MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK 2015 Owners Manual (in English)

4–51
When Driving
Transaxle
Shift Position Indication
The selector position is indicated when the
ignition is switched ON.
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 4-41 .
Transaxle Ranges
 












 The shift position indicator light in the
instrument cluster illuminates. Refer to
Warning/Indicator Lights on page 4-40 .
 


 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
  Shifting into P, N or R while the
vehicle is moving can damage your
transaxle.
  Shifting into a driving gear or reverse
when the engine is running faster
than idle can damage the transaxle.
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 3-56 ).
N (Neutral)
In N, the wheels and transaxle 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.
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*Some models.4–52
When Driving
Transaxle
CAUTION
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Doing so can cause transaxle
damage.
NOTE
Apply the parking brake or depress the
brake pedal before moving the selector
lever from N to prevent the vehicle from
moving unexpectedly.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position. From
a stop, the transaxle will automatically
shift through a 4-gear (4-speed transaxle
model)/6-gear (6-speed transaxle model)
sequence.
M (Manual)

M is the manual shift mode position. Gears
can be shifted up or down by operating the
selector lever. Refer to Manual Shift Mode
on page 4-53 .
Active Adaptive Shift (AAS) *
Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)
automatically controls the transaxle shift
points to best suit the road conditions
and driver input. This improves driving
feel. The transaxle may switch to AAS
mode when driving up and down slopes,
cornering, driving at high elevations,
or depressing the accelerator pedal
quickly while the selector lever is in the
D position. Depending on the road and
driving conditions/vehicle operations, gear
shifting could be delayed or not occur,
however, this does not indicate a problem
because the AAS mode will maintain the
optimum gear position.
Shift-Lock System
The shift-lock system prevents shifting out
of P unless the brake pedal is depressed.
To shift from P:
1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Press and hold the lock-release button.
4. Move the selector lever.
NOTE
  When the ignition is switched to
ACC or the ignition is switched off,
the selector lever cannot be shifted
from P.
  The ignition cannot be switched to
OFF if the selector lever is not in P.
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4–53
When Driving
Transaxle
Shift-Lock Override
If the selector lever will not move from P
using the proper shift procedure, continue
to hold down the brake pedal.
1. Remove the shift-lock override cover
using a cloth-wrapped fl at head
screwdriver.
2. Insert a screwdriver and push it down.
Cover
3. Press and hold the lock-release button.
4. Move the selector lever.
5. Take the vehicle to an expert repairer,
we recommend an Authorised Mazda
Repairer to have the system checked.
Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transaxle vehicle by
allowing you to operate the selector lever
manually. This allows you to control
engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels
much like a manual transaxle when more
control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.
NOTE
Changing to manual shift mode while
driving will not damage the transaxle.
To return to automatic shift mode, shift the
lever from M to D.
NOTE
  If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the gear
will shift to M1.
  (6-speed transaxle model)  If you change to manual shift mode
without depressing the accelerator
pedal when driving in D range, 5th
gear/6th gear, the gear will shift to
M4/M5.
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4–54
When Driving
Transaxle
Indicators
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication in the instrument panel
illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear
illuminates.
Type A
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
Type B
Gear position indication
Manual shift mode indication
Type C
Manual shift mode indicationGear position indication
NOTE
  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).
  If the automatic transaxle fl uid
(ATF) temperature becomes too
high, there is the possibility that the
transaxle will switch to automatic
shift mode, cancelling manual
shift mode and turning off the gear
position indication illumination.
This is a normal function to protect
the AT. After the ATF temperature
has decreased, the gear position
indication illumination turns back on
and driving in manual shift mode is
restored.
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*Some models.4–55
When Driving
Transaxle
Gear Shift Indicator *
The gear shift indicator supports you to
obtain optimum fuel economy and smooth
driving. It displays the selected gear
position in the instrument cluster as well
as notifi es the driver to change to the most
suitable gear position corresponding to the
actual driving condition.
Selected gear position Suitable gear position
Indication Condition
Numeral The selected gear position is
displayed.
and numeral Shift up or down to the indicated
gear position is recommended.
CAUTION
Do not rely solely on the shift-up/
shift-down recommendations by
indications. The actual driving situation
might require shift operations different
from indication. To avoid the risk of
accidents, the road and traffi c conditions
have to be judged correctly by the driver
before shifting.
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
shift lever or the steering shift switches
* .
4-speed transaxle model : M1
: M2
:
M3
: M4
6-speed transaxle model : M1
: M2
:
M3
: M4
: M5
: M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the shift
lever back
once.
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*Some models.4–56
When Driving
Transaxle
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
fi ngers.
UP switch (+/OFF)
WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using fi ngers on the steering
shift switches (6-speed transaxle
model):
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.
NOTE
  When driving slowly, the gears may
not shift up.
  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.
NOTE
  When depressing the accelerator
fully, the transaxle will shift to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
  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 suffi cient
amount of time.
Manually shifting down
You can shift gears down by operating the
shift lever or the steering shift switches
* .
4-speed transaxle model : M4
: M3
:
M2
: M1
6-speed transaxle model : M6
: M5
:
M4
: M3
: M2
: M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward
once.
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*Some models.4–57
When Driving
Transaxle
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
fi ngers.
DOWN switch (-)
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 tyre speed could
cause the tyres to skid. This could
lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using fi ngers on the steering
shift switches: (6-speed transaxle
model)
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.
NOTE
  When driving at high speeds, the
gear may not shift down.
  During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending
on vehicle speed.
  When depressing the accelerator
fully, the transaxle will shift to a
lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
Second gear fi xed mode
When the selector lever is moved back
while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h
(6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set in the
second gear fi xed mode. The gear is fi xed
in second while in this mode for easier
acceleration from a stop and driving on
slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back
or
forward
while in the second gear fi xed
mode, the mode will be cancelled.
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4–58
When Driving
Transaxle
Shift gear (shifting) speed limit
For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows: When the
selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is shifted.
(4-speed transaxle model)
(6-speed transaxle model)
Shift up
The gear does not shift up while the vehicle speed is lower than the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear
position indication fl ashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear fi xed mode.
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*Some models.4–59
When Driving
Transaxle
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fi xed mode, the gear remains in
second.
Direct Mode *
Direct mode can be used for temporarily
switching gears by operating the steering
shift switch while the vehicle is being
driven with the selector lever in the D
range.
While in direct mode, the D and M
indication illuminate and the gear position
in use is illuminated.
Direct mode is cancelled (released) under
the following conditions.
 


 The UP switch () is pulled
rearward for a certain amount of time or
longer.
 


 The vehicle is driven for a certain
amount of time or longer (time differs
depending on the driving conditions
while operating).
 


 The vehicle is stopped or moving at a
slow speed.Type A
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
Type B
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
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4–60
When Driving
Transaxle
Type C
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
NOTE
Shifting up and down while in direct
mode may not be possible depending on
the vehicle speed. In addition, because
direct mode is cancelled (released)
depending on the rate of acceleration
or if the accelerator is fully depressed,
use of the manual shift mode is
recommended if you need to drive the
vehicle in a particular gear for long
periods.
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.
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