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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 CorporationHIROSHIMA, 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.
Perchlorate
Certain components of this vehicle such as [air bag modules, seat belt pretensioners, lithium batteries, ...] may
contain Perchlorate Material –Special handling may apply for service or vehicle end of life disposal. See
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
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.
©2008 Mazda Motor Corporation
Printed in Japan Nov. 2008(Print1)
A Word to Mazda Owners
MX-5_8Z78-EA-08K_Edition1 Page3
Thursday, October 23 2008 1:52 PM
Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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qSeat Recline
WARNING
Do not drive with either front seat
reclined:
Sitting in a reclined position while the
vehicle is moving is dangerous
because you do not get the full
protection from seat belts. During
sudden braking or a collision, you
can slide under the lap belt and
suffer serious internal injuries. For
maximum protection, sit well back
and upright.
Always sit in the passenger seat
properly with the seatback upright and
feet on the floor: Your passenger seat has weight
sensors, sitting in the passenger seat
improperly out of position or with the
seatback reclined too far while the
vehicle is moving is dangerous as it
can take off weight from the seat
bottom and affect the weight
determination of the passenger
sensing system. As a result the
passenger will not have the
supplementary protection of the air
bag and seat belt pretensioner, which
could result in serious injury. Always
sit upright against the seatback with
your feet on the floor. Do not drive with the seatback
unlocked:
All of the seatbacks play 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.
To change the seatback angle, lean
forward slightly while raising the lever.
Then lean back to the desired position and
release the lever.
Make sure the lever returns to its original
position and the seatback is locked in
place by attempting to push it forward and
backward.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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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: If the air bags deploy 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 crash-used 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 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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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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Seat Belt Pretensioner and
Load Limiting Systems
For optimum protection, the driver and
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 air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously. The seat belt retractors
remove slack quickly as the air bags are
expanding.
In addition, the pretensioner system for
the passenger, like the passenger air bag,
is designed to only deploy in accordance
with the total seated weight on the
passenger seat (page 2-43) or when the
passenger air bag deactivation switch
turned to the ON position (page 2-39).
Any time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have fired they must be
replaced.
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
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 2-10).
Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended: If the air bags deploy 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 crash-used
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
seat belts inspected. Always have an
Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the
seat belt pretensioners and air bags
after any collision.
2-12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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qRequest Switch Inoperable
Warning Beep
If the request switch for a front door is
pressed under the following conditions
while the advanced key is being carried, a
beep will be heard 6 times to indicate that
the front doors cannot be locked.
lA door is open (door ajar included).lThe start knob has not been returned to
the LOCK position.
lThe auxiliary key is inserted into the
ignition switch.
qAdvanced Key Battery Dead
Warning
When the start knob is returned to the
ACC or LOCK position from the ON
position, the KEY indicator light (green)
flashes for approximately 30 seconds
indicating that the remaining battery
power is low. Replace with a new battery
before the advanced key becomes
unusable.
Refer to Advanced Key Maintenance
(page 3-5).
NOTE
The advanced key can be set so that the KEY
indicator light (green) does not flash even if
the battery power is low.
Refer to Setting Change (page 3-21).
qEngine Start Not Permitted Warning
Under the following conditions, the KEY
warning light (red) flashes to inform the
driver that the start knob will not rotate to
the ACC position even if it is pushed in
from the LOCK position.
lThe advanced key battery is dead.lThe advanced key is not within
operational range.
lThe advanced key is placed in areas
where it is difficult for the system to
detect the signal (page 3-7).
lA key from another manufacturer
similar to the advanced key is in the
operational range.
qAdvanced Key Left-in-trunk
Warning Beep
If the advanced key is left in the trunk
compartment with both doors locked and
the trunk lid closed, a beep sound is heard
for about 10 seconds to remind the driver
the advanced key has been left in the
trunk compartment. If this happens, open
the trunk lid by pressing the request
switch and remove the advanced key. An
advanced key removed from the trunk
may not function because its functions
may have been temporarily suspended. To
restore the advanced key function,
perform the applicable procedure (page
3-18).
qAdvanced Key Left-in-vehicle
Warning Beep
If an advanced key is left in the vehicle
cabin and both doors are locked using a
separate advanced key, a beep sound is
heard for about 10 seconds to remind the
driver that the advanced key has been left
in the vehicle cabin. If this happens, the
doors lock but the functions of the
advanced key left in the vehicle cabin
may be temporarily suspended. Perform
the following procedure to restore the
functions of the advanced key (page
3-18).
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Knowing Your Mazda
Advanced Keyless Entry and Start System
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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qSpeedometer
The speedometer indicates the speed of
the vehicle.
qOdometer, Trip Meter, Average
Fuel Economy Display, Outside
Temperature Display and Selector
The ignition switch must be in the ON
position.
Each time the selector is pressed the
display switches in the order of trip meter
A, trip meter B, the average fuel economy
display and the outside temperature
display.
Trip Meter
Selector
Average Fuel Economy Display
Outside Temperature Display
Odometer
Trip meter B
Average fuel
economy
Outside
temperature Trip meter A
Odometer
Odometer
Odometer
Odometer
Odometer
The odometer records the total distance
the vehicle has been driven.
Trip meter
The trip meter can record the total
distance of two trips. One is recorded in
trip meter A, and the other is recorded in
trip meter B.
For instance, trip meter A can record the
distance from the point of origin, and trip
meter B can record the distance from
where the fuel tank is filled.
When trip meter A is selected, pressing
the selector again within one second will
change to trip meter B mode.
When trip meter A is selected, TRIP A
will be displayed. When trip meter B is
selected, TRIP B will be displayed.
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Driving Your Mazda
Instrument Cluster and Indicators
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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NOTE
The advanced key can be set so that the KEY
indicator light (green) does not flash even if
the battery power is low.
Refer to Setting Change (Function
Customization)(page 3-21).
qSecurity Indicator Light
This indicator light starts flashing every 2
seconds when the ignition switch is turned
from the ON to the ACC position and the
immobilizer system is armed.
The light stops flashing when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON position with
the correct ignition key.
At this time, the immobilizer system is
disarmed and the light illuminates for
about 3 seconds and then turns off.
If the engine does not start with the
correct ignition key, and the security
indicator light keeps illuminating or
flashing, the system may have a
malfunction. Consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
qHeadlight High-Beam Indicator
Light
This light indicates one of two things:lThe high-beam headlights are on.lThe turn signal lever is in the flash-to-
pass position.
qShift Position Indicator Light
(Automatic Transmission)
This indicates the selected shift position
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
Gear position indicator
Driving Your Mazda
Warning/Indicator Lights and Beep Sounds
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K
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Signals from an FM transmitter are similar
to beams of light because they do not
bend around corners, but they do reflect.
Unlike AM signals, FM signals cannot
travel beyond the horizon. Therefore, FM
stations cannot be received at the great
distances possible with AM reception.
AM wave
FM wave
FM wave
100—200 km (60—120 miles) Ionosphere
Atmospheric conditions can also affect
FM reception. High humidity will cause
poor reception. However, cloudy days
may provide better reception than clear
days.
Multipath noise
Since FM signals can be reflected by
obstructions, it is possible to receive both
the direct signal and the reflected signal at
the same time. This causes a slight delay
in reception and may be heard as a broken
sound or a distortion. This problem may
also be encountered when in close
proximity to the transmitter.
Reflected wave
Direct
Flutter/Skip noise
Signals from an FM transmitter move in
straight lines and become weak in valleys
between tall buildings, mountains, and
other obstacles. When a vehicle passes
through such an area, the reception
conditions may change suddenly, resulting
in annoying noise.
Weak signal noise
In suburban areas, broadcast signals
become weak because of distance from
the transmitter. Reception in such fringe
areas is characterized by sound breakup.
Interior Comfort
Audio System
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Form No.8Z78-EA-08K