2004 MAZDA MODEL RX 8 Owners Manual (in English)

2-6
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Folding the Passenger’s Seat
To fold the seatback, pull the strap and
lower the seatback forward.
To return it to the upright position, lift the
seatback and push it into place. Rock the
seatback to make sure it is locked.

Seat Warmer*
The front seats are electrically heated. The
ignition switch must be in the ON
position.
Press the switch to turn the seat warmer
on or off. When the switch is in the ON
position, the indicator light will come on.
Unlocked Seatback:
A 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 adjusting the seatback at any
time, even when there are no other
passengers, rock the seatback to make
sure it is locked in place.
WARNING
Strap
NOTE
The thermostat regulates seat
temperature by turning the current on
and off.
*Some models.
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2-7
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Rear Seat
Stacking Cargo:
Stacking luggage or other cargo
higher than the seatbacks, and
putting things on the rear package
tray is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can fly
around and become projectiles that
may hit and injure passengers. Don’t
stack things higher than the seatbacks
or put things on the rear package tray.
Do Not Sit on the Rear Center
Console:
Allowing someone to sit on the rear
center console between the rear seats
is dangerous. The rear center console
is not designed for occupant seating.
During a collision, occupants not
wearing a seat belt could be thrown
from the vehicle and seriously injured
or even killed. Do not allow anyone to
sit on the center console between the
rear seats.
WARNING
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2-8
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
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 and all rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two
modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode.
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
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 break them or cause other serious injury or death. Don’t wear twisted
seat belts.
WARNING
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2-9
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
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.
Seat Belt Caught or Pinched in the Door:
Wearing a seat belt that is caught or pinched in the door is dangerous. The seat belt
could become loose and not provide adequate protection in a sudden stop or collision.
Always make sure the seat belt is not caught or pinched in the door.
Seat Belt with Seat Belt Slide Bar:
Placing your foot or other objects such as an umbrella on the seat belt slide bar is
dangerous. The front seat belt is built in the rear door and the lower part of the seat
belt slides forward or backward along the seat belt slide bar as the rear door opens or
closes. If the seat belt slider is blocked, the seat belt could be improperly positioned
and would provide little or no protection in a collision. Always make sure nothing is
placed on the seat belt slide bar.
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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2-10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

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.

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 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 2-17).
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2-11
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

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
Belt
Tongue
Tonge
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 bone
Too high Take up slack
WARNING
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2-12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Unfastening the Seat Belts
Depress the button on the buckle.
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 load limiting system
releases belt webbing in a controlled
manner to reduce belt force on the
occupant’s chest.
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.
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
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2-13
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
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 both must be replaced
immediately, even if there was no
front seat occupant seated at the time
of the collision.
If the seat belt pretensioners are not
replaced, the risk of injury in a
collision will increase.
Always have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer inspect and replace the seat
belt pretensioners and air bags after a
collision.
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 could be
seriously injured. Never modify the
components or wiring, or use
electronic testing devices on the
pretensioner system.
WARNING
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
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