Never
tamper with the systems and always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer
performs all servicing and repairs.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning
Beep
If a malfunction is detected in the air bag/
front seat belt pretensioner systems and
the warning light, a warning beep sound
will be heard for about 5 seconds every
minute.
The air bag and seat belt pretensioner
system warning beep sound will continue
to be heard for approximately 35 minutes.
Have your vehicle inspected at an Mazda
Dealer as soon as possible.Before using the rear-center lap/shoulder
belt make sure tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) are fastened.

Fastening the Seat Belt
1. Grasp the buckle (D) and tongue (C).
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
3. Insert the tongue (C) into the buckle
(D) until you hear a click.
Air Bag/Front Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Beep:
Driving the vehicle with the air bag/
front seat belt pretensioner system
warning beep sounding is dangerous.
In a collision, the air bags and the
front seat belt pretensioner system
will not deploy and this could result in
death or serious injury.
Do not drive the vehicle with the air
bag/front seat belt pretensioner
system warning beep sounding.
Contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer
to have the vehicle inspected as soon
as possible.
WARNING
Rear Center Position Seat
Belt
(A)
(B)
(A)
(B) (C)
(D)
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.

Unfastening the Seat Belt
Depress the button on the buckle.

Unfastening the Lap Portion of
the Seat Belt
Insert a small object in the anchor buckle
(B) slot, such as a key.
Fastening the Rear-Center Seat Belt
with Only One Buckle:
Fastening the rear-center seat belt
with only one buckle is dangerous. If
only one pair of seat belt tongue and
buckle, either tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) or tongue (C) and anchor
buckle (D), is fastened, the seat belt
cannot provide full protection. In a
sudden stop or collision, the user
could slide under the belt and suffer
serious injuries. Always make sure
that both pairs of seat belt tongues
and buckles are fastened properly.
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
WARNING
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.
(A)
(B)
CAUTION
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2-18
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Fastening the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt
Grasp tongue (A) and insert it into the
anchor buckle (B) until you hear a click. It
is now secure for passenger use.If your seat belt is not long enough, even
when fully extended, a seat belt extender
may be available to you at no charge from
your Authorized Mazda Dealer.
This extender will be only for you and for
the particular vehicle and seat. Even if it
plugs into other seat belts, it may not hold
in the critical moment of a crash.
When ordering an extender, only order
one that provides the necessary additional
length to fasten the seat belt properly.
Please contact your Authorized Mazda
Dealer for more information.
NOTE
To encourage rear seat passengers to
wear their seat belts, we suggest
leaving the rear center lap position of
the belt fastened at all times except
when folding the rear seat forward.
NOTE
After returning the rear-left seatback to
its upright position, fasten the lap
portion of the belt.
Seat Belt Extender
Unnecessary Use of an Extender:
Using a seat belt extender when not
necessary is dangerous. The seat belt
will be too long and not fit properly.
In an accident, the seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and you
could be seriously injured. Only use
the extender when it is required to
fasten the seat belt properly.
Using an Improper Extender:
Using a seat belt extender that is for
another person or a different vehicle
or seat is dangerous. The seat belt will
not provide adequate protection and
the user could be seriously injured in
an accident. Only use the extender
provided for you and for the
particular vehicle and seat. NEVER
use the extender in a different vehicle
or seat.
WARNING
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2-19
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
The seat belt warning light illuminates
and a beep sound will be heard if the
driver’s seat belt is not fastened when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
position.
Conditions of operation
Using an Extender That is Too Long:
Using an extender that is too long is
dangerous. The seat belt will not fit
properly. In an accident, the seat belt
will not provide adequate protection
and you could be seriously injured.
Don’t use the extender or choose one
shorter in length if the distance
between the extender’s buckle and the
center of the user’s body is less than
15cm (6 in).
NOTE
When not in use, remove the seat belt
extender and store it in the vehicle. If
the seat belt extender is left connected,
the seat belt warning light will not
illuminate and function properly.
WARNINGSeat Belt Warning Light/
Beep
Condition
Result

The driver’s seat belt is
not fastened when the
ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.The warning light
illuminates for about
1 minute and a beep
sound will be heard
for about 6 seconds.
The driver’s seat belt is
fastened while the
warning light and the
beep are activated.The warning light
turns off and the
beep sound stops.
The driver’s seat belt is
fastened before the
ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.The warning light
will not illuminate
and the beep sound
will not be heard.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Belt Minder
The belt minder is a supplemental
warning to the seat belt warning function.
This feature provides additional
reminders to the driver that the driver’s
seat belt is not fastened by intermittently
sounding a beep sound and flashing the
seat belt warning light in the instrument
cluster.
Condition
Result

The driver’s seat belt is
not fastened when the
vehicle speed reaches 8
km/h (5 mph) and about 1
minute has elapsed since
the ignition switch was
turned to the ON position.The warning light
flashes and the beep
sound will be heard
for about 6 seconds
every 30 seconds,
for a period of about
5 minutes.
The driver’s seat belt is
fastened while the
warning light and the
beep are activated.The warning light
turns off and the
beep sound stops.
The driver’s seat belt is
fastened before the
ignition switch is turned
to the ON position.The warning light
will not illuminate
and the beep sound
will not be heard.
NOTE
The belt minder can be deactivated
temporarily using the following
methods:
1. Turn the ignition switch to the ON
position.
2. Fasten the driver’s seat belt for
about 2 seconds or longer, and then
unfasten it within 20 seconds.
The belt minder will be deactivated
until the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position again.
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