2016 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK belt

2–41
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
If your vehicle is also equipped with a front passenger occupant classi¿ cation system,
refer to the Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System (page 2-56 ) for details.
If your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classi¿ cation system, the front
passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates for a speci¿ ed 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 2-22 ).

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
infl ate only in the fi rst accident, such as frontal, near frontal or side collisions or roll-over
accidents 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. A sleeping child is more
likely to lean against the door and be hit by the side air bag in 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.

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2–42
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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.


Do not sit too close to the driver and front passenger air bags:
Sitting too close to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing hands or
feet on them is extremely dangerous. The driver and front passenger air bags infl ate with
great force and speed. Serious injuries could occur if someone is too close. The driver
should always hold onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The front seat passenger
should keep both feet on the fl oor. Front seat occupants should adjust their seats as
far back as possible and always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat belts worn
properly.

Sit in the center of the seat and wear seat belts properly:
Sitting too close to the side air bag modules or placing hands on them, or sleeping up
against the door or hanging out the windows is extremely dangerous. The side and
curtain air bags infl ate with great force and speed directly expanding along the door
on the side the car is hit. Serious injury could occur if someone is sitting too close to the
door or leaning against a window, or if rear seat occupants grab the sides of the front
seatbacks. Give the side and curtain air bags room to work by sitting in the center of the
seat while the vehicle is moving with seat belts worn properly.

Do not attach objects on or around the area where driver and front passenger air bags
deploy:
Attaching an object to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing
something in front of them is dangerous. In an accident, an object could interfere with air
bag infl ation and injure the occupants.

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2–44
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
To prevent false detection by the air bag sensor system, heed the following:  


¾ Do not use tires or wheels other than those specifi ed for your Mazda:
 Use of any tire or wheel other than those specifi ed for your Mazda (page 9-10 ) is
dangerous. Use of such wheels will prevent the vehicle's accident detections system
from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or
unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
 


¾ Do not overload your vehicle:
 Overloading your vehicle is dangerous as it could prevent the air bag crash sensor
system from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect
or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries. The gross axle
weight rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your vehicle are
on the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Label on the driver's door frame. Do not exceed
these ratings.
 


¾ Do not drive the vehicle off -road:
 Driving your Mazda off -road is dangerous because the vehicle has not been designed
to do so. Driving the vehicle off -road could prevent the air bag crash sensor system
from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or
unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.

Do not modify a front door or leave any damage unrepaired. Always have an
Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect a damaged front door:
Modifying a front door or leaving any damage unrepaired is dangerous. Each front
door has a side crash sensor as a component of the supplemental restraint system. If
holes are drilled in a front door, a door speaker is left removed, or a damaged door is left
unrepaired, the sensor could be adversely aff ected causing it to not detect the pressure
of an impact correctly during a side collision. If a sensor does not detect a side impact
correctly, the side and curtain air bags and the front seat belt pretensioner may not
operate normally which could result in serious injury to occupants.

Do not modify the supplemental restraint system:
Modifying the components or wiring of the supplemental restraint system is dangerous.
You could accidentally activate it or make it inoperable. Do not make any modifi cations
to the supplemental restraint system. This includes installing trim, badges, or anything
else over the air bag modules. It also includes installing extra electrical equipment on or
near system components or wiring. An Authorized Mazda Dealer can provide the special
care needed in the removal and installation of front seats. It is important to protect the air
bag wiring and connections to assure that the bags do not accidentally deploy, and that
the front passenger occupant classifi cation system and the seats retain an undamaged
air bag connection.

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2–45
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Do not place luggage or other objects under the front seats:
Placing luggage or other objects under the front seats is dangerous. The components
essential to the supplemental restraint system could be damaged, and in the event of
a side collision, the appropriate air bags may not deploy, which could result in death
or serious injury. To prevent damage to the components essential to the supplemental
restraint system, do not place luggage or other objects under the front seats.

Do not operate a vehicle with damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system
components:
Expended or damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system components must be
replaced after any collision which caused them to deploy or damage them. Only a trained
Authorized Mazda Dealer can fully evaluate these systems to see that they will work in
any subsequent accident. Driving with an expended or damaged air bag or pretensioner
unit will not aff ord you the necessary protection in the event of any subsequent accident
which could result in serious injury or death.

Do not remove interior air bag parts:
Removing any components such as the front seats, front dashboard, the steering wheel
or parts on the front and rear window pillars and along the roof edge, containing air bag
parts or sensors is dangerous. These parts contain essential air bag components. The air
bag could accidentally activate and cause serious injuries. Always have an Authorized
Mazda Dealer remove these parts.

Properly dispose of the air bag system:
Improper disposal of an air bag or a vehicle with live air bags in it can be extremely
dangerous. Unless all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Have an
Authorized Mazda Dealer safely dispose of the air bag system or scrap an air bag
equipped vehicle.

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2–48
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.
(Without Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)




Driver/Front passenger inÀ ators and air bags

Roll-over sensor * , crash sensors, and diagnostic module (SAS unit)

Seat belt pretensioners (page 2-17 )

Front air bag sensors

Side crash sensors *

Air bag/seat belt pretensioner system warning light (page 4-20 )

Side and curtain inÀ ators and air bags *

Front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light (page 2-56 )

Front passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-56 )

Front passenger seat weight sensor control module

Driver and front passenger seat belt buckle switches (page 2-60 )
N O T E
- are equipped only on models with the front passenger occupant classi¿ cation system.
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2–49
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
How the SRS Air Bags Work
Your Mazda is equipped with the following types of SRS air bags. SRS air bags are
designed to work together with the seat belts to help to reduce injuries during an accident.
The SRS air bags are designed to provide further protection for passengers in addition to the
seat belt functions. Be sure to wear seat belts properly.
Front Seat Belt Pretensioners
The front seat belt pretensioners are designed to deploy in moderate or severe frontal, near
frontal collisions.
In addition, the pretensioners operate when a side collision (only on the side in which the
collision occurs) or a roll-over accident is detected. The pretensioners operate differently
depending on what types of air bags are equipped. For details on the seat belt pretensioner
operation, refer to the SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria (page 2-53 ).
Driver Air Bag
The driver's air bag is mounted in the steering wheel.
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, the
driver's air bag inÀ ates quickly helping to reduce injury mainly to the driver's head or chest
caused by directly hitting the steering wheel.
For more details about air bag deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria"
(page 2-53 ).
(With Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
The driver's dual-stage air bag controls air bag inÀ ation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity, the driver's air bag deploys with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, it deploys with more energy.


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2–53
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.
SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria
This chart indicates the applicable SRS equipment that will deploy depending on the type of
collision.
(The illustrations are the representative cases of collisions.)

SRS
equipment Types of collision
A severe frontal/near frontal
collision A severe side
collision
*4 A roll-over/near
roll-over *3 A rear collision












Front
seat belt
pretensioner X
*1 (both sides) X *1 (impact side
only) X *1 (both sides)
No air bag and
front seat belt
pretensioner will be
activated in a rear
collision. Driver air
bag X
Front
passenger
air bag X
*1
Side air bag
* X *2 X *1 (impact side
only)
Curtain air
bag
* X *2 X (impact side
only) X (both sides)
X: The SRS air bag equipment is designed to deploy in a collision.
*1 (With Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
The front passenger front and side air bags and the seat belt pretensioner are designed to deploy depending on
the condition of the total seated weight on the front passenger seat.
*2 (With Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
In an angled collision, the side air bag and curtain air bag may deploy.
*3 (With Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
In a roll-over accident, the seat belt pretensioners and the curtain air bags deploy.
*4 (With Side/Curtain Air Bags)
In a side collision, the seat belt pretensioners and the side/curtain air bags deploy (only on the side in which the
collision occurs).


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2–55
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Limitations to side collision detection:
The following illustrations are examples of side collisions that may not be detected as severe
enough to deploy the SRS air bag equipment.


Side impacts involving trees or polesSide impacts with two-wheeled vehicles



Roll-over (Without Front Passenger Occupant Classification System)

(With Front Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
Limitations to roll-over detection:
The following illustration is an example of an accident that may not be detected as a roll-
over accident. Therefore, the front seat belt pretensioners and curtain air bags may not
deploy.


Pitch end over end

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