2009 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK warning

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To return the seatbacks to the upright
position
1. Position the outboard seat belts to theside.
2. Lift the seatbacks upright.
3. Make sure the seat belts are fully pulled out from under the seatbacks.
4. Pull on the top of the seatbacks from inside the vehicle to make sure they are
locked.
5. Fasten the center-rear lap/shoulder belt and check that all seat belts are routed
properly for passenger use (page 2-21).WARNING
Always make sure the seat belts are
fully pulled out from under the
seatbacks: A seat belt caught under a seatback
after the seatback is returned to its
upright position is dangerous. In a
collision or sudden stop, the seat belt
cannot provide adequate protection.
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, make sure there is no
red indication: A rear seatback not fully returned
and locked in the upright position is
dangerous. Sudden stops or
maneuvering could cause a seatback
to flip forward suddenly resulting in
injury. If the red indicator is visible on
the back of the rear seatback knob,
the seatback is not locked in the
upright position.
Locked position
Unlocked position
Red indicator
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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qRear Seatback Lock (4 Door)
To lock or unlock a seatback, move the
lever.
NOTE
The seatback locks are part of the trunk
security system (page 3-16).
qArmrest
The rear armrest in the center of the rear
seatback can be used (no occupant in the
center seat) or placed upright.
Armrest
Head Restraintsí
Head restraints are intended to help
protect you and the passengers from neck
injury.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
installed when seats are being used
and make sure they are properly
adjusted:
Driving with the head restraints
adjusted too low or removed is
dangerous. With no support behind
your head, your neck could be
seriously injured in a collision.
Height adjustment
To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the
desired position.
To lower the head restraint, press the stop-
catch release, then push the head restraint
down.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top is
even with the top of the passenger's ears,
never the passenger's neck to prevent
injury.
Front seat
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Essential Safety Equipment
íSome models.
Seats
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Form No.8Z87-EA-08F

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Rear seat
Removal/Installation
To remove the head restraint, pull it up
while pressing the stop-catch.
To install the head restraint, press the
uprights into the holes while pressing the
stop-catch.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
set up when seats are being used and
make sure they are properly set up:Driving with the head restraints not
set up is dangerous. With no support
behind your head, your neck could be
seriously injured in a collision.
Seat Warmerí
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.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-11íSome models.
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Form No.8Z87-EA-08F

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WARNING
ØBe careful when using the seat
warmer. The heat from the seat
warmer may be too hot for some
people, as indicated below, and
could cause a low-temperature
burn.
ØInfants, small babies, elderly
people, and physically
challenged people
ØPeople with delicate skin
ØPeople who are excessively
fatigued
ØPeople who are drunk
ØPeople who have taken sleep-
inducing medicine such as
sleeping pills or cold medicine
Ø Do not use the seat warmer with
anything having high moisture-
retention ability such as a blanket
or cushion on the seat. The seat
may be heated excessively and
cause a low-temperature burn.
Ø Do not use the seat warmer even
when taking a short nap in the
vehicle. The seat may be heated
excessively and cause a low-
temperature burn.
Ø Do not place heavy objects with
sharp projections on the seat, or
insert needles or pins into it. This
could cause the seat to become
excessively heated and result in
injury from a minor burn.
CAUTION
Do not use organic solvents to clean
the seat. It may damage the seat
surface and the heater. NOTE
Use the seat warmer when the engine is
running, and do not continue to use it for a
long period of time.
The temperature of the seat warmer cannot be
adjusted beyond High and Low because the
seat warmer is controlled by a thermostat.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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WARNING
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained: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.
Do not wear twisted seat belts: Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt is not
available to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt,
which could cause serious injury or death.
Never use one seat belt on more than one person at a time: Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt
used in this way cannot 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 and always operate the vehicle with each occupant
properly restrained.
Do not operate a vehicle with a damaged seat belt: 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. Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect all seat belt
systems in use during an accident before they are used again.
Have your seat belts changed immediately if the pretensioner or load limiter has
been expended: One or both front air bags may deploy, and the corresponding pretensioner(s) may
also deploy at the same time. Like the air bags, the seat belt pretensioners will only
function once. While it is safer to use a post-crash (a seat belt that was used in an
accident) than no seat belt at all, using a seat belt with an expended pretensioner or
load limiter loaded reduces the safety available to you. If the seat belt pretensioners
are not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase. Expended seat belt
pretensioners and air bags must be replaced after any collision which caused them
to deploy. Additionally, the load limiter will only limit loads on the chest once in a
collision and this is another reason to have the front seat belts inspected. Always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the seat belt pretensioners and air bags
after any collision.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Seat Belt (Except Center-
Rear Position)
NOTE
When using the center-rear seat belt, refer to
“Center-Rear Position Seat Belt” (page 2-21).
qFastening the Seat Belt
1. Grasp the seat belt tongue.
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
TongueBelt
3. Insert the seat belt tongue into the seat
belt buckle until you hear a click
sound.
Buckle Tongue
WARNING
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.
4. Position the lap belt as low as possible, not on the abdominal area, then adjust
the shoulder belt so that it fits snugly
against your body.
Keep low on
hip bone
Too high
Take up slack
WARNING
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.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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qUnfastening the Seat Belt
Depress the button on the seat belt buckle.
If the belt does not fully retract, pull it out
and check for kinks or twists. Then make
sure it remains untwisted as it retracts.
Button
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.
qFront Shoulder Belt Adjuster
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt if
the seat belt touches your neck, or if it
crosses your arm instead of your shoulder.
To raise the shoulder belt adjuster, push
the adjuster up. To lower the shoulder belt
adjuster, pull the adjuster and slide it
down. Make sure the adjuster is locked.
To raise To lower
WARNING
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.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Form No.8Z87-EA-08F

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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. For both these systems to work
properly you must wear the seat belt
properly.
Pretensioners:
In moderate or severe frontal or near-
frontal accidents, the front air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously. The front seat belt
retractors remove slack quickly as the air
bags are expanding.
In addition, the pretensioner system for
the front passenger, like the front
passenger air bag, is designed to only
deploy in accordance with the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat. Any
time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have fired they must be
replaced. For details, refer to the front
passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-48).
Load limiter:
The load limiting system releases belt
webbing in a controlled manner to reduce
belt force on the occupant's chest. While
the most severe load on a seat belt occurs
in frontal collisions, the load limiter has
an automatic mechanical function and can
activate in any accident mode with
sufficient occupant movement.
Even if the pretensioners have not fired,
the load limiting function must be
checked by an Authorized Mazda Dealer
after any collision.
WARNING
Wear seat belts only as recommended
in this owner's manual:Incorrect positioning of the driver and
front 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.
For more details about wearing seat
belts, refer to “Fastening the seat
belts ”(page 2-17).
Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended: One or both front air bags may
deploy, and the corresponding
pretensioner(s) may also deploy at
the same time. Like the air bags, the
seat belt pretensioners will only
function once. While it is safer to use
a post-crash (a seat belt that was
used in an accident) than no seat belt
at all, using a seat belt with an
expended pretensioner or load limiter
loaded reduces the safety available to
you. If the seat belt pretensioners are
not replaced, the risk of injury in a
collision will increase. Expended seat
belt pretensioners and air bags must
be replaced after any collision which
caused them to deploy. Additionally,
the load limiter will only limit loads
on the chest once in a collision and
this is another reason to have the
front seat belts inspected. Always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer
inspect the seat belt pretensioners
and air bags after any collision.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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