2011 MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE Owners Manual (in English)

Attach the seat belt web snap
button to the quarter trim panel
snap button. This will ensure that
seat belt does not get caught by
staying out of the seat back folding
path.
4. To release seatback, pull the
seatback release lever (on top
of seat) toward the front seat.
This is common for both 60%
and 40% seatbacks.
Note:When the seatback release
lever is pulled, slowly lower
seatback to the flat position.
5. Rotate seatback down into load
floor position.
Seating and Safety Restraints
97
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Returning the second row seats to upright position
1. Pull seatback up and into
upright position making sure
seatback locks into place and
the red seat unlatched indicator
on release paddle is not visible.
2. Rotate seat cushion down into
the seating position making sure
that the seat cushion is locked
into place and that the seat belt
buckles are exposed.
WARNING:Make sure seat
belt buckle heads are
through elastic holders on seat
backs. Seat belt buckles may
break if they are trapped
underneath the seatback as the
seatback is rotated down.
WARNING:Before returning the seatback to its original
position, make sure that cargo or any objects are not trapped
behind the seatback. After returning the seatback to its original
position, reinstall the head restraints, and pull on the seatback to
ensure that it has fully latched. An unlatched seat may become
dangerous in the event of a sudden stop or collision.
3. Unsnap the seat belt webbing from the quarter trim panel.
4. Remove the second row head restraint from underneath the front
seat and reinstall. SeeSecond row adjustable head restraintsin
this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
98
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

To remove the second row cushion
1. Lift the yellow tab to release the
hinges.
2. Pull the cushion to the outboard
side of the vehicle.
To install the second row cushion
1. Push the cushion to the inboard
side of the vehicle.
2. Make sure that the hinges are
locked into place.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Personal Safety System™
The Personal Safety System provides an improved overall level of frontal
crash protection to front seat occupants and is designed to help further
reduce the risk of airbag-related injuries. The system is able to analyze
different occupant conditions and crash severity before activating the
appropriate safety devices to help better protect a range of occupants in
a variety of frontal crash situations.
Your vehicle’s Personal Safety System consists of:
•Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints.
•Front seat belts with pretensioners (front row only), load limiter
(front row only), and seat belt usage sensors (front row only).
•Front passenger sensing system
•“Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp
Seating and Safety Restraints
99
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

•Front crash severity sensor.
•Restraints Control Module (RCM) with impact and safing sensors.
•Restraint system warning light and backup tone.
•The electrical wiring for the airbags, crash sensor(s), seat belt
pretensioners, front seat belt usage sensors, driver seat position
sensor, front passenger sensing system, and indicator lights.
How does the Personal Safety System™ work?
The Personal Safety System can adapt the deployment strategy of your
vehicle’s safety devices according to crash severity and occupant
conditions. A collection of crash and occupant sensors provides
information to the Restraints control module (RCM). During a crash, the
RCM may activate the seat belt pretensioners and/or either one or both
stages of the dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints based on crash
severity and occupant conditions.
The fact that the pretensioners or airbags did not activate for both front
seat occupants in a collision does not mean that something is wrong with
the system. Rather, it means the Personal Safety System determined the
accident conditions (crash severity, belt usage, etc.) were not
appropriate to activate these safety devices. Front airbags and
pretensioners are designed to activate only in frontal and near-frontal
collisions, not rollovers, side-impacts, or rear-impacts unless the collision
causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.
Driver and passenger dual-stage airbag supplemental restraints
The dual-stage airbags inflation energy is tailored to crash severity, belt
use, driver seat position, and other factors. A lower, less forceful energy
level is provided for more common, moderate-severity impacts. A higher
energy level is used for the most severe impacts unless the driver’s seat
is forward for a small occupant. Refer toAirbag supplemental
restraintssection in this chapter.
Front crash severity sensor
The front crash severity sensor enhances the ability to detect the
severity of an impact. Positioned up front, it provides valuable
information early in the crash event on the severity of the impact. This
allows your Personal Safety System to distinguish between different
levels of crash severity and modify the deployment strategy of the
dual-stage airbags and seat belt pretensioners.
Seating and Safety Restraints
100
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Driver’s seat position sensor
The driver’s seat position sensor allows your Personal Safety System to
tailor the deployment level of the driver dual-stage airbag based on seat
position. The system is designed to help protect smaller drivers sitting
close to the driver airbag by providing a lower airbag output level.
Front passenger sensing system
For airbags to do their job they must inflate with great force, and this
force can pose a potentially deadly risk to occupants that are very close
to the airbag when it begins to inflate. For some occupants, like infants
in rear-facing child seats, this occurs because they are initially sitting
very close to the airbag. For other occupants, this occurs when the
occupant is not properly restrained by seat belts or child safety seats and
they move forward during pre-crash braking. The most effective way to
reduce the risk of unnecessary injuries is to make sure all occupants are
properly restrained. Accident statistics suggest that children are much
safer when properly restrained in the rear seating positions than in the
front.
WARNING:Air bags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active air
bag. If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move
the seat all the way back.
WARNING:When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.
The front passenger sensing system can automatically turn off the
passenger front airbag. The system is designed to help protect small
(child size) occupants from airbag deployments when they are
improperly seated or restrained in the front passenger seat contrary to
proper child-seating or restraint usage recommendations. Even with this
technology, parents areSTRONGLYencouraged to always properly
restrain children in the rear seat. The sensor also turns off the passenger
front airbag and passenger seat-mounted side airbag (if equipped) when
the passenger seat is empty.
When the front passenger seat is occupied and the sensing system has
turned off the passenger’s frontal airbag, the “pass airbag off” indicator
will light and stay lit to remind you that the front passenger frontal
airbag is off. SeeFront passenger sensing systemin the airbags section
of this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
101
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

Front seat belt usage sensors
The front seat belt usage sensors detect whether or not the driver and
front outboard passenger seat belts are fastened. This information allows
your Personal Safety System to tailor the airbag deployment and seat
belt pretensioner activation depending upon seat belt usage. Refer to
Safety restraintssection in this chapter.
Front seat belt pretensioners
The seat belt pretensioners at the front outboard seating positions are
designed to tighten the seat belts firmly against the occupant’s body
during frontal collisions, and in side collisions and rollovers when the
vehicle is equipped with the side-curtain airbag system. This helps
increase the effectiveness of the seat belts. In frontal collisions, the seat
belt pretensioners can be activated alone or, if the collision is of
sufficient severity, together with the front airbags.
Seat belt load limiter
The front and rear outboard seat belt load limiter allows webbing to be
pulled out of the retractor in a gradual and controlled manner in
response to the occupant’s forward momentum. This helps reduce the
risk of force-related injuries to the occupant’s chest by limiting the load
on the occupant. Refer toLoad limiter featuresection in this chapter.
Determining if the Personal Safety System is operational
The Personal Safety System uses a warning light in the instrument
cluster or a backup tone to indicate the condition of the system. Refer to
theWarning lightsection in theInstrument clusterchapter. Routine
maintenance of the Personal Safety System is not required.
The Restraints control module (RCM) monitors its own internal circuits
and the circuits for the airbag supplemental restraints, crash sensor(s),
seat belt pretensioners, front seat belt buckle sensors, driver seat
position sensor, and front passenger sensing system. In addition, the
RCM also monitors the restraints warning light in the instrument cluster.
A malfunction with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following.
•The warning light will either flash or stay lit.
•The warning light will not illuminate immediately after ignition is
turned on.
•A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat
periodically until the problem and warning light are repaired.
Seating and Safety Restraints
102
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the Personal
Safety System serviced at an authorized dealer immediately. Unless
serviced, the system may not function properly in the event of a
collision.
Safety restraints precautions
WARNING:Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips and the shoulder
belt snug across the chest.
WARNING:To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
WARNING:Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
WARNING:All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their seat belts, even when an air
bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: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.
WARNING:It is extremely dangerous to ride in a cargo area,
inside or outside of a vehicle. In a collision, people riding in
these areas are more likely to be seriously injured or killed. Do not
allow people to ride in any area of your vehicle that is not equipped
with seats and seat belts. Be sure everyone in your vehicle is in a seat
and using a seat belt properly.
WARNING:In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is
significantly more likely to die or be seriously injured than a
person wearing a seat belt.
Seating and Safety Restraints
103
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific
seat belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one
tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt
on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. 2) Never swing the seat belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.
WARNING:Placing a child, 12 years or younger, in the front
seat is dangerous. The child could be hit by a deploying airbag
and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more likely
to lean against the door and be hit by the side airbag (if equipped) in a
moderate collision. Whenever possible, always secure a child, 12 years
or younger, in the rear seat, 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 airbag that could deploy.
WARNING:Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear seat belts for optimum protection in an
accident.
Combination lap and shoulder belts
1. Insert the belt tongue into the
proper buckle (the buckle
closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from) until
you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.
Seating and Safety Restraints
104
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)