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Child Restraint Precautions
Mazda strongly urges the use of child-restraint systems for children small enough to use
them.
You are required by law to use a child-restraint system for children in the U.S. and Canada.
Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety
of children riding in your vehicle.
Whatever child-restraint system you consider, please pick the appropriate one for the age
and size of the child, obey the law and follow the instructions that come with the individual
child-restraint system.
A child who has outgrown child-restraint systems should sit in the rear and use seat belts,
both lap and shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses the neck or face, move the child closer to
the center of the vehicle.
Statistics confirm that the rear seats are the best place for all children up to 12 years of age,
and more so with a supplemental restraint system (air bags).
A rear-facing child-restraint system shouldNEVERbe used on the front seat with the air
bag system activated. The front passenger's seat is also the least preferred seat for other
child-restraint systems.
(With Driver and Front Passenger Occupant Classification System)
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by deployment of the front passenger air bag, the
front passenger seat weight sensors work as a part of the supplemental restraint system.
This system deactivates the front passenger front and side air bags and also the front
passenger seat belt pretensioner system when the front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates.
When an infant or small child sits on the front passenger seat, the system shuts off the front
passenger front and side air bags and seat belt pretensioner system, so make sure the front
passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates.
Even if the front passenger air bag is shut off, Mazda strongly recommends that children be
properly restrained and child-restraint systems of all kinds are properly secured on the rear
seats which are the best place for children.
For more details, refer to “Front passenger seat weight sensors ”(page 2-59).
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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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.
Follow the manufacturer's instructions and always keep the child-restraint system
buckled down: An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it
could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make
sure any child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-
restraint system manufacturer's instructions. When not in use, remove it from the
vehicle or fasten it with a seat belt, or latch it down to BOTH LATCH lower anchors
for LATCH child-restraint systems and the corresponding tether anchor.
Always secure a child in a proper child-restraint system: Holding a child in your arms while the vehicle is moving is extremely dangerous. No
matter how strong the person may be, he or she cannot hold onto a child in a
sudden stop or collision and it could result in serious injury or death to the child or
other occupants. Even in a moderate accident, the child may be exposed to air bag
forces that could result in serious injury or death to the child, or the child may be
slammed into an adult, causing injury to both child and adult.
Never use a rear-facing child-restraint system in the front seat with an air bag that
could deploy: Rear-facing child-restraint systems on the front seat are particularly dangerous even
though you may feel assured that a front passenger air bag will not deploy based on
the fact that the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates. The
child-restraint system can be hit by a deploying air bag and moved violently
backward resulting in serious injury or death to the child.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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Seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is dangerous
under certain conditions (With Driver and Front Passenger Occupant Classification
System):Your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors. Even with the
front passenger seat weight sensors, if you must use the front passenger seat to seat
a child, using a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat under the
following conditions increases the danger of the front passenger air bag deploying
and could result in serious injury or death to the child.
ØThe front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate when
seating a child in the child-restraint system.
Ø Luggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint
system.
Ø A rear passenger or luggage pushing or pulling down on the front passenger
seatback.
Ø A rear passenger puts their feet on the front seat rails.
Ø Luggage or other items are placed on the seatback or hung on the head restraint.
Ø Heavy items are placed in the seatback map pocket.
Ø The seat is washed.
Ø Liquids are spilled on the seat.
Ø The front passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items
placed behind it.
Ø The front passenger seatback contacts the second-row seat.
Ø Luggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and driver
seat.
Ø Any accessories, which might increase the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat, are attached to the front passenger seat.
The designated positions with seat belts on the rear seats are the safest places for
children. Always use seat belts and child restraints.
Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over or against the side window of a vehicle
with side and curtain air bags: It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean over or against the side window, the area of
the front passenger seat, the front and rear window pillars and the roof edge along
both sides from which the side and curtain air bags deploy, even if a child-restraint
system is used. The impact of inflation from a side or curtain air bag could cause
serious injury or death to an out of position child. Furthermore, leaning over or
against the front door could block the side and curtain air bags and eliminate the
advantages of supplemental protection. With the front air bag and the additional
side air bag that comes out of the front seat, the rear seat is always a better location
for children. Take special care not to allow a child to lean over or against the side
window, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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qIf You Must Use the Front Seat
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear
seats, at least put the smallest children in
the rear and be sure the largest child up
front uses the shoulder belt over the
shoulder.
NEVER put a rear-facing child-restraint
system on the front passenger seat
whether your vehicle is equipped with a
seat weight sensor or not.
This seat is also not set up for tethered
child-restraint systems, put them in one of
the rear seat positions set up with tether
anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint
system cannot be secured in the front
passenger's seat and should be used in the
second-row seats.
Do not allow anyone to sleep against the
side window if you have optional side and
curtain air bags, it could cause serious
injuries to an out of position occupant. As
children more often sleep in cars, it is
better to put them in the rear seat. If
installing the child-restraint system on the
front seat is unavoidable, follow these
instructions when using a front-facing
child-restraint system in the front
passenger's seat.
NOTE
lTo check if your front seats have side air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with side air bag
will have a “SRS AIRBAG ”tag on the
outboard shoulder of the front seats.
lTo check if your vehicle has curtain air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with curtain air
bag will have an “SRS AIRBAG ”marking
on the window pillars along the roof edge.
WARNING
Always move the front passenger seat
as far back as possible if installing a
front-facing child-restraint system on it
is unavoidable: As your vehicle has front air bags
and doubly so because your vehicle
has side air bags, a front-facing
child-restraint system should be put
on the front passenger seat only
when it is unavoidable.
Even if the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light
illuminates, always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying air bag could
cause serious injury or death to the
child.
Never use a rear-facing child-restraint
system in the front seat with an air bag
that could deploy: Rear-facing child-restraint systems
on the front seat are particularly
dangerous.
Even in a moderate collision, the
child-restraint system can be hit by a
deploying air bag and moved
violently backward resulting in
serious injury or death to the child.
Even though you may feel assured
that the front passenger air bag will
not deploy based on the fact that the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates, you
should not use a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front seat.
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Child Restraint
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3. Place the child-restraint system on theseat without putting your weight on the
seat and fasten the seat belt. See the
manufacturer's instructions on the
child-restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
4. 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.
5. Push the child-restraint system firmly into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt
retracts as snugly as possible. A
clicking noise 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 the previous step and also this
one.
NOTE
lInspect 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.
6. Seat your child safely in the child- restraint system and secure the child
according to the instructions from the
child-restraint system manufacturer. 7.
(With Driver and Front Passenger
Occupant Classification System)
Make sure the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminates
after installing a child-restraint system
on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light does not
illuminate, remove the child-restraint
system, switch the ignition to OFF or
ACC, and then re-install the child-
restraint system.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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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 (With Driver and Front
Passenger Occupant Classification
System):While it is always better to install any
child-restraint system on the rear
seat, it is imperative that a child-
restraint system ONLYbe 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
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, seat a child
in a child-restraint system on the rear
seat and consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
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qLATCH Child-Restraint System
Installation Procedure (Second-
Row Seats)
1. Slide the second-row seat as far back as
possible.
2. Make sure the seatback is securely latched by pushing it back until it is
fully locked.
3. Expand the area between the seat bottom and the seatback slightly to
verify the locations of the LATCH
lower anchors.
NOTE
The markings above the LATCH lower anchors
indicate the locations of LATCH lower
anchors for the attachment of a child-restraint
system.
4. Secure the child-restraint system usingBOTH LATCH lower anchors,
following the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instruction. Pull on the
child-restraint to be sure both anchors
are engaged. 5. If your child-restraint system came
equipped with a tether, that means it is
very important to properly secure the
tether for child safety. Please carefully
follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions when
installing tethers.
Anchor bracket location
Tether strap position
Tether strap
Forward
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If your vehicle is also equipped with a driver and front passenger occupant
classification system, refer to the Driver and Front Passenger Occupant Classification
System (page 2-59) for details.
If your vehicle is equipped with a driver and front passenger occupant classification
system, the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates for a specified
time after the ignition is switched ON.
Small children must be protected by a child-restraint system as stipulated by law in every
state and province. In certain states and provinces, larger children must use a child-restraint
system (page 2-30).
Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary for your child and follow the
installation directions in this Owner's Manual as well as the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
WARNING
Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles:Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous.
Alone, air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be
expected to inflate only in the first accident, such as frontal, near frontal, side
collisions that are at least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat
belts.
Children should not ride in the front passenger seat: Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be
hit by a deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. Even if the front
passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates, always move the front
passenger seat as far back as possible. A sleeping child is more likely to lean against
the door and be hit by the side air bag in a moderate collision to the front-passenger
side of the vehicle. Whenever possible, always secure a child 12 years and under on
the rear seats with an appropriate child-restraint system for the child's age and size.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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