warning MAZDA MODEL 3 5-DOOR 2014 Manual Online

4–25
When Driving
Transaxle
Shift Position Indication
This indicates the selected shift position.
Gear position indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication illuminates and the
numeral for the selected gear is displayed.
Warning Light
The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Lights on page 4-17 .
Transaxle Ranges
 y The shift position indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminates. Refer to
Warning/Indicator Lights on page 4-16 .
 y  The selector lever must be in P or N to
operate the starter.
P (Park)
P locks the transaxle and prevents the front
wheels from rotating.
WARNING
Always set the selector lever to P 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


*Some models.4–28
When Driving
Transaxle
NOTE
 y If the gears cannot be shifted down
when driving at higher speeds, the gear
position indication will fl ash twice to
signal that the gears cannot be shifted
down (to protect the transaxle).
 y If the automatic transaxle fl uid (ATF)
temperature becomes too high, there
is the possibility that the transaxle
will switch to automatic shift mode,
canceling manual shift mode and
turning off the gear position indication
illumination. This is a normal function
to protect the automatic transaxle. After
the ATF temperature has decreased, the
gear position indication illumination
turns back on and driving in manual
shift mode is restored.
Shifting
You can shift gears up and down by
operating the selector lever or the steering
shift switches
* .
Manually Shifting up
(M1
: M2
: M3
: M4
: M5
: M6)
To shift up to a higher gear, move the
selector lever back (
) once.
NOTE
 y  When driving slowly, the gears may not
shift up.
 y In manual shift mode, do not run the
engine with the tachometer needle in
the RED ZONE. When the engine rpm is
high, a gear may shift up automatically
to protect the engine.
 y When depressing the accelerator fully,
the transaxle will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed.
Manually Shifting down
(M6
: M5
: M4
: M3
: M2
: M1)
To shift down to a lower gear, move the
selector lever forward (
) once.
WARNING
Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds: Shifting down while driving on wet,
snowy, or frozen roads, or while driving
at high speeds causes sudden engine
braking, which is dangerous. The
sudden change in tire speed could
cause the tires to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.
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4–32
When Driving
Transaxle
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 diffi cult to
control the vehicle which could result
in an accident.
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
NOTE
(Some models)
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.
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.
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4–39
When Driving
Switches and Controls
Windshield Wipers and
Washer
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the wipers.
WARNING
Use only windshield washer fl uid or
plain water in the reservoir: Using radiator antifreeze as washer
fl uid is dangerous. If sprayed on the
windshield, it will dirty the windshield,
aff ect your visibility, and could result in
an accident.

Only use windshield washer fl uid mixed
with anti-freeze protection in freezing
weather conditions: Using windshield washer fl uid without
anti-freeze protection in freezing
weather conditions is dangerous as
it could freeze on the windshield and
block your vision which could cause
an accident. In addition, make sure
the windshield is suffi ciently warmed
using the defroster before spraying the
washer fl uid.
NOTE
Because heavy ice and snow can jam the
wiper blades, the wiper motor is protected
from motor breakdown, overheating
and possible fi re by a circuit breaker.
This mechanism will automatically stop
operation of the blades, but only for about
5 minutes.
If this happens, turn off the wiper switch
and park off the right-of-way, and remove
the snow and ice.
After 5 minutes, turn on the switch and
the blades should operate normally. If
they do not resume functioning, consult
an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible. Drive to the side of the road and
park off the right-of-way. Wait until the
weather clears before trying to drive with
the wipers inoperative.
Windshield Wipers
Turn the wipers on by pressing the lever
up or down.
With intermittent wiper
Switch
Position Wiper operation
MIST Single wipe cycle (mist) INT Intermittent LO Low speed HI High speed
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4–45
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 traffi c hazard
and that they must take extreme caution
when near it.
Depress the hazard warning fl asher and
all the turn signals will fl ash. The hazard
warning indicator lights in the instrument
cluster fl ash simultaneously.
NOTE
 y  The turn signals do not work when the
hazard warning lights are on.
 y 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.
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4–46
When Driving
Brake
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 , fi nd a safe place to stop: Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more eff ort, 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 aff ected.
CAUTION


4–47
When Driving
Brake
Parking Brake
CAUTION
Driving with the parking brake on
will cause excessive wear of the brake
parts.
NOTE
For parking in snow, refer to Winter
Driving (page 3-47 ) regarding parking
brake use.
Setting the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and then fi rmly
pull the parking brake lever fully upwards
with suffi cient force to hold the vehicle in
a stationary position.
Releasing the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and pull the
parking brake lever upwards, then press
the release button. While holding the
button, lower the parking brake lever all
the way down to the released position.
Warning Light
The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Lights on page 4-17 .
Brake Pad Wear Indicator
When the disc brake pads become worn,
the built-in wear indicators contact the
disc plates. This causes a screeching noise
to warn that the pads should be replaced.
When you hear this noise, consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
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4–48
When Driving
Brake
WARNING
Do not drive with worn disc pads: Driving with worn disc pads is
dangerous. The brakes could fail and
cause a serious accident. As soon as
you hear a screeching noise consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Brake Assist
During emergency braking situations
when it is necessary to depress the brake
pedal with greater force, the brake assist
system provides braking assistance, thus
enhancing braking performance.
When the brake pedal is depressed hard or
depressed more quickly, the brakes apply
more fi rmly.
NOTE
 y When the brake pedal is depressed hard
or depressed more quickly, the pedal
will feel softer but the brakes will apply
more fi rmly. This is a normal effect of
the brake assist operation and does not
indicate a malfunction.
 y When the brake pedal is depressed
hard or depressed more quickly, a
motor/pump operation noise may be
heard. This is a normal effect of the
brake assist and does not indicate a
malfunction.
 y The brake assist equipment does not
supersede the functionality of the
vehicle's main braking system.
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is a function
which assists the driver in accelerating
from a stop while on a slope. When
the driver releases the brake pedal and
depresses the accelerator pedal while
on a slope, the function prevents the
vehicle from rolling. The braking force is
maintained automatically after the brake
pedal is released on a steep grade.
For vehicles with a manual transaxle,
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an upward
slope when the shift lever is in a position
other than the reverse (R) position.
For vehicles with an automatic transaxle,
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an upward
slope when the shift lever is in a forward
gear.
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4–49
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 confi rm the safety around the
vehicle before starting to drive the
vehicle.
NOTE
 y 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.
 y 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.
 y While Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is
operating, the brake pedal may feel
stiff and vibrate, however, this does not
indicate a malfunction.
 y Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate while the TCS/DSC indicator
light is illuminated.
 Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page 4-16 .
 y Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
turn off even if the DSC OFF switch is
pressed to turn off the TCS/DSC.
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4–50
When Driving
ABS/TCS/DSC
Antilock Brake System
(ABS)
The ABS control unit continuously
monitors the speed of each wheel. If
one wheel is about to lock up, the ABS
responds by automatically releasing and
reapplying that wheel's brake.
The driver will feel a slight vibration in
the brake pedal and may hear a chattering
noise from the brake system. This is
normal ABS system operation. Continue to
depress the brake pedal without pumping
the brakes.
The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Lights on page 4-17 .
WARNING
Do not rely on ABS as a substitute for
safe driving: The ABS cannot compensate for unsafe
and reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), driving on ice and snow,
and hydroplaning (reduced tire friction
and road contact because of water on
the road surface). You can still have an
accident.
NOTE
 y Braking distances may be longer on
loose surfaces (snow or gravel, for
example) which usually have a hard
foundation. A vehicle with a normal
braking system may require less
distance to stop under these conditions
because the tires will build up a wedge
of surface layer when the wheels skid.
 y The sound of the ABS operating may
be heard when starting the engine
or immediately after starting the
vehicle, however, it does not indicate a
malfunction.
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