Page 497 of 634

▼Repairing Damage to the Finish
Deep scratches or chips on the finish
should be repaired
promptly. Exposed
metal quickly rusts and can lead to major
repairs.
CAUTION
If your Mazda is damaged and needs metal
parts repaired or replaced, make sure the
body shop applies anti-corrosion materials
to all parts, both repaired and new. This
will prevent them from rusting.
▼ Bright-Metal Maintenance
Use tar remover to r
emove road tar and
insects. Never do this with a knife or
similar tool.
To prevent corrosion on bright-metal
surfaces, apply wax or chrome
preservative and rub it to a high luster.
During cold weather or in coastal areas,
cover bright-metal parts with a coating
of wax or preservative heavier than
usual. It would also help to coat them
with noncorrosive p etroleum jelly or
some other protective compound.
CAUTION
Do not use steel wool, abrasive cleaners, or
strong detergents containing highly
alkaline or caustic agents on
chrome-plated or anodized aluminum
parts. This may result in damage to the
protective coating and cause discoloration
or paint deterioration.
▼ Underbody Maintenance
Road chemicals and s
alt used for ice and
snow removal and solvents used for dust
control may collect on the underbody. If
not removed, they will speed up rusting
and deterioration of such underbody parts
as fuel lines, frame, floor pan, and exhaust
system, even though these parts may be
coated with anti-corrosive material.
Thoroughly flush the underbody and
wheel housings with lukewarm or cold
water at the end of each winter. Try also to
do this every month.
Pay special attention to these areas
because they easily hide mud and dirt. It
will do more harm than good to wet
down the road grime without removing
it.
The lower edges of doors, rocker panels,
and frame members have drain holes that
should not be clogged. Water trapped there
will cause rusting.
WA R N I N G
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.
Maintenance and Care
Appearance Care
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Page 502 of 634
▼Cleaning the Floor Mats
Rubber floor mats should be cleaned with
mild soap and water only.
WA R N I N G
Do not use rubber cleaners, such as tire
cleaner or tire shine, when cleaning rubber
floor mats:
Cleaning the rubber
floor mats with rubber
cleaning products makes the floor mats
slippery.
This may cause an accident when
depressing the accelerator or brake pedal
or when getting in or out of the vehicle.
After removing the floor mats for
cleaning, always rein stall them securely
(page 3-45).
Maintenance and Care
Appearance Care
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Page 509 of 634

Changing a Flat Tire
NOTE
If the following occurs while driving, it
could indicate a flat tire.
Steering becomes difficult.
The vehicle begins to vibrate
excessively.
The vehicle pulls in one direction.
If you have a flat tire, drive sl owly to a
level spot that is well off the road and out
of the way of traffic to change the tire.
Stopping in traffic or on the shoulder of a
busy road is dangerous.
WARNING
Be sure to follow the directions for
changing a tire:
Changing a tire is dangerous if not done
properly. The vehicle can slip off the jack
and seriously injure someone.
No person should place any portion of their
body under a vehicle th at is supported by a
jack.
Never allow anyone inside a vehicle
supported by a jack:
Allowing someone to remain in a vehicle
supported by a jack is dangerous. The
occupant could cause the vehicle to fall
resulting in serious injury.
NOTE
Make sure the jack is well lubricated
before using it.
1. Park on a hard, le vel surface off the
right-of-way and firm ly set the parking
brake.
2. Shift into Park (P ) and turn off the
engine.
3. Turn on the hazard warning flasher.
4. Have passengers get out of the vehicle and away from the vehicle and traffic.
5. Remove any luggage, the jack, tools, and spare tire (page 7-3).
6. Block the wheel diagonally opposite the flat tire. When blocking a wheel,
place a tire block both in front and
behind the tire.
NOTE
When blocking a tire, use rocks or
wood blocks of sufficient size if
possible to hold the tire in place.
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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Page 510 of 634
▼Removing a Flat Tire
WA R N I N G
When jacking-up a vehicle, always shift the
selector lever to P position, apply the
parking brake, and place wheel blocks in
the position diagonally opposed to the
jack:
Changing a
flat tire without using wheel
blocks is dangerous because the vehicle
may move and fall off the jack even with
the selector lever is in P position, which
could result in an accident.
1. Loosen the lug nuts by turning them counterclockwise one turn each, but do
not remove any lug nuts until the tire
has been raised off the ground.
2. Place the jack on the ground.
3. Turn the jack screw in the directionshown in the figure and adjust the jack
head so that it is close to the jack-up
position.
Jack head
4. Place the jack under the jack-upposition closest to the tire being
changed with the jack head squarely
under the jack-up point.
Jacking position
If Trouble Arises
Flat Tire
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Page 520 of 634

Starting a Flooded Engine(SKYACTIV-G 2.5,
SKYACTIV-G 2.5T)
If the engine fails to start, it may be
flooded (excessive fuel in the engine).
Follow this procedure:
1. If the engine does not start within 5
seconds on the first try, wait 10
seconds and try again.
2. Make sure the parking brake is on.
3. Depress the accelerator all the way and hold it there.
4. Depress the brake pedal, then press the push button start. If the engine starts,
release the accelerator immediately
because the engine will suddenly rev
up.
5. If the engine fails to start, crank it
without depressing the accelerator.
If the engine still does not start using the
previous procedure, have your vehicle
inspected by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Push-Starting
Do not push-start your Mazda.
WA R N I N G
Never tow a vehicle to start it:
Towing a vehicle to start it is dangerous.
The vehicle being towed could surge
forward when its engine starts, causing the
2 vehicles to collide. The occupants could
be injured.
NOTE
You cannot start a vehicle with an
automatic transaxle by pushing it.
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Starting
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Page 522 of 634

Overheating
If the temperature gauge indicates
overheating or the high engine coolant
temperature warning light turns on, the
vehicle loses power, or you hear a loud
knocking or pinging noise, the engine is
probably too hot.
WA R N I N G
Pull over to a safe location, then switch
the ignition off and make sure the fan is
not running before attempting to work
near the cooling fan:
Working near the cooling fan when it is
running is dangerous. The fan could
continue running indefinitely even if the
engine has stopped and the engine
compartment temperature is high. You
could be hit by the fan and seriously
injured.
Do not remove either cooling
system cap when the engine and radiator
are hot:
When the engine and radiator are hot,
scalding coolant and steam may shoot out
under pressure and cause serious injury.
Open the hood ONLY after steam is no
longer escaping from the engine:
Steam from an overheated engine is
dangerous. The escaping steam could
seriously burn you.
If the temperature gauge indicates
overheating or the high engine coolant
temperature warning light turns on:
1. Drive safely to the side of the road and
park off the right-of-way.
2. Shift into park (P).
3. Apply the parking brake.
4. Turn off the air conditioner.
5. Check whether coolant or steam is escaping from the engine
compartment.
If steam is coming from the engine
compartment:
Do not go near the front of the vehicle.
Stop the engine.
Wait until the steam dissipates, then
open the hood and start the engine.
If neither coolant nor steam is
escaping:
Open the hood and idle the engine
until it cools.
CAUTION
If the cooling fan does not operate
while the engine is running, the engine
temperature will increase. Stop the
engine and call an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
6. Make sure the cooling fan is operating, then turn off the engine after the
temperature has decreased.
7. When cool, check the coolant level.
If it is low, look for coolant leaks from
the radiator and hoses.
If Trouble Arises
Overheating
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Page 524 of 634

Towing Description
We recommend that towing be done only
by an Authorized Mazda Dealer or a
commercial tow-truck service.
Proper lifting and towing are necessary to
prevent damage to the vehicle. Particularly
when towing an AWD vehicle, where all
the wheels are connected to the drive train,
proper transporting of the vehicle is
absolutely essential to avoid damaging the
drive system. Government and local laws
must be followed.
Wheel dollies
A towed FWD vehicle should have its
drive wheels (front wheels) off the ground.
If excessive damage or other conditions
prevent this, use wheel dollies.
When towing a FWD vehicle with the rear
wheels on the ground, release the parking
brake.
Refer to Electric Parking Brake (EPB) on
page 4-101.
A towed AWD vehicle must have all its
wheels off the ground.
WA R N I N G
Always tow an AWD vehicle with all four
wheels off the ground:
Towing an AWD vehicle with either the
front or rear wheels on the ground is
dangerous as the drive train could be
damaged, or the vehicle could trail away
from the tow truck and cause an accident.
If the drive train has been damaged,
transport the vehicle on a flatbed truck.
CAUTION
Do not tow the vehicle pointed backward
with driving wheels on the ground. This
may cause internal damage to the
transaxle.
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
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Do not tow with sling-type equipment.
This could damage your vehicle. Use
wheel-lift or
flatbed equipment.
If the parking brake cannot be released
when towing the vehicle, transport the
vehicle with all front and rear wheels
raised
off the ground as shown in the
figure. If the vehicle is towed without
raising the wheels off the ground, the
brake system could be damaged.
Wheel dollies
Tiedown Hooks*
CAUTION
Do not use the front and rear tiedown
eyelets for towing the vehicle.
They have been designed only for securing
the vehicle to a transport vessel during
shipping.
Using the eyelets for any other purpose
could result in the vehicle being damaged.
▼ Tiedown Hooks
1. Remove the tiedown eyelet and the lug
wrench from the luggage compartment
(page 7-3).
2. Wrap a flathead screwdriver or similar tool with a soft c loth to prevent
damage to a painted bumper, and open
the cap located on the front or rear
bumper.
Front
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
*Some models.7-23
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