seats MAZDA MODEL MPV 2003 (in English) Owner's Manual

2-19
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
2. Pull the third-row seat’s flat-folding
strap and push the seatback down until
it locks.

Stowing the Third-Row Seat
More storage space can be created by
folding away the third-row seat into the
rear seat well. With the second-row seats
removed and the third-row seat stowed,
even more space is available.
Flat-folding strap
Riding in the Seat Well:
Riding in the seat well for the third-
row seat is dangerous. Sudden
braking or a collision could cause
serious injury. Do not sit on lie in the
seat well while the vehicle is moving.
Never ride in a vehicle where you
can’t sit in the seat and wear the seat
belt.
Pinching Fingers or Hands:
Placing your hands around the seat
stowage well when stowing the third-
row seat is dangerous. You could
pinch your hands or fingers between
the seat and the well. Hold the handle
when lowering the seat into place.
Never place your hands between the
seat and the seat well.
Unlocked Seatback:
An unlocked seatback is dangerous.
While stowing the seat, the seatback
could suddenly move causing serious
injury. Push the seatback forward and
backward to make sure it is locked in
place.
NOTE
Remove any items from the seat well
for the third-row seat before stowing
the seat. Anything in the baggage area
when the seat is set into the well can
damage the seatback material and
prevent a flat cargo area.
WARNING
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2-20
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Stowing the third-row seat
1. Insert the seat belts in the retainers.
2. Remove the head restraint and set them
aside temporarily (page 2-18).
3. Pull strap A and ease the seatback
toward the front of the vehicle with
your other hand and be sure it locks
with a click.4. Pull strap B and lift the combined
seatback and seat bottom up to vertical
with your other hand. Gently set the
seat the remainder of the way down
into the seat well.
5. Insert the head restraints between the
floor and seat at the positions indicated
on the labels.
Retainer
Strap A
Strap B
Labels
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2-21
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Raising the third-row seat upright for
road use
1. Clear the entire cargo floor.
2. Remove the head restraints.
3. Carefully reverse the procedures used
to lower the seat into the seat well. Use
the handle and ease the combined
seatback and seat bottom up to vertical.
4. Carefully lower the seat forward and
make sure it’s latched to the floor.5. Pull strap A and raise the seatback
upright. Attempt to move the seatback
forward and backward to make sure it
is locked.
6. Insert the head restraints.
7. Place the seat belt buckles face up.
Handle
Strap A
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2-22
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G

Third-Row Seat and Open
Liftgate Position
To put the third-row seat in the rear
facing position:
1. Open the liftgate.
2. Clear away all cargo from the seat well.
3. Remove the head restraints.
4. Pull strap B while supporting the
seatback with the other hand and
carefully ease the seatback rearward
and into the seat well.
5. Go inside the vehicle and to the rear.
Rear Facing Third-Row Seat and a
Moving Vehicle:
Driving with the third-row seat facing
rearward is dangerous because the
liftgate cannot be securely closed.
During sudden braking or a collision,
passengers could be thrown out of the
vehicle resulting in serious injury or
death. Place the third-row seat in the
forward-facing position with the
seatback upright before driving the
vehicle.
Support Bar:
Sitting in the rear-facing, third-row
seat position without installing the
support bar is dangerous. Without the
support of the bar, the seatback could
collapse resulting in injury.
Always install the support bar before
sitting in the rear-facing, third-row
seat position.
Third-Row Seat and the Flat-Folding
Strap:
Pulling the flat-folding strap with the
third-row seat facing rearward is
dangerous. The seatback will collapse
into the seat bottom and could result
in injury. Do not pull the flat-folding
strap with the third-row seat facing
rearward.
WARNING
NOTE
•Adjust the seatback to the upright
position when the third-row seat is
facing rearward.
•Remove cargo from the seat well
area before placing the third-row
seat in the rear-facing position.
Strap B
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2-23
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
6. Remove the support bar from the
pocket.
7. Set the hook on the support bar in the
rear of the seatback.8. Pull the seatback towards the front of
the vehicle until the opposite end of the
support bar hooks onto the anchor loop
in the side trim. Attempt to push the
seatback towards the rear (liftgate) to
make sure the support bar is securely
latched.
To return the third-row seat to the road
position (forward facing)
1. Detach the support bar by following
the reverse procedure for installation.
2. From inside the vehicle, carefully
lower the seat towards the front until it
locks in place. Attempt to move the
seat forward and backward to make
sure it’s securely locked in place.
3. Reinsert the head restraints.
Support bar
Pocket
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2-24
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
4. Place the seat belt buckles face up.
The second-row and front seats can be
folded down for use as beds when the
vehicle is safely parked.

To Fold the Seats Flat
1. Pull the seat slide levers and slide the
second-row seats all the way back
(page 2-10).
2. Raise the recline levers and fold down
the second-row seatbacks rearward
until they lock (page 2-11).
3. Remove the head restraints from the
front seats (page 2-7).
4. Pull the seat slide levers and slide the
front seats all the way forward
(page 2-3).
Flat Folding
Folded-Flat Seats:
Sitting or lying on seats folded flat is
a dangerous way to ride. During
sudden braking or a collision you
could be thrown around inside the
vehicle and seriously injured. Don’t
ride on seatbacks folded flat.
WARNING
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2-25
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
5. Raise the recline levers and fold down
the front seatbacks rearward until they
lock (page 2-4).
To return the seats to their road positions,
reverse the procedures for folding the
second-row and front seats flat.
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2-37
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Child Restraint
Mazda strongly urges the use of child-restraint systems for children small enough to use
them.
You are required by law to use a child-restraint system for children in the U.S. and Canada.
Check your local and state or provincial laws for specific requirements regarding the safety
of children riding in your vehicle.
Whatever child-restraint system you consider, please pick the appropriate one for the age
and size of the child, obey the law and follow the instructions that come with the individual
child-restraint system.
A child who has outgrown child-restraint systems should sit in the rear and use seat belts,
both lap and shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses the neck or face, move the child closer to
the center of the vehicle.
Statistics confirm that the rear seats are the best place for all children up to 12 years of age-
the more so with a supplemental restraint system (air bags).
A rear-facing child-restraint system should NEVER
be used in the front seat because it
would be too close to the air bag. The front passenger’s seat is also the least preferred seat
for other child-restraint systems.
Child Restraint Precautions
Proper Size of Child-Restraint System:
For effective protection in vehicle accidents and sudden stops, a child must be
properly restrained using a seat belt or child-restraint system depending on age and
size. If not, the child could be seriously injured or even killed in an accident.
Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions and Always Keep the Child-Restraint System
Buckled Down:
An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it
could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make sure
the child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-restraint
system manufacturer’s instructions. When not in use, remove it from the vehicle or
fasten it with a seat belt, or latch it down to BOTH LATCH lower anchors for LATCH
child-restraint systems.
WARNING
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2-39
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
A seat belt or child-restraint system can become very hot in a closed vehicle during
warm weather. To avoid burning yourself or a child, check them before you or your child
touches them.
NOTE
Your Mazda is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for attachment of specially
designed LATCH child-restraint systems in the rear seats. When using these anchors to
secure a child-restraint system, refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint Systems" (page 2-47).
CAUTION
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2-40
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Accident statistics reveal that a child is
safer in the rear seats. The front
passenger’s seat is clearly the worst
choice for any child under 12, and with
rear-facing child-restraint systems it is
clearly unsafe due to air bags.
Some child-restraint systems now come
with tethers and therefore must be
installed on the seats that take tethers to
be effective. In your Mazda, tethered
child-restraint systems can only be
accommodated in the three positions on
the rear seats.
Some child-restraint systems also employ
specially designed LATCH attachments;
refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint
Systems" (page 2-47).

Second-Row Seats Child-
Restraint System Installation
Follow these instructions when using a
child-restraint system, unless you are
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the rear LATCH lower
anchors. Refer to "LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems" (page 2-47).
1. If the seat in which you install a child-
restraint system has a seat slide
function, slide the seat as far back as
possible.
2. Secure the child-restraint system with
the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing
instructions.
Installing Child-Restraint
Systems
Tethered Child-Restraint Systems
Work Only on Tether-Equipped Rear
Seats:
Installation of a tether equipped
child-restraint system in the front
passenger’s seat or the third-row
outboard seats defeats the safety
design of the system and will result in
an increased chance of serious injury
if the child-restraint system goes
forward without benefit of being
tethered.
Place tether equipped child-restraint
systems where there are tether
anchors.
WARNING
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer’s instructions carefully.
If you are not sure whether you have a
LATCH system or tether, check in the
child-restraint system manufacturer’s
instructions and follow them
accordingly. Depending on the type of
child-restraint system, it may not
employ seat belts which are in
automatic locking mode.
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