2011 MAZDA MODEL TRIBUTE warning

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)

2. To unfasten, press the release
button and remove the tongue
from the buckle.
Restraint of pregnant women
WARNING:Always ride and drive with your seatback upright
and the seat belt properly fastened. The lap portion of the seat
belt should fit snug and be positioned low across the hips. The
shoulder portion of the seat belt should be positioned across the chest.
Pregnant women should also follow this practice. See figure below.
Pregnant women should always
wear their seat belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.
Load Limiter Feature
•This vehicle has a seat belt system with a load limiter feature at the
front and rear outboard seating positions to help further reduce the
risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
•This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay
out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant’s chest.
Seating and Safety Restraints
105
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

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.
Seating and Safety Restraints
107
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE
REPLACED if the seat belt assembly “automatic locking
retractor” feature or any other seat belt function is not operating
properly when checked by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.
Seat belt height adjustment
Your vehicle has seat belt height
adjustments at the front outboard
seating positions. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.
To adjust the shoulder belt height,
squeeze and hold the buttons on the
side and slide the height adjuster up
or down. Release the buttons and
pull down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.
WARNING:Position the seat belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust
the seat belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt
and increase the risk of injury in a collision.
Seat belt pretensioner
Your vehicle is equipped with seat belt pretensioners at the driver and
right front passenger seating positions.
The seat belt pretensioner removes some slack from the seat belt system
at the start of a crash. The seat belt pretensioner uses the same crash
sensor system as the front airbags and side-curtain airbags (if equipped).
When the seat belt pretensioner deploys, the lap and shoulder belt are
tightened.
When the side-curtain airbags (if equipped) and/or the front airbags are
activated, the seat belt pretensioners for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions will be activated when the respective seatbelt
is properly buckled.
Seating and Safety Restraints
108
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)

WARNING:The driver and the right front passenger seat belt
system (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must
be replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in
deployment of front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, or side-curtain
airbags (if equipped) and seat belt pretensioners.
WARNING:Failure to replace both front restraints under the
above conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the
event of a collision. The seat belt pretensioners will only function once.
After they are deployed, they will not work again and must be replaced
immediately, even if there was no front seat occupant seated at the
time.
WARNING:Do not drive the vehicle with the airbag/ front seat
belt pretensioner system warning beep sounding: Driving the
vehicle with the airbag/ front seat belt pretensioner system warning
beep sounding is dangerous. In a collision, the airbags and the front
seat belt pretensioner system will not deploy and this could result in
death or serious injury. Contact an authorized Mazda dealer to have
the vehicle inspected as soon as possible.
WARNING:Modifying the components or wiring of the
pretensioner system, including the use of electronic testing
devices is dangerous. You could accidentally activate it or make it
inoperable which would prevent it from activating in an accident. Front
occupants could be seriously injured. Never modify the components or
wiring, or use electronic testing devices on the pretensioner system.
WARNING:Improper disposal of the pretensioner system or a
vehicle with non-deactivated pretensioners is dangerous. Unless
all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Ask an
authorized Mazda dealer how to safely dispose of the pretensioner
system or how to scrap a front pretensioner-equipped vehicle.
Refer to theSeat belt maintenancesection in this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
109
2011 Tribute(j14)
Owners Guide, 1st Printing
USA(fus)