MAZDA MODEL MPV 2003 (in English) User Guide
Page 11 of 307
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Seats
Seat Arrangements
Road positions (while driving)
Non-road positions (Parking/Camping)
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
(Manually operated seats)
(Electrically operated seats)
The seat-bottom tilt, seat height, seat 
slide, and seat recline can be electrically 
adjusted. Move them to the desired 
positions by using the switch on the seat’s 
lower side.
Seat Slide
(Manually operated seats)
To move a seat forward or backward, raise 
the lever and slide the seat to the desired 
position and release the lever.
Make sure the lever returns to its original 
position and the seat is locked in place by 
attempting to push it forward and 
backward. 
Front Seats
Securing the Seats:
Adjustable seats and seatbacks that 
are not securely locked are 
dangerous. In a sudden stop or 
collision, the seat or seatback could 
move, causing injury. Make sure the 
adjustable components of the seat are 
locked in place by attempting to slide 
the seat forward and backward and 
rocking the seatback.
•The seat-bottom power adjust is 
operated by a motor. Avoid 
extended operation because 
excessive use can damage the 
motor.
•To prevent the battery from running 
down, avoid using the power adjust 
when the engine is stopped. The 
adjuster uses a great amount of 
electric power.
•Don’t use the switch to make more 
than one adjustment at a time.
WARNING
CAUTION
Driver’s Seat Adjustment:
Adjusting the driver’s seat while the 
vehicle is moving is dangerous. The 
driver could lose control of the vehicle 
and have an accident. Adjust the 
driver’s seat only when the vehicle is 
stopped.
WARNING
Lever
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
(Electrically operated seats)
To slide the seat, move the slide lifter 
switch on the outside of the seat to the 
front or back and hold it. Release the 
switch at the desired position.Seat Recline
Reclining:
Sitting in a reclined position while the 
vehicle is moving is dangerous 
because you don’t get the full 
protection from seat belts. During 
sudden braking or a collision, you 
can slide under the lap belt and suffer 
serious internal injuries. For 
maximum protection, sit well back 
and upright.
Unlocked Seatback:
A seatback plays an important role in 
your protection in a vehicle. Leaving 
the seatback unlocked is dangerous as 
it can allow passengers to be ejected 
or thrown around and baggage to 
strike occupants in a sudden stop or 
collision, resulting in severe injury. 
After adjusting the seatback at any 
time, even when there are no other 
passengers, rock the seatback to make 
sure it is locked in place.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
 (Manually operated seats)
To change the seatback angle, lean 
forward slightly while raising the lever. 
Then lean back to the desired position and 
release the lever.
Make sure the lever returns to its original 
position and the seatback is locked in 
place by attempting to push it forward and 
backward. (Electrically operated seats)
Change the seatback angle by pressing the 
front or rear side of the reclining switch. 
When the seatback is at the desired angle, 
release the switch.
When returning a rear-reclined 
seatback to its upright position, make 
sure you support the seatback while 
operating the seatback lever. If the 
seatback is not supported, it will flip 
forward suddenly and could cause 
injury.
Lever
CAUTION
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Seat Tilt (Driver’s Seat)
(Manually operated seats)
 
The seat-bottom angle can be adjusted by 
rotating the dial.(Electrically operated seats)
 
Front height adjustment
To adjust the front height of the seat-
bottom, raise or lower the front of the 
slide lifter switch on the left side of the 
seat.
Rear height adjustment
Raise or lower the back of the switch to 
adjust the rear height of the seat-bottom.
Up
Down
Dial
Front of seat bottom
Up
Down
DialRear of seat bottom
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Height adjustment
Raise the seat-bottom by pulling up on the 
center of the switch. Release the switch at 
the desired position.
Lower the seat-bottom by pressing down 
on the center of the switch. Release the 
switch at the desired position.
Head Restraint
Height adjustment
To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the 
desired position.
To lower the head restraint, press the stop-
catch release, then push the head restraint 
down.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top is 
parallel with the top of the passenger’s 
ears, never the passenger’s neck.
Removal
To remove the head restraint, press the 
stop-catch release, then pull up on the 
head restraint.
Head Restraints Adjustment:
Driving with the head restraints 
adjusted too low or removed is 
dangerous. With no support behind 
your head, your neck could be 
seriously injured in a collision. 
Always drive with the head restraints 
inserted when seats are being used 
and make sure they are properly 
adjusted.
WARNING
Stop-catch release
Stop-catch release
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Front Passenger Seat Side Table
The pull-up table on the side of the front 
passenger seat is collapsible. The table 
can be used when the vehicle is safely 
parked.
Pull up the table to use it. After pulling 
the table up, push the table downward and 
verify that it is locked.When collapsing the table, pull the lever 
under the table. After the table is 
collapsed, press the table surface to lock it 
in place.
Armrest
The armrest can be used or placed 
upright.
Using Seat Side Table While Vehicle 
is Moving:
Using the seat side table while the 
vehicle is moving is dangerous. Hot 
liquids could cause scalding if spilled, 
or objects could fall causing injury. 
Do not use the seat side table while 
the vehicle is moving.
Adjusting Front Passenger Seat 
While Seat Side Table is in Use:
Adjusting the front passenger seat 
forward or rearward while the seat 
side table is in use is dangerous Hot 
liquids could cause scalding if spilled, 
or objects could fall causing injury. 
Do not adjust the front passenger seat 
while the seat side table is in use.
WARNING
NOTE
The table can be expanded rearward by 
pulling out the rear end.
Lever
Armrests
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Positioning the Shoulder Belt Over 
the Armrest:
Positioning the shoulder portion of a 
front seat belt over the armrest is 
dangerous as it cannot provide 
adequate protection in a collision and 
could result in serious injuries. Never 
position the shoulder portion of a 
front seat belt over the armrest.
WARNINGSecond-Row Seats
Stacking Cargo:
Stacking luggage or other cargo 
higher than the seatback is 
dangerous. During a sudden stop or 
collision, objects can become 
projectiles that could hit and injure 
passengers. Don’t stack things higher 
than the seatback.
Securing Seats:
Adjustable seats and seatbacks that 
are not securely latched are 
dangerous. In a sudden stop or 
collision, the seat or seatback could 
move, causing injury. Make sure the 
adjustable components of the seat are 
locked in place by attempting to slide 
the seat forward and backward and 
rocking the seatback.
Seat Adjustment:
Adjusting the seat while the vehicle is 
moving is dangerous. Sudden braking 
or a collision could cause serious 
injury. Adjust the seat only when the 
vehicle is stopped.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Seat Slide
To move the seat forward or backward, 
raise the lever and slide the seat to the 
desired position.
Make sure the lever returns to its original 
position and the seat is locked in place by 
attempting to push it forward and 
backward.
Side-Sliding Seat (right side)
The second-row seats can be put together 
and used as a bench seat. Raise the side 
seat-slide lever and slide the seat 
sideways.
Make sure the lever returns to its original 
position and the seat is locked in place by 
attempting to push it from side to side.
Unlocked Seatback:
A seatback plays an important role in 
your protection in a vehicle. Leaving 
the seatback unlocked is dangerous as 
it can allow passengers to be ejected 
or thrown around and baggage to 
strike occupants in a sudden stop or 
collision, resulting in severe injury. 
After adjusting the seatback at any 
time, even when there are no other 
passengers, rock the seatback to make 
sure it is locked in place.
Passenger on the Folded Seatback:
Driving with a passenger on the 
folded seatback is dangerous. 
Allowing a child to sit up on the 
folded seatback while the vehicle is 
moving is particularly dangerous. 
During sudden braking or even a 
minor collision, a child not in a 
proper seat or child-restraint system 
and seat belt could be thrown 
forward, back or even out of the car 
resulting in serious injuries or death. 
The child or other objects in the 
baggage area could be thrown into 
other occupants and cause serious 
injury. Never allow a passenger to sit 
or stand on the folded seatback while 
the vehicle is moving.
NOTE
When returning a second-row seat to 
its original position, also replace the 
seat belt to its normal position. Verify 
that the seat belt pulls and retracts.
WARNING
Lever
Side seat-slide lever
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Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Seat Recline
To change the seatback angle, lean 
forward slightly while raising the lever. 
Then lean back to the desired position and 
release the lever.Make sure the lever returns to its original 
position and the seatback is locked in 
place by attempting to push it forward and 
backward.
Head Restraint
Reclining:
Sitting in a reclined position while the 
vehicle is moving is dangerous 
because you don’t get the full 
protection from seat belts. During 
sudden braking or a collision, you 
can slide under the lap belt and suffer 
serious internal injuries. For 
maximum protection, sit well back 
and upright.
Reclining the Second-Row Seatback:
Reclining the second-row seatback 
when the third-row seat is occupied is 
dangerous. The second-row seatback 
may hit and injure the occupants in 
the third-row seat. Don’t recline the 
second-row seatback when the third-
row seat is occupied.
WARNING
Lever
When returning a rear-reclined 
seatback to its upright position, make 
sure you support the seatback while 
operating the seatback lever. If the 
seatback is not supported, it will flip 
forward suddenly and could cause 
injury.
Head Restraints Adjustment:
Driving with the head restraints 
adjusted too low or removed is 
dangerous. With no support behind 
your head, your neck could be 
seriously injured in a collision. 
Always drive with the head restraints 
inserted when seats are being used 
and make sure they are properly 
adjusted.
CAUTION
WARNING
J16L_8R21-EA-02G.book  Page 11  Saturday, June 8, 2002  11:16 AM