2011 MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE seats

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.
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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.
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All seat belts in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The
passenger seat belts have two types of locking modes described below:
Seat belt locking modes
All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The driver seat belt has the first locking mode and the front
outboard passenger and rear seat belts have both types of locking modes
described as follows:
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination seat belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled out
too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull webbing
out again in a slow and controlled manner.
Automatic locking mode
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver seat belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
This mode should be usedany timea child safety seat, except a
booster, is installed in passenger front or rear seating positions. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. Refer toSafety restraints for childrenor
Safety seats for childrenlater in this chapter.
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How to use the automatic locking mode
•Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
•Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
•Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the seat belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
WARNING:After any vehicle collision, the seat belt system at
all passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized
dealer to verify that the “automatic locking retractor” feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be
checked for proper function.
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WARNING:Even with Advanced Restraints Systems, children
12 and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position.
WARNING:Do not seat a child in a child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat if the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light does not illuminate: While it is always
better to install any child-restraint system on the rear seat, it is
imperative that a child-restraint system ONLY be used on the front
passenger seat if the deactivation indicator light illuminates when the
child is seated in the child-restraint system. Seating a child in a
child-restraint system installed on the front passenger seat with the
front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light not illuminated is
dangerous. If this deactivation indicator light does not illuminate, this
means that the front passenger front and side air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner are ready for deployment. If an accident were to deploy
an air bag, a child in a child-restraint system sitting in the front
passenger seat could be seriously injured or killed. If the indicator light
does not illuminate after seating a child in a child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat, then seat a child in a child-restraint system
on the rear seat and consult an authorized Mazda dealer as soon as
possible.
After all occupants have adjusted their seats and put on seat belts, it’s
very important that they continue to sit properly. A properly seated
occupant sits upright, leaning against the seat back, and centered on the
seat cushion, with their feet comfortably extended on the floor. Sitting
improperly can increase the chance of injury in a crash event. For
example, if an occupant slouches, lies down, turns sideways, sits forward,
leans forward or sideways, or puts one or both feet up, the chance of
injury during a crash is greatly increased.
WARNING:Sitting improperly out of position or with the seat
back reclined too far can take off weight from the seat cushion
and affect the decision of the front passenger sensing system, resulting
in serious injury or death in a crash.
Always sit upright against your seatback, with your feet on the floor.
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WARNING:Do not increase the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat that would allow the front passenger seatback to
contact the rear seat.
WARNING:Do not spill any liquids on the front seats or under
the front seats.
The front passenger sensing system may detect small or medium objects
placed on the seat cushion. For most objects that are in the front
passenger seat, the passenger airbag will be disabled. Even though the
passenger airbag is disabled, thepass airbag offlamp may or may not
be illuminated according to the table below.
ObjectsPass Airbag Off
Indicator LampPassenger Airbag
Small (i.e. three-ring
binder, small purse,
bottled water)Unlit Disabled
Medium (i.e. heavy
briefcase, fully packed
luggage)Lit Disabled
Empty seat, or small
to medium object with
seat belt buckledLit Disabled
If you think that the status of the passenger airbag off indicator lamp is
incorrect, check for the following:
•Objects lodged underneath the seat
•Objects between the seat cushion and the center console (if
equipped)
•Objects hanging off the seat back
•Objects stowed in the seatback map pocket (if equipped)
•Objects placed on the occupant’s lap
•Cargo interference with the seat
•Other passengers pushing or pulling on the seat
•Rear passenger feet and knees resting or pushing on the seat
The conditions listed above may cause the weight of a properly seated
occupant to be incorrectly interpreted by the front passenger sensing
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Relationship Center at the phone number shown in theCustomer
Assistancesection of thisOwner’s Manual.
WARNING:Any alteration/modification to the front passenger
seat may affect the performance of the front passenger sensing
system.
Determining if the system is operational
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to theAirbag readiness
section in theInstrument Clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the
airbag is not required.
A malfunction with the system is indicated by one or more of the
following:
•The readiness light will either
flash or stay lit.
•The readiness light will not
illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.
•A series of five beep sounds will be heard. The tone pattern will
repeat periodically until the problem and/or light are repaired.
If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your authorized Mazda dealership immediately.
WARNING:Unless serviced, the system may not function
properly in the event of a collision.
Seat-mounted side airbag system
WARNING:Do not place objects or mount equipment on or
near the airbag cover on the side of the seatbacks of the front
seats or in front seat areas that may come into contact with a
deploying airbag. Failure to follow these instructions may increase the
risk of personal injury in the event of a collision.
WARNING:Do not use accessory seat covers or non-Mazda
leather seat upgrade kits. The use of accessory seat covers and
kits may prevent the deployment of the side airbags and increase the
risk of injury in an accident.
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The side airbags are fitted on the outboard side of the seatbacks of the
front seats. In certain lateral collisions, the airbag on the side affected by
the collision will be inflated. The airbag was designed to inflate between
the door panel and occupant to further enhance the protection provided
occupants in side impact collisions.
The airbag SRS is designed to activate when the vehicle sustains lateral
deceleration sufficient to cause the sensors to close an electrical circuit
that initiates airbag inflation.
The fact that the airbags did not inflate in a collision does not mean that
something is wrong with the system. Rather, it means the forces were
not of the type sufficient to cause activation. Side airbags are designed
to inflate in side-impact collisions, not roll-over, rear-impact, frontal or
near-frontal collisions, unless the collision causes sufficient lateral
deceleration.
WARNING:Several airbag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation.
WARNING:If the side
airbag has deployed, the
airbag will not function again. The
side airbag system (including the
seat) must be inspected and
serviced by an authorized dealer.
If the airbag is not replaced, the
unrepaired area will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.
Determining if the side airbags are operational
First determine you have the optional side airbags - locate the “AIRBAG
labels on the outboard sides of the front seats.
The SRS uses a readiness light in the instrument cluster or a tone to
indicate the condition of the system. Refer to theAirbag readiness
section in theInstrument clusterchapter. Routine maintenance of the
side airbag is not required.
A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
•The readiness light (same light as for front airbag system) will either
flash or stay lit.
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