Page 182 of 528
Black plate (182,1)
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight
and grade steepness. Descend slowly,
using the brakes only occasionally to
prevent them from overheating.
4-54
When Driving
Transaxle
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page182
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 187 of 528

Black plate (187,1)
qHeadlight Levelingí
The number of passengers and weight of
cargo in the luggage compartment change
the angle of the headlights.
The angle of the headlights will be
automatically adjusted when turning on
the headlights.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
qAdaptive Front Lighting System
(AFS)í
The adaptive front lighting system (AFS)
automatically adjusts the headlight beams
to the left or right in conjunction with the
operation of the steering wheel after the
headlights have been turned on and the
vehicle speed is about 2 km/h (2 mph) or
higher.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
AFS OFF switch
Pressing the AFS OFF switch turns off the
AFS. The AFS OFF indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminates.
Pressing the AFS OFF switch again turns
off the switch illumination and turns on
the AFS operation. The AFS OFF
indicator light turns off.
qDaytime Running Lights
Some countries require moving vehicles
to have their lights on (daytime running
lights) during the daytime.
Daytime running lights turn on
automatically when the ignition is
switched ON.
They turn off when the parking brake is
operated or the shift lever is shifted to the
P position (automatic transaxle vehicle).
NOTE
(Except Canada)
The daytime running lights can be deactivated.
Refer to Personalization Features on page
9-10.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
4-59íSome models. CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page187
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 199 of 528

Black plate (199,1)
Brake System
qFoot Brake
Your Mazda has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop by
applying greater force than normal to the
brake pedal. But the distance required to
stop will be greater than usual.
WARNING
Do not coast with the engine stalled or
turned off, find a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more effort, and the brake's
power-assist could be depleted if you
pump the brake. This will cause
longer stopping distances or even an
accident.
Shift to a lower gear when going down
steep hills:
Driving with your foot continuously
on the brake pedal or steadily
applying the brakes for long
distances is dangerous. This causes
overheated brakes, resulting in
longer stopping distances or even
total brake failure. This could cause
loss of vehicle control and a serious
accident. Avoid continuous
application of the brakes.
Dry off brakes that have become wet
by driving slowly, releasing the
accelerator pedal and lightly applying
the brakes several times until the brake
performance returns to normal:
Driving with wet brakes is
dangerous. Increased stopping
distance or the vehicle pulling to one
side when braking could result in a
serious accident. Light braking will
indicate whether the brakes have
been affected.
When Driving
Brake
4-71
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page199
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 200 of 528

Black plate (200,1)
CAUTION
ØDo not drive with your foot held
on the clutch pedal or brake pedal,
or hold the clutch pedal depressed
halfway unnecessarily. Doing so
could result in the following:
ØThe clutch and brake parts will
wear out more quickly.
ØThe brakes can overheat and
adversely affect brake
performance.
ØAlways depress the brake pedal
with the right foot. Applying the
brakes with the unaccustomed left
foot could slow your reaction time
to an emergency situation
resulting in insufficient braking
operation.
ØWear shoes appropriate for driving
in order to avoid your shoe
contacting the brake pedal when
depressing the accelerator pedal.
qParking Brake
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake on
will cause excessive wear of the brake
pads.NOTE
For parking in snow, refer to Winter Driving
(page 3-41) regarding parking brake use.
Setting the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and then firmly
pull the parking brake lever fully upwards
with sufficient force to hold the vehicle in
a stationary position.
Releasing the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and pull the
parking brake lever upwards, then press
the release button. While holding the
button, lower the parking brake lever all
the way down to the released position.
4-72
When Driving
Brake
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page200
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 201 of 528

Black plate (201,1)
qDisplay Indication
For vehicles with the type A instrument
cluster, check the vehicle condition or
have the vehicle inspected at an
Authorized Mazda Dealer according to
the indication.
qWarning Light
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
qBrake Pad Wear Indicator
When the disc brake pads become worn,
the built-in wear indicators contact the
disc plates. This causes a screeching noise
to warn that the pads should be replaced.
When you hear this noise, consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
Do not drive with worn disc pads:
Driving with worn disc pads is
dangerous. The brakes could fail and
cause a serious accident. As soon as
you hear a screeching noise consult
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
qBrake Assist
During emergency braking situations
when it is necessary to depress the brake
pedal with greater force, the brake assist
system provides braking assistance, thus
enhancing braking performance.
When the brake pedal is depressed hard or
depressed more quickly, the brakes apply
more firmly.
NOTE
lWhen the brake pedal is depressed hard or
depressed more quickly, the pedal will feel
softer but the brakes will apply more firmly.
This is a normal effect of the brake assist
operation and does not indicate a
malfunction.
lWhen the brake pedal is depressed hard or
depressed more quickly, a motor/pump
operation noise may be heard. This is a
normal effect of the brake assist and does
not indicate a malfunction.
lThe brake assist equipment does not
supersede the functionality of the vehicle's
main braking system.
When Driving
Brake
4-73
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page201
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 202 of 528

Black plate (202,1)
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is a function
which assists the driver in accelerating
from a stop while on a slope. When the
driver releases the brake pedal and
depresses the accelerator pedal while on a
slope, the function prevents the vehicle
from rolling.
The braking force is maintained
automatically after the brake pedal is
released on a steep grade.
For vehicles with a manual transaxle, Hill
Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an
upward slope when the shift lever is in a
position other than the reverse (R)
position.
For vehicles with an automatic transaxle,
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an
upward slope when the shift lever is in a
forward gear.
WARNING
Do not rely completely on Hill Launch
Assist (HLA):
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is an
auxiliary device for accelerating from
a stop on a slope. The system only
operates for about two seconds and
therefore, relying only on the system,
when accelerating from a stop is
dangerous because the vehicle may
move (roll) unexpectedly and cause
an accident.
The vehicle could roll depending on
the vehicle's load or if it is towing
something. In addition, for vehicles
with a manual transaxle, the vehicle
could still roll depending on how the
clutch pedal or the accelerator pedal
is operated.
Always confirm the safety around the
vehicle before starting to drive the
vehicle.
4-74
When Driving
Brake
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page202
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 203 of 528
Black plate (203,1)
NOTElHill Launch Assist (HLA) does not operate
on a gentle slope. In addition, the gradient
of the slope on which the system will
operate changes depending on the vehicle's
load.
lHill Launch Assist (HLA) does not operate
if the parking brake is applied, the vehicle
has not stopped completely, or the clutch
pedal is released.
lWhile Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is
operating, the brake pedal may feel stiff
and vibrate, however, this does not indicate
a malfunction.
lHill Launch Assist (HLA) does not operate
while the TCS/DSC indicator light is
illuminated.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
lHill Launch Assist (HLA) does not turn off
even if the TCS OFF switch is pressed to
turn off the TCS.
When Driving
Brake
4-75
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page203
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K
Page 204 of 528

Black plate (204,1)
Smart City Brake Support (SCBS)í
lThe Smart City Brake Support (SCBS) system is designed to reduce damage in the
event of a collision by operating the brake control (SCBS brake) when the system's laser
sensor detects a vehicle ahead and determines that a collision with the vehicle ahead is
unavoidable. It may also be possible to avoid a collision if the relative speed between
your vehicle and the vehicle ahead is less than about 15 km/h (9.3 mph).
In addition, when the driver depresses the brake pedal while the system is in the
operation range at about 4 to 30 km/h (2 to 18 mph), the brakes are applied firmly and
quickly to assist. (Brake Assist (SCBS brake assist))
lFor vehicles with the type A instrument cluster, check the vehicle condition or have the
vehicle inspected at an Authorized Mazda Dealer according to the indication.
lA system malfunction or operation conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page 4-22.
Laser sensor
4-76
When Driving
íSome models.
Brake
CX-5_8CT5-EA-12K_Edition1 Page204
Friday, October 19 2012 3:11 PM
Form No.8CT5-EA-12K