tow MAZDA MODEL 2 2017 (in English) User Guide

3–63
Before Driving
Towing
Trailer Towing Tips
Before driving
 




 Verify that your Mazda maintains a near-normal attitude when a loaded or unloaded trailer
is connected. Do not drive if it has an abnormal front-up or front-down position. Inspect
for incorrect nose weight, worn suspension parts, and trailer overloading. Have the vehicle
inspected by an expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer.
 


 Make sure the trailer cargo is secure to prevent it from shifting.



 Make sure the mirrors meet all government regulations. Inspect them.



 Before starting out, inspect the operation of all vehicle and trailer lights and all vehicle-
to-trailer connections. Stop and re-inspect all lights and connections after driving a short
distance.

Driving
 




 Your Mazda will handle differently with a trailer in tow, so practice turning, backing, and
stopping in a traf¿ c-free area.




 Take time to get accustomed to the extra weight and length.



 Do not exceed 100 km/h (62 mph) with a trailer in tow. If the local legal maximum speed
with a trailer in tow is less than 100 km/h (62 mph), do not exceed the legal speed.
CAUTION
If the vehicle exceeds 100 km/h (62 mph) with a trailer in tow, the vehicle could be
damaged.
 


 When ascending a hill, shift into a lower gear to reduce the possibility of overloading or
overheating the engine, or both.
 


 When descending a hill, shift into a lower gear and use engine compression as a braking
effect. Pay constant attention to speed and use the brakes only as needed. Holding the
brake pedal down for a prolonged period may cause the brakes to overheat and lose
power.

3–64
Before Driving
Towing
Parking
Avoid parking on an incline with a trailer. If this must be done, follow these instructions.
Parking on an Incline
1. Set the parking brake and the brakes.
2. Have someone block the wheels of the vehicle and trailer while you apply the brakes.
3. After the wheels are blocked, release the parking brake and the brakes slowly, allowing
the blocks to bear the load.
4. Set the parking brake ¿ rmly.
5. If the vehicle has an automatic transaxle, put the selector lever in P. If it has a manual
transaxle, place the gear shift in 1 or R.

Starting on an Incline
1. Start the engine (page 4-5 ).
2. Release the parking brake and slowly pull away a short distance from the wheel blocks.
3. Stop on the nearest level ground, set the parking brake, and pick up the wheel blocks.

4–23
When Driving
Start/Stop Engine
WARNING
Do not rely completely on the vehicle roll prevention function.  
 The vehicle roll prevention function is a supplementary function which operates
for a maximum of four seconds after releasing the brake pedal and accelerating the
vehicle from an engine idling stop condition. Over reliance on the system may result
in an unexpected accident if the vehicle were to suddenly accelerate. Before starting
to drive the vehicle, always con¿ rm the safety of the surroundings and operate the
selector lever, brake pedal, and accelerator pedal appropriately. Note that the vehicle
may move suddenly depending on the grade of the road, the vehicle's load, or if it is
towing something.
  Note that the vehicle may move suddenly after the vehicle roll prevention function is
released while the vehicle is under the following conditions:
 

 
 The selector lever is in the N position. 

 
 If the selector lever is shifted to the N position and the brake pedal is released
while the i-stop function is operating, the brake force is gradually released. To
accelerate the vehicle, release the brake pedal after the engine restarts and shift
the selector lever to a position other than the N position.
NOTE
  When the vehicle is stopped on a steep grade, the vehicle roll prevention function does
not operate because engine idling is not stopped.
  The brake pedal response may change, sound may occur from the brakes, or the
brake pedal could vibrate from the operation of the vehicle roll prevention function.
However, this does not indicate a malfunction.

4–55
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
*Some models.
NOTE
The gear shift indicator turns off when
the following operations are performed.
 
 The vehicle is stopped. 
 Manual shift mode is cancelled.
Manually Shifting Up
You can shift gears up by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
* .
M 1
: M2
: M3
: M4
: M5
: M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the
selector lever back
once.



Using steering shift switch *
To shift up to a higher gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the UP switch
(
) toward you once with your
¿ ngers.


UP switch (+/OFF)

WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using ¿ ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be impacted
causing injury.

4–56
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
*Some models.
NOTE
  When driving slowly, the gears may
not shift up.
  Do not drive the vehicle with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE
while in manual shift mode. In
addition, manual shift mode switches
to automatic shift mode while the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed.
 This function is cancelled while
the DSC is turned off. However,
if the vehicle is continuously
driven at a high rpm, the gears may
automatically shift up to protect the
engine.
  The steering shift switch can be used
temporarily even if the selector lever
is in the D position while driving. In
addition, it returns to automatic shift
mode when the UP switch (
)
is pulled rearward for a suf¿ cient
amount of time.
Manually Shifting Down
You can shift gears down by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
* .
M 6
: M5
: M4
: M3
: M2
: M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.



Using steering shift switch
*
To shift down to a lower gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the DOWN
switch
toward you once with your
¿ ngers.


DOWN switch (-)

4–66
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Headlight High-Low Beam
The headlights switch between high and
low beams by moving the lever forward or
backward.


High beam
Low beam

When the headlight high-beams are on,
the headlight high-beam indicator light is
turned on.



Flashing the Headlights
Can be used when the ignition is switched
ON.
T o À ash the headlights, pull the lever fully
towards you (the headlight switch does not
need to be on).


OFF
Headlight
flashing

The headlight high-beam indicator light
in the instrument cluster illuminates
simultaneously. The lever will return to the
normal position when released.

4–72
When Driving
Switches and Controls
NOTE
  If an indicator light stays on without
À ashing or if it À ashes abnormally,
one of the direction indicator bulbs
may be burned out.
  A personalised function is available
to change the turn indicator sound
volume. (page 9-13 )
Lane-Change Signals
Move the lever halfway toward the
direction of the lane change—until the
indicator À ashes— and hold it there. It will
return to the off position when released.
Three-Flash Turn Signal
After releasing the direction indicator
lever, the direction indicator À ashes three
times. The operation can be cancelled by
moving the lever in the direction opposite
to which it was operated.
NOTE
The three-À ash turn signal function can
be switched to operable/inoperable using
the personalisation function.
Refer to Personalisation Features on
page 9-13 .
Windscreen Wipers and
Washer
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the wipers.
WARNING
Use only windscreen washer À uid or
plain water in the reservoir:
Using radiator antifreeze as washer
À uid is dangerous. If sprayed on the
windscreen, it will dirty the windscreen,
affect your visibility, and could result in
an accident.

Only use windscreen washer À uid
mixed with anti-freeze protection in
freezing weather conditions:
Using windscreen washer À uid without
anti-freeze protection in freezing
weather conditions is dangerous as it
could freeze on the windscreen and
block your vision which could cause
an accident. In addition, make sure
the windscreen is suf¿ ciently warmed
using the defroster before spraying the
washer À uid.

4–76
When Driving
Switches and Controls
NOTE
  If the auto-wiper lever is left in the

position, the wipers could
operate automatically from the effect
of strong light sources,
electromagnetic waves, or infrared
light because the rain sensor uses an
optical sensor. It is recommended
that the auto-wiper lever be switched
to the
position other than when
driving the vehicle under rainy
conditions.
  The auto-wiper control functions can
be turned off.
 Refer to Personalisation Features on
page 9-13 .
Windscreen Washer
Pull the lever toward you and hold it to
spray washer À uid.


Washer OFF

NOTE
If the windscreen washer is turned
on when the windscreen wipers are
not operating, the windscreen wipers
operate a few times.
If the washer does not work, inspect the
À uid level (page 6-32 ). If the À uid level
is normal, consult an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer.
NOTE
(With headlight washers)
When the headlights are on, the
headlight washers operate automatically
once every ¿ fth time the windscreen
washer operates.
Refer to Headlight Washer on page
4-77 .

4–80
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Hazard Warning Flasher
The hazard warning lights should always
be used when you stop on or near a
roadway in an emergency.



The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a traf¿ c hazard
and that they must take extreme caution
when near it.



Depress the hazard warning À asher and
all the direction indicators will À ash. The
hazard warning indicator lights in the
instrument cluster À ash simultaneously.
NOTE

 The direction indicators do not work
when the hazard warning lights are
on.
  Check local regulations about the use
of hazard warning lights while the
vehicle is being towed to verify that
it is not in violation of the law.
  If the brake pedal is depressed
while driving on slippery roads, the
emergency stop signal system could
operate causing all the turn and lane
change signals to À ash. Refer to
Emergency Stop Signal System on
page 4-84 .
  While the emergency stop signal
system is operating, all the direction
indicators automatically À ash rapidly
to caution the driver of a vehicle
following behind your vehicle of a
sudden braking situation. Refer to
Emergency Stop Signal System on
page 4-84 .

4–85
When Driving
Brake
WARNING
Do not rely completely on Hill Launch
Assist (HLA):
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is an
auxiliary device for accelerating from
a stop on a slope. The system only
operates for about two seconds and
therefore, relying only on the system,
when accelerating from a stop is
dangerous because the vehicle may
move (roll) unexpectedly and cause an
accident.
The vehicle could roll depending on
the vehicle's load or if it is towing
something. In addition, for vehicles
with a manual transaxle, the vehicle
could still roll depending on how the
clutch pedal or the accelerator pedal is
operated.
Always con¿ rm the safety around the
vehicle before starting to drive the
vehicle.
NOTE
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate on a gentle slope. In addition,
the gradient of the slope on which
the system will operate changes
depending on the vehicle's load.
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does
not operate if the parking brake is
applied, the vehicle has not stopped
completely, or the clutch pedal is
released.
  While Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is
operating, the brake pedal may feel
stiff and vibrate, however, this does
not indicate a malfunction.
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate while the TCS/DSC indicator
light is illuminated.
 Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on
page 4-38 .
  Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
turn off even if the DSC OFF switch
is pressed to turn off the TCS/DSC.
  (Automatic Transaxle)  Although the Hill Launch Assist
(HLA) does not operate during idling
stop, the vehicle roll prevention
function operates to prevent vehicle
roll.