2014 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK Owners Manual (in English)

2–22
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
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 specifi c 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 in the outboard seats, and towards the buckle on the right if the
child is seated on the center seat.
Statistics confi rm that the rear seat is 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 should NEVER be 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 Front Passenger Occupant Classifi cation 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 2-56 ).
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
WARNING
Use the correct size child-restraint system:
For eff ective 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.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
(U.S.A. and Canada)
Vehicles with a front passenger air bag have a warning label attached as shown below.
The warning label reminds you not to put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat at any time.
(Mexico)
NEVER use a rearward facing child restraint on a seat protected by an ACTIVE AIRBAG in
front of it, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.
Vehicles with a front passenger air bag have a warning label attached as shown below.
The warning label reminds you not to put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat at any time.

Do not install a front-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat unless it
is unavoidable:
In a collision, the force of a deploying air bag could cause serious injury or death to the
child. If installing a front-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is
unavoidable, move the front passenger seat as far back as possible.
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2–25
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
Seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is dangerous
under certain conditions (With Front Passenger Occupant Classifi cation 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.
 


¾ The front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate when
seating a child in the child-restraint system.
 


¾ Luggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint
system.
 


¾ A rear passenger or luggage pushing or pulling down on the front passenger
seatback.
 


¾ A rear passenger puts their feet on the front seat rails.



¾ Luggage or other items are placed on the seatback or hung on the head restraint.



¾ Heavy items are placed in the seatback map pocket.



¾ The seat is washed.



¾ Liquids are spilled on the seat.



¾ The front passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items
placed behind it.
 


¾ The front passenger seatback contacts the rear seat.



¾ Luggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and driver seat.



¾ 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 infl ation 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.

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2–26
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
Never use one seat belt on more than one person at a time:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used
in this way cannot spread the impact forces properly and the two passengers could
be crushed together and seriously injured or even killed. Never use one belt for more
than one person at a time and always operate the vehicle with each occupant properly
restrained.
CAUTION
A seat belt or child-restraint system can become very hot in a closed vehicle during warm
weather. To avoid burning yourself or a child, check them before you or your child touches
them.
NOTE
Your Mazda is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for attachment of specially designed
LATCH child-restraint systems in the rear seats. When using these anchors to secure a
child-restraint system, refer to "Using LATCH Lower Anchor" (page 2-36 ).
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2–27
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
Child-Restraint System
Installation
Child-Restraint System Types
In this owner's manual, explanation of
child-restraint systems is provided for the
following three types of popular child-
restraint systems: infant seat, child seat,
booster seat.
NOTE
 


y Installation position is determined
by the type of child-restraint system.
Always read the manufacturer's
instructions and this owner's manual
carefully.
 


y Due to variations in the design of child-
restraint systems, vehicle seats and
seat belts, all child-restraint systems
may not fi t all seating positions. Before
purchasing a child-restraint system, it
should be tested in the specifi c vehicle
seating position (or positions) where it
is intended to be used. If a previously
purchased child-restraint system does
not fi t, you may need to purchase a
different one that will.
Infant seat
An infant seat provides restraint by
bracing the infant's head, neck and back
against the seating surface.
Child seat
A child seat restrains a child's body using
the harness.
Booster seat
A booster seat is a child restraint accessory
designed to improve the fi t of the seat belt
system around the child's body.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
Installing Child-Restraint
Systems
Accident statistics reveal that a child is
safer in the rear seat. The front passenger's
seat is clearly the worst choice for any
child under 12, and with rear-facing child-
restraint systems it is clearly unsafe due to
air bags.
NOTE
Even if your vehicle is equipped with front
passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-
56), which automatically deactivates the
front passenger air bag, a rear seat is the
safest place for a child of any age or size.
Some child-restraint systems now come
with tethers and therefore must be
installed on the seats that take tethers
to be effective. In your Mazda, tethered
child-restraint systems can only be
accommodated in the three positions on
the rear seat.
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to "Using LATCH Lower Anchor"
(page 2-36 ).
WARNING
Tethered Child-Restraint Systems Work
Only on Tether-Equipped Rear Seats:
Installation of a tether equipped
child-restraint system in the front
passenger's seat defeats the safety
design of the system and will result in
an increased chance of serious injury if
the child-restraint system goes forward
without benefi t of being tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint
systems where there are tether
anchors.
Anchor Bracket
Anchor brackets for securing child-
restraint systems are equipped in the
vehicle. Locate each anchor position using
the illustration.
To install a child-restraint system,
always follow the instruction manual
accompanying the child-restraint system.
Anchor bracket location
Use the indicated anchor bracket locations
when installing a child-restraint system
equipped with a tether.
Anchor bracketFor right
For left For center
(4-Door)
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
(5-Door)
For left
For centerFor rightSome models.
WARNING
Always attach the tether strap to the
correct tether anchor position:
Attaching the tether strap to the
incorrect tether anchor position is
dangerous. In a collision, the tether
strap could come off and loosen the
child-restraint system. If the child-
restraint system moves it could result
in death or injury to the child.
Always route the tether strap between
the head restraint and the seatback:
Routing the tether strap on top of
the head restraint is dangerous. In a
collision the tether strap could slide off
the head restraint and loosen the child-
restraint system. The child-restraint
system could move which may result in
death or injury to the child.
Anchor bracket
Tether strap(4-Door)
Anchor bracket
Tether strap
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