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Seat Belt Warning Systems
If it detects that the driver's seat belt is
unfastened, the warning light or beep
alerts the driver.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
Front Seat Belt Pretensioner
and Load Limiting Systems
For optimum protection, the driver and
front passenger seat belts are equipped
with pretensioner and load limiting
systems. For both these systems to work
properly you must wear the seat belt
properly.
Pretensioners:
In moderate or severe frontal or near-
frontal accidents, the front air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously.
For deployment details, refer to the SRS
Air Bag Deployment Criteria (page 2-54).
The front seat belt retractors remove slack
quickly as the air bags are expanding.
Any time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have fired they must be
replaced.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-22.
Refer to Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning Beep on
page 7-34.
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System)
In addition, the pretensioner system for
the front passenger, like the front and side
passenger air bag, is designed to only
deploy when the front passenger occupant
classification sensor detects a passenger
sitting on the front passenger's seat.
For details, refer to the front passenger
occupant classification sensor (page
2-57).
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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NOTElThe pretensioner system will activate in a
moderate or greater frontal or near-frontal,
or a severe side collision. It will not
activate in most rollovers, rear impacts.
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System)
The pretensioner system will activate in a
severe roll-over accident.
In addition, the pretensioner system for the
front passenger is designed to only deploy
when the front passenger occupant
classification sensor detects a passenger
sitting on the front passenger's seat.
lSome smoke (non-toxic gas) will be
released when the air bags and
pretensioners deploy. This does not indicate
a fire. This gas normally has no effect on
occupants, however, those with sensitive
skin may experience light skin irritation. If
residue from the deployment of the air bags
or the front pretensioner system gets on the
skin or in the eyes, wash it off as soon as
possible.
Seat Belt Extender
If your seat belt is not long enough, even
when fully extended, a seat belt extender
may be available to you at no charge from
your Authorized Mazda Dealer.
This extender will be only for you and for
the particular vehicle and seat. Even if it
plugs into other seat belts, it may not hold
in the critical moment of a crash.
When ordering an extender, only order
one that provides the necessary additional
length to fasten the seat belt properly.
Please contact your Authorized Mazda
Dealer for more information.
WARNING
Do not use a seat belt extender unless
it is necessary:
Using a seat belt extender when not
necessary is dangerous. The seat belt
will be too long and not fit properly.
In an accident, the seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and you
could be seriously injured. Only use
the extender when it is required to
fasten the seat belt properly.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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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 specific 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 confirm 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 shouldNEVERbe 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 Classification System)
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by deployment of the front passenger air bag, the
front passenger occupant classification sensor 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 occupant classification sensor”(page 2-57).
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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Seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is dangerous
under certain conditions (With Front Passenger Occupant Classification System):
Your vehicle is equipped with front passenger occupant classification sensor. Even
with the front passenger occupant classification sensor, 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.
ØThe front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate when
seating a child in the child-restraint system.
ØLuggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint
system.
ØA rear passenger or luggage pushing or pulling down on the front passenger
seatback.
ØLuggage or other items are placed on the seatback or hung on the head restraint.
ØThe seat is washed.
ØLiquids are spilled on the seat.
ØThe front passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items
placed behind it.
ØThe front passenger seatback contacts the rear seat.
ØLuggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and driver
seat.
ØAn electric device is put on the front passenger's seat.
ØAn additional electrical device, such as a seat warmer is installed to the surface of
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 inflation 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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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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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 occupant classification sensor (page
2-57), 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 2-37).
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 benefit of being
tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint
systems where there are tether
anchors.
qAnchor 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 left
For right For center
*1
*1
Except Mexico
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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qIf You Must Use the Front Seat
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear
seat, at least put the smallest children in
the rear and be sure the largest child up
front uses the shoulder belt over the
shoulder.
NEVER put a rear-facing child-restraint
system on the front passenger seat
whether your vehicle is equipped with a
occupant classification sensor or not.
This seat is also not set up for tethered
child-restraint systems, put them in one of
the rear seat positions set up with tether
anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint
system cannot be secured in the front
passenger's seat and should be used in the
rear seat.
Do not allow anyone to sleep against the
side window since your vehicle has side
and curtain air bags, it could cause serious
injuries to an out of position occupant. As
children more often sleep in cars, it is
better to put them in the rear seat. If
installing the child-restraint system on the
front seat is unavoidable, follow these
instructions when using a front-facing
child-restraint system in the front
passenger's seat.
NOTE
lTo check if your front seats have side air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with side air bag
will have a“SRS AIRBAG”tag on the
outboard shoulder of the front seats.
lTo check if your vehicle has curtain air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with curtain air
bag will have an“SRS AIRBAG”marking
on the window pillars along the roof edge.
WARNING
Always move the front passenger seat
as far back as possible if installing a
front-facing child-restraint system on it
is unavoidable:
As your vehicle has front air bags
and doubly so because your vehicle
has side air bags, a front-facing
child-restraint system should be put
on the front passenger seat only
when it is unavoidable.
Even if the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light
illuminates, always move the seat as
far back as possible, because the
force of a deploying air bag could
cause serious injury or death to the
child.
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 in a moderate collision, 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.
Even though you may feel assured
that the front passenger air bag will
not deploy based on the fact that the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates, you
should not use a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front seat.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Precautions
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 6 air bags.Please
verify which kinds of air bags are equipped on your vehicle by locating the“SRS
AIRBAG”location indicators.These indicators are visible in the area where the air bags
are installed.
The air bags are installed in the following locations:
lThe steering wheel hub (driver air bag)lThe front passenger dashboard (front passenger air bag)lThe outboard sides of the front seatbacks (side air bags)lThe front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (curtain air bags)
Vehicles with the Front Passenger Occupant Classification System have a sensor which
detects an impending roll-over accident.
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection
in certain situations so seat belts are always important in the following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
lKeep the occupant from being thrown into an inflating air bag.lReduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
inflation, such as rear impact.
lReduce the possibility of injuries in frontal, near frontal or side collisions or roll-over
accidents that are not severe enough to activate the air bags.
lReduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.lReduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts of the body.
lHold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the front seat in such a way as to cover the outboard side of the
seat in any way is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the side
air bag, which inflates from the outboard side of the front seats, impeding the added
protection of the side air bag system or redirecting the air bag in a way that is
dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open releasing the gas.
Do not hang net bags, map pouches or backpacks with side straps on the front
seats. Never use seat covers on the front seats. Always keep the side air bag modules
in your front seats free to deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a curtain air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the areas where the curtain air bag activates such as on the
windshield glass, side door glass, front and rear window pillars and along the roof
edge and assist grips is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the
curtain air bag, which inflates from the front and rear window pillars and along the
roof edge, impeding the added protection of the curtain air bag system or redirecting
the air bag in a way that is dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open
releasing the gas.
Do not place hangers or any other objects on the assist grips. When hanging clothes,
hang them on the coat hook directly. Always keep the curtain air bag modules free
to deploy in the event of a side collision or roll-over accident.
Do not touch the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags
have inflated:
Touching the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags
have inflated is dangerous. Immediately after inflation, they are very hot. You could
get burned.
Never install any front-end equipment to your vehicle:
Installation of front-end equipment, such as frontal protection bar (kangaroo bar,
bull bar, push bar, or other similar devices), snowplow, or winches, is dangerous. The
air bag crash sensor system could be affected. This could cause air bags to inflate
unexpectedly, or it could prevent the air bags from inflating during an accident.
Front occupants could be seriously injured.
Do not modify the suspension:
Modifying the vehicle suspension is dangerous. If the vehicle's height or the
suspension is modified, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision or
roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the
possibility of serious injuries.
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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