2021 MAZDA MODEL CX-5 Owners Manual

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 4-98.

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 cloth to prevent
damage to a painted bumper, and open
the cap located on the front or rear
bumper.
Front
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
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Rear
Jack lever
CAUTION
Do not use excessive force as it may
damage the cap or scratch the painted
bumper surface.
NOTE
Remove the cap completely and store it
so as not to lose it.
3. Securely install the tiedown eyelet using the lug wrench.
Front
Lug wrench
Tiedown
eyelet
Rear
Tiedown eyelet
Lug wrench
4. Hook the tying rope to the tiedown eyelet.
CAUTION
If the tiedown eyelet is not securely
tightened, it may loosen or disengage
from the bumper when tying the
vehicle. Make sure that the tiedown
eyelet is securely tightened to the
bumper.
If Trouble Arises
Emergency Towing
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If a Warning Light Turns On or Flashes
If any warning light turns on/flashes, take appropriate action for each light. There is no
problem if the light turns off, ho wever if the light does not turn off or turns on/flashes again,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
The details for some warnings can be viewed on the center display or multi-information
display (Type A/Type B) in the instrument cluster.
Center display
1. If the warning light is turned on, select the icon on the home screen to display the
Applications screen.
2. Select “Vehicle Status Monitor”.
3. Select “Warning Guidance” to display the current warnings.
4. Select the applicable warni ng to view the warning details.
Multi-information display (Type A/Type B)
1. Press the INFO switch on the steering switch to display the warn ing indication screen.
Refer to Multi-information Display (Type A) on page 4-14.
Refer to Multi-information Display (Type B) on page 4-32.
▼ Stop Vehicle in Safe Place Immediately
If any of the following warning lights turns on,
the system may have a malfunction. Stop the
vehicle in a safe place immediately and contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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SignalWarning
Brake System Warning
Indication/Warning Light This warning has the following functions:
Parking brake warning/Warning light inspection
The light illuminates when the parking brak
e is applied with the ignition switched to
START or ON. It turns off when the parking brake is released.
When the light turns on
If the brake system warning light remains turned on even though the parking brake is
released, the brake fluid may be low or th ere could be a problem with the brake sys‐
tem. Park the vehicle in a safe place immediately and contact an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
When the light is flashing
The light flashes if the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) has a malfunction.
If the light remains flashing even if th e Electric Parking Brake (EPB) switch is oper ‐
ated, consult an Auth orized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
WA R N I N G
Do not drive with the brake system warning light illuminated. Contact an Authorized
Mazda Dealer to have the brakes inspected as soon as possible:
Driving with the brake system warning light illuminated is dangerous. It indicates that
your brakes may not work at all or that they could completely fail at any time. If this
light remains illuminated, after checking that the parking brake is fully released, have
the brakes inspected immediately.
CAUTION
In addition, the effectiveness of the brakin g may diminish so you may need to depress
the brake pedal more strongly than normal to stop the vehicle.
Electronic Brake Force
Distribution System Wa r n i n g If the electronic brake force distribution
control unit determines that some compo‐
nents are operating incorrectly, the cont rol unit may illuminate the brake system
warning light and the ABS warning light si multaneously. The problem is likely to be
the electronic brake force distribution system.
WA R N I N G
Do not drive with both the ABS warning light and brake warning light illuminated.
Have the vehicle towed to an Authorized Mazda Dealer to have the brakes inspected as
soon as possible:
Driving when the brake system warning li ght and ABS warning light are illuminated
simultaneously is dangerous.
When both lights are illuminate d, the rear wheels could lock more quickly in an emer‐
gency stop than under normal circumstances.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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SignalWarning
Charging System Warn‐
ing Indication/Warning Light If the warning light illuminates while drivin
g, it indicates a malfunction of the alter‐
nator or of the charging system.
Drive to the side of the road and park off the right-of-way. Consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving when the charging system warning light is illuminated be‐
cause the engine could stop unexpectedly.
Engine Oil Warning Light This warning light indicates
low engine oil pressure.
CAUTION
Do not run the engine if the oil pressure is low. Otherwise, it could result in extensive
engine damage.
If the light illuminates or the warni ng indication is displayed while driving:
1. Drive to the side of the road and park off the right-of-way on level ground.
2. Turn off the engine and wait 5 minutes for the oil to drain ba ck into the oil pan.
3. Inspect the engine oil level (page 6-24). If it's low, add the appropriate amount of
engine oil while being careful not to overfill.
CAUTION
Do not run the engine if the oil level is low. Otherwise, it could result in extensive
engine damage.
4. Start the engine and check the warning light.

If the light remains illuminated even though the oil level is normal or after adding oil,
stop the engine immediately and have your vehicle towed to an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
(Red)
High Engine Coolant
Temperature Warning Indication/Warning Light The light flashes when the en
gine coolant temperature is extremely high, and illumi‐
nates when the engine coolant temperature increases further.
Handling Procedure
Flashing light
Drive slowly to reduce engine load until you can find a safe place to stop the vehicle
and wait for the engine to cool down.
Illuminated light
This indicates the possibility of overheating. Park the vehicle in a safe place immedi ‐
ately and stop the engine.
Refer to Overheating on page 7-18.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle with the high engi ne coolant temperature warning light illumi‐
nated. Otherwise, it could resu lt in damage to the engine.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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SignalWarning
Power Steering Mal‐
function Indication*
The message is displayed if the electric power steering has a malfunction.
If the message is displayed, stop the vehicle in a safe place and do not operate the
steering wheel. There is no problem if the message in the display turns off after a
while. Contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer if the message is displayed continuously.
NOTE
If the message is displayed, the power steering will not operate normally. In this
case, the steering wheel can still be operated, however, the operation may feel
heavy compared to normal, or the stee ring wheel could vibrate when turning.
Repeatedly jerking the steering wheel left and right while the vehicle is stopped or
moving extremely slowly will cause the po wer steering system to go into protective
mode which will make the steering feel heavy, but this does not indicate a problem.
If this occurs, park the vehicle safely and wait several minutes for the system to
return to normal.
Power Steering Mal‐ function Indicator
Light
*
The light illuminates/flashes if the el ectric power steering has a malfunction.
If the light illuminates/flashes, stop the ve hicle in a safe place and do not operate the
steering wheel. There is no problem if the lig ht turns off after a while. Contact an Au‐
thorized Mazda Dealer if the light illuminates/flashes continuously.
NOTE
If the indicator light illuminates/flashes , the power steering will not operate nor ‐
mally. If this happens, th e steering wheel can still be operated, however, the opera ‐
tion may feel heavy compared to normal, or the steering wheel could vibrate when
turning.
Repeatedly jerking the steering wheel left and right while the vehicle is stopped or
moving extremely slowly will cause the po wer steering system to go into protective
mode which will make the steering feel heavy, but this does not indicate a problem.
If this occurs, park the vehicle safely and wait several minutes for the system to
return to normal.
▼ Contact Authorized Mazda Deal
er and Have Vehicle Inspected
If any of the following warning lights or the i ndicator light turns on/flashes, the system may
have a malfunction. Contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer to have your vehicle inspected.
Signal Warning
ABS Warning LightIf the ABS warning light stays on while you're
driving, the ABS control unit has detected
a system malfunction. If this occurs, your br akes will function normally as if the vehicle
had no ABS.
Should this happen, consult an Authori zed Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
NOTE
When the engine is jump-started to charge the battery, uneven rpm occurs and the ABS
warning light may illuminate. If this occurs, it is the result of the weak battery and does
not indicate an ABS malfunction.
Recharge the battery.
The brake assist system does not operate while the ABS warning light is illuminated.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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SignalWarning
Master Warning In‐
dication/Warning Light With Multi-information Display (Type A/Type B)
Displays when notifica
tion of the system malf unctions is required.
Check the message indicated in the display and consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Master warning
indication
Master
warning lightMaster
warning light
Master warning
indication
Multi-information Display
Type A Type B
Indication in display and master warning light in instrument cluster are illuminated at
same time.
This indicates a malfunction w ith the vehicle system. Check the message indicated in the
display and consult an Au thorized Mazda Dealer.
For details, refer to the explanations for the warning/indicator lights, in the warning/indi ‐
cator lights section, which match the symbol in the upper part of the display.
If a message is not indicated in the display, operate the INFO switch to display the “Warn‐
ing” screen.
Refer to Message Indicated in Multi-info rmation Display (Type A) on page 4-14.
Refer to Message Indicated in Multi-info rmation Display (Type B) on page 4-32.
With Multi-information Display (Type C)
Electric Parking
Brake (EPB) Warn ‐
ing Indication/ Warning Light The warning light illuminates when the system
has a malfunction. Have your vehicle in‐
spected at an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
If Trouble Arises
Warning/Indicator Lights and Warning Sounds
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