2023 MAZDA MAZDA brake light

*1 The light turns on when the ignition is switched on for an operation check, andturns off a few seconds later or when the engine is started. If the light does not
turn on or remains turned on, have the vehicle inspected at an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
*2 The light turns on continuously when the parking brake is applied.
When Driving
Instrument Cluster and Display
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Tra n s m i s s i o n R a n ge s
▼Transmission Ranges
The shift position indication in the
instrument cluster illuminates.
Refer to Shift Position Indication on
page 4-44.
Shift the selector lever to the P or N
position to start the engine.
P (Park)
P locks the transmission and prevents
the front wheels from rotating.
WARNING
Always set the selector lever to P
position and set the parking brake:
Only setting the selector lever to the P
position without using the parking
brake to hold the vehicle is dangerous.
If P fails to hold, the vehicle could
move and cause an accident.
CAUTION
 Shifting into P, N or R while the
vehicle is moving can damage your
transmission.
 Shifting into a driving gear or reverse
when the engine is running faster
than idle can damage the
transmission.
R (Reverse)
In position R, the vehicle moves only
backward. You must be at a complete
stop before shifting to or from R,
except under rare circumstances as
explained in Rocking the Vehicle (page
3-48).
NOTE
(With parking sensor system)
When the selector lever is shifted to
the R position with the ignition
switched ON, the parking sensor
system is activated and a beep sound is
heard.
Refer to Parking Sensor System on page
4-247.
N (Neutral)
In N, the wheels and transmission are
not locked. The vehicle will roll freely
even on the slightest incline unless the
parking brake or brakes are on.
WARNING
If the engine is running faster than
idle, do not shift from N or P into a
driving gear:
It's dangerous to shift from N or P into
a driving gear when the engine is
running faster than idle. If this is done,
the vehicle could move suddenly,
causing an accident or serious injury.
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle:
Shifting into N while driving is
dangerous. Engine braking cannot be
applied when decelerating which
could lead to an accident or serious
injury.
CAUTION
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Doing so can cause
transmission damage.
NOTE
Apply the parking brake or depress the
brake pedal before moving the selector
lever from N position to prevent the
vehicle from moving unexpectedly.
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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Driving Tips
▼Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a
direction opposite to the direction
selected by the selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward
with the selector lever in a forward
position, or do not let the vehicle
move forward with the selector lever in
the reverse position. Otherwise, the
engine may stop, causing the loss of
the power brake and power steering
functions, and make it difficult to
control the vehicle which could result
in an accident.
Pa s s i n g
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades,
depress the accelerator fully. The
transmission will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed.
NOTE
The accelerator pedal may initially
feel heavy as it is being depressed,
then feel lighter as it is depressed
further. This change in pedal force
aids the engine control system in
determining how much the
accelerator pedal has been
depressed for performing kickdown,
and functions to control whether or
not kickdown should be performed.
The manual shift mode does not
switch to automatic shift mode while
the DSC is turned off when the
selector lever is in the M position.
Shift the selector lever.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the
load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while
gradually accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift
to lower gears, depending on load
weight and grade steepness. Descend
slowly, using the brakes only
occasionally to prevent them from
overheating.
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
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The engine is running.
 The selector lever is in a position other than P or N.
 If there is a problem with M Hybrid, a warning indication is displayed.
 M Hybrid operation status is displayed on the system operation status display of
the fuel efficiency monitor.
Refer to the Information section in the Mazda Connect Owner's Manual.
▼Unique M Hybrid Handling
M Hybrid vehicles have a unique
sound and vibration which differ from
normal vehicles. The following may
o cc u r, h o we v e r, t h i s i s u n i q u e t o M
Hybrid and it does not indicate a
problem.
Characteristic Occurrence status/loca-
tion
Operation sound of
deceleration regen-
eration An operational sound
can be heard from the
engine compartment
during deceleration.
Relay operation
sound of M Hybrid
battery An operational sound
can be heard from the
vehicle underfloor when
the engine is started and
stopped.
Operation sound of
brake system Sound can be heard from
the front of the vehicle
under the following con-
ditions:
The driver's door is
opened.
The ignition is switch-
ed ON.
The brake pedal is op-
erated.
The brake system op-
erates automatically.
Several minutes have
passed since the en-
gine was stopped.
Characteristic
Occurrence status/loca-
tion
Operational feed-
back through brake
pedal Operational feedback
through brake pedal
might be felt under the
following conditions.
The ignition is switch-
ed ON.
The brake pedal is op-
erated.
▼
M Hybrid battery
M Hybrid is equipped with a special
battery.
WARNING
Heed the following cautions to
prevent burns and electrical shock:

Never remove and disassemble the
brackets and connectors securing the
terminal part, wiring harness, and
the M Hybrid battery.
 Never touch the M Hybrid battery
because it becomes extremely hot
under direct sunlight or after driving.
 Because the M Hybrid battery is
especially dangerous when wet,
never touch it.
NOTE
The M Hybrid battery has a certain
battery life. Battery life
differs
depending on how the vehicle is used
and the driving conditions.
When Driving
M Hybrid
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Brake System
▼Foot Brake
This vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through
normal use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop
by applying greater force than normal
to the brake pedal. But the distance
required to stop will be greater than
usual.
WARNING
Do not coast with the engine stalled
or turned off, find a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned
off is dangerous. Braking will
require more effort, and the brake's
power-assist could be depleted if you
pump the brake. This will cause longer
stopping distances or even an
accident.
Shift to a lower gear when going
down steep hills:
Driving with your foot continuously on
the brake pedal or steadily applying
the brakes for long distances is
dangerous. This causes overheated
brakes, resulting in longer stopping
distances or even total brake failure.
This could cause loss of vehicle control
and a serious accident. Avoid
continuous application of the brakes.
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.
CAUTION
 Do not drive with your foot held on
the clutch pedal or brake pedal, or
hold the clutch pedal depressed
halfway unnecessarily. Doing so
could result in the following:
 The clutch and brake parts will
wear out more quickly.
 The brakes can overheat and
adversely
affect brake
performance.
 Always depress the brake pedal with
the right foot. Applying the brakes
with the unaccustomed left foot
could slow your reaction time to an
emergency situation resulting in
insufficient braking operation.
 Wear shoes appropriate for driving in
order to avoid your shoe contacting
the brake pedal when depressing the
accelerator pedal.
When Driving
Brake
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▼Electric Parking Brake (EPB)
The EPB system applies the parking
brake using an electric motor. The
system can operate automatically and
manually.
The EPB switch indicator light turns on
when applying the parking brake and it
turns off when releasing the parking
brake.
1. Indicator light
WARNING
Do not drive the vehicle with the
parking brake applied:
If the vehicle is driven with the parking
brake applied, the brake parts may
generate heat and the brake system
may not operate, leading to an
accident.
Before driving the vehicle, release the
parking brake and make sure that the
EPB indicator light in the instrument
cluster turns off.
Apply the parking brake when leaving
the vehicle:
Not applying the parking brake when
parking the vehicle is dangerous as the
vehicle may move unexpectedly and
result in an accident. Before leaving the
vehicle, apply the parking brake and
make sure that the EPB indicator light
in the instrument cluster turns on.
NOTE
The parking brake cannot be applied
or released while the vehicle battery
is dead.
Refer to If a Jump-Starting on page
7-17.
When the charging system warning
light in the instrument cluster turns
on, the parking brake cannot be
applied after switching the ignition
OFF. Before switching the ignition
OFF, apply the parking brake
manually.
The sound of the parking brake being
applied or released can be heard,
however, this does not indicate a
problem.
If the EPB is no
t used for long
periods, an automatic inspection of
the system is performed while the
vehicle is parked. An operation
sound can be heard, however, this
does not indicate a problem.
When applying the parking brake
and switching OFF the ignition, an
operation sound can be heard,
however, this does not indicate a
problem.
The brake pedal may move while
applying or releasing the parking
brake, however, this does not
indicate a problem.
If the parking brake is applied with
the ignition switched OFF or in ACC,
the EPB indicator light in the
instrument cluster and the indicator
light in the switch may turn on for 15
seconds.
When using an automatic car wash
which moves the vehicle with the
front tires mounted, it is necessary to
cancel the parking brake auto
operation before the vehicle enters
the automatic car wash. For details,
refer to Canceling the parking brake
automatic operation.
When Driving
Brake
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Manual operation
Applying the parking brake manually
When the brake pedal is firmly
depressed and the EPB switch is pulled
up, the parking brake is applied
regardless of the ignition position.
When the parking brake is applied, the
EPB indicator light in the instrument
cluster and the EPB switch indicator
light turn on.
Releasing the parking brake manually
When the brake pedal is firmly
depressed and the EPB switch is
pressed while the ignition is switched
ON or the engine is running, the
parking brake is released. When the
parking brake is released, the EPB
indicator light in the instrument cluster
and the EPB switch indicator light turn
off.
If the EPB switch is pressed without
depressing the brake pedal, a message
is displayed on the multi-information
display to notify the driver to depress
the brake pedal.
Refer to Message Indicated on
Multi-information Display on page
7-40.
Auto operation
Applying the parking brake
automatically
When the ignition is switched from ON
to ACC or OFF, the parking brake will
be applied automatically. When the
parking brake is applied, the EPB
indicator light in the instrument cluster
and the EPB switch indicator light turn
on.
NOTE
To release the parking brake when the
ignition is switched OFF, it is necessary
to cancel the parking brake auto
operation. For details, refer to
Canceling the parking brake automatic
operation.
Releasing the parking brake
automatically
(Shift interlock release (Automatic
transmission vehicle))
CAUTION
Firmly depress the brake pedal and
perform the shift operation.
Otherwise, the vehicle may move
unexpectedly.
If the selector lever is shifted from the
P position to a position other than P
with the parking brake applied and all
of the following conditions met, the
parking brake is released automatically.
When the parking brake is released,
the EPB indicator light in the
instrument cluster and the EPB switch
indicator light turn off.
When Driving
Brake
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The engine is running.The driver's door is closed.Shift interlock release is enabled.The brake pedal is being depressed.
When performing the following
operations, shift interlock release can
be enabled/disabled.
1. Switch the ignition ON.
2. Pull the EPB switch continuously for 4 seconds or longer.
3. Release the EPB switch once and then pull it again continuously for 4
seconds or longer within 3 seconds.
(Switching from disable to enable
shift interlock release)
When shift interlock release is
enabled, a sound is activated 2
times and the EPB switch indicator
changes to fast flashing , and flashes
for 3 seconds.
(Switching from enable to disable
shift interlock release)
When shift interlock release is
disabled, a sound is activated 2
times and the EPB switch indicator
light changes to slow flashing, and
flashes for 4 seconds.
NOTE
When the ignition is switched OFF,
the system setting before it was
turned off is maintained.
(Accelerator interlock release)
If the accelerator pedal is depressed
with the parking brake applied and all
of the following conditions met, the
parking brake is released automatically.
When the parking brake is released,
the EPB indicator light in the
instrument cluster and the EPB switch
indicator light turn off.
The engine is running.The driver's door is closed.The driver's seat belt is fastened.(Manual transmission vehicle)
The shift lever is in a position other
than neutral.
The clutch pedal is depressed
halfway.
(Automatic transmission vehicle)
The selector lever is in the D, M, or R
position.
CAUTION
If something such as the driver’s foot
contacts the accelerator pedal with the
engine running and the parking brake
applied, the parking brake may be
released automatically and the vehicle
may move unexpectedly. If you do not
intend to start driving the vehicle
immediately, shift the shift lever to the
neutral position for a manual
transmission, or shif t the selector lever
to the P or N position for an automatic
transmission.
Canceling the parking brake
automatic operation
The parking brake automatic operation
can be canceled by doing any of the
following after switching the ignition
from ON to OFF.
Auto operation cancel method 1
1. Switch the ignition ON.
2. Release the parking brake manually.
3. Turn off the AUTOHOLD.
4. Press the EPB switch continuously for 2 seconds or longer (until a
sound is activated).
5. Release the EPB switch and switch
the ignition OFF within 5 seconds
after the sound was activated.
After the auto operation is
canceled, a sound is activated one
time, and the EPB switch indicator
light switches from illumination to
flashing , and then turns off after 3
seconds.
When Driving
Brake
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