Black plate (161,1)
Before Getting In
lBe sure the windows, outside mirrors,
and outside lights are clean.
lInspect inflation pressures and
condition of tires.
lLook under the vehicle for any sign of
fluid leaks.
lIf you plan to back up, make sure
nothing is in your way.
NOTE
Engine oil, engine coolant, brake fluid, washer
fluid, and other fluid levels should be
inspected. See Maintenance, Section 8.
After Getting In
lAre all doors closed and locked?lIs the seat adjusted properly?lAre the inside and outside mirrors
adjusted?
lIs the steering wheel adjusted properly?lIs everyone's seat belt fastened?lCheck all gauges.lCheck all warning lights when the
ignition is switched ON.
lRelease the parking brake and make
sure the brake warning light goes off.
Always be thoroughly familiar with your
Mazda.
Before Driving Your Mazda
Before Starting the Engine
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Form No.8CA8-EA-11G
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Winter Driving
lCarry emergency gear, including tire
chains, window scraper, a small shovel,
jumper cables, and a small bag of sand
or salt.
Ask an Authorized Mazda Dealer to
perform the following precautions:
lHave the proper ratio of antifreeze in
the radiator.
Refer to Engine Coolant on page 8-21.
lInspect the battery and its cables. Cold
reduces battery capacity.
lInspect the ignition system for damage
and loose connections.
lUse washer fluid made with
antifreeze―but do not use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid
(page 8-24).
lDo not use the parking brake in
freezing weather as it may freeze.
Instead, shift to P and block the rear
wheels.
lDo not apply excessive force to a
window scraper when removing ice or
frozen snow on the mirror glass and
windshield.
lNever use warm or hot water for
removing snow or ice from windows
and mirrors as it could result in the
glass cracking.
lBraking performance can be adversely
affected if snow or ice adheres to the
brake equipment. If this situation
occurs, drive the vehicle slowly,
releasing the accelerator pedal and
lightly applying the brakes several
times until the brake performance
returns to normal.
qSnow Tires
Use snow tires on all four wheels
Do not go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate
snow tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
2, 4.3 psi)
more than recommended on the tire
pressure label (driver's door frame), but
never more than the maximum cold-tire
pressure shown on the tires.
Except 18-inch tires
Your vehicle is originally equipped with
all season radials designed to be used all
year around. In some extreme climates
you may find it necessary to replace them
with snow tires during the winter months
to further improve traction on snow and
ice covered roads.
WARNING
Use only the same size and type tires
(snow, radial, or non-radial) on all four
wheels:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle's handling
could be greatly affected and result
in an accident.
CAUTION
Check local regulations before using
studded tires.
NOTE
If your vehicle is equipped with the tire
pressure monitoring system, the system may
not function correctly when using tires with
steel wire reinforcement in the sidewalls (page
5-32).
4-10
Before Driving Your Mazda
Driving Tips
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Form No.8CA8-EA-11G
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qSafety Chains
Safety chains must be used as a precautionary measure should the trailer become
unintentionally unhitched. They should cross under the trailer tongue and attach to the
hitch. Leave enough slack to allow full turns. Consult literature published by your trailer or
hitch manufacturer for more details.
WARNING
Make sure the safety chain is securely attached to both the trailer and the vehicle
prior to departure:
Towing a trailer without using a safety chain securely attached to both the trailer
and the vehicle is dangerous. If damage occurs to the coupling unit or hitch ball, the
trailer could wander into another lane and cause a collision.
qTrailer Lights
Trailer lights must comply with all federal, state, and local regulations. Equip your trailer
as required before towing it day or night.
CAUTION
Do not connect a trailer lighting system directly to the lighting system of your
Mazda. This may damage your vehicle's electrical system and lighting systems. Have
a recreational vehicle dealer or trailer rental agency connect the system, and inspect
the brake lights and turn signals yourself before each trip.
qTrailer Brakes
If the total trailer weight exceeds 450 kg (1,000 lb), trailer brakes are required. If your
trailer has brakes, make sure they comply with all federal, state, and local regulations.
WARNING
Do not connect a hydraulic trailer-brake system to your vehicle's brake system:
Connecting a hydraulic trailer-brake system directly to the vehicle brake system is
dangerous and will result in inadequate braking and possible injury.
qTrailer Towing Tips
lVerify that your Mazda maintains a near-normal attitude when a loaded or unloaded
trailer is connected. Do not drive if it has an abnormal front-up or front-down position.
Inspect for incorrect tongue load, worn suspension parts, and trailer overloading.
lMake sure the trailer is properly loaded and the cargo is secure to prevent it from
shifting.
lMake sure the mirrors conform to all government regulations. If they do not, install
required rear view mirrors appropriate for towing purposes.
4-18
Before Driving Your Mazda
Towing
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lThe following conditions may affect the visibility of the BSM warning lights on the outside mirror,
making it difficult to confirm the illumination of the lights:
lIce or snow adheres to the surface of the outside mirrors.lThe door window glass is tinted.
qBSM Warning Light/Beep
BSM warning light
Equipped on the left and right door
mirrors.
This warning light illuminates for a few
seconds when the ignition is switched
ON.
If the BSM system detects a vehicle in the
detection area while the vehicle is driven
at a speed of about 32 km/h (20 mph) or
more, the BSM warning light illuminates
on the side of the vehicle where the rear
on-coming vehicle is detected.
NOTE
lIf ice or snow adhere to the outer mirror
surface, the BSM warning light may not be
visible.
lIf the door window glass is tinted, it may
affect the visibility of the BSM warning
light, making it difficult to confirm the
illumination of the light.
BSM warning beep
The warning beep operates when the turn
signal lever is operated to the side where
the BSM warning light is illuminated.
NOTE
The system can be personalized so that the
BSM warning beep does not operate. Consult
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
qBSM OFF Indicator Light
This indicator light illuminates for a few
seconds when the ignition is switched
ON.
The BSM OFF indicator light illuminates
when the BSM system is turned off by
pressing the BSM OFF switch.
The indicator light flashes if the BSM
system has a malfunction. Consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
NOTE
If the vehicle is driven on a road with less
traffic and few vehicles that the radar sensors
can detect, the system may pause (The BSM
OFF indicator light in the instrument panel
flashes). However, it does not indicate a
malfunction.
5-36
Driving Your Mazda
Starting and Driving
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Form No.8CA8-EA-11G
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qMirror Defrosterí
To turn on the mirror defrosters, switch
the ignition ON and press the rear window
defroster switch (page 5-73).
Horn
To sound the horn, press themark on
the steering wheel.
5-74
Driving Your Mazda
íSome models.
Switches and Controls
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Hazard Warning Flasher
The hazard warning lights should always
be used when you stop on or near a
roadway in an emergency.
The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a traffic hazard
and that they must take extreme caution
when near it.
Depress the hazard warning flasher and all
the turn signals will flash.
NOTE
lThe turn signals do not work when the
hazard warning lights are on.
lCheck local regulations about the use of
hazard warning lights while the vehicle is
being towed to verify that it is not in
violation of the law.
HomeLink Wireless
Control System
í
NOTE
HomeLink and HomeLink house are registered
trademarks of Johnson Controls.
The HomeLink system replaces up to 3
hand-held transmitters with a single built-
in component in the auto-dimming mirror.
Pressing the HomeLink button on the
auto-dimming mirror activates garage
doors, gates and other devices
surrounding your home.
HomeLink button
Indicator light
Driving Your Mazda
Switches and Controls
5-75íSome models. CX-9_8CA8-EA-11G_Edition1 Page253
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Form No.8CA8-EA-11G
Black plate (256,1)
HomeLink should now activate your
rolling code equipped device.
NOTE
To program the remaining two HomeLink
buttons, begin with“Programming”―step 2.
Do not repeat step 1.
For questions or comments, please contact
HomeLink atwww.homelink.comor1-
800-355-3515.
qGate operator/Canadian
Programming
Canadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to“time-out”(or quit)
after several seconds of transmission―
which may not be long enough for
HomeLink to pick up the signal during
programming. Similar to this Canadian
law, some U.S. gate operators are
designed to“time-out”in the same
manner.
If you live in Canada or you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
by using the“Programming”procedures
(regardless of where you live),replace
“Programming HomeLink”step 3with
the following:
NOTE
If programming a garage door opener or gate
operator, it is advised to unplug the device
during the“cycling”process to prevent
possible overheating.
Continue to press and hold the HomeLink
button while youpress and release―
every two seconds(“cycle”) your hand-
held transmitter until the frequency signal
has successfully been accepted by
HomeLink. (The indicator light will flash
slowly and then rapidly.)
Proceed with“Programming”step 4 to
complete.
qOperating the HomeLink System
Press the programmed HomeLink button
to operate a programmed device. The
code will continue being transmitted for a
maximum of 20 seconds.
qReprogramming the HomeLink
system
To program a device to HomeLink using a
HomeLink button previously trained,
follow these steps:
1. Press and hold the desired HomeLink
button.DO NOTrelease the button.
2. The indicator light will begin to flash
after 20 seconds. Without releasing the
HomeLink button, proceed with
“Programming”- step 2.
qErasing Programmed HomeLink
Buttons
To erase the existing programming from
all three operating channels, press and
hold the two outside buttons (
,)
on the auto-dimming mirror until the
HomeLink indicator light begins to flash
after approximately 20 seconds.
Verify that the programming has been
erased when you resell the vehicle.
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Switches and Controls
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qRear View Monitor Operation
The operation of the rear view monitor when reversing the vehicle varies depending on the
traffic, road, and vehicle conditions. The amount of steering and the timing also varies
depending on conditions, so confirm the surrounding conditions directly with your eyes
and steer the vehicle in accordance with the conditions.
Be well aware of the above cautions prior to using the rear view monitor.
NOTE
Images displayed on the monitor from the rear view parking camera are reversed images (mirror
images).
1. Shift the shift lever to R to switch the display to the rear view monitor display.
2. Confirming the surrounding conditions, reverse the vehicle.
(Screen display)
(Actual view)
3. When the shift lever is shifted from R to another shift lever position, the screen returns
to the previous display.
NOTE
Because there may be a difference between the displayed image, such as indicated below, and the
actual conditions when parking, always verify the safety at the rear of the vehicle and the
surrounding area directly with your eyes.
6-180
Interior Comfort
Rear View Monitor
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Form No.8CA8-EA-11G