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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Precautions
The supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 6 air bags (verify“SRS AIRBAG”
location indicator marks).
They are located in:
lThe steering wheel hub (driver air bag)
lThe front passenger dashboard (front passenger air bag)
lThe outboard sides of the front seatbacks (side air bags)
lThe front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (curtain air bags)
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection
in certain situations so seat belts are always important in the following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
lKeep the occupant from being thrown into an inflating air bag.
lReduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
inflation, such as rear impact.
lReduce the possibility of injuries in frontal, near frontal, side collisions or roll-over
accidents that are not severe enough to activate the air bags.
lReduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
lReduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts of the body.
lHold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
Your vehicle is also equipped with a driver and front passenger occupant
classification system. For details, refer to the driver and front passenger occupant
classification system (page 2-58).
Small children must be protected by a child-restraint system as stipulated by law in every
state and province. In certain states and provinces, larger children must use a child-restraint
system (page 2-27).
Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary for your child and follow the
installation directions in this Owner's Manual as well as the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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WARNING
Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles:
Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous. Alone,
air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be expected to
inflate only in the first accident, such as frontal, near frontal, side collisions or roll-
over accident that are at least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat
belts.
Children should not ride in the front passenger seat:
Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be
hit by a deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. Even if the front
passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as possible. A sleeping child is more likely to lean against
the door and be hit by the side air bag in a moderate, right-side collision. Whenever
possible, always secure a child 12 years and under on the rear seats with an
appropriate child-restraint system for the child's age and size.
Never use a rear-facing child-restraint system in the front seat with an air bag that
could deploy:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems on the front seat are particularly dangerous even
though you may feel assured that a front passenger air bag will not deploy based on
the fact that the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates.
The child-restraint system can be hit by a deploying air bag and moved violently
backward resulting in serious injury or death to the child.
Do not sit too close to the driver and front passenger air bags:
Sitting too close to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing hands or
feet on them is extremely dangerous. The driver and front passenger air bags inflate
with great force and speed. Serious injuries could occur if someone is too close. The
driver should always hold onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The front seat
passenger should keep both feet on the floor. Front seat occupants should adjust their
seats as far back as possible and always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat
belts worn properly.
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WARNING
Sit in the center of the seat and wear seat belts properly:
Sitting too close to the side air bag modules or placing hands on them and sleeping up
against the door or hanging out the windows is extremely dangerous. The side and
curtain air bags inflate with great force and speed directly expand along the door on
the side the car is hit. Serious injury could occur if someone is sitting too close to the
door or leaning against a window, or if rear seat occupants grab the sides of the front
seatbacks. Give the side and curtain air bags room to work by sitting in the center of
the seat while the vehicle is moving with seat belts worn properly.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where driver and front passenger air bags
deploy:
Attaching an object to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing
something in front of them is dangerous. In an accident, an object could interfere with
air bag inflation and injure the occupants.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys:
Attaching things to the front seat in such a way as to cover the outboard side of the
seat in any way is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the side air
bag, which inflates from the outboard side of the front seats, impeding the added
protection of the side air bag system or redirecting the air bag in a way that is
dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open spewing exhaust.
Do not hang net bags, map pouches or backpacks with side straps on the front seats.
Never use seat covers on the front seats. Always keep the side air bag modules in your
front seats free to deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a curtain air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the areas where the curtain air bag activates such as on the
windshield glass, side door glass, front and rear window pillars and along the roof
edge and assist grips is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the
curtain air bag, which inflates from the front and rear window pillars and along the
roof edge, impeding the added protection of the curtain air bag system or redirecting
the air bag in a way that is dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open
spewing exhaust.
Do not place hangers or any other objects on the assist grips. When hanging clothes,
hang them on the coat hook directly. Always keep the curtain air bag modules free to
deploy in the event of a side collision or roll-over accident.
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WARNING
Do not place luggage or other objects under the front seats:
Placing luggage or other objects under the front seats is dangerous. The side and
curtain air bag wiring could be damaged, and in the event of a side collision, the side
and curtain air bags may not deploy, which could result in death or serious injury. To
prevent damage to the side and curtain air bag wiring, do not place luggage or other
objects under the front seats.
Do not touch the internal components of the air bag modules after the bags have
inflated:
Hot air bag inflators are dangerous. Immediately after inflation, the inflators in the
steering wheel, dashboard, seatbacks, or the front and rear window pillars and along
the roof edge are very hot. You could get burned.
Never install any front-end equipment to your vehicle:
Installation of front-end equipment, such as frontal protection bar (kangaroo bar, bull
bar, push bar, or other similar devices), 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.
Do not modify the suspension:
Modifying the vehicle suspension is dangerous. If the vehicle's height or the
suspension is modified, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision or
roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the
possibility of serious injuries.
Do not use tires or wheels other than those specified for your Mazda:
Use of any tire or wheel other than those specified for your Mazda (page 10-6) is
dangerous. Use of such wheels will prevent the vehicle's accident detections system
from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or
unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
Do not overload your vehicle:
Overloading your vehicle is dangerous as is could prevent the air bag crash sensor
system from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect
or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries. The gross
axle weight rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your
vehicle are on the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Label on the driver's door frame. Do
not exceed these ratings.
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WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle off-road:
Driving your Mazda off-road is dangerous because the vehicle has not been designed
to do such. Driving the vehicle off-road could prevent the air bag crash sensor system
from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or
unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
Do not modify 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. Do not 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
electrical 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
lWhen 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.
lShould 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.
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Supplemental Restraint System Components
(1)
(11) (12)(7) (6)
(9)
(9) (5) (4) (3)
(2)
(3)
(10) (8)(8) (8)
(1) Driver seat slide position sensor (page 2-58)
(2) Side and curtain inflators and air bags
(3) Driver/Front passenger dual stage inflators and air bags
(4) Air bag/front seat belt pretentioner system warning light (page 2-54)
(5) Crash sensors and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
(6) Front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light (page 2-58)
(7) Front air bag sensor
(8) Side crash sensor
(9) Front seat belt pretensioner and load limiting systems (page 2-19)
(10) Front passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-58)
(11) Front passenger seat weight sensor control module
(12) Driver and front passenger seat belt buckle switches (page 2-62)
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How the SRS Air Bags Work
Your Mazda is equipped with the following types of SRS air bags. SRS air bags are
designed to work together with the seat belts to help to reduce injuries during an accident.
The SRS air bags are designed to provide further protection for passengers in addition to
the seat belt functions. Be sure to wear seat belts properly.
qFront Seat Belt Pretensioners
The front seat belt pretensioners are designed to deploy in moderate or severe frontal, near
frontal collisions or roll-over accidents.
qDriver Air Bag
The driver air bag is mounted in the steering wheels.
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, the
driver's air bag inflates quickly helping to reduce injury mainly to the driver's head or chest
caused by directly hitting the steering wheel.
The driver, dual stage air bag controls air bag inflation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity the driver air bag deploys with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, it deploys with more energy.
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qFront Passenger Air Bag
The front passenger air bag is mounted in the front passenger dashboard.
The inflation mechanism for the front passenger air bag is the same as the driver's air bag,
as mentioned above. In addition, the front passenger air bag is designed to only deploy in
accordance with the total seated weight on the front passenger seat. For details, refer to the
driver and front passenger occupant classification system (page 2-58).
qSide Air Bags
The side bags are mounted in the outboard sides of the front seatbacks.
When the air bag crash sensors detect a side impact of greater than moderate force, the
system inflates the side air bag only on the side in which the vehicle was hit. The side air
bag inflates quickly to reduce injury to the driver or front passenger's chest caused by
directly hitting interior parts such as a door or window. In addition, the front passenger side
air bag is designed to only deploy in accordance with the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat. For details, refer to the driver and front passenger occupant classification
system (page 2-58).
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