2017 MAZDA MX5 MIATA Owners Manual

4 –55 When Driving
Switches and Controls
Rear Window Defogger The rear window defogger clears fog from
the rear window.
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the defogger.
Press the switch to turn on the rear
window defogger. The rear window
defogger operates for about 15 minutes
and then turns off automatically.
The indicator light illuminates when the
defogger is operating.
To turn off the rear window defogger
before the 15 minutes has elapsed, press
the switch again.
Manual Climate Control Indicator light
Fully Automatic Climate Control Indicator light CAUTION 
Do not use sharp instruments or window
cleaners with abrasives to clean the
inside of the rear window surface. They
may damage the defogger grid inside
the window. 
Before opening the convertible top,
make sure the rear window defogger
switch is turned off. Otherwise the heat
generated from the defogger could
damage the convertible top and the
internal material.
NOTE
This defogger is not designed for melting
snow. If there is an accumulation of snow
on the rear window, remove it before using
the defogger.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 55 2016/08/11 20:28:55

4 –56 When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models. Mirror Defogger *
The mirror defoggers defrost the outside
mirrors.
The mirror defoggers operate in
conjunction with the rear window
defogger.
To turn on the mirror defoggers, switch
the ignition ON and press the rear window
defogger switch (page 4-55 ).
Manual Climate Control Indicator light
Fully Automatic Climate Control Indicator light Horn To sound the horn, press the mark on
the steering wheel.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 56 2016/08/11 20:28:55

4 –57 When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models.Hazard Warning Flasher The hazard warning lights should always
be used when you stop on or near a
roadway in an emergency.
The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a traffic hazard
and that they must take extreme caution
when near it.
Depress the hazard warning flasher and
all the turn signals will flash. The hazard
warning indicator lights in the instrument
cluster flash simultaneously.
NOTE 
The turn signals do not work when the
hazard warning lights are on. 
Check local regulations about the use of
hazard warning lights while the vehicle
is being towed to verify that it is not in
violation of the law. HomeLink Wireless
Control System *
NOTE
HomeLink and HomeLink house icon
are registered trademarks of Gentex
Corporation.
The HomeLink system replaces up to
3 hand-held transmitters with a single
built-in component in the auto-dimming
mirror. Pressing the HomeLink button on
the auto-dimming mirror activates garage
doors, gates and other devices surrounding
your home.
HomeLink button Indicator light
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 57 2016/08/11 20:28:55

4 –58 When Driving
Switches and Controls
WARNINGDo not use the HomeLink system with
any garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature:
Using the HomeLink system with any
garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature as
required by federal safety standards
is dangerous. (This includes garage
doors manufactured before April 1,
1982.)
Using these garage door openers can
increase the risk of serious injury or
death. For further information, contact
HomeLink at 1-800-355-3515 or www.
homelink.com or an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Always check the areas surrounding
garage doors and gates for people
or obstructions before programming
or during operation of the HomeLink
system:
Programming or operating the
HomeLink system without verifying
the safety of areas surrounding garage
doors and gates is dangerous and
could result in an unexpected accident
and serious injury if someone were to
be hit.
NOTE
The programming will not be erased even
if the battery is disconnected. Pre-programming the HomeLink
System NOTE
It is recommended that a new battery be
placed in the hand-held transmitter of the
device being programmed to HomeLink
for quicker training and accurate
transmission of the radio-frequency signal. 
Verify that there is a remote control
transmitter available for the device you
would like to program. 
Disconnect the power to the device.
Programming the HomeLink
System
CAUTION When programming a garage door
opener or a gate, disconnect the power
to these devices before performing
programming. Continuous operation
of the devices could damage the
motor.
The HomeLink system provides 3 buttons
which can be individually selected and
programmed using the transmitters for
current, on-market devices as follows:
1. Disconnect the power to the garage
door opener or gate programmed to the
hand-held transmitter.
2. Position the end of your hand-held
transmitter 2.5—7.5 cm (1—3 inches)
away from the HomeLink button you
wish to program while keeping the
indicator light in view.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 58 2016/08/11 20:28:56

4 –59 When Driving
Switches and Controls3. Simultaneously press and hold both
the chosen HomeLink and hand-held
transmitter buttons. Do not release
the buttons until step 3 has been
completed.NOTE
Some gate operators and garage door
openers may require you to replace this
Programming Step 2 with procedures
noted in the “Gate Operator/Canadian
Programming” section.
4. After the HomeLink indicator light
changes from a slow to a rapidly
blinking light, release both the
HomeLink and hand-held transmitter
buttons.
NOTE
If the HomeLink indicator light does not
change to a rapidly blinking light, contact
HomeLink at www.homelink.com or call
1-800-355-3515 for assistance.
5. Connect the power to the garage door
opener or gate programmed to the
hand-held transmitter. 6. Firmly press and hold the programmed
HomeLink button for five seconds,
and then release it. Perform this
operation two times to activate the door
or gate. If the door or gate does not
activate, press and hold the just-trained
HomeLink button and observe the
indicator light.
If the indicator light stays on
constantly, programming is complete
and your device should activate when
the HomeLink button is pressed and
released.
NOTE
To program the remaining two HomeLink
buttons, begin with “Programming” —
step 1
If the indicator light blinks rapidly
for two seconds and then turns
to a constant light, continue with
“Programming” steps 7

4 –60 When Driving
Switches and Controls 9. Return to the vehicle and firmly press,
hold for two seconds and release the
programmed HomeLink button. Repeat
the “ press/hold/release ” sequence a
second time, and, depending on the
brand of the garage door opener (or
other rolling code equipped device),
repeat this sequence a third time to
complete the programming process.
HomeLink should now activate your
rolling code equipped device.
NOTE
To program the remaining two HomeLink
buttons, begin with “Programming” —
step 1
For questions or comments, please contact
HomeLink at www.homelink.com or 1-
800-355-3515 .
Gate operator/Canadian
ProgrammingCanadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
— which may not be long enough for
HomeLink to pick up the signal during
programming. Similar to this Canadian
law, some U.S. gate operators are designed
to “time-out” in the same manner.
If you live in Canada or you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
by using the “Programming” procedures
(regardless of where you live), replace
“Programming HomeLink” step 3 with
the following:
NOTE
If programming a garage door opener or
gate operator, it is advised to unplug the
device during the “cycling” process to
prevent possible overheating. Continue to press and hold the HomeLink
button while you press and release
— every two seconds (“cycle”) your
hand-held transmitter until the frequency
signal has successfully been accepted by
HomeLink. (The indicator light will flash
slowly and then rapidly.)
Proceed with “Programming” step 4 to
complete.
Operating the HomeLink System Press the programmed HomeLink button
to operate a programmed device. The
code will continue being transmitted for a
maximum of 20 seconds.
Reprogramming the HomeLink
system To program a device to HomeLink using
a HomeLink button previously trained,
follow these steps:
1. Press and hold the desired HomeLink
button. DO NOT release the button.
2. The indicator light will begin to flash
after 20 seconds. Without releasing
the HomeLink button, proceed with
“Programming” - step 1.
Erasing Programmed HomeLink
Buttons
To erase the existing programming from
all three operating channels, press and
hold the two outside buttons (
, ) on
the auto-dimming mirror until the
HomeLink indicator light begins to flash
after approximately 10 seconds.
Verify that the programming has been
erased when you resell the vehicle.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 60 2016/08/11 20:28:56

4 –61 When Driving
Brake
Brake System Foot BrakeThis 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, find a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more effort, 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 affected.
CAUTION 
Do not drive with your foot held on the
clutch pedal or brake pedal, or hold
the clutch pedal depressed halfway
unnecessarily. Doing so could result in
the following: 
The clutch and brake parts will wear
out more quickly. 
The brakes can overheat and
adversely affect 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 insufficient braking
operation.


Wear shoes appropriate for driving in
order to avoid your shoe contacting
the brake pedal when depressing the
accelerator pedal.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 61 2016/08/11 20:28:57

4 –62 When Driving
Brake Parking Brake
CAUTION Driving with the parking brake on
will cause excessive wear of the brake
parts.
NOTE
For parking in snow, refer to Winter
Driving (page 3-53 ) regarding parking
brake use.
Setting the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and then firmly
pull the parking brake lever fully upwards
with sufficient force to hold the vehicle in
a stationary position. Releasing the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and pull the
parking brake lever upwards, then press
the release button. While holding the
button, lower the parking brake lever all
the way down to the released position. Button
Warning Light The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Lights on page 4-26 .
Brake Pad Wear Indicator When the disc brake pads become worn,
the built-in wear indicators contact the
disc plates. This causes a screeching noise
to warn that the pads should be replaced.
When you hear this noise, consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 62 2016/08/11 20:28:57