2020 MAZDA MODEL MX-5 MIATA RF child lock

Seat Precautions
WA R N I N G
Make sure the adjustable components of a seat are locked in place:
Adjustable seats and seatbacks that are not securely locked are dangerous. In a sudden stop
or collision, the seat or seatback could move, causing injury. Make sure the adjustable
components of the seat are locked in place by attempting to slide the seat forward and
backward and rocking the seatback.
Never allow children to adjust a seat:
Allowing children to adjust a seat is dangerous as it could result in serious injury if a child's
hands or feet become caught in the seat.
Do not drive with the seatback unlocked:
All of the seatbacks play an important role in your protection in a vehicle. Leaving the
seatback unlocked is dangerous as it can a llow passengers to be ejected or thrown around
and baggage to strike occupants in a sudden stop or collision, resulting in severe injury. After
adjusting the seatback at any time, even when there are no other passengers, rock the
seatback to make sure it is locked in place.
Adjust a seat only when the vehicle is stopped:
If the seat is adjusted while the vehicle is being driven, the seating posture may become
unstable and the seat could move unexpectedly resulting in injury.
Do not modify or replace the seats:
Modifying or replacing the seats such as repl acing the upholstery or loosening any bolts is
dangerous. The seats contain air bag components essential to the supplemental restraint
system. Such modifications could damage the supplemental restraint system and result in
serious injury. Consult an Author ized Mazda Dealer if there is any need to remove or reinstall
the seats.
Do not drive with damaged seats:
Driving with damaged seats, such as seat cushions torn or damaged down to the urethane, is
dangerous. A collision, even one not strong enough to inflate the air bags, could damage the
seats which contain essential air bag components. If there was a subsequent collision, an air
bag may not deploy which could lead to injuri es. Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer
inspect the seats, seat belt pretensioners and air bags after a collision.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-2
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

Do not drive with either seats reclined:
Sitting in a reclined position while the vehicle is moving is dangerous because you do not get
the full protection from seat belts. During sudden braking or a collision, you can slide under
the lap belt and suffer serious internal injuri es. For maximum protection, sit well back and
upright.
Do not place an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back:
Putting an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back is dangerous
because you will be unable to maintain a safe driving posture and the seat belt cannot
function at its full capacity in a collision, wh ich could result in a serious accident, injury or
death.
Do not place objects under the seat:
The object could get stuck and cause the seat to not be fixed securely, and result in an
accident.
Do not stack cargo higher than the seatbacks:
Stacking luggage or other cargo higher than the seatbacks is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can fly around and become projectiles that may hit and injure
passengers.
Make sure luggage and cargo is secured before driving:
Not securing cargo while driving is dangerous as it could move or be crushed during sudden
braking or a collision and cause injury.
Always leave your car locked and keep the car keys safely away from children:
Leaving your car unlocked or the keys in reach of children is dangerous. Children who find
their way into the trunk through an open trunk can become accidentally locked in the trunk.
This could result in death or brain damage from heat prostration, particularly in the summer.
Always lock the doors and the trunk.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-3
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

Seat Belt Precautions
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and passenger always we ar seat belts.

(Except Mexico)
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/sh oulder belts out of the way when
not in use.
The driver's seat belt has no pr ovisions 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 opera tes in two modes: emergency
locking mode, and for child-res traint systems, automatic lockin g mode. If you must use the
passenger seat for a ch ild, 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 retract ors 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.
WA R N I N G
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained:
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerou s. 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 fu ll 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. Ne ver use one belt for more than one person at a
time and always operate the vehicle wi th each occupant properly restrained.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
2-13
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

▼Pregnant Women and Persons wi
th Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor f or specific
recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGL Y 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 b elts. Check with your doctor
for any special instructions regarding specific medical conditi ons.
▼Emergency Locking Mode
When 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 1 time and loosen, then pull it out again slowly.
(Seat Belt with Auto matic 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 ou t to its full length. If the belt
feels tight and hinders comfortabl e 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 c omfortable emergency locking mode, wait until the vehicle has stopped
in a safe, level area, retract the belt fully to convert it bac k to emergency locking mode and
then extend it around you again.
▼ Automatic Locking Mode*
Always use the automatic locking mode to keep the child-restrai
nt 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 chi ld-restraint system. It will retract
down to the child-res traint system and stay locked on it. See t he section on child restraint
(page 2-21).
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
*Some models.2-15
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

An additional electrical device , such as a seat warmer is installed to the surface of the
passenger seat.
Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over or against the side window of a vehicle with side
air bags:
It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean over or against the side window, the area of the
passenger seat from which the side air bags depl oy, even if a child-restraint system is used.
The impact of inflation from a side air bag co uld cause serious injury or death to an out of
position child. Furthermore, leaning over or ag ainst the door could block the side air bags and
eliminate the advantages of su pplemental protection. Because the side air bag deploys from
the outboard shoulder of the seat, do not allow the child to lean over or against the side
window, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
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.
Always use a child-restraint system designed for use without a tether or the ISOFIX/LATCH
*1
lower anchor:
Using a child-restraint system that requires a tether or the ISOFIX/LATCH
*1 lower anchor is
dangerous. Your Mazda does not have a ch ild-restraint tether or the ISOFIX/LATCH
*1 lower
anchor. The child-restraint system cannot be pr operly secured. In a collision, it could move
and injure other occupants as well as result in serious injuries or death to the child.
*1 ISOFIX (Mexico)/LATCH (Except Mexico)
CAUTION
A seat belt or child-restraint system can beco me very hot in a closed vehicle during warm
weather. To avoid burning yourself or a child, check them before you or your child touches
them.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
2-24
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

Installing Child-RestraintSystems
The passenger lap/shoulder belt can easily
be converted into the automatic locking
mode, which must be done to hold the
child-restraint system.
NOTE
To check if your seats have side air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with side air
bag will have an embossed "SRS
AIRBAG" marking on the outboard
shoulder of the seats.
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Depending on the type of child-restraint
system, it may not employ seat belts
which are in automatic locking mode,
however if it uses an upper tether, it may
not be mounted properly in this vehicle
as there is no safe way to anchor the
tether. Confirm whether the
child-restraint system can be used with
seat belts by reading the child-restraint
system manufacturer's instructions.
WA R N I N G
Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over
or against the side window of a vehicle
with side air bags:
It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean
over or against the side window, the area
of the passenger seat from which the side
air bags deploy, even if a child-restraint
system is used. The impact of inflation from
a side air bag could cause serious injury or
death to an out of position child.
Furthermore, leaning over or against the
door could block the side air bags and
eliminate the advantages of supplemental
protection. Because the side air bag
deploys from the outboard shoulder of the
seat, do not allow the child to lean over or
against the side window, even if the child is
seated in a child-restraint system.
CAUTION
When moving the seats forward and
rearward, make sure you hold onto the
seatback with your hand while operating. If
the seatback is not he ld, the seat will move
suddenly and could cause injury.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
2-29
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

Passenger's Seat Child-Restraint
System Installation (Except Mexico)
1. Make sure the ignition is switched off.
2. Slide the seat as far back as possible.
3. Place the child-res traint system on the
seat without putting your weight on the
seat and secure the child-restraint
system with the lap portion of the lap/
shoulder belt. See the manufacturer's
instructions on the child-restraint
system for belt routing instructions.
4. To get the retractor into the automatic
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt
portion of the seat belt until the entire
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
5. Push the child-restraint system firmly into the vehicle sea t. Be sure the belt
retracts as snugly as possible. A
clicking noise from the retractor will
be heard during retraction if the system
is in automatic lo cking mode. If the
belt does not lock the seat down tight,
repeat the previous step and also this
one.
NOTE
Inspect this function before each use
of the child-restraint system. You
should not be able to pull the
shoulder belt out of the retractor
while the system is in the automatic
locking mode. When you remove the
child-restraint system, be sure the
belt fully retracts to return the
system to emergency locking mode
before occupants use the seat belts.
6. Seat your child safely in the child-restraint system and secure the
child according to the instructions
from the child-restraint system
manufacturer.
7. Switch the ignition ON and make sure the passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates after
installing a child-restraint system on
the passenger seat.
If the passenger a ir bag deactivation
indicator light does not illuminate,
remove the child-restraint system,
switch the ignition to OFF, and then
re-install the chil d-restraint system
(page 2-49).

Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
2-30
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06

4. Make sure the seatback is securelylatched by pushing it back until it is
fully locked.
5. Expand the area between the seat bottom and the seatback slightly to
verify the locati ons of the ISOFIX
anchor.

NOTE
The markings above the ISOFIX
anchors indicate the locations of the
ISOFIX anchors for the attachment of
a child-restraint system.
6. Secure the child-restraint system using
the ISOFIX anchor, following the
child-restraint system manufacturer's
instruction.
7. Switch the ignition ON and make surethe passenger air bag deactivation OFF
indicator light illuminates after
installing a child-restraint system on
the passenger seat.
If the passenger a ir bag deactivation
OFF indicator light does not
illuminate, remove the child-restraint
system, switch the ignition to OFF, and
then re-install th e child-restraint
system (page 2-49).

8. If your child-restraint system came
equipped with a tether, that probably
means it is very important to properly
secure the tether for child safety.
Please carefully follow the
child-restraint system manufacturer's
instructions when installing tethers
(page 2-31).
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
2-34
MX-5_8JA4-EA-19K_Edition1_old 2019-8-29 16:18:06