6 –41 Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
TiresFor reasons of proper performance, safety,
and better fuel economy, always maintain
recommended tire inflation pressures and
stay within the recommended load limits
and weight distribution.
WARNING Using Different Tire Types:
Driving your vehicle with different
types of tires is dangerous. It could
cause poor handling and poor braking;
leading to loss of control.
Except for the limited use of the
temporary spare tire, use only the
same type tires (radial, bias-belted,
bias-type) on all four wheels.
Using Wrong-Sized Tires:
Using any other tire size than what is
specified for the vehicle (page 9-8 )
is dangerous. It could seriously affect
ride, handling, ground clearance,
tire clearance, and speedometer
calibration. This could cause you to
have an accident. Use only tires that
are the correct size specified for the
vehicle. Tire Inflation Pressure
WARNING Always inflate the tires to the correct
pressure:
Overinflation or underinflation of tires
is dangerous. Adverse handling or
unexpected tire failure could result in a
serious accident.
Refer to Tires on page 9-8 .
Use only a Mazda-genuine tire valve
cap:
Use of a non-genuine part is
dangerous as the correct tire air
pressure cannot be maintained if the
tire valve becomes damaged. If the
vehicle is driven under this condition,
the tire air pressure will decrease which
could result in a serious accident. Do
not use any part for the tire valve cap
that is not a Mazda-genuine part.
Inspect all tire pressures monthly when
the tires are cold. Maintain recommended
pressures for the best ride, handling, and
minimum tire wear.
Refer to the specification charts (page
9-8 ).
(With tire pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tire pressure,
initialization of the tire pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-108 .
NOTE
Always check tire pressure when tires
are cold.
Warm tires normally exceed
recommended pressures. Do not release
air from warm tires to adjust the
pressure.
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6 –42 Maintenance and Care
Owner Maintenance
Underinflation can cause reduced fuel
economy, uneven and accelerated tire
wear, and poor sealing of the tire bead,
which will deform the wheel and cause
separation of tire from rim.
Overinflation can produce a harsh ride,
uneven and accelerated tire wear, and a
greater possibility of damage from road
hazards.
Keep your tire pressure at the correct
levels. If one frequently needs inflating,
have it inspected.
Tire Rotation
WARNINGRotate tires periodically:
Irregular tire wear is dangerous. To
equalize tread wear for maintaining
good performance in handling and
braking, rotate the tires every 12,000
km (7,500 miles). However Mazda
recommends to rotate every 8,000 km
(5,000 miles) to help increase tire life
and distribute wear more evenly.
Refer to Scheduled Maintenance on
page 6-4 .
During rotation, inspect them for correct
balance.
Do not include (TEMPORAR Y USE ONLY)
spare tire in rotation. Forward Also, inspect them for uneven wear and
damage. Abnormal wear is usually caused
by one or a combination of the following:
Incorrect tire pressure
Improper wheel alignment
Out-of-balance wheel
Severe braking
After rotation, inflate all tire pressures to
specification (page 9-8 ) and inspect the
lug nuts for tightness.
(With tire pressure monitoring system)
After adjusting the tire pressure,
initialization of the tire pressure
monitoring system is necessary to make
the system operate normally.
Refer to Tire Pressure Monitoring System
Initialization on page 4-108 .
CAUTION Rotate unidirectional tires and radial
tires that have an asymmetrical tread
pattern or studs only from front to rear,
not from side to side. Tire performance
will be reduced if rotated from side to
side.
(With limited-slip differential)
Do not use the following:
Tires not of the designated size
Tires of different sizes or types at
the same time
Tires not sufficiently inflated
If these instructions are not followed,
the rotation of the left and right wheels
will be different and will thus apply
a constant load on the limited-slip
differential.
This will cause a malfunction.
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6 –61 Maintenance and Care
Appearance Care Maintaining the FinishWashing
CAUTION
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 fingers 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.
Do not spray water in the engine
compartment. Otherwise, it could result
in engine-starting problems or damage
to electrical parts.
When washing and waxing the vehicle,
be careful not to apply excessive force
to any single area of the vehicle hood.
Otherwise, you could dent the vehicle.
Do not use automatic car washing
machines and car washing devices using
high water pressure.
Make sure that the fuel lid is closed
and lock the doors. Otherwise, the fuel
lid may be forcefully opened by water
pressure causing damage to the vehicle
or fuel lid.
To help protect the finish from rust
and deterioration, wash your Mazda
thoroughly and frequently, at least once a
month, with lukewarm or cold water.
If the vehicle is washed improperly, the
paint surface could be scratched. Here are
some examples of how scratching could
occur.
Scratches occur on the paint surface when:
The vehicle is washed without first
rinsing off dirt and other foreign matter.
The vehicle is washed with a rough, dry,
or dirty cloth.
The vehicle is washed at a car wash that
uses brushes that are dirty or too stiff.
Cleansers or wax containing abrasives
are used.
NOTE
Mazda is not responsible for scratches
caused by automatic car washes or
improper washing.
Scratches are more noticeable on
vehicles with darker paint finishes.
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10 –7Storage Compartments ...................... 5-138
Back trim storage box
................. 5-139
Console box
................................. 5-138
Seat side box
............................... 5-138
Sunvisors
........................................... 5-132
T Tachometer .......................................... 4-13
Theft-Deterrent System
....................... 3-49
Tiedown
Hook
.............................................. 7-31
Tire Inflation Pressure Warning Beep ... 7-51
Tire Information
.................................. 8-24
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
..... 4-105
Tires
.................................................... 6-41
Flat tire
............................................ 7-3
Replacing a tire
............................. 6-43
Replacing a wheel
......................... 6-43
Snow tires
...................................... 3-54
Specifications
.................................. 9-8
Tire chains
..................................... 3-54
Tire inflation pressure
.................... 6-41
Tire rotation
................................... 6-42
Uniform tire quality grading system
(UTQGS)
....................................... 8-22
Towing
Recreational towing
...................... 3-57
Trailer towing
................................ 3-57
Towing Description
............................. 7-30
Traction Control System (TCS)
.......... 4-66
TCS/DSC indicator light
............... 4-66
Transmitter
............................................ 3-4
Trip Computer
..................................... 4-16
Trip Meter
.................................. 4-12, 4-20 Trouble
Battery runs out ............................. 7-23
Emergency starting
........................ 7-26
Emergency towing
........................ 7-30
Flat tire
............................................ 7-3
Overheating
................................... 7-27
Parking in an emergency
................. 7-2
When fuel-filler lid cannot be
opened
........................................... 7-29
When the roof cannot be closed
.... 7-57
When trunk lid cannot be opened ... 7-52
Trunk Lid
............................................ 3-18
Inside trunk release lever
.............. 3-20
When trunk lid cannot be opened ... 7-52
Turn Signals
........................................ 4-50
V Vanity Mirrors ................................... 5-132
Vehicle Information Labels
................... 9-2Inde x
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