2016 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK ECU

2–2
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Seat Precautions
WARNING
Make sure the adjustable components of a seat are locked in place:
Adjustable seats and seatbacks that are not securely locked are dangerous. In a
sudden stop or collision, the seat or seatback could move, causing injury. Make sure the
adjustable components of the seat are locked in place by attempting to slide the seat
forward and backward and rocking the seatback.

Never allow children to adjust a seat:
Allowing children to adjust a seat is dangerous as it could result in serious injury if a
child's hands or feet become caught in the seat.

Do not drive with the seatback unlocked:
All of the seatbacks play an important role in your protection in a vehicle. Leaving the
seatback unlocked is dangerous as it can allow passengers to be ejected or thrown
around and baggage to strike occupants in a sudden stop or collision, resulting in severe
injury. After adjusting the seatback at any time, even when there are no other passengers,
rock the seatback to make sure it is locked in place.

Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is stopped:
Adjusting the driver's seat while the vehicle is moving is dangerous. The driver could lose
control of the vehicle and have an accident.

Do not modify or replace the front seats:
Modifying or replacing the front seats such as replacing the upholstery or loosening
any bolts is dangerous. The front seats contain air bag components essential to the
supplemental restraint system. Such modifi cations could damage the supplemental
restraint system and result in serious injury. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer if there
is any need to remove or reinstall the front seats.

Do not drive with damaged front seats:
Driving with damaged front seats, such as seat cushions torn or damaged down to the
urethane, is dangerous. A collision, even one not strong enough to infl ate the air bags,
could damage the front seats which contain essential air bag components. If there was a
subsequent collision, an air bag may not deploy which could lead to injuries. Always have
an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the front seats, front seat belt pretensioners and air
bags after a collision.

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2–3
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Do not drive with either front seats reclined:
Sitting in a reclined position while the vehicle is moving is dangerous because you do not
get the full protection from seat belts. During sudden braking or a collision, you can slide
under the lap belt and suff er serious internal injuries. For maximum protection, sit well
back and upright.

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.

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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.
Lower or remove the head restraint on
the rear outboard seat if necessary.

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2–10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
*Some models.
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

(5–Door)


Red indication
Seat belt guide

2. Press the seatback rearward and lock it
in place. After returning the seatback
to its upright position, make sure it is
securely locked.

Armrest *
The rear armrest in the center of the rear
seatback can be used (no occupant in the
center seat) or placed upright.



WARNING
Never put your hands and fi ngers
around the moving parts of the seat and
armrest:
Putting your hands and fi ngers around
the moving parts of the seat and
armrest is dangerous as they could get
injured.

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2–13
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt Precautions
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and all passengers always wear seat belts.

(U.S.A. and Canada)
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way when
not in use.

The driver's seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.

However, the front passenger's seat and all rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in
two modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking
mode. While we recommend you put all children in the rear seats, if you must use the front
passenger seat for a child, slide the front passenger seat as far back as possible and make
sure any child-restraint system is secured properly.
(Mexico)
The front seats and rear outboard seats have lap/shoulder belts. These belts have retractors
with inertia locks that keep them out of the way when not in use. The locks allow the belts
to remain comfortable on users, but they will lock in position during a collision.
The rear center seat has a lap belt with manual adjustment.
WARNING
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained:
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerous. During a collision, occupants not
wearing seat belts could hit someone or things inside the vehicle or even be thrown out of
the vehicle. They could be seriously injured or even killed. In the same collision, occupants
wearing seat belts would be much safer.

Do not wear twisted seat belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt is not available to
absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt, which could cause
serious injury or death. So, if your seat belt is twisted, you must straighten the seat belt to
remove any twists and to allow the full width of the belt to be used.

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.

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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 speci¿ 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 con¿ 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 Classi¿ 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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2–23
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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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.

N O T E
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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