2004 MAZDA MODEL MPV sensor

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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H
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.
Statistics confirm that the rear seats are 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.
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by deployment of the front passenger air bag, your
vehicle is equipped with the front passenger seat weight sensors 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 2-63)".
Child Restraint Precautions
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H
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 2-51). 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 assist grip, head
restraint or armrest.
•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 second-row seat.
•Luggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and front
passenger seat side table.
•Any accessories such as increasing 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 Air Bag:
Allowing anyone to lean over or against the front door is dangerous. If the vehicle is
equipped with side air bags, the impact of an inflating side air bag could cause serious
injury or death to the person. Children are more likely to sleep in the vehicle; when
they do, they are more at risk in the front passenger’s seat that has a side air bag
because they may slump over into the path of the seatback-mounted air bag.
Furthermore, leaning over or against the doors could block the side air bag 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 who are prone to sleeping. If a child can’t be seated in the rear,
do not allow the child to lean over or against the front door, even if the child is seated
in a child-restraint system.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H

Front Passenger’s Seat Child-
Restraint System Installation
1. Make sure the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminates
after installing a child-restraint system
on the front passenger seat.Seating a Child in a Child-Restraint
System on the Front Passenger Seat
With the Front Passenger Air Bag
Deactivation Indicator Light Not
Illuminated:
Seating a child in a child-restraint
system installed on the front
passenger seat with the front
passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light not illuminated is
dangerous. If the front passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light does
not illuminate even when the total
seated weight is less than
approximately 30 kg (66 lb), this
means that the front passenger front
and side air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner are ready for
deployment. If an accident were to
deploy an air bag, a child sitting in
the front passenger seat could be
seriously injured or killed. If the front
passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light does illuminate after
installing a child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat, install the
child-restraint system on the rear seat
and consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer as soon as possible. While it is
always better to install any child-
restraint system on the rear seat, it is
essential to do so if the front
passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light does not illuminate.
For further details, refer to "Front
passenger seat weight sensors (page
2-63).
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H
Installation of Front-End Equipment:
Installation of front-end equipment, such as frontal protection bar (kangaroo bar,
bull bar, push bar, etc.), snowplow, or winches, is dangerous. The air bag crash sensor
system could be affected. This could cause air bags to inflate unexpectedly, or it could
prevent the air bags from inflating during an accident. Front occupants could be
seriously injured. Never install any front-end equipment to your vehicle.
Suspension Adjustment:
Adjusting the vehicle suspension is dangerous. If the vehicle’s height or the
suspension is changed, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision
resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious
injuries.
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 modules. 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 air bag wiring and connections to assure that the
bags do not accidentally deploy, the driver seat slide position sensor and front
passenger seat weight sensors are not damaged and that the seats retain an
undamaged air bag connection.
NOTE
•When an air bag deploys, a loud inflation noise can be heard and some smoke will be
released. Neither is likely to cause injury, however, the texture of the air bags may
cause light skin injuries on body parts not covered with clothing through friction.
•Should you sell your Mazda, we urge you to tell the new owner of its air bag systems
and that familiarization with all instructions about them, from the Owner’s Manual, is
important.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H
The supplemental restraint systems (SRS) have two basic subsystems:
•The air bag system with inflators and air bags.
•The electric system with crash sensors and diagnostic module.
The air bags are mounted in the following locations:
•The steering wheel hub
•The front passenger dashboard
•The outboard sides of the front seatbacks
The air bags are out of sight until activated.
Supplemental Restraint System Components
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H

Front Air Bag System Components
(1) Front dual stage inflators and air bags
(2) Crash sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
(3) Front air bag sensor
(4) Driver seat slide position sensor (page 2-63)
(5) Front passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-63)
(6) Front seats
(7) Driver and front passenger seat belt buckle switches (page 2-63)
(8) Front seat belt pretensioner and load limiting systems (page 2-35)
(9) Front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light (page 2-63)
(4)
(8)
(7)
(5)
(8)(2)(9)(3) (1)
(6)
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H

Side Air Bag System Components*
Put children in the rear seats, they do not have side air bag systems.
(1) Side inflators and air bags
(2) Side crash sensor
(3) Crash sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
(4) Front seats
(2) (1)
(3) (4)
*Some models.
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8S06-EA-03H

How the Front Air Bags Work
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, an
electrical current is sent to the inflators.
Gases are produced to inflate the front air bags and after the inflation, the front air bags
quickly deflate.
The front air bags will function only once. After that, the front air bags will not work
again and must be replaced.

Only an Authorized Mazda Dealer can replace the systems.
The front, dual stage air bags control air bag inflation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity the front air bags deploy with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, they deploy with more energy. Deployment of the front air bags may
differ between the driver and the front passenger depending on the driver seat position,
front passenger weight and front seat belt usage, which allow for further controlling of the
system.
Driver seat slide position sensor
Your vehicle is equipped with a driver seat slide sensor as a part of the supplemental
restraint system. The sensor is located under the driver seat. The sensor determines whether
the driver seat is fore or aft of a reference position and sends the seat position to the crash
sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit). The sensor is also designed to control the
deployment of the driver air bag depending on how close the driver seat is to the steering
wheel.
The air bag/front seat belt pretensioner system warning light flashes if the sensor has a
possible malfunction (page 2-72).
How the Air Bags Work
The front air bags will deploy only
in a frontal or frontal offset impact.
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