2018 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK low

Always remove the head restraint and set
the tether strap (except when installing a
backless booster seat):
Routing the tether strap on top of the head
restraint is dangerous. In a collision the
tether strap could slide off the head
restraint and loosen the child-restraint
system. The child-restraint system could
move which may result in death or injury to
the child.
Anchor bracket
Tether strap(4-Door)
Tether strapForward
(5-Door)
Always attach the tether strap to the
correct tether anchor position:
Attaching the tether strap to the incorrect
tether anchor position is dangerous. In a
collision, the tether strap could come off
and loosen the child-restraint system. If the
child-restraint system moves it could result
in death or injury to the child.
Always install the head restraint and adjust
it to the appropriate position after
removing the child-restraint system:
Driving with the head restraint removed is
dangerous as impact to the occupant's
head cannot be prevented during
emergency braking or in a collision, which
could result in a serious accident, injury or
death.
Refer to Head Restraints on page 2-10.

Installation on rear center seat
The LATCH lower anchors at the center of
the rear seat are much further apart than
the sets of LATCH lower anchors for
child-restraint system installation at other
seating positions. Child-restraint systems
with rigid LATCH attachments cannot be
installed on the center seating position.
Some LATCH equipped child-restraint
systems can be placed in the center
position and will reach the nearest LATCH
lower anchors which are 443 mm (17.4 in)
apart. LATCH compatible child-restraint
systems (with attachments on belt
webbing) can be us
ed at this seating
position only if the c hild-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions state that the
child-restraint system can be installed to
LATCH lower anchors that are 443 mm
(17.4 in) apart. Do not attach two
child-restraint systems to the same
LATCH lower anchor. If your
child-restraint system has a tether, it must
also be used for your child's optimum
safety.

The procedure for installation on the rear
outboard seats is the same.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
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LATCH lower anchor location
WA R N I N G
Always remove the head restraint and set
the tether strap (except when installing a
backless booster seat):
Routing the tether strap on top of the head
restraint is dangerous. In a collision the
tether strap could slide off the head
restraint and loosen the child-restraint
system. The child-restraint system could
move which may result in death or injury to
the child.
Anchor bracket
Tether strap
(4-Door)
Tether strap
Forward
(5-Door)
Always attach the tether strap to the
correct tether anchor position:
Attaching the tether strap to the incorrect
tether anchor position is dangerous. In a
collision, the tether strap could come off
and loosen the child-restraint system. If the
child-restraint system moves it could result
in death or injury to the child.
Always install the head restraint and adjust
it to the appropriate position after
removing the child-restraint system:
Driving with the head restraint removed is
dangerous as impact to the occupant's
head cannot be
prevented during
emergency braking or in a collision, which
could result in a serious accident, injury or
death.
Refer to Head Restraints on page 2-10.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child-Restraint
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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Precautions
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include different types of air bags.
Please verify the different types of air bags which are equippe d on your vehicle by
locating the “SRS AIRBAG” location indicators. These indicators are visible in the area
where the air bags are installed.
The air bags are installed in the following locations:

The steering wheel h ub (driver air bag)
The front passenger dashboard (front passenger air bag)
The outboard sides of the front seatbacks (side air bags)*
The front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides (curtain air bags)*

Vehicles with the Front Passenger Occupant Classification Syste m have a sensor which
detects an impending roll-over accident.

The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to prov ide supplemental protection
in certain situations so seat bel ts are always important in the following ways:

Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate p rotection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
Keep the occupant from being thrown into an inflating air bag.
Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is n ot designed for air bag
inflation, such as rear impact.
Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal, near frontal or side collisions or roll-over
accidents that are not severe enough to activate the air bags.
Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
Reduce the possibility of injurie s to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts of the body.
Hold the driver in a position wh ich allows better control of the vehicle.

Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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If your vehicle is also equipped with a front passenger occupant classification system,
refer to the Front Pas senger Occupant Classi fication System (page 2-61) for details.
If your vehicle is equipped with a front passenger occupant classification system, the front
passenger air bag deactivation i ndicator light illuminates for a specified time after the
ignition is switched ON.


Small children mu st be protected by a child-restraint system as stipulated by law in every
state and province. In certain s tates and provinces, larger children must use a child-restraint
system (page 2-20).

Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary fo r your child and follow the
installation directions in this Owner's Manual as well as the c hild-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
WA R N I N G
Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles:
Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous. Alone, air
bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appr opriate air bags can be expected to inflate
only in the first accident, such as frontal, near frontal or side collisions or roll-over accidents
that are at least moderate. Vehicle occu pants should always wear seat belts.

Children should not ride in the front passenger seat:
Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be hit by a
deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more likely to lean
against the door and be hit by the side air ba g in moderate collision to the front-passenger
side of the vehicle. Whenever possible, alwa ys secure a child 12 years and under on the rear
seats with an appropriate child-restraint system for the child's age and size.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the front 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
inflates from the outboard side of the front seat s, 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 front seats. Never
use seat covers on the front seats. Always keep the side air bag modules in your front seats free
to deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a curtain air bag deploys:
Attaching objects to the areas where the curtai n air bag activates such as on the windshield
glass, side door glass, front and rear window pi llars and along the roof edge and assist grips is
dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the curtain air bag, which
inflates
from the front and rear window pillars an d along the roof edge, impeding the added
protection of the curtain air bag system or redi recting the air bag in a way that is dangerous.
Furthermore, the bag could be cut open releasing the gas.
Do not place hangers or any other objects on the assist grips. When hanging clothes, hang
them on the coat hook directly. Always keep th e curtain air bag modules free to deploy in the
event of a side collision or roll-over accident.
Do not touch the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags have
inflated:
Touching the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags have
inflated is dangerous. Immediat ely after inflation, 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
inflate unexpectedly, or it could
prevent the air bags from inflating during an accident. Front 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
modified, the vehicle will be unable to accura tely detect a collision or roll-over accident
resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag depl oyment and the possibility of serious injuries.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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To prevent false detection by the air bag sensor system, heed the following:
Do not use tires or wheels other than those specified for your Mazda:
Use of any tire or wheel other than those specified for your Mazda (page 9-10) is
dangerous. Use of such wheels will prevent th e vehicle's accident detections system from
accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air
bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
 Do not overload your vehicle:
Overloading your vehicle is dangerous as it could prevent the air bag crash sensor system
from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or
unexpected air bag deployment and the possibili ty of serious injuries. The gross axle weight
rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your vehicle are on the Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard Label on the driver's door frame. Do not exceed these ratings.
 Do not drive the vehicle off-road:
Driving your Mazda off-road is dangerous beca use the vehicle has not been designed to do
so. Driving the vehicle off-road could prev ent the air bag crash sensor system from
accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air
bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.
Do not modify a front door or leave any damage unrepaired. Always have an Authorized
Mazda Dealer inspect a damaged front door:
Modifying a front door or leaving any damage un repaired is dangerous. Each front door has a
side crash sensor as a component of the suppleme ntal restraint system. If holes are drilled in a
front 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 and curtain air
bags and the front seat belt pretensioner ma y not operate normally which could result in
serious injury to occupants.
Do not modify the supplemental restraint system:
Modifying the components or wiring of the supplemental restraint system is dangerous. You
could accidentally activate it or make it inoperable. Do not make any modifications to the
supplemental restraint system. This includes inst alling 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 Authorized Mazda Dealer can provide the special care needed in
the removal and installation of front seats. It is important to protect the air bag wiring and
connections to assure that the bags do not accidentally deploy, and that the front passenger
occupant classification system and the seats retain an undamaged air bag connection.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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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 Authorized
Mazda Dealer safely dispose of the air bag sy stem or scrap an air bag equipped vehicle.
NOTE
If it becomes necessary to have the components or wiring system for the supplementary
restraint system modified to accommodate a person with certain medical conditions in
accordance with a certified physician, contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer, refer to
“Customer Assistance (U.S.A.)” (page 8-2).
When an air bag deploys, a loud inflation noise can be heard and some smoke will be
released. Neither is likely to cause injury, however, the text ure of the air bags may cause
light skin injuries on body parts not covered with clothing through friction.
Should you sell your Mazda, we urge you to tell the new owner of its air bag systems and
that familiarization with all instructions about them, from the Owner's Manual, is
important.
This highly-visible label is displayed wh ich warns against the use of a rear-facing
child-restraint system on the front passenger seat.

(Except Mexico) (Mexico)
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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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.
▼ Front Seat Belt Pretensioners
The front seat belt pretensioners are designed to deploy in mod
erate or severe frontal, near
frontal collisions.
In addition, the pretensioners ope rate when a side collision (only on the side in which the
collision occurs) or a roll-over accident is detected. The pretensioners operate differently
depending on what types of air bags are equipped. For more deta ils about seat belt
pretensioner operation, refer to the SRS Air Bag Deployment Cri teria (page 2-58).
▼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 inflates 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 Ba g Deployment Criteria"
(page 2-58).
(With Front Passenger Occupa nt Classification System)
The driver's dual-stage air bag controls air bag inflation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity, the driver's air bag deploys with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, it deploys with more energy.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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