2021 MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK Owners Manual

▼Front Shoulder Belt Adjuster
The front seat belts have a front
shoulder belt adjuster. If the seat belt
contacts your neck or it slips o
ff the
shoulder, adjust the seat belt height.
To ra i s e
To heighten the seat belt, move the
front shoulder belt adjuster upward.
To l o w e r
To lower the seat belt, hold the front
shoulder belt adjuster and lower the
seat belt with the knob of the front
shoulder belt adjuster pressed.

After adjusting , press the front
shoulder belt adjuster downward and
make sure that it is securely locked.
Seat Belt Warning
Systems
▼Seat Belt Warning Systems
If it detects that the occupant seat belt
is unfastened, the warning light or
beep alerts the occupant.
Refer to Seat Belt Warning Indication/
Warning Light (Front seat) on page
7-36.
Refer to Seat Belt Warning Light (Rear
seat) (Red) on page 7-36.
Refer to Seat Belt Warning Beep on
page 7-42.

Seat belt indicator light (rear seat)
(green)
The light turns on when the rear seat
belt is fastened while the ignition is
switched ON, and it turns o
ff after a
certain period.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner and Load Limiting Systems
▼Front Seat Belt Pretensioner and
Load Limiting Systems
For optimum protection, the driver and
front 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 vehicles with the front passenger
occupant classification system, the
pretensioners deploy simultaneously
with the air bags when a roll-over is
also detected.
For deployment details, refer to the
SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria (page
2-67).

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 Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning
Indication/Warning Light on page
7-32.
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classi fication System)
In addition, the pretensioner system
for the front passenger, like the front
and side passenger air bag , is designed
to only deploy in accordance with the
total seated weight on the front
passenger seat.
For details, refer to the front passenger
seat weight sensors (page 2-71).

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 su fficient
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 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 Belt"
(page 2-26).
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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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.
Do not modify the components or
wiring, or use electronic testing
devices on the pretensioner system:
Modifying the components or wiring of
the pretensioner system, including the
use of electronic testing devices is
dangerous. You could accidentally
activate it or make it inoperable which
would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants or repairers
could be seriously injured.
Properly dispose of the pretensioner
system:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner
system or a vehicle with
non-deactivated pretensioners is
dangerous. Unless all safety
procedures are followed, injury could
result. Have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer safely dispose of the
pretensioner system or scrap a
pretensioner system equipped vehicle.NOTE
The pretensioner system may not
operate depending on the type of
the collision. For details, refer to the
SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria
(page 2-67).
Some smoke (non-toxic gas) will be
released when the air bags and
pretensioners deploy. This does not
indicate a fire. This gas normally has
no eff ect on occupants, however,
those with sensitive skin may
experience light skin irritation. If
residue from the deployment of the
air bags or the pretensioner system
gets on the skin or in the eyes, wash
it o ff as soon as possible.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Seat Belt Extender
▼Seat Belt Extender
If your seat belt is not long enough,
even when fully extended, a seat belt
extender may be available to you at no
charge from your Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
This extender will be only for you and
for the particular vehicle and seat. Even
if it plugs into othe
r seat belts, it may
not hold in the critical moment of a
crash.
When ordering an extender, only order
one that provides the necessary
additional length to fasten the seat belt
properly. Please contact your
Authorized Mazda Dealer for more
information.
WARNING
Do not use a seat belt extender unless
it is necessary:
Using a seat belt extender when not
necessary is dangerous. The seat belt
will be too long and not fit properly. In
an accident, the seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and you
could be seriously injured. Only use
the extender when it is required to
fasten the seat belt properly.
Do not use an improper extender:
Using a seat belt extender that is for
another person or a di fferent vehicle or
seat is dangerous. The seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and the
user could be seriously injured in an
accident. Only use the extender
provided for you and for the particular
vehicle and seat. NEVER use the
extender in a di fferent vehicle or seat.
If you sell your Mazda, do not leave
your seat belt extender in the vehicle.
It could be used accidentally by the
new owner of the vehicle. After
removing the seat belt extender,
discard it. Never use the seat belt
extender in any other vehicle you may
own in the future.
Do not use an extender that is too
long:
Using an extender that is too long is
dangerous. The seat belt will not fit
properly. In an accident, the seat belt
will not provide adequate protection
and you could be seriously injured. Do
not use the extender or choose one
shorter in length if the distance
between the extender's buckle and the
center of the user's body is less than
15 cm (6 in).
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Do not leave a seat belt extender
connected to the buckle:
Leaving a seat belt extender connected
to the buckle without using the seat
belt is dangerous. When the seat belt
extender is connected to the driver's
seat belt buckle (or front passenger's
seat belt buckle), the SRS driver's (or
front passenger's) air bag system will
determine that the driver (or front
passenger) is wearing the seat belt
even if the driver (or front passenger) is
not wearing it. This condition could
cause the driver's (or front
passenger's) air bag to not activate
correctly and result in death or serious
injury in the event of collision. Always
wear the seat belt with the seat belt
extender.
Do not use the seat belt extender
when installing a child-restraint
system on the front or rear passenger
seat:
Using a seat belt extender to fasten a
child-restraint system on any seat is
dangerous. Always follow the
child-restraint system manufacturer's
installation instructions and never use
a seat belt extender.
NOTE
When not in use, remove the seat belt
extender and store it in the vehicle. If
the seat belt extender is left
connected, the seat belt extender
might get damaged as it will not retract
with the rest of the seat belt and can
easily fall out of the door when not in
use and be damaged. In addition, the
seat belt warning light will not
illuminate and function properly.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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Child-RestraintPrecautions
▼ Child-Restraint Precautions
Mazda strongly urges the use of
child-restraint systems for children
small enough to use them.

You are required by law to use a
child-restraint system for children in
the U.S. and Canada.
Check your local and state or
provincial laws for speci
fic
requirements regarding the safety of
children riding in your vehicle.

Whatever child-restraint system you
consider, please pick the appropriate
one for the age and size of the child,
obey the law and follow the
instructions that come with the
individual child-restraint system.

A child who has outgrown
child-restraint systems should sit in the
rear and use seat belts, both lap and
shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses
the neck or face, move the child closer
to the center of the vehicle in the
outboard seats, and towards the
buckle on the right if the child is seated
on the center seat.

Statistics con firm that the rear seat is
the best place for all children up to 12
years of age, and more so with a
supplemental restraint system (air
bags).

A rear-facing child-restraint system
should NEVER be used on the front
seat with the air bag system activated.
The front passenger's seat is also the
least preferred seat for other
child-restraint systems.

(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classi fication System)
To reduce the chance of injuries
caused by deployment of the front
passenger air bag, the front passenger
seat weight sensors occupant
classi fication sensor works as a part of
the supplemental restraint system. This
system deactivates the front passenger
front and side air bags and knee air
bags, and also the front passenger seat
belt pretensioner system when the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates.

When an infant or small child sits on
the front passenger seat, the system
shuts o ff the front passenger front and
side air bags and knee air bags, and
seat belt pretensioner system, so make
sure the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminates.

Even if the front passenger air bag is
shut o ff, Mazda strongly recommends
that children be properly restrained
and child-restraint systems of all kinds
are properly secured on the rear seats
which are the best place for children.

For more details, refer to "Front
passenger seat weight sensors" (page
2-71).

Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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WARNING
Use the correct size child-restraint
system:
For eff ective protection in vehicle
accidents and sudden stops, a child
must be properly restrained using a
seat belt or child-restraint system
depending on age and size. If not, the
child could be seriously injured or even
killed in an accident.
Follow the manufacturer's
instructions and always keep the
child-restraint system buckled down:
An unsecured child-restraint system is
dangerous. In a sudden stop or a
collision it could move causing serious
injury or death to the child or other
occupants. Make sure any
child-restraint system is properly
secured in place according to the
child-restraint system manufacturer's
instructions. When not in use, remove
it from the vehicle or fasten it with a
seat belt, or attach it to BOTH ISOFIX/
LATCH
*1 lower anchors for ISOFIX/
LATCH*1 child-restraint systems and
the corresponding tether anchor.
*1 ISOFIX (Mexico)/LATCH (Except Mexico)
Always secure a child in a proper
child-restraint system:
Holding a child in your arms while the
vehicle is moving is extremely
dangerous. No matter how strong the
person may be, he or she cannot hold
onto a child in a sudden stop or
collision and it could result in serious
injury or death to the child or other
occupants. Even in a moderate
accident, the child may be exposed to
air bag forces that could result in
serious injury or death to the child, or
the child may be slammed into an
adult, causing injury to both child and
adult.
Never use a rear-facing child-restraint
system in the front seat with an air
bag that could deploy:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems on
the front seat are particularly
dangerous even though you may feel
assured that a front passenger air bag
will not deploy based on the fact that
the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminates.
The child-restraint system can be hit by
a deploying air bag and moved
violently backward resulting in serious
injury or death to the child.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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(Mexico)
NEVER use a rearward facing child
restraint on a seat protected by an
ACTIVE AIRBAG in front of it, DEATH
or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can
occur.
Vehicles with a front passenger air bag
have the following warning label. The
warning label reminds you not to put a
rear-facing child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat at any time.

(Except Mexico)
Vehicles with a front passenger air bag
have the following warning label. The
warning label reminds you not to put a
rear-facing child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat at any time.
Do not install a front-facing
child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat unless it is
unavoidable:
In a collision, the force of a deploying
air bag could cause serious injury or
death to the child. If installing a
front-facing child-restraint system on
the front passenger seat is
unavoidable, move the front passenger
seat as far back as possible.
Seating a child in a child-restraint
system on the front passenger seat is
dangerous under certain conditions
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System):
Your vehicle is equipped with front
passenger seat weight sensors. Even
with the front passenger seat weight
sensors, if you must use the front
passenger seat to seat a child, using a
child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat under the following
conditions increases the danger of the
front passenger air bag deploying and
could result in serious injury or death
to the child.
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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