2017 MAZDA MODEL CX-9 engine

4–42
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transaxle vehicle by
allowing you to operate the selector lever
manually. This allows you to control
engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels
much like a manual transaxle when more
control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.



NOTE
Changing to manual shift mode while
driving will not damage the transaxle.

To return to automatic shift mode, shift the
lever from M to D.
NOTE
 


 If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the gear
will shift to M1.
 


 If you change to manual shift mode
without depressing the accelerator
pedal when driving in D range, 5th
gear/6th gear, the gear will shift to M4/
M5.

Indicators
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication in the instrument panel
illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear
illuminates.


Manual shift mode indicator
Gear position indicator

NOTE
 


 If the gears cannot be shifted down
when driving at higher speeds, the gear
position indication will fl ash twice to
signal that the gears cannot be shifted
down (to protect the transaxle).
 


 If the automatic transaxle fl uid (ATF)
temperature becomes too high, there
is the possibility that the transaxle
will switch to automatic shift mode,
canceling manual shift mode and
turning off the gear position indication
illumination. This is a normal function
to protect the AT. After the ATF
temperature has decreased, the gear
position indication illumination turns
back on and driving in manual shift
mode is restored.

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4–43
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Manually Shifting Up
You can shift gears up by operating the
selector lever.
M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.



NOTE
 


 When driving slowly, the gears may not
shift up.
  Do not drive the vehicle with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE
while in manual shift mode. In
addition, manual shift mode switches
to automatic shift mode while the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed.
 This function is canceled while the TCS
is turned off. However, if the vehicle
is continuously driven at a high rpm,
the gears may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.

Manually Shifting Down
You can shift gears down by operating the
selector lever.
M6 → M5 → M4 → M3 → M2→ M1
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.



WARNING
Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds:
Shifting down while driving on wet,
snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving
at high speeds causes sudden engine
braking, which is dangerous. The
sudden change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.

NOTE
 


 When driving at high speeds, the gear
may not shift down.
 


 During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending on
vehicle speed.
  When depressing the accelerator fully,
the transaxle will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed. However,
the gears do not kickdown while the
TCS is turned off.

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4–46
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Recommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, Mazda recommends these shift points:

Gear Vehicle speed *1
M1 to M2 24 km/h (15 mph)
M2 to M3 40 km/h (25 mph)
M3 to M4 65 km/h (40 mph)
M4 to M5 73 km/h (45 mph)
M5 to M6 81 km/h (50 mph)
*1 Always observe local speed limit regulations.


Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traffi c or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the
engine starts to overwork. This gives better acceleration when you need more speed.

On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life.
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4–47
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction
selected by the selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward
with the selector lever in a forward
position, or do not let the vehicle
move forward with the selector lever
in the reverse position. Otherwise, the
engine may stop, causing the loss of
the power brake and power steering
functions, and make it diffi cult to
control the vehicle which could result
in an accident.

Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
NOTE
 

 The accelerator pedal may initially feel
heavy as it is being depressed, then feel
lighter as it is depressed further. This
change in pedal force aids the engine
control system in determining how
much the accelerator pedal has been
depressed for performing kickdown,
and functions to control whether or not
kickdown should be performed.
 




 While the selector lever is in the M
position and the TCS is turned off,
manual shift mode does not switch
to automatic shift mode even if the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed. Operate the selector lever.

Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:

1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while gradually
accelerating.

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.
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4–48
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Lighting Control
Headlights
Turn the headlight switch to turn the headlights and other exterior lights on or off.
When the lights are turned on, the lights-on indicator light in the instrument cluster turns on.



NOTE
 


 If the light switch is left on, the lights will automatically switch off approximately 30
seconds after switching the ignition off.
  The time setting can be changed.
 Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-11 .



 To prevent discharging the battery, do not leave the lights on while the engine is off unless
safety requires them.

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4–51
When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models.
Auto-light control *
When the headlight switch is in the
position and the ignition is switched ON, the light
sensor senses the surrounding lightness or darkness and automatically turns the headlights
and other exterior lights on or off.
CAUTION
 


 Do not shade the light sensor by adhering a sticker or a label on the windshield. Otherwise
the light sensor will not operate correctly.

 


 The light sensor also works as a rain sensor for the auto-wiper control. Keep hands and
scrapers clear of the windshield when the wiper lever is in the
position and the
ignition is switched ON as fi ngers could be pinched or the wipers and wiper blades could be
damaged when the wipers activate automatically. If you are going to clean the windshield,
be sure the wipers are turned off completely when it is particularly tempting to leave the
engine running. This is particularly important when clearing ice and snow.

NOTE
 


 The headlights and other exterior lights may not turn off immediately even if the
surrounding area becomes well-lit because the light sensor determines that it is night
time if the surrounding area is continuously dark for several minutes such as inside long
tunnels, traffi c jams inside tunnels, or in indoor parking lots.

 In this case, the lights turn off if the light switch is turned to the position.
 If the headlight switch and the windshield wiper switch are in , and the wipers are
operated at low or high speed by the auto wiper control for several seconds, bad weather
conditions are determined and the headlights may be turned on.
 






 The sensitivity of the auto-light control may be changed.
 Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-11 .
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4–58
When Driving
Switches and Controls
CAUTION
 


 Do not shade the rain sensor by
adhering a sticker or a label on the
windshield. Otherwise the rain sensor
will not operate correctly.

 


 When the wiper lever is in the
position and the ignition is switched ON,
the wipers may move automatically in
the following cases:
 


 If the windshield above the rain
sensor is touched or wiped with a
cloth.
 


 If the windshield is struck with a hand
or other object from either outside or
inside the vehicle.
  Keep hands and scrapers clear of the
windshield when the wiper lever is in the

position and the ignition is
switched ON as fi ngers could be pinched
or the wipers and wiper blades damaged
when the wipers activate automatically.
  If you are going to clean the windshield,
be sure the wipers are turned off
completely (when it is most likely
that the engine is left running) this is
particularly important when clearing ice
and snow.

NOTE
 


 Switching the auto-wiper lever from the

to the position while driving
activates the windshield wipers once,
after which they operate according to
the rainfall amount.
 


 The auto-wiper control may not operate
when the rain sensor temperature is
about -10 °C (14 °F) or lower, or about
85 °C (185 °F) or higher.
 


 If the windshield is coated with water
repellent, the rain sensor may not be
able to sense the amount of rainfall
correctly and the auto-wiper control
may not operate properly.
 


 If dirt or foreign matter (such as ice or
matter containing salt water) adheres
to the windshield above the rain sensor,
or if the windshield is iced, it could
cause the wipers to move automatically.
However, if the wipers cannot remove
this ice, dirt or foreign matter, the auto-
wiper control will stop operation. In
this case, set the wiper lever to the low
speed position or high speed position
for manual operation, or remove the ice,
dirt or foreign matter by hand to restore
the auto-wiper operation.
 


 If the auto-wiper lever is left in the
position, the wipers could operate
automatically from the effect of strong
light sources, electromagnetic waves, or
infrared light because the rain sensor
uses an optical sensor. It is
recommended that the auto-wiper lever
be switched to the
position other
than when driving the vehicle under
rainy conditions.
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4–66
When Driving
Brake
Brake System
Foot Brake
This vehicle 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 , fi nd a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more eff ort, 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 aff ected.

CAUTION




 Do not drive with your foot held on the
brake pedal. Doing so could result in the
following:
 


 The brake parts will wear out more
quickly.
 


 The brakes can overheat and
adversely aff ect brake performance.




 Always 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 insuffi cient braking
operation.
 

 
 Wear shoes appropriate for driving in
order to avoid your shoe contacting
the brake pedal when depressing the
accelerator pedal.

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