2017 MAZDA MODEL 2 warning

2–8
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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
  (Hatchback)  When folding the seatback forward,
always support the seatback with
your hand. If it is not supported by a
hand, ¿ ngers or the hand pressing the
push knob could be injured.
  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.

2–10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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
¿ rmly locked and the red indication is
not visible (Hatchback).
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
(Saloon)

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.

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.

(Hatchback)
1. Verify that the seat belt is secured in
the belt clip.

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

2–11
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
4. Make sure that the seat belt is neither
stuck in the rear seat nor twisted, then
remove the seat belt from the belt clip.

Head Restraints
Your vehicle is equipped with head
restraints on all outboard seats and the
rear centre seat. The head restraints are
intended to help protect you and the
passengers from neck injury.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
installed when seats are being used and
make sure they are properly adjusted.
In addition, always raise the head
restraints on all rear seat when they are
being used:
Driving with the head restraints
adjusted too low or removed is
dangerous. With no support behind
your head, your neck could be seriously
injured in a collision.
Height Adjustment
Adjust the head restraint so that the centre
is even with the top of the passenger's ears.



To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the
desired position.
To lower the head restraint, press the stop-
catch release, then push the head restraint
down.

2–12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Front outboard seat



Rear outboard seat



Rear centre seat



Removal/Installation
To remove the head restraint, pull it up
while pressing the stop-catch.
To install the head restraint, insert the legs
into the holes while pressing the stop-
catch.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
installed when seats are being used and
make sure they are properly installed:
Driving with the head restraints not
installed is dangerous. With no support
behind your head, your neck could be
seriously injured in a collision.

After installing a head restraint, try
lifting it to make sure that it does not
pull out:
Driving with an unsecured head
restraint is dangerous as the
effectiveness of the head restraint will
be compromised which could cause it to
unexpectedly detach from the seat.

2–14
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.
All the seats have lap/shoulder belts. These belts also 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.
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.

Do not operate a vehicle with a damaged seat belt:
Using a damaged seat belt is dangerous. An accident could damage the belt webbing
of the seat belt in use. A damaged seat belt cannot provide adequate protection in a
collision. Have an expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer
inspect all seat belt systems in use during an accident before they are used again.

Have your seat belts changed immediately if the pretensioner or load limiter has been
expended:
Always have an expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer
immediately inspect the seat belt pretensioners and air bags after any collision. Like the
air bags, the seat belt pretensioners and load limiters will only function once and must
be replaced after any collision that caused them to deploy. If the seat belt pretensioners
and load limiters are not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase.

2–15
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
WARNING
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder portion of the seat belt is dangerous. Always make
sure the shoulder portion of the seat belt is positioned across your shoulder and near
your neck, but never under your arm, on your neck, or on your upper arm.

Positioning the Lap Portion of the Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn too high is dangerous. In a collision, this would
concentrate the impact force directly on the abdominal area, causing serious injury.
Wear the lap portion of the belt snugly and as low as possible.

Instructions for Use of Seat Belt Assemblies:
Seatbelts are designed to bear upon the bony structure of the body, and should be worn
low across the front of the pelvis or the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as applicable;
wearing the lap section of the belt across the abdominal area must be avoided.
Seatbelts should be adjusted as ¿ rmly as possible, consistent with comfort, to provide
the protection for which they have been designed. A slack belt will greatly reduce the
protection afforded to the wearer.
Care should be taken to avoid contamination of the webbing with polishes, oils and
chemicals, and particularly battery acid. Cleaning may safely be carried out using mild
soap and water. The belt should be replaced if webbing becomes frayed, contaminated
or damaged.
It is essential to replace the entire assembly after it has been worn in a severe impact
even if damage to the assembly is not obvious.
Belts should not be worn with straps twisted.
Each belt assembly must only be used by one occupant; it is dangerous to put a belt
around a child being carried on the occupant's lap.
No modi¿ cations or additions should be made by the user which will either prevent
the seat belt adjusting devices from operating to remove slack, or prevent the seat belt
assembly from being adjusted to remove slack.

2–18
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
*Some models.
Seat Belt Warning
Systems
If it detects that the occupant seat belt
is unfastened, the warning light or beep
alerts the occupant.
Refer to Taking Action on page 7-43 .
Refer to Seat Belt Warning Beep on page
7-50 .

Seat belt indicator light (rear seat)
(green)
*


The light turns on when the ignition
is switched ON and a rear seat belt is
fastened, and then it turns off after about
30 seconds.
Seat Belt Pretensioner
and Load Limiting
Systems
For optimum protection, the front seat
belts and rear outboard 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:
When a collision is detected, the
pretensioners deploy simultaneously with
the air bags.
For deployment details, refer to the SRS
Air Bag Deployment Criteria (page
2-56 ).
The seat belt retractors remove slack
quickly as the air bags are expanding.
Any time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have ¿ red they must be
replaced.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-38 .
Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Beep on page 7-50 .
(With front passenger air bag
deactivation switch)
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 air bag
deactivation switch is turned to the ON
position.
For details, refer to front passenger air bag
deactivation switch (page 2-47 ).

2–19
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Load limiter:
The load limiting system releases belt
webbing in a controlled manner to reduce
belt force on the occupant's chest. While
the most severe load on a seat belt occurs
in frontal collisions, the load limiter has
an automatic mechanical function and
can activate in any accident mode with
suf¿ cient occupant movement.
Even if the pretensioners have not ¿ red,
the load limiting function must be checked
by an expert repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer.
WARNING
Wear seat belts only as recommended
in this owner's manual:
Incorrect positioning of the seat belts is
dangerous. Without proper positioning,
the pretensioner and load limiting
systems cannot provide adequate
protection in an accident and this
could result in serious injury. For more
details about wearing seat belts, refer
to "Fastening the seat belts" (page
2-17 ).

Have your seat belts changed
immediately if the pretensioner or load
limiter has been expended:
Always have an expert repairer, we
recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer immediately inspect the
seat belt pretensioners and air bags
after any collision. Like the air bags,
the seat belt pretensioners and load
limiters will only function once and
must be replaced after any collision
that caused them to deploy. If the seat
belt pretensioners and load limiters
are not replaced, the risk of injury in a
collision will increase.

WARNING
Do not modify the components or
wiring, or use electronic testing devices
on the pretensioner system:
Modifying the components or wiring
of the pretensioner system, including
the use of electronic testing devices
is dangerous. You could accidentally
activate it or make it inoperable which
would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants or repairers
could be seriously injured.

Properly dispose of the pretensioner
system:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner
system or a vehicle with non-
deactivated pretensioners is dangerous.
Unless all safety procedures are
followed, injury could result. Have
an expert repairer, we recommend an
Authorised Mazda Repairer safely
dispose of the pretensioner system or
scrap a pretensioner system equipped
vehicle.