2017 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 Owners Manual (in English)

2–3
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Do not drive with either 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.

Always leave your car locked and keep the car keys safely away from children:
Leaving your car unlocked or the keys in reach of children is dangerous. Children who fi nd
their way into the trunk through an open trunk can become accidentally locked in the
trunk. This could result in death or brain damage from heat prostration, particularly in
the summer. Always lock the doors and the trunk.

CAUTION
 


¾ When operating a seat, be careful not to put your hands or fi ngers near the moving parts of
the seat or on the side trim to prevent injury.
 


¾ When moving the seats, make sure there is no cargo in the surrounding area. If the cargo
gets caught it could damage the cargo.
 


¾ When moving the seats forward and rearward or returning a rear-reclined seatback to its
upright position, make sure you hold onto the seatback with your hand while operating. If
the seatback is not held, the seat will move suddenly and could cause injury.

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2–4
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Seat
Seat Operation


Seat Slide
To move a seat forward or backward, raise the lever and slide the seat to the desired position
and release the lever.
Make sure the lever returns to its original position and the seat is locked in place by
attempting to push it forward and backward.

Height Adjustment for Front Edge of Seat Bottom (Driver's Seat)
To adjust the height for front edge of the seat bottom, rotate the dial to the desired position.

Seat Recline
To change the seatback angle, lean forward slightly while raising the lever. Then lean back
to the desired position and release the lever.
Make sure the lever returns to its original position and the seatback is locked in place by
attempting to push it forward and backward.
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2–5
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
*Some models.
Seat Warmer *
The seats are electrically heated. The
ignition must be switched ON.
Press the seat warmer switch while the
ignition is switched ON to operate the seat
warmer. The indicator lights turn on to
indicate that the seat warmer is operating.
The mode changes as follows each time
the seat warmer switch is pressed.

Low Mid High OFF

WARNING
Be careful when using the seat warmer:
The heat from the seat warmer may be
too hot for some people, as indicated
as follows, and could cause a low-
temperature burn.
 ¾ Infants, small children, elderly
people, and physically challenged
people
 


¾ People with delicate skin



¾ People who are excessively fatigued



¾ People who are intoxicated



¾ People who have taken sleep-
inducing medicine such as sleeping
pills or cold medicine
Do not use the seat warmer with
anything having high moisture-
retention ability such as a blanket or
cushion on the seat:
The seat may be heated excessively
and cause a low-temperature burn.
Do not use the seat warmer even when
taking a short nap in the vehicle:
The seat may be heated excessively
and cause a low-temperature burn.

Do not place heavy objects with sharp
projections on the seat, or insert
needles or pins into it:
This could cause the seat to become
excessively heated and result in injury
from a minor burn.

CAUTION
Do not use organic solvents to clean
the seat. It may damage the seat
surface and the heater.

N O T E
 


y If the ignition is switched off while the
seat warmer is operating (High, Mid or
Low) and then switched ON again, the
seat warmer will automatically operate
at the temperature set before switching
off the ignition.
 


y Use the seat warmer when the engine
is running. Leaving the seat warmer
on for long periods with the engine not
running could cause the battery power
to be depleted.
 


y The temperature of the seat warmer
cannot be adjusted beyond High, Mid
and Low because the seat warmer is
controlled by a thermostat.

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2–6
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Head Restraints
Non-Adjustable Head Restraints
Your vehicle is equipped with non-adjustable head restraints on the driver's and passenger's
seatbacks. The non-adjustable head restraints consist of a trimmed foam covering over the
upper structure of the seatbacks and are intended to help protect you and the passenger from
neck injury. Adjust the seatbacks to their upright, on-road positions so that the head restraint
is positioned as close as possible to the back of your head.
WARNING
Make sure the seatbacks are properly adjusted to their upright, on-road positions
before the vehicle is driven:
Driving with the seatbacks not adjusted properly is dangerous. With no support behind
your head, your neck could be seriously injured in a collision.

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2–7
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 passengers always wear seat belts.

(Except Mexico)
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 passenger's seat lap/shoulder belt retractor operates in two modes: emergency
locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode. If you must use the
passenger seat for a child, slide the passenger seat as far back as possible and make sure any
child-restraint system is secured properly.

(Mexico)
All the 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.
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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2–8
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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 Authorized Mazda Dealer 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 Authorized Mazda Dealer 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. A seat belt with an expended pretensioner or load limiter is still better than
wearing no seat belt at all; however, if the seat belt pretensioners and load limiters are
not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase.

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.

CAUTION
Belt retraction may become diffi cult if the belts and seat belt guides are soiled, so try
to keep them clean. For more details about cleaning the seat belts, refer to "Seat Belt
Maintenance" (page 6-68 ).


Seat belt guide
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2–9
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
*Some models.
Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for speci¿ c
recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIPS.
The shoulder belt should be worn across your shoulder properly, but never across the
stomach area.
Persons with serious medical conditions also should wear seat belts. Check with your doctor
for any special instructions regarding speci¿ c medical conditions.


Emergency Locking Mode
When the seat belt is fastened, it will always be in the emergency locking mode.
In the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the
retractor will lock in position during a collision.
If the belt is locked and cannot be pulled out, retract the belt once, and then try pulling it out
slowly. If this fails, pull the belt strongly one time and loosen, then pull it out again slowly.
(Seat Belt with Automatic Locking Mode)
When the seat belt is fastened, it will always be in the emergency locking mode until it is
switched to automatic locking mode by pulling it all the way out to its full length. If the belt
feels tight and hinders comfortable movement while the vehicle is stopped or in motion, it
may be in the automatic locking mode because the belt has been pulled too far out. To return
the belt to the more comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until the vehicle has stopped
in a safe, level area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking mode and
then extend it around you again.
Automatic Locking Mode *
Always use the automatic locking mode to keep the child-restraint system from shifting to
an unsafe position in the event of an accident. To enable seat belt automatic locking mode,
pull it all the way out and connect it as instructed on the child-restraint system. It will retract
down to the child-restraint system and stay locked on it. See the section on child restraint
(page 2-15 ).
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2–10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt
WARNING
Always wear the seat belt with it
correctly routed in its guide:
Wearing a seat belt without the seat
belt routed in its guide is dangerous
because the seat belt would not be
able to provide adequate protection
in an accident, which could result in
serious injury.

Seat belt guide

Fastening the Seat Belt

Seat belt tongue
Seat belt buckle

Position the lap belt as low as possible,
not on the abdominal area, then adjust the
shoulder belt so that it ¿ ts snugly against
your body.

Keep low on
hip boneTake up slack
Too high

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