2012 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 MIATA automatic

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Seat Belt Precautions
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and passenger always wear seat belts.
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way
when not in use.
The driver's seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.
However, the passenger's seat lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two modes: emergency
locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode.
Your vehicle is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for securing the LATCH child-
restraint system in the passenger seat but there is no child-restraint tether available. As
there is no rear seat on this vehicle, the preferred location for children, following the
manufacturer's instructions on the LATCH child restraint-system and this owner's manual is
important (page 2-27).
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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CAUTION
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and seat belt guides are soiled, so try
to keep them clean. For more details about cleaning the seat belts, refer to“Cleaning
the Lap/Shoulder Belt Webbing ”(page 8-59).
Seat belt guide
q Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for specific
recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIPS.
The shoulder belt should be worn across your shoulder properly, but never across the
stomach area.
Persons with serious medical conditions also should wear seat belts. Check with your
doctor for any special instructions regarding specific medical conditions.
qEmergency Locking Mode
In the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the
retractor will lock in position during a collision. When the seat belt is fastened, it will
always be in the emergency locking mode until it is switched to automatic locking mode by
pulling it all the way out to its full length. If the belt feels tight and hinders comfortable
movement while the vehicle is stopped or in motion, it may be in the automatic locking
mode because the belt has been pulled too far out. To return the belt to the more
comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until the vehicle has stopped in a safe, level
area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking mode and then extend it
around you again.
If the belt is locked and cannot be pulled out, retract the belt once, and then try pulling it
out slowly. If this fails, pull the belt strongly one time and loosen, then pull it out again
slowly.
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Seat Belt Systems
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qAutomatic Locking Mode
To enable seat belt automatic locking mode, pull it all the way out and connect it as
instructed on the child-restraint system. It will retract down to the child-restraint system
and stay locked on it. If the LATCH lower anchors are not used alone for LATCH style
junior seats and infant carriers without tethers, always use the automatic locking mode to
keep the child-restraint system from shifting to an unsafe position in the event of an
accident. See the section on child restraint (page 2-18).
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Seat Belt Systems
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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. Any time the air bags and
front seat belt pretensioners have
deployed they must be replaced.
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 2-47) or when the
passenger air bag deactivation switch
turned to the ON position (page 2-43).
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
deployed, 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 2-11).
Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended: Always have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer immediately inspect the seat
belt pretensioners and air bags after
any collision. Like the air bags, the
seat belt pretensioners and load
limiters will only function once and
must be replaced after any collision
that caused them to deploy. A seat
belt with an expended pretensioner
or load limiter is still better than
wearing no seat belt at all; however,
if the seat belt pretensioners and
load limiters are not replaced, the
risk of injury in a collision will
increase.
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Seat Belt Systems
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To reduce the chance of injuries caused by the deployment of the passenger air bag, there
are two methods to deactivate the passenger air bag for a child's safety as follows―
however the surest way to avoid the passenger air bag not deploying is to use the key and
turn off the passenger air bag and not rely on the passenger seat weight sensors, which will
also detect other loads or objects on and around the passenger seat;
Passenger air bag deactivation switch
This switch should be used to deactivate the passenger front and side air bags and also the
passenger seat belt pretensioner system if installing a child-restraint system on the
passenger seat.
Make sure the passenger air bag deactivation switch is in the ON position except when a
child-restraint system is installed on the passenger seat.
Refer to Passenger Air Bag Deactivation Switch on page 2-43.
Passenger seat weight sensors
These sensors deactivate the passenger front and side air bags and also the passenger seat
belt pretensioner system when the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light
illuminates.
When an infant or small child is seated on the passenger seat, the system shuts off the
passenger air bag, so make sure the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light
illuminates.
Refer to Passenger Seat Weight Sensors on page 2-47.
LATCH Child-Restraint System
We have installed lower LATCH anchor points for LATCH style junior seats and infant
carriers that work without tethers only. Any other child-restraint system that has an upper
tether cannot be used in this vehicle because there is no tether anchor. A child-restraint
system with a tether cannot be properly mounted in this vehicle unless the child restraint
manufacturer provides instructions on mounting the child-restraint system with only seat
belts in automatic locking mode. Even then, without a tether, the child-restraint system may
move forward more easily in seat belts, further degrading the safety provided if you were to
put the child restraint in a tether anchor equipped rear seat of another vehicle. The seat and
head restraint is designed for maximum adult space utilization in this vehicle. Do not try to
secure the tether to something else in the vehicle, as too much slack will result and the
serious risk of injury or death to the child. Use the seat belts to properly secure the non-
tethered child-restraint systems other than the LATCH junior seats and non-tethered infant
carriers. Turn off the passenger air bag deactivation switch. To expose and use the lower
LATCH anchor points, which are affixed to the body and not the seat, slide the seat all the
way rearward which is the optimal vehicle seat position for all children in this two seat car.
WARNING
Use the correct size child-restraint system: For effective protection in vehicle accidents and sudden stops, a child must be
properly restrained using a seat belt or child-restraint system depending on age and
size. If not, the child could be seriously injured or even killed in an accident.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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Installing a Child-
Restraint System
The passenger lap/shoulder belt can easily
be converted into the automatic locking
mode, which must be done to hold the
child-restraint system.
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to“LATCH Child-Restraint
Systems ”(page 2-27).
Follow these manufacturer's instructions
when installing a child-restraint system on
the passenger's seat, unless you are
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the LATCH lower
anchors. Refer to “LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems ”(page 2-27).
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions carefully. If you
are not sure whether you have a LATCH
system, check in the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions and follow them
accordingly. Depending on the type of child-
restraint system, it may not employ seat belts
which are in automatic locking mode, however
if it uses an upper tether, it may not be
mounted properly in this vehicle as there is no
safe way to anchor the tether. Confirm whether
the child-restraint system can be used with seat
belts by reading the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
Before installing a child-restraint system,
make sure the passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminated by
using the key to turn the passenger air bag
off.
Refer to Passenger Seat Weight Sensors
on page 2-47.
Refer to Passenger Air Bag Deactivation
Switch on page 2-43.
1. Make sure to remove articles from behind the passenger seat that would
prevent the seat from sliding back fully,
and then slide the seat as far back as
possible.
2. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
3. To get the retractor into the automatic locking mode, pull the shoulder belt
portion of the seat belt until the entire
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
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4. Push the child-restraint system firmlyinto the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt
retracts as snugly as possible. Clicking
from the retractor will be heard during
retraction if the system is in automatic
locking mode. If the belt does not lock
the seat down tight, repeat this step.
5. Make sure the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates
by using the key to turn the passenger
air bag off after installing a child-
restraint system on the passenger seat.WARNING
Always make sure the passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light is
illuminated when using a rear-facing
child-restraint system: Seating a child in a rear-facing child-
restraint system that is installed on
the passenger seat with the
passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light not illuminated is
extremely dangerous. In an accident,
an air bag could inflate and cause
serious injuries or even death to the
child seated in the rear-facing child-
restraint system. Always make sure
the passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light is illuminated using
the key to turn the passenger air bag
off.
Refer to Passenger Seat Weight
Sensors on page 2-47.
Refer to Passenger Air Bag
Deactivation Switch on page 2-43.
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Child Restraint
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NOTElInspect this function before each use of the
child-restraint system. You should not be
able to pull the shoulder belt out of the
retractor while the system is in the
automatic locking mode. When you remove
the child-restraint system, be sure the belt
fully retracts to return the system to
emergency locking mode before occupants
use the seat belts.
lFollow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Depending on the type of child-restraint
system, it may not employ seat belts which
are in automatic locking mode, however if
it uses an upper tether, it may not be
mounted properly in this vehicle as there is
no safe way to anchor the tether. Confirm
whether the child-restraint system can be
used with seat belts by reading the child-
restraint system manufacturer's
instructions.
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