2017 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 RF sensor

2–14
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt Pretensioner
and Load Limiting
Systems
For optimum protection, the driver and
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:
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
2-44 ).
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
4-42 .
Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Beep on page 7-49 .
(With Passenger Occupant
Classi¿ cation System)
In addition, the pretensioner system for
the passenger, like the front and side
passenger air bag, is designed to only
deploy when the passenger occupant
classi¿ cation sensor detects a passenger
sitting on the passenger's seat.
For details, refer to the passenger occupant
classi¿ cation sensor (page 2-47 ).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 driver
and passenger 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 2-12 ).
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.
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2–16
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Child-Restraint Precautions
Mazda strongly urges the use of child-restraint systems for children small enough to use
them.
Mazda recommends use of a Mazda genuine child-restraint system or one that complies with
the UNECE
*1 44 regulation. If you would like to purchase a Mazda genuine child-restraint
system, please contact an Authorised Mazda Dealer.
Check your local and state or provincial laws for speci¿ c requirements regarding the safety
of children riding in your vehicle.
*1 UNECE stands for United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
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 use seat belts, both lap and
shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses the neck or face, move the child closer to the centre of
the vehicle.
A rear-facing child-restraint system should NEVER be used on the passenger seat with the
air bag system activated.
(With Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by deployment of the passenger air bag, the
passenger occupant classi¿ cation sensor work as a part of the supplementary restraint
system. This system deactivates the passenger front and side air bags and also the passenger
seat belt pretensioner system when the passenger air bag deactivation OFF indicator light
illuminates.
When an infant or small child sits on the passenger seat, the system shuts off the passenger
front and side air bags and seat belt pretensioner system, so make sure the passenger air bag
deactivation OFF indicator light illuminates.
For more details, refer to "Passenger occupant classi¿ cation sensor" (page 2-47 ).
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2–19
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
WARNING
Before installing child-restraint system on the passenger seat, move the passenger seat
as far back as possible:
In a collision, the force of a deploying air bag could cause serious injury or death to the
child.
Make sure the passenger air bag deactivation OFF indicator light is illuminated.
Seating a child in a child-restraint system on the passenger seat is dangerous under
certain conditions (With Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System):
Your vehicle is equipped with passenger occupant classi¿ cation sensor. Even with
the passenger occupant classi¿ cation sensor, if you must use the passenger seat to
seat a child, using a child-restraint system on the passenger seat under the following
conditions increases the danger of the passenger air bag deploying and could result in
serious injury or death to the child.
 
 The passenger air bag deactivation OFF indicator light does not illuminate when
seating a child in the child-restraint system.
  Luggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint
system.
  The seat is washed. 
 Liquids are spilled on the seat. 
 The passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items placed
behind it.
  Luggage or other items are placed between the passenger seat and driver seat. 
 An electric device is put on the passenger's seat. 
 An additional electrical device, such as a seat warmer is installed to the surface of
the passenger seat.
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2–36
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
WARNING
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the 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 inÀ ates from the outboard side of the 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 seats. Never
use seat covers on the seats. Always keep the side air bag modules in your seats free to
deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not touch the components of the supplementary restraint system after the air bags
have inÀ ated:
Touching the components of the supplementary restraint system after the air bags have
inÀ ated is dangerous. Immediately after inÀ ation, 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 inÀ ate
unexpectedly, or it could prevent the air bags from inÀ ating during an accident.
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 modi¿ ed, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision resulting in
incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
Do not modify a door or leave any damage unrepaired. Always have an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer inspect a damaged door:
Modifying a door or leaving any damage unrepaired is dangerous. Each door has a
side crash sensor as a component of the supplementary restraint system. If holes are
drilled in a door, a door speaker is left removed, or a damaged door is left unrepaired,
the sensor could be adversely affected causing it to not detect the pressure of an impact
correctly during a side collision. If a sensor does not detect a side impact correctly, the
side air bags and the seat belt pretensioner may not operate normally which could result
in serious injury to occupants.
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2–37
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
WARNING
Do not modify the supplementary restraint system:
Modifying the components or wiring of the supplementary restraint system is
dangerous. You could accidentally activate it or make it inoperable. Do not make any
modi¿ cations to the supplementary restraint system. This includes installing trim,
badges, or anything else over the air bag modules. It also includes installing extra
electrical equipment on or near system components or wiring. An expert repairer, we
recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer can provide the special care needed in
the removal and installation of seats. It is important to protect the air bag wiring and
connections to assure that the bags do not accidentally deploy, and that the passenger
occupant classi¿ cation system and the seats retain an undamaged air bag connection.
Do not place luggage or other objects under the seats:
Placing luggage or other objects under the seats is dangerous. The components
essential to the supplementary restraint system could be damaged, and in the event of
a side collision, the appropriate air bags may not deploy, which could result in death
or serious injury. To prevent damage to the components essential to the supplementary
restraint system, do not place luggage or other objects under the seats.
Do not operate a vehicle with damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system
components:
Expended or damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system components must be
replaced after any collision which caused them to deploy or damage them. Only a
trained expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer can fully
evaluate these systems to see that they will work in any subsequent accident. Driving
with an expended or damaged air bag or pretensioner unit will not afford you the
necessary protection in the event of any subsequent accident which could result in
serious injury or death.
Do not remove interior air bag parts:
Removing any components such as the seats, front instrument panel, the steering wheel,
containing air bag parts or sensors is dangerous. These parts contain essential air bag
components. The air bag could accidentally activate and cause serious injuries. Always
have an Authorised Mazda Repairer remove these parts.
Properly dispose of the air bag system:
Improper disposal of an air bag or a vehicle with live air bags in it can be extremely
dangerous. Unless all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Have an
expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer safely dispose of the air
bag system or scrap an air bag equipped vehicle.
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2–40
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.
(Without Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
Driver/Passenger inÀ ators and air bags
Crash sensors, and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
Seat belt pretensioners (page 2-14 )
Front air bag sensors
Side crash sensors
Air bag/seat belt pretensioner system warning light (page 4-42 )
Side inÀ ators and air bags
Passenger air bag deactivation indicator light * (page 2-47 )
Passenger occupant classi¿ cation sensor * (page 2-47 )
Passenger occupant classi¿ cation module *
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2–41
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
How the SRS Air Bags Work
Your Mazda is equipped with the following types of SRS air bags. SRS air bags are
designed to work together with the seat belts to help to reduce injuries during an accident.
The SRS air bags are designed to provide further protection for passengers in addition to the
seat belt functions. Be sure to wear seat belts properly.
Seat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belt pretensioners are designed to deploy in moderate or severe frontal, near frontal
collisions.
In addition, during a side collision, the pretensioner operates on the side in which the
collision occurs. The pretensioners operate differently depending on what types of air bags
are equipped. For more details about seat belt pretensioner operation, refer to the SRS Air
Bag Deployment Criteria (page 2-44 ).
Driver Air Bag
The driver's air bag is mounted in the steering wheel.
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, the
driver's air bag inÀ ates quickly helping to reduce injury mainly to the driver's head or chest
caused by directly hitting the steering wheel.
For more details about air bag deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria"
(page 2-44 ).
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2–42
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Passenger Air Bag
The passenger air bag is mounted in the passenger instrument panel.
The inÀ ation mechanism for the passenger air bag is the same as the driver's air bag.
For more details about air bag deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria"
(page 2-44 ).
(With Passenger Occupant Classi¿ cation System)
In addition, the passenger air bag is designed to only deploy when the passenger occupant
classi¿ cation sensor detects a passenger sitting on the passenger's seat. For details, refer to
the passenger occupant classi¿ cation system (page 2-47 ).
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