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Thank you for choosing a Mazda. We at Mazda design and build vehicles with complete
customer satisfaction in mind.
To help ensure enjoyable and trouble-free operation of your Mazda, read this manual
carefully and follow its recommendations.
An Authorized Mazda Dealer knows your vehicle best. So when maintenance or service is
necessary, that's the place to go.
Our nationwide network of Mazda professionals is dedicated to providing you with the best
possible service.
We assure you that all of us at Mazda have an ongoing interest in your motoring pleasure
and in your full satisfaction with your Mazda product.
Mazda Motor Corporation
HIROSHIMA, JAPAN
Important Notes About This Manual
Keep this manual in the glove box as a handy reference for the safe and enjoyable use of your Mazda. Should you
resell the vehicle, leave this manual with it for the next owner.
All specifications and descriptions are accurate at the time of printing. Because improvement is a constant goal at
Mazda, we reserve the right to make changes in specifications at any time without notice and without obligation.
Event Data Recorder
This vehicle is equipped with an event data recorder. In the event of a crash, this device records data related to
vehicle dynamics and safety systems for a short period of time. These data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances in which crashes and injuries occur and lead to the designing of safer
vehicles.
Air Conditioning and the Environment
Your Mazda's genuine air conditioner is filled with HFC134a (R134a), a refrigerant that has been found not to
damage the earth's ozone layer. If the air conditioner does not operate properly, consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Please be aware that this manual applies to all models, equipment and options. As a result, you may find
some explanations for equipment not installed on your vehicle.
©2004 Mazda Motor Corporation
Printed in Japan July 2004(Print1)
A Word to Mazda Owners
Mazda MPV_8T50-EA-04G_Edition1 Page3
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Form No.8T50-EA-04G
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Seat Belt Precautions
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 outboard 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 outboard 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.
The third-row center seat positions have a lap belt with manual adjustment.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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qPregnant 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.
qEmergency 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.
qAutomatic 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 2-41).
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner and Load
Limiting Systems
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.
WARNING
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.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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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
lThe 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.
lSome 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.
qAir Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning
Light
If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner
system is normal, 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 constantly flashes,
illuminates 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.
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
perform all servicing and repairs.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Form No.8T50-EA-04G
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Installing Child-Restraint
Systems
Accident statistics reveal that a child is
safer in the rear seats (both second-row
seats and third-row center 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 specific
seating positions on the rear seats (both
second-row seats and third-row center
seat).
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to“LATCH Child-Restraint
Systems”(page 2-53).
WARNING
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 or the third-row
outboard seats 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.
qSecond-Row Seats Child-
Restraint System Installationí
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 2-53).
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.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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Anchor bracket location
3. Hook the tether strap by following the
child-restraint system manufacturer's
instructions.
Tether strap position
Anchor
bracketTether
strap
WARNING
Child-Restraint Tether Usage:
Using the tether or tether anchor to
secure anything but a child-restraint
system is dangerous. This could
weaken or damage the tether or tether
anchor and result in injury. Use the
tether and tether anchor only for a
child-restraint system.
qThird-Row Outboard Seats
Child-Restraint System
Installation
The third-row outboard seats cannot
accommodate LATCH-type child-restraint
systems or tethers, therefore these systems
must be installed on the other seat
positions such as the second-row or third-
row center seat. If this not possible,
LATCH-type child-restraint systems or
tethers should be installed using seat belts
depending on whether the child-restraint
manufacturer allows their use without
LATCH attachments and tether anchors.
Follow these manufacturer's instructions
when using a child-restraint system.
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Depending on the type of child-restraint
system, it may not employ seat belts
which are in automatic locking mode.
1. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
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Child Restraint
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2. To get the retractor into the automatic
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt
portion of the seat belt until the entire
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
3. Push the child-restraint system firmly
into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt
retracts as snugly as possible. Clicking
from the retractor will be heard during
retraction if the system is in the
automatic locking mode. If the belt
does not lock the seat down tight,
repeat this step.
NOTE
Inspect this function before each use of
the child-restraint system. You should
not be able to pull the shoulder belt out
of the retractor while the system is in
the automatic locking mode. When you
remove the child-restraint system, be
sure the belt fully retracts to return the
system to emergency locking mode
before occupants use the seat belts.
qIf You Must Use the Front Seat
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear
seats, 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
second-row seats.
Don't allow anyone to sleep against the
right front or rear doors if you have an
optional side 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.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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