MAZDA MODEL 3 5-DOOR 2008 Owner's Manual

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qSeat Recline (Driver's Seat)
WARNING
Do not drive with the seats reclined:
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.
Always sit in a front passenger seat
properly with the seatback upright and
feet on the floor: If your vehicle is equipped with front
passenger seat weight sensors,
sitting in the front passenger seat
improperly out of position or with the
seatback reclined too far while the
vehicle is moving is dangerous as it
can take off weight from the seat
bottom and affect the weight
determination of the front passenger
sensing system. As a result the front
passenger will not have the
supplementary protection of the air
bag and seat belt pretensioner, which
could cause result in serious injury.
Always sit upright against your
seatback, with your feet on the floor. Change the seatback angle by pressing the
front or rear side of the reclining switch.
Release the switch at the desired position.
qHeight Adjustment (Driver's Seat)
The seat height can be adjusted by
moving the switch up or down.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
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qLumbar Support Adjustment
(Driver's Seat)
Move the lever forwards to adjust the
lumbar support as required.
qSeat Warmerí
The front seats are electrically heated. The
ignition must be in the ON position.
Press the switch to turn the seat warmer
on or off. When the switch is in the ON
position, the indicator light will come on.
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Essential Safety Equipment
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Seats
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WARNING
ØBe careful when using the seat
warmer. The heat from the seat
warmer may be too hot for some
people, as indicated below, and
could cause a low-temperature
burn.
ØInfants, small babies, elderly
people, and physically
challenged people
ØPeople with delicate skin
ØPeople who are excessively
fatigued
ØPeople who have taken sleep-
inducing medicine such as
sleeping pills or cold medicine
Ø Do not use the seat warmer with
anything having high moisture-
retention ability such as a blanket
or cushion on the seat. The seat
may be heated excessively and
cause a low-temperature burn.
Ø Do not use the seat warmer even
when taking a short nap in the
vehicle. The seat may be heated
excessively and cause a low-
temperature burn.
Ø Do not place heavy objects with
sharp projections on the seat, or
insert needles or pins into it. This
could cause the seat to become
excessively heated and result in
injury from a minor burn.
CAUTION
Do not use organic solvents such as
benzene or gasoline to clean the seat.
It may damage the seat surface and
the heater. NOTE
Use the seat warmer when the engine is
running, and do not continue to use it for a
long period.
The temperature of the seat warmer cannot be
adjusted because the temperature of the seat is
controlled by the thermostat.
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Seats
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Rear Seat
WARNING
Do not stack cargo higher than the
seatbacks or place articles on the rear
package tray or on the luggage
compartment cover: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.
Make sure luggage and cargo is
secured before driving: 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 the adjustable components
of a seat are locked in place: Adjustable seats that are not securely
locked are dangerous. In a sudden
stop or collision, the seat or seatback
could move, causing injury.
Do not drive with the seatback
unlocked: 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. Never allow a passenger to sit or stand
on the folded seatback while the
vehicle is moving:
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 in
the baggage area could be thrown
into other occupants and cause
serious injury.
Never give the car keys to children and
do not allow them to play in the
vehicle: Playing with the folding rear seats is
dangerous. The folding rear
seatbacks cannot be folded down
from inside the trunk. Once the
seatbacks are back up, a child in the
trunk would not be able to get out
the way they had entered. If you have
small children, keep the seatbacks
locked (sedan).
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Always leave your car locked and keep
the car keys safely away from children:Leaving your car unlocked or the
keys in reach of children is
dangerous. Children who find their
way into the trunk through an
unlocked rear seatback or an open
trunk can become accidentally locked
in the trunk. This could result in
death or brain damage from heat
prostration, particularly in the
summer. Always lock the doors and
the trunk, and as an added measure,
keep the rear seatbacks locked,
whether you have children in your
home or not.
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
out and retracts.
q Split-Folding Rear Seatback
To fold the seatbacks
CAUTION
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. 1. Unfasten the lap portion of the center-
rear seat belt (page 2-23).
CAUTION
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.
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 center-rear lap/shoulder belt and check that all seat belts are routed
properly for passenger use (page 2-23).
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WARNING
Always make sure the seat belts are
fully pulled out from under the
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.
When returning the seatback to the
upright position, make sure there is no
red indication: 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.
Locked position
Unlocked position
Red indicator
q Rear Seatback Lock (4 Door)
To lock or unlock a seatback, move the
lever.
NOTE
The seatback locks are part of the trunk
security system (page 3-15).
qArmrest
The rear armrest in the center of the rear
seatback can be used (no occupant in the
center seat) or placed upright.
Armrest
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Head Restraints
Your vehicle is equipped with head
restraints in all seating positions except
the Rear center seat to protect you and
other passengers from neck injury.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
installed when seats are being used
and make sure they are properly
adjusted: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.
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
even with the top of the passenger's ears,
never the passenger's neck to prevent
injury.
Front seat
Rear seat
Removal/Installation
To remove the head restraint, pull it up
while pressing the stop-catch.
To install the head restraint, press the
uprights into the holes while pressing the
stop-catch.
WARNING
Always drive with the head restraints
set up when seats are being used and
make sure they are properly set up:Driving with the head restraints not
set up is dangerous. With no support
behind your head, your neck could be
seriously injured in a collision.
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Seats
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Seat Belt Precautions
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and all passengers always wear seat belts.
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way
when not in use.
The driver's seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.
However, the front passenger's seat and all rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two
modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode.
While we recommend you put all children in the rear seats, if you must use the front
passenger seat for a child, slide the front passenger seat as far back as possible and make
sure any child-restraint system is secured properly.
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WARNING
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained:Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerous. During a collision, occupants not
wearing seat belts could hit someone or things inside the vehicle or even be thrown
out of the vehicle. They could be seriously injured or even killed. In the same
collision, occupants wearing seat belts would be much safer.
Do not wear twisted seat belts: Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt is not
available to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt,
which could cause serious injury or death.
Never use one seat belt on more than one person at a time: Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt
used in this way cannot spread the impact forces properly and the two passengers
could be crushed together and seriously injured or even killed. Never use one belt for
more than one person at a time and always operate the vehicle with each occupant
properly restrained.
Do not operate a vehicle with a damaged seat belt: Using a damaged seat belt is dangerous. An accident could damage the belt
webbing of the seat belt in use. A damaged seat belt cannot provide adequate
protection in a collision. Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect all seat belt
systems in use during an accident before they are used again.
Have your seat belts changed immediately if the pretensioner or load limiter has
been expended: One or both front air bags may deploy, and the corresponding pretensioner(s) may
also deploy at the same time. While it is safer to use a crash-used seat belt that was
used in an accident than no seat belt at all, using a seat belt with an expended
pretensioner or load limiter loaded reduces the safety available to you. Like the air
bags, the seat belt pretensioners will only function once. After they are expended,
they will not function again and must be replaced immediately. If the seat belt
pretensioners are not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase. Always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the seat belt pretensioners and air bags
after any collision. Expended seat belt pretensioners and air bags must be replaced
after any collision which caused them to deploy. Additionally, the load limiter will
only limit loads on the chest once in a collision and this is another reason to have the
front seat belts inspected.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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CAUTION
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep
them clean. For more details about cleaning the seat belts, refer to“Cleaning the
Lap/Shoulder Belt Webbing ”(page 8-64).
q Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for specific
recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIPS.
The shoulder belt should be worn across your shoulder properly, but never across the
stomach area.
Persons with serious medical conditions also should wear seat belts. Check with your
doctor for any special instructions regarding specific medical conditions.
qEmergency Locking Mode
In the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the
retractor will lock in position during a collision. When the seat belt is fastened, it will
always be in the emergency locking mode until it is switched to automatic locking mode by
pulling it all the way out to its full length. If the belt feels tight and hinders comfortable
movement while the vehicle is stopped or in motion, it may be in the automatic locking
mode because the belt has been pulled too far out. To return to the belt to the more
comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until the vehicle has stopped in a safe, level
area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking mode and then extend it
around you again.
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