MAZDA MODEL 3 4-DOOR 2004 User Guide

1-5
Your Vehicle at a Glance
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Exterior Overview (5 Door)
Doors and keys
Outside mirrors
Side turn signal lights
Headlights
Fuel-filler lid
Child safety lock Tires
Reverse light
Windshield wiper blades
Hood
Front turn signal lights/Side-marker lights
Fog lights* Rear turn signal lights
Brake lights/Taillights
Power windows*
Rear window defroster
Liftgate High-mount brake light
License plate light Antenna
Moonroof*
(page 3-10) (page 6-10)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-24)
(page 3-20)
(page 8-37) (page 5-52)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-31)
(page 3-18)
(page 8-37)
(page 3-21)
(page 3-9)
(page 3-2)
(page 3-29)
(page 8-37)
(page 8-37) (page 3-16)
*Some models.
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1-6
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
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2-1
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
2Essential Safety Equipment
Use of safety equipment, including seats, seat belt system, SRS air
bags and child-restraint systems.
Seats ................................................................................................ 2-2
Front Seats ................................................................................. 2-2
Rear Seat .................................................................................... 2-5
Seat Belt Systems ........................................................................... 2-9
Seat Belt Precautions ................................................................. 2-9
3-Point Type Seat Belt ............................................................. 2-12
Front Seat Belt Pretensioner and Load Limiting Systems ...... 2-14
Rear Center Position Seat Belt ................................................ 2-16
Seat Belt Extender ................................................................... 2-18
Seat Belt Warning Light/Beep ................................................. 2-19
Child Restraint ............................................................................ 2-21
Child Restraint Precautions ..................................................... 2-21
Installing Child-Restraint Systems .......................................... 2-25
LATCH Child-Restraint Systems ............................................ 2-32
SRS Air Bags ............................................................................... 2-36
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions ............... 2-36
Supplemental Restraint System Components .......................... 2-41
How the Air Bags Work .......................................................... 2-44
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2-2
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Seats

Seat Slide
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
Modification of the Front Seats:
Modifying or replacing the front seats
such as replacing the upholstery or
loosening any bolts is dangerous. The
front seats contain air bag
components essential to the
supplemental restraint system. Such
modifications could damage the
supplemental restraint system and
result in serious injury. Consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer if there is
any need to remove or reinstall the
front seats.
Damaged Front Seats:
Driving with damaged front seats is
dangerous. A collision, even one not
strong enough to inflate the air bags,
could damage the front seats which
contain essential air bag components.
If there was a subsequent collision,
the air bag may not deploy which
could lead to injuries. Always have an
Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the
front seats, front seat belt
pretensioners and air bags after a
collision.
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.
WARNING
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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2-3
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Seat ReclineTo 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.
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:
The 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
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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2-4
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Height Adjustment (Driver’s
Seat)*
By moving the seat lever up or down, the
seat bottom height can be adjusted.

Lumbar Support Adjustment
(Driver’s Seat)*
To adjust the lumbar support, pull the
lever forward.

Head Restraint
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.
Up
Down
Lever
Lever
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
*Some models.
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2-5
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Rear Seat
Stacking Cargo:
Stacking luggage or other cargo
higher than the seatbacks, and
placing articles on the rear package
tray or on the luggage compartment
cover is dangerous. During sudden
braking or a collision, objects can fly
around and become projectiles that
may hit and injure passengers. Don’t
stack cargo higher than the seatbacks
or on the luggage compartment cover.
Not Securing Luggage and Cargo:
Not securing cargo while driving is
dangerous as it could move or be
crushed during sudden braking or a
collision and cause injury. Make sure
luggage and cargo is secured before
driving.
Securing Seats:
Adjustable seats 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.
WARNINGUnlocked Seatback:
The 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 returning 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. In
a sudden stop 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 vehicle 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.
Children and the Folding Rear Seats:
Playing with the folding rear seats is
dangerous. Do not give the car keys to
children and do not allow them to
play in the vehicle.
WARNING
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2-6
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Split-Folding Rear Seatback
To fold the seatbacks
1. Unfasten the lap portion of the rear
center seat belt (page 2-16).
2. Position the outboard seat belts to the side when folding the seatbacks down.
3. Support the seatback with your hand. 4. Push the rear seatback knob down.
To return the seatbacks to the upright
position
1. Position the outboard seat belts to the
side.
2. Lift the seatbacks upright.
3. Make sure the seat belts are fully pulled out from under the seatbacks.
4. Pull on the top of the seatbacks from inside the vehicle to make sure they are
locked.
5. Fasten the rear-center lap/shoulder belt and check that all seat belts are routed
properly for passenger use (page 2-16).
NOTE
When returning a rear seat to its
original position, also replace the seat
belt to its normal position. Verify that
the seat belt pulls and retracts.
When operating the rear seatback
knob, make sure you support the
seatback with your hand. If the
seatback is not supported with your
hand, it will flip forward suddenly and
could cause injury to the finger that
pushes the rear seatback knob down.
Always unfasten the lap portion of the
belt before folding the rear-left
seatback. Leaving the lap portion of
the belt fastened could cause damage
to the seat belt, buckle and seatback.
CAUTION
CAUTION
Seat Belts Caught Under Seatbacks:
A seat belt caught under a seatback
after the seatback is returned to its
upright position is dangerous. In a
collision or sudden stop, the seat belt
cannot provide adequate protection.
Always make sure the seat belts are
fully pulled out from under the
seatbacks.
Rear seatback knob
WARNING
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2-7
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I

Rear Seatback Lock (4 Door)
To lock or unlock a seatback, move the
lever.

Head Restraint
Returning Rear Seatbacks to the
Upright Position:
A rear seatback not fully returned
and locked in the upright position is
dangerous. Sudden stops or
maneuvering could cause a seatback
to flip forward suddenly resulting in
injury. If the red indicator is visible
on the back of the rear seatback knob,
the seatback is not locked in the
upright position. When returning the
seatback to the upright position, make
sure there is no red indication.
WARNING
Locked position
Unlocked position
Red indicator
NOTE
The seatback locks are part of the
trunk security system (page 3-14).
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
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2-8
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8S18-EA-03I
Height adjustment
To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the
locked 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.
Stop-catch release
Stop-catch release
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