2014 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK fold seats

2–3
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Do not place an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back:
Putting an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back is dangerous
because you will be unable to maintain a safe driving posture and the seat belt cannot
function at its full capacity in a collision, which could result in a serious accident, injury or
death.

Do not place objects under the seat:
The object could get stuck and cause the seat to not be fi xed securely, and result in an
accident.

Do not stack cargo higher than the seatbacks:
Stacking luggage or other cargo higher than the seatbacks is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can fl y around and become projectiles that may hit and
injure passengers.

Make sure luggage and cargo is secured before driving:
Not securing cargo while driving is dangerous as it could move or be crushed during
sudden braking or a collision and cause injury.

Never allow a passenger to sit or stand on the folded seatback while the vehicle is
moving:
Driving with a passenger on the folded seatback is dangerous. Allowing a child to sit up
on the folded seatback while the vehicle is moving is particularly dangerous. In a sudden
stop or even a minor collision, a child not in a proper seat or child-restraint system and
seat belt could be thrown forward, back or even out of the vehicle resulting in serious
injuries or death. The child in the baggage area could be thrown into other occupants
and cause serious injury.

Never give the car keys to children and do not allow them to play in the vehicle (4–
Door):
Playing with the folding rear seats is dangerous. Once the seatbacks are back up, a child
in the trunk would not be able to get out the way they had entered. If you have small
children, keep the seatbacks locked.

Always leave your car locked and keep the car keys safely away from children (4–
Door):
Leaving your car unlocked or the keys in reach of children is dangerous. Children who fi nd
their way into the trunk through an unlocked rear seatback or an open trunk can become
accidentally locked in the trunk. This could result in death or brain damage from heat
prostration, particularly in the summer. Always lock the doors and the trunk, and as an
added measure, keep the rear seatbacks locked, whether you have children in your home
or not.
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2–8
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Rear Seat
Split/One-piece Folding the
Seatback
By lowering the rear seatback(s) the
luggage compartment space can be
expanded.
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with occupants
on folded down seatback(s) or in the
luggage compartment.
Putting occupants in the luggage
compartment is dangerous because
seat belts cannot be fastened which
could lead to serious injury or death
during sudden braking or a collision.

Do not allow children to play inside the
vehicle with the seatback(s) lowered.
Allowing children to play in the
vehicle with the seatback(s) folded
down is dangerous, If a child enters
the luggage compartment and the
seatback(s) were raised back up, the
child may become trapped in the
luggage compartment which could
lead to an accident.

Tightly secure cargo in the luggage
compartment when it is transported
with the seatback(s) folded down.
Driving without tightly securing cargo
and luggage is dangerous as it could
move and become an obstruction to
driving during emergency braking or
a collision resulting in an unexpected
accident.

When transporting cargo, do not allow
the cargo to exceed the height of the
seatback(s).
Transporting cargo stacked higher
than the seatback(s) is dangerous as
visibility to the rear and sides of the
vehicle is reduced which could interfere
with driving operations and lead to an
accident.
Lowering the seatback(s)
CAUTION
Check the position of a front seat
before folding a rear seatback.
Depending on the position of a front
seat, it may not be possible to fold
a rear seatback all the way down
because it may hit the seatback of
the front seat which could scratch or
damage the front seat or its pocket.
Remove the head restraint on the rear
outboard seat if necessary.
(4–Door)
1. Open the trunk lid and pull the lever for
the seatback you want to fold down.
*1: With split-folding
type seat only*1
2. Open a rear door and fold the rear seat
forward.
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2–9
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
(5–Door)
Press the push knob to fold down the
seatback.
To return the seatback to its upright
position:
WARNING
When returning a seatback to its
upright position, make sure the 3-point
seat belt is not caught in the seatback
and the 3-point seat belt is not twisted.
If the seat belt is used while it is twisted
and caught in the seatback, the seat
belt cannot function at its full capacity,
which could cause serious injury or
death.
When returning a seatback to its
upright position, make sure that it is
fi rmly locked and the red indication is
not visible (5–Door).
If the red indication is visible behind
the push knob, it means the seatback
is not locked. If the vehicle is driven
without the seatback locked, it could
fold down suddenly and cause an
accident.

Locked position
Unlocked position
Red indication
1. Make sure that the seat belt passes
through the seat belt guide correctly
and it is not twisted, then raise the
seatback while preventing the seat belt
from being caught in the seatback.
(4–Door)
Seat belt guides
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3–26
Before Driving
Doors and Locks
Always keep the car from being a
tempting place to play by latching the
rear seats, doors and the trunk, and
keeping the keys where children can not
play with them:
Leaving children or animals
unattended in a parked vehicle is
dangerous. Babies left sleeping and
children who lock themselves in cars or
trunks can die very quickly from heat
prostration. Do not leave your children
or pets alone in a car at any time. Do
not leave the car, the rear folding seats
or the trunk unlocked.
Opening the Trunk Lid from the
Inside
Slide the inside trunk release lever in the
direction of the arrow. The lever is made
of material that will glow for hours in the
darkness of the trunk following a brief
exposure to ambient light.
The inside trunk release lever is located on
the inside of the trunk lid.
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