A Word to Mazda OwnersThank you for choosing a Mazda. We at Mazda design and build vehicles with complete
customer satisfaction in mind.
To help ensure enjoyable and trouble-free operation of your Mazda, read this manual
carefully and follow its recommendations.
An Authorized Mazda Dealer knows your vehicle best. So when maintenance or service is
necessary, that's the place to go.
Our nationwide network of Mazda professionals is dedicated to providing you with the best
possible service.
We assure you that all of us at Mazda have an ongoing interest in your motoring pleasure
and in your full satisfaction with your Mazda product.
Mazda Motor Corporation
HIROSHIMA, JAPANImportant Notes About This Manual
Keep this manual in the trunk as a handy reference for the safe and enjoyable use of your Mazda. Should you
resell the vehicle, leave this manual with it for the next owner.
All specifications and descriptions are accurate at the time of printing. Because improvement is a constant goal at
Mazda, we reserve the right to make changes in specifications at any time without notice and without obligation.
Air-Conditioning and the Environment
Your Mazda's genuine air conditioner is filled with a refrigerant that has been found not to damage the earth's
ozone layer. If the air conditioner does not operate properly, consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Perchlorate
Certain components of this vehicle such as [air bag modules, seat belt pretensioners, lithium batteries,…] may
contain Perchlorate Material-- Special handling may apply for service or vehicle end of life disposal. See
www.dtsc.ca.gov/hazardouswaste/perchlorate.
Please be aware that this manual applies to all models, equipment and options. As a result, you may find
some explanations for equipment not installed on your vehicle.
©2016 Mazda Motor Corporation
Oct. 2016 (Print1)
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 3 2016/08/11 20:28:17
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.
LowMidHighOFF
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.
Infants, small children, elderly
people, and physically challenged
people
People with delicate skin
People who are excessively fatigued
People who are intoxicated
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.
NOTE
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.
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.
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 –7 Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt PrecautionsSeat 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 –9 Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
* Some models. Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical ConditionsPregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for specific
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 specific medical conditio ns.
Emergency Locking ModeWhen 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 –12 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
2-34 ).
The seat belt retractors remove slack
quickly as the air bags are expanding.
Any time the air bags and seat belt
pretensioners have fired they must be
replaced.
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page
4-26 .
Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Beep on page 7-48 .
(With Passenger Occupant
Classification 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
classification sensor detects a passenger
sitting on the passenger's seat.
For details, refer to the passenger occupant
classification sensor (page 2-37 ). 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
sufficient occupant movement.
Even if the pretensioners have not fired,
the load limiting function must be checked
by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
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 2-10 ).
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.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 12 2016/08/11 20:28:22
3 –11 Before Driving
Doors and Locks
*Some models.NOTE
Always stop the engine and lock the
doors. In addition, to prevent theft of
valuables, do not leave them inside the
cabin.
If the key is left in the following areas
and you leave the vehicle, the doors
may be locked depending on the radio
wave conditions even if the key is left in
the vehicle.
Around the dashboard
In the storage compartments or the
center console
Next to a communication device such
as a mobile phone
When the ignition is switched to ACC
or ON, the vehicle lock-out prevention
feature prevents you from locking
yourself out of the vehicle.
Both doors will automatically unlock if
they are locked using the power door
locks with any door open.
If both the doors are closed even though
the trunk lid is open, both the doors will
lock.
The vehicle lock-out prevention feature
does not operate while the ignition is
switched off.
When any door is opened from the
outside while the key is inside the
vehicle, the closed doors are locked.
Both the doors are automatically
unlocked by closing the open door.
(With the advanced keyless function)
The beep sound is heard for about 10
seconds to notify the driver that the key
has been left in the vehicle.
(Without the advanced keyless
function)
The horn sound is heard twice to notify
the driver that the key has been left in
the vehicle.
(Door unlock (control) system with
collision detection) *
This system automatically unlocks the
doors in the event the vehicle is involved
in an accident to allow passengers to
get out of the vehicle immediately and
prevent being trapped inside. While the
ignition is switched ON and in the event
the vehicle receives an impact strong
enough to inflate the air bags, both the
doors are automatically unlocked after
about 6 seconds have elapsed from the
time of the accident.
The doors may not unlock depending on
how an impact is applied, the force of
the impact, and other conditions of the
accident.
If door-related systems or the battery
is malfunctioning, the doors will not
unlock.
When opening a door, the power
windows open a little automatically.
When closing the door, the power
windows close automatically. This is a
function for improving the sealability,
and it does not mean there is a problem.
If the vehicle battery is disconnected for
vehicle maintenance or other reasons,
the power windows will not open
or close automatically. If the power
windows do not open or close, the
automatic open/close mechanism for the
windows must be reset.
Refer to Operating the Power Windows
on page 3-31 .
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3 –20 Before Driving
Doors and Locks
*Some models.Closing the trunk lid
Use both hands to push the trunk lid down
until the lock snaps shut. Do not slam it.
Pull up on the trunk lid to make sure it is
secure.
Inside Trunk Release
Lever *
Your vehicle is equipped with an inside
trunk release lever that provides a means
of escape for children and adults in the
event they become locked inside the trunk.
No matter how careful adults might be
with keys and locking their cars, parents
should be aware that children may be
tempted to play around vehicles and use
the trunk as a hiding place.
Adults are advised to familiarize
themselves with the operation and location
of the inside trunk release lever so that
all children can be told about it in an
appropriate way, keeping in mind that
most vehicles do not have such levers.
WARNING Close the trunk lid, do not allow children
to play inside the trunk:
Leaving the trunk lid open or leaving
children in the vehicle with the keys is
dangerous. Children could open the
trunk lid and climb inside resulting
in possible injury or death from heat
exposure.
Always keep the car from being a
tempting place to play by latching the
doors and the trunk, and keeping the
keys where children can not play with
them:
Leaving children or animals
unattended in a parked vehicle is
dangerous. Babies left sleeping and
children who lock themselves in cars or
trunks can die very quickly from heat
prostration. Do not leave your children
or pets alone in a car at any time. Do
not leave the car, the trunk unlocked.
MX-5_8FR4-EA-16J_Edition1.indb 20 2016/08/11 20:28:31
3 –49 Before Driving
Security System
*Some models.Theft-Deterrent System *
If the theft-deterrent system detects an
inappropriate entry into the vehicle,
which could result in the vehicle or its
contents being stolen, the alarm alerts the
surrounding area of an abnormality by
sounding the horn and flashing the hazard
warning lights.
The system will not function unless it's
properly armed. So when you leave the
vehicle, follow the arming procedure
correctly.
OperationSystem triggering conditions
The horn sounds intermittently and the
hazard warning lights flash for about 30
seconds when the system is triggered by
any one of the following:
Unlocking a door with the key, door
lock switch, or an inside door-lock knob.
Forcing open a door, the hood or the
trunk lid.
Opening the hood by operating the hood
release handle.
Switching the ignition ON without using
the push button start.
If the system is triggered again, the lights
and horn will activate until the driver's
door is unlocked with the transmitter.
(With the advanced keyless function)
The lights and horn can also be
deactivated by pressing the request switch
on a door. NOTE
The trunk lid does not open while the
theft-deterrent system is operating.
If the battery goes dead while the theft-
deterrent system is armed, the horn will
activate and the hazard warning lights
will flash when the battery is charged or
replaced.
How to Arm the System 1. Close the windows and the convertible
top securely.
2. Switch the ignition OFF.
3. Make sure the hood, the doors, and the
trunk lid are closed.
4. Press the lock button on the transmitter
or lock the driver's door from the
outside with the auxiliary key.
The hazard warning lights will flash
once.
The following method will also arm the
theft-deterrent system:
Press the door-lock switch “ ” while
any door is open and then close both of
the doors.
(With the advanced keyless function)
Press a request switch.
The security indicator light in the
instrument cluster flashes twice per
second for 20 seconds.
5. After 20 seconds, the system is fully
armed.
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