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5. To put the retractor in the automatic locking mode, grasp
the shoulder portion of the belt
and pull downward until all of
the belt is extracted and a click
is heard.
6. Allow the belt to retract. The belt will click as it retracts to indicate it is in the automatic locking mode.
7. Pull the lap belt portion across the child seat toward the buckle
and pull up on the shoulder belt
while pushing down with your
knee on the child seat.
8. Allow the seat belt to retract to remove any slack in the belt.
9. Before placing the child in the seat, forcibly tilt the seat
forward and back to make sure
the seat is securely held in
place. To check this, grab the
seat at the belt path and
attempt to move it side to side
and forward and back. There
should be no more than one
inch of movement for proper installation.
10. Try to pull the belt out of the retractor to make sure the retractor is in the automatic locking mode (you should not be able to pull more
belt out). If the retractor is not locked, unbuckle the belt and repeat
Steps two through nine.
Check to make sure the child seat is properly secured before each use.
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3. Locate the correct anchor for the selected seating position.
NOTE: There are three tether
anchors located on the headliner at
the rear of the vehicle.
WARNING: If the tether strap
is clipped incorrectly, the child
safety seat may not be
retained properly in the event
of a collision. If the safety seat
is not anchored properly, the
risk of a child being injured in
a collision greatly increases.
4. Clip the tether strap to the anchor as shown.
The arrow in the above graphic
points toward the front of the
vehicle.
5. Refer to the Installing child
safety seats in combination
lap and shoulder belt seating
positions section of this chapter
for further instructions to
secure the child safety seat.
6. Tighten the child safety seat tether strap according to the
manufacturer’s instructions.
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Attaching safety seats with LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
Children) attachments for child seat anchors
Some child safety seats have two rigid or webbing mounted attachments
that connect to two anchors at certain seating positions in your vehicle.
When properly installed, this type of seat eliminates the need to use seat
belts to attach the child seat. For forward-facing child seats, the tether
strap must also be attached to the proper tether anchor. See Attaching
safety seats with tether straps in this chapter.
Your vehicle has LATCH anchors for child seat installation as shown in
the illustration. There are none in the front passenger seat.
The anchors closest to the center
rear seat are provided primarily for
child seats at the outboard seating
positions. These anchors are farther
apart than the pairs of lower
anchors for child seat installation at
the outboard seats.
While the anchors closest to the
center seat may also be usable, special precautions must be followed.
First, if those anchors are already in use by a LATCH equipped child seat
on either outboard seat, you must not attach two LATCH seats to
the same anchor point — it will overload the anchor point. Either
spread the two LATCH equipped seats to the outboard positions or use
the regular lap belt on the center one (If the seat has a tether, be sure to
also attach it to the center tether anchor).
Secondly, those LATCH equipped child seats with rigid LATCH
attachments will not latch in the center rear position because those two
middle anchors are too far apart. You can only attach the rigid LATCH
equipped child seats to the outboard seat LATCH anchors that have the
proper spacing for that type of child seat. If your child seat has flexible
LATCH attachments, be sure that the manufacturer’s instructions say
that it can reach to anchors spaced at least 500 mm (19 in) apart.
WARNING: Never attach two LATCH child safety seats to the
same anchor. In a crash, one anchor may not be strong enough
to hold two child safety seat attachments and may break,
causing serious injury or death.
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NOTICE TO UTILITY VEHICLE AND TRUCK OWNERS
Utility vehicles and trucks handle
differently than passenger cars in
the various driving conditions that
are encountered on streets,
highways and off-road. Utility
vehicles and trucks are not designed
for cornering at speeds as high as
passenger cars any more than
low-slung sports cars are designed
to perform satisfactorily under
off-road conditions. WARNING: Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles. To reduce the risk of serious
injury or death from a rollover or other crash you must:
• Avoid sharp turns and abrupt maneuvers;
• Drive at safe speeds for the conditions;
• Keep tires properly inflated;
• Never overload or improperly load your vehicle; and
• Make sure every passenger is properly restrained.
WARNING: In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat
belt. All occupants must wear seat belts and children/infants
must use appropriate restraints to minimize the risk of injury
or ejection.
Study your Owner’s Manual and any supplements for specific
information about equipment features, instructions for safe driving and
additional precautions to reduce the risk of an accident or serious injury.
VEHICLE CHARACTERISTICS
4WD and AWD Systems (if equipped)
A vehicle equipped with AWD or 4WD (when selected) has the ability to
use all four wheels to power itself. This increases traction which may
enable you to safely drive over terrain and road conditions that a
conventional two-wheel drive vehicle cannot.
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WARNING: If you smell exhaust fumes inside your vehicle,
have your authorized dealer inspect your vehicle immediately.
Do not drive if you smell exhaust fumes.
Important safety precautions
A computer system controls the engine’s idle revolutions per minute
(RPM). When the engine starts, the idle RPM runs higher than normal in
order to warm the engine. If the engine idle speed does not slow down
automatically, have the vehicle checked by your authorized dealer.
Before starting the vehicle: 1. Make sure all vehicle occupants have buckled their seat belts. For more information on seat belts and their proper usage, refer to the
Seating and Safety Restraints chapter.
2. Make sure the headlamps and vehicle accessories are off.
If starting a vehicle with an
automatic transmission:
• Make sure the parking brake is
set.
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PREPARING TO DRIVE WARNING: Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles.
WARNING:
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly
more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Utility vehicles and trucks have larger tires and increased ground
clearance, giving the vehicle a higher center of gravity than a passenger
car.
WARNING: Vehicles with a higher center of gravity such as
utility vehicles and trucks handle differently than vehicles with
a lower center of gravity. Utility vehicles and trucks are not
designed for cornering at speeds as high as passenger cars any
more than low-slung sports cars are designed to perform
satisfactorily under off-road conditions. Avoid sharp turns,
excessive speed or abrupt maneuvers in these vehicles. Failure
to drive cautiously could result in an increased risk of loss of
vehicle control, vehicle rollover, personal injury and death.
WARNING: Loaded vehicles, with a higher center of gravity,
may handle differently than unloaded vehicles. Do not overload
your vehicle and use extra precautions, such as driving at
slower speeds, avoiding abrupt steering changes and allowing
for increased stopping distance, when driving a heavily loaded
vehicle. Over loading or loading the vehicle improperly can
deteriorate handling capability and contribute to loss of vehicle
control and vehicle rollover.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION OPERATION (IF EQUIPPED)
Brake-shift interlock
This vehicle is equipped with a brake-shift interlock feature that prevents
the gearshift lever from being moved from P (Park) when the ignition is
in the RUN position unless brake pedal is depressed.
If you cannot move the gearshift lever out of P (Park) with ignition in
the RUN position and the brake pedal depressed, it is possible that a
fuse has blown or the vehicle’s brakelamps are not operating properly.
Refer to Fuses and relays in theRoadside Emergencies chapter.
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4. Make the final connection of the negative (-) cable to an exposed metal part of the disabled vehicle’s engine, away from the battery
and the fuel injection system. NOTE: Do notuse fuel lines, engine
rocker covers or the intake manifold as groundingpoints.
WARNING: Do not connect the end of the second cable to the
negative (-) terminal of the battery to be jumped. A spark may
cause an explosion of the gases that surround the battery.
5. Ensure that the cables are clear of fan blades, belts, moving parts of both engines, or any fuel delivery system parts.
Jump starting 1. Start the engine of the booster vehicle and run the engine at moderately increased speed.
2. Start the engine of the disabled vehicle.
3. Once the disabled vehicle has been started, run both engines for an additional three minutes before disconnecting the jumper cables.
+–+–
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WRECKER TOWING
If you need to have your vehicle towed, contact a professional towing
service or, if you are a member of a roadside assistance program, your
roadside assistance service provider.
It is recommended that your vehicle be towed with a wheel lift and
dollies or flatbed equipment. Do not tow with a slingbelt. Mazda has not
approved a slingbelt towing procedure.
On FWD vehicles, if your vehicle is to be towed from the front, ensure
proper wheel lift equipment is used to raise the front wheels off the
ground. The rear wheels can be left on the ground when towed in this
fashion.
If your vehicle is to be towed from the rear using wheel lift equipment, it
is required that the front wheels (drive wheels) be placed on a dolly to
prevent damage to the automatic transaxle.
On 4WD vehicles, it is requiredthat your vehicle be towed with a wheel
lift and dollies or flatbed equipment with all the wheels off the ground.
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