MAZDA MODEL MPV 2003 (in English) Workshop Manual
Page 51 of 307
2-42
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Third-Row Center Seat Child-
Restraint System Installation
In the third-row seat, tether equipped 
child-restraint systems belong only in the 
center seat where there is a tether anchor 
available.
Follow these instructions when using a 
child-restraint system.
1. Secure the child-restraint system with a 
lap belt. Adjust for a snug fit by pulling 
on the loose end of the belt webbing.2. If your child-restraint system requires 
the use of a tether strap, peel back the 
carpeting in the rear luggage 
compartment to expose the anchor 
bracket (above the marking).
3. Hook the tether strap by following the 
child-restraint system manufacturer’s 
instructions.
Child-Restraint Tether Usage:
Using the tether to secure anything 
but a child-restraint system is 
dangerous. This could weaken or 
damage the tether or tether anchor 
and result in injury. Use the tether 
and tether anchor only for a child-
restraint system.
Incorrect Positioning of the Tether 
Strap:
Positioning the tether strap on top of 
the head restraint is dangerous. In a 
collision, the head restraint could 
bend or break. This will cause the 
strap to loosen. The child-restraint 
system could move and injure the 
child or someone else. Always 
position the tether strap between the 
head restraint and the seatback.
WARNING
Marking Anchor bracket 
location
Tether
strap
Anchor
bracketTether strap position
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Third-Row Outboard Seats 
Child-Restraint System 
Installation
Follow these instructions when using a 
child-restraint system.
1. 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.2. To get the retractor into the automatic 
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt 
portion of the seat belt until the entire 
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
3. Push the child-restraint system firmly 
into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt 
retracts as snugly as possible. Clicking 
from the retractor will be heard during 
retraction if the system is in the 
automatic locking mode. If the belt 
does not lock the seat down tight, 
repeat this step.
Child-Restraint Tether Usage:
Using the tether to secure anything 
but a child-restraint system is 
dangerous. This could weaken or 
damage the tether or tether anchor 
and result in injury. Use the tether 
and tether anchor only for a child-
restraint system.
NOTE
Follow the child-restraint system 
manufacturer’s instructions carefully. 
Depending on the type of child-
restraint system, it may not employ 
seat belts which are in automatic 
locking mode.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
If You Must Use the Front Seat 
for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear 
seats, at least put the smallest in the rear 
and be sure the largest child up front uses 
the shoulder belt over the shoulder.
Do not put rear-facing child-restraint 
systems on the front passenger’s seat.
This seat is also not set up for tethered 
child-restraint systems, put them in one of 
the three rear seat positions set up with 
tether anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint 
system cannot be secured in the front 
passenger’s seat and should be used in the 
second-row seats.
Don’t allow anyone to sleep against the 
right front door if you have an optional 
side air bag, it could cause serious injuries 
to an out of position occupant. As 
children more often sleep in cars, it is 
better to put them in the rear seat. If 
installing the child-restraint system on the 
front seat is unavoidable, follow these 
instructions when using a front-facing 
child-restraint system in the front 
passenger’s seat.
NOTE
Inspect this function before each use of 
the child-restraint system. You should 
not be able to pull the shoulder belt out 
of the retractor while the system is in 
the automatic locking mode. When 
you remove the child-restraint system, 
be sure the belt fully retracts to return 
the system to emergency locking mode 
before occupants use the seat belts.
NOTE
To check if your Mazda front seats 
have side air bags:
Every Mazda side air bag will have a 
"SRS-Air Bag" label on the outboard 
shoulder of the front seats.
Fro n t  Pa ss en ge r’s Seat Position:
As your vehicle has front air bags and 
doubly so because your vehicle has 
side air bags, a front-facing child-
restraint system should be put on the 
front seat only when it is unavoidable.
Always move the seat as far back as 
possible, because the force of a 
deploying air bag could cause serious 
injury or death to the child.
Rear-Facing Child-Restraint System:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems 
on the front seat are particularly 
dangerous.
The child-restraint system can be hit 
by a deploying air bag and moved 
violently backward resulting in 
serious injury or death to the child. 
NEVER use a rear-facing child-
restraint system in the front seat with 
an air bag that could deploy.
WARNING
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2-45
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Front Passenger’s Seat Child-
Restraint System Installation
1. 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.
3. To get the retractor into the automatic 
locking mode, pull the shoulder belt 
portion of the seat belt until the entire 
length of the belt is out of the retractor.
4. Push the child-restraint system firmly 
into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt 
retracts as snugly as possible. Clicking 
from the retractor will be heard during 
retraction if the system is in automatic 
locking mode. If the belt does not lock 
the seat down tight, repeat this step.Children and Seating Position with 
Side Air Bag:
Allowing anyone to lean over or 
against the front door is dangerous. If 
the vehicle is equipped with side air 
bags, the impact of an inflating side 
air bag could cause serious injury or 
death to the person. Children are 
more likely to sleep in the vehicle; 
when they do, they are more at risk in 
the front passenger’s seat that has a 
side air bag because they may slump 
over into the path of the seatback-
mounted air bag. Furthermore, 
leaning over or against the doors 
could block the side air bag and 
eliminate the advantages of 
supplemental protection. With the 
front air bag and the additional side 
air bag that comes out of the front 
seat, the rear seat is always a better 
location for children who are prone to 
sleeping. If a child can’t be seated in 
the rear, do not allow the child to lean 
over or against the front door, even if 
the child is seated in a child-restraint 
system.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
NOTE
•Inspect this function before each 
use of the child-restraint system. 
You should not be able to pull the 
shoulder belt out of the retractor 
while the system is in the automatic 
locking mode. When you remove 
the child-restraint system, be sure 
the belt fully retracts to return the 
system to emergency locking mode 
before occupants use the seat belts.
•Follow the child-restraint system 
manufacturer’s instruction carefully.
Depending on the type of child-
restraint system, it may not employ 
seat belts which are in automatic 
locking mode.
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Your Mazda is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for attachment of specially designed 
LATCH child-restraint systems in the second-row seats. Both anchors must be used, 
otherwise the seat will bounce around and put the child in danger. Some LATCH child-
restraint systems must also be used in conjunction with a tether to be effective. If they have 
a tether you must use it to better assure your child’s safety.
LATCH Child-Restraint Systems
Manufacturer’s Instructions for Child-Restraint System:
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.
Unsecured Child-Restraint System:
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. Follow the 
child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions on belt routing to secure the seat 
just as you would with a child in it so that nobody is tempted to put a child in an 
improperly secured seat later on. 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.
LATCH Child-Restraint Systems:
Not following the child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions when installing 
the child-restraint system is dangerous. If seat belts or a foreign object prevent the 
child-restraint system from being securely attached to the LATCH lower anchors and 
the child-restraint system is installed improperly, the child-restraint system could 
move in a sudden stop or collision causing serious injury or death to the child or other 
occupants. When installing the child-restraint system, make sure there are no seat 
belts or foreign objects near or around the LATCH lower anchors. Always follow the 
child-restraint system manufacturer’s instructions.
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
LATCH Child-Restraint System 
Installation Procedure (Second-
Row Seats)
1. Slide the second-row seat as far back as 
possible.
2. Raise the reclining lever and lower the 
seatback forward.
3. Raise the seatback to the most upright 
position. Make sure the seatback is 
securely latched by rocking the 
seatback.4. Expand the area between the seat 
bottom and the seatback slightly to 
verify the locations of the LATCH 
lower anchors.
5. Secure the child-restraint system using 
BOTH LATCH lower anchors, 
following the child-restraint system 
manufacturer’s instruction.
6. If your child-restraint system came 
equipped with a tether, that probably 
means it is very important to properly 
secure the tether for child safety, please 
carefully follow the child-restraint 
system manufacturer’s instructions 
when installing tethers.
For right seatFor left seat
LATCH lower 
anchor
Second-row 
seat
Anchor bracket 
location
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Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Child-Restraint Tether Usage:
Using the tether to secure anything 
but a child-restraint system is 
dangerous. This could weaken or 
damage the tether or tether anchor 
and result in injury. Use the tether 
and tether anchor only for a child-
restraint system.
Incorrect Positioning of the Tether 
Strap:
Positioning the tether strap on top of 
the head restraint is dangerous. In a 
collision, the head restraint could 
bend or break. This will cause the 
strap to loosen. The child-restraint 
system could move and injure the 
child or someone else. Always 
position the tether strap between the 
head restraint and the seatback.
Anchor
bracket Tether strap Tether strap position
WARNING
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Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
SRS Air Bags
Read this owner’s manual carefully to verify what air bags (driver-side air bag, passenger-
side air bag, side air bags) are equipped in your vehicle.
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include 4 air bags (verify "SRS 
AIR BAG" location indicator marks).
They are located in:
•The steering wheel hub
•The passenger side dashboard
•The outboard sides of the front seatbacks
These systems operate independently depending on the type of accident encountered; if 
you have side air bags, the side air bags are not likely to deploy on both sides in the same 
accident because a vehicle is not often hit from both sides. The side air bags work together 
but they and the frontal air bag system will not normally deploy during the same type of 
accident unless a combination of frontal and side impacts occur.
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide only supplemental 
protection only in the front seats in a few modes, so seat belts become important in the 
following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident. 
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
•Keep the passenger away from an inflating air bag.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag 
inflation, such as roll-over or rear impact.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal or side collisions that are not severe enough 
to activate the air bags.
•Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the 
air bags provide no protection to these parts.
•Hold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
Small children, those under 18 kg (40 lb), should be protected by a child-restraint system 
(page 2-37).
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions
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Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
Form No. 8R21-EA-02G
Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary for your child and follow the 
installation directions in this Owner’s Manual as well as the child-restraint system 
manufacturer’s instructions.
Air Bags without Seat Belts:
Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous. 
Alone, air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be 
expected to inflate only in collisions with frontal, near frontal or side forces that are at 
least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat belts.
Child in the Front Seat:
Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be 
hit by a deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is 
more likely to lean against the door and be hit by the side air bag in a moderate, right-
side collision. Whenever possible, always secure a child 12 years and under on the 
rear seats with an appropriate child-restraint system for the child’s age and size.
Rear-Facing Child-Restraint System:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems on the front seat are particularly dangerous.
The child-restraint system can be hit by a deploying air bag and moved violently 
backward resulting in serious injury or death to the child. NEVER use a rear-facing 
child-restraint system in the front seat with an air bag that could deploy.
Seating Position with Front Air Bags:
Sitting too close to the air bag storage compartments or placing hands or feet on them 
is extremely dangerous. Front Air bags inflate with great force and speed. Serious 
injuries could occur if someone is too close. The driver should always hold onto only 
the rim of the steering wheel. The front seat passenger should keep both feet on the 
floor. Front seat occupants should adjust their seats as far back as possible and 
always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat belts worn properly.
WARNING
Deploying air bag
J16L_8R21-EA-02G.book  Page 51  Saturday, June 8, 2002  11:16 AM