MAZDA MAZDA 2023 Manual Online

▼Side Air Bags
There are 2 types of side air bags
including the side
air bags for the
driver and front passenger and rear
passengers.
Front seat side air bags
The front seat side air bags are
mounted in the outboard sides of the
front seatbacks.

When the air bag crash sensors detect
a side impact of greater than moderate
force, the system inflates the side air
bag only on the side in which the
vehicle was hit. The side air bag inflates
quickly to reduce injury to the driver or
front passenger's chest caused by
directly hitting interior parts such as a
door or window.
For more details about air bag
deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag
Deployment Criteria" (page 2-66).
(With Driver and Front Passenger
Occupant Classification System)
In addition, the front passenger side air
bag is designed to only deploy in
accordance with the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat. For
details, refer to the front passenger
occupant classification system (page
2-69).
Rear seat side air bags
The rear seat side air bags are installed
in the rear pillars. The rear seat side air
bags on the side where the vehicle is
hit deploys regardless of whether or
not an occupant is seated.
For more details about air bag
deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag
Deployment Criteria" (page 2-66).

Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-64
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

▼Curtain Air Bags
The curtain air bags are mounted in the
front and rear window pillars, and the
roof edge along both sides.
When the air bag crash sensors detect
a side impact of greater than moderate
force, the curtain air bag inflates
quickly and helps to reduce injury
mainly to the driver and front and rear
outboard passengers' heads caused by
directly hitting interior parts such as a
door or window.
For more details about air bag
deployment, refer to "SRS Air Bag
Deployment Criteria" (page 2-66).
In a side impact:
Greater than moderate impact to one
side of the vehicle will cause the
curtain air bag on that side only to
inflate.

Only one side curtain air bag will
deploy on the side of the vehicle that
receives the force of an impact.
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System)
In a roll-over:
In response to a vehicle roll-over, both
curtain air bags inflate.

Both curtain air bags will deploy after
the roll-over accident is detected.
▼Warning Light/Beep
A system malfunction or operation
conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Indication/Warning
Light on page 7-33.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-65
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new
2022-5-20 11:26:10

SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria
▼SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria
This chart indicates the applicable SRS equipment that will deploy depending on the
type of collision.
(The illustrations are the representative cases of collisions.)
SRS equip-
ment Types of collision
A severe frontal/near frontal collision A severe side col-
lision A roll-over/near
roll-over
*2A rear collision
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-66
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

SRS equip-ment Types of collision
A severe frontal/near frontal collision A severe side col-
lision A roll-over/near
roll-over
*2A rear collision
Front seat
belt preten- sioner X
*1X*1X*1
No air bag and
seat belt preten-
sioner will be ac-
tivated in a rear
collision.
Rear seat
belt preten-
sioner
*XXX
Driver air bag X
――
Front pas- senger air bag X
*1――
Knee air bag X
*1――
Side air
bags for
driver and front pas- senger ―
X
*1 (impact side
only) ―
Side air
bags for
rear pas-
sengers
*
― X*1 (impact side
only) ―
Curtain air bag ―X (impact side
only) X (both sides)
X:
The SRS air bag equipment deploys in a collision.
― :The SRS air bag equipment does not deploy in a collision.
*1 (With Front Passenger Occupant Classification System)
The front and side air bags for the front passenger and seat belt pretensioner and knee air bag are
designed to deploy depending on the condition of the total seated weight on the front passenger
seat.
*2(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System)
In a roll-over accident, the seat belt pretensioners and the curtain air bags deploy.
NOTE
In a frontal offset collision, the equipped air bags and pretensioners may all deploy
depending on the direction, angle, and rate of impact.
Some airbags and the pretensioners may no t deploy depending on the level of the
impact.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.2-67
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

Limitations to SRS Air Bag
▼Limitations to SRS Air Bag
In severe collisions such as those
described previously in "SRS Air Bag
Deployment Criteria", the applicable
SRS air bag equipm
ent will deploy.
However, in some accidents, the
equipment may not deploy depending
on the type of collision and its severity.

Limitations to front/near front
collision detection:
The following illustrations are
examples of front/near front collisions
that may not be detected as severe
enough to deploy the SRS air bag
equipment.

Impacts involving trees or poles

Frontal offset impact to the vehicle

Rear-ending or running under a
truck's tail gate
Limitations to side collision detection:
The following illustrations are
examples of side collisions that may
not be detected as severe enough to
deploy the SRS air bag equipment.

Side impacts involving trees or poles

Side impacts with two-wheeled
vehicles

Roll-over (Without Front Passenger
Occupant Classification System)
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-68
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

Limitations to roll-over detection
(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classification System):
The following illustration is an example
of an accident that may not be
detected as a roll-over accident.
Therefore, the seat belt pretensioners
and curtain air bags may not deploy.

Pitch end over end
Driver and Front
Passenger Occupant
Classification System
*
▼ Driver and Front Passenger
Occupant Classification System
First, please read "Supplemental
Restraint System (SRS) Precautions"
(page 2-54) carefully.
▼Driver Seat Slide Position Sensor
Your vehicle is equipped with a driver
seat slide position sensor as a part of
the supplemental restraint system. The
sensor is located under the driver seat.
The sensor determines whether the
driver seat is fore or aft of a reference
position and sends the seat position to
the diagnostic module (SAS unit).
The SAS unit is designed to control the
deployment of the driver air bag
depending on how close the driver
seat is to the steering wheel.
The air bag/seat belt pretensioner
system warning light
flashes if the
sensor has a possible malfunction
(page 2-65).
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
*Some models.2-69
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

▼Front Passenger Seat Weight
Sensors
Your vehicle is equipped with a front
passenger seat weight sensors as a part
of the supplemental restraint system.
These sensors are located under both
of the front passenger seat rails. These
sensors determine the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat and
monitor the seat belt buckle for the
front passenger seat. The SAS unit is
designed to prevent the front
passenger front and side air bags and
knee air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner system from deploying if
the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light illuminates.
To reduce the chance of injuries
caused by deployment of the front
passenger air bag, the system
deactivates the front passenger front
and side air bags and knee air bags,
and also the seat belt pretensioner
system when the front passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light
illuminates. Refer to the following
table for the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light
illumination conditions.

This system shuts off the front
passenger front and side air bags and
knee air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner system, so make sure the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates according to
the following table.

The air bag/ seat belt pretensioner
system warning light flashes and the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates if the sensors
have a possible malfunction. If this
happens, the front passenger front and
side air bags and knee air bags, and
seat belt pretension
er system will not
deploy.
Front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light
This indicator light illuminates to
remind you that the front passenger
front and side air bags and knee air
bags, and seat belt pretensioners will
not deploy during a collision.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-70
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

If the front passenger weight sensors
are normal, the indicator light
illuminates when the ignition is
switched ON. The light turns off after a
few seconds. Then, the indicator light
illuminates or is off under the following
conditions:
Front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light on/off condition chart
Condition
detected by the
front pas-
senger oc- cupant
classifica- tion sys- tem Front pas-
senger air
bag deacti-
vation indi- cator light Front pas-
senger
front and side andknee air
bags Front
passen-
ger seat
belt pre-
tensioner
system
Empty
(Not occu-
pied) On
Deactivat-
ed Deacti-
vated
Child or
child-re-
straint sys-
tem
*1
On Deactivat-
ed Deacti-
vated
Adult
*2Off Ready Ready
*1 If a larger child sits on the front passenger seat, the sensors might detect the child as
being an adult depending on the child's
physique.
*2 If a smaller adult sits on the front passengerseat, the sensors might detect the person as
being a child depending on the person's
physique.
The curtain air bag is ready for inflating
regardless of what the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light on/off condition
chart indicates.

If the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light does not
illuminate when the ignition is
switched ON and does not illuminate
as indicated in the front passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light on/off
condition chart, do not allow a child to
sit in the front passenger seat and
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer
as soon as possible. The system may
not work properly in an accident.
WARNING
Do not decrease the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat:
When an adult or large child sits on the
front passenger seat, decreasing the
total seated weight on the front
passenger seat required for air bag
deployment is dangerous. The front
passenger seat we ight sensors will
detect the reduced total seated weight
condition and the front passenger front
and side air bags and knee air bags,
and the seat belt pretensioner system
will not deploy during an accident. The
front passenger will not have the
supplementary protection of the air
bag, which could result in serious
injury. Decreasing the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat
could result in an air bag not deploying
under the following conditions, for
example:
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-71
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

A front passenger is seated as shown
in the following figure:
A rear passenger pushes up on the
front passenger seat with their feet.
Luggage or other items placed under
the front passenger seat or between
the front passenger seat and driver
seat that push up the front passenger
seat bottom.
 Any accessories which might
decrease the total seated weight on
the front passenger seat are attached
to the front passenger seat.
The front passenger front and side air
bags and knee air bags, and the seat
belt pretensioner system will
deactivate if the front passenger air
bag deactivation indicator light
illuminates.

Do not increase the total seated
weight on the front passenger seat:
When an infant or small child sits on
the front passenger seat, increasing the
total seated weight on the front
passenger seat is dangerous. The front
passenger seat weight sensors will
detect the increased total seated
weight, which could result in the
unexpected deployment of the front
passenger front and side air bags and
knee air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner system in an accident and
may cause serious injury. Increasing the
total seated weight on the front
passenger seat could result in the front
passenger front and side air bags and
knee air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner system deployment in an
accident under the following
conditions, for example:
 Luggage or other items are placed on
the seat with the child in the
child-restraint system.
 A rear passenger or luggage push or
pull down on the front passenger
seatback.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-72
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10

A rear passenger steps on the front
passenger seat rails with their feet.
 Luggage or other items are placed on
the seatback or hung on the head
restraint.
 Heavy items are placed in the
seatback map pocket.
 The seat is washed.
 Liquids are spilled on the seat.
 The front passenger seat is moved
backward, pushing into luggage or
other items placed behind it.
 The front passenger seatback
contacts the rear seat.
 Luggage or other items are placed
between the front passenger seat
and driver seat.
 Any accessories which might increase
the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat are attached to the
front passenger seat.
CAUTION
To assure proper deployment of the
front air bag and to prevent damage
to the sensors in the front seat
bottoms:
 Do not place sharp objects on the
front seat bottoms or leave heavy
luggage on them.
 Do not spill any liquids on the
front seats or under the front seats.
 To allow the sensors to function
properly, always perform the
following:
 Adjust the front seats as far back as
possible and always sit upright
against the seatbacks with seat
belts worn properly.
If you place your child on the front
passenger seat, secure the
child-restraint system properly and
slide the front passenger seat as far
back as possible (page 2-46).
NOTE
The system requires about 10
seconds to alternate between turning
the front passenger front and side air
bags and knee air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner system on or off.
The front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light may
illuminate repeatedly if luggage or
other items are put on the front
passenger seat, or if the temperature
of the vehicle's interior changes
suddenly.
The front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light may
illuminate for 10 seconds if the total
seated weight on the front passenger
seat changes.
The air bag/seat belt pretensioner
system warning light might illuminate
if the front passenger seat receives a
severe impact.
If the front passenger air bag
deactivation indicator light does not
illuminate after installing a
child-restraint system on the front
passenger seat, first, re-install your
child-restraint system according to
the procedure in this owner's
manual. Then, if the front passenger
air bag deactivation indicator light
still does not illuminate, install the
child-restraint system on the rear seat
and consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer as soon as possible.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-73
Mazda3_8LC2-EA-22G_Edition1_new 2022-5-20 11:26:10