warning MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK 2006 (in English) User Guide

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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 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.
WARNING
Not Wearing Seat Belts:
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. Always wear your seat belt and
make sure all occupants are properly restrained.
Seat Belt Damaged During an Accident:
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. Front air bags and pretensioners work together, but whether a front seat was
occupied or not, if any air bag deployed and whether a seat belt pretensioner deployed
or not, all front seat belts and air bags must be inspected and replaced if necessary.
Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect all seat belt systems in use during an
accident before they are used again.
Twisted Seat Belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt isn't available
to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt, which could
cause serious injury or death. Don't wear twisted seat belts.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
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WARNING
One Belt, One Passenger:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used
in this way can't 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.
CAUTION
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep them
clean.
qPregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should 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.
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Seat Belt (Except Center-
Rear Position)
NOTE
When using the center-rear seat belt,
refer to“Center-Rear Position Seat
Belt”(page 2-16).
qFastening the Seat Belts
1. Grasp the tongue.
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
TongueBelt
3. Insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear a click.
BuckleTongue
WARNING
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
Always make sure the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is positioned
across your shoulder and near your
neck, but never under your arm, on
your neck, or on your upper arm.
4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.
Keep low on
hip bone
Too high Take up slack
WARNING
Positioning the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision,
this would concentrate the impact
force directly on the abdominal area,
causing serious injury. Wear the lap
portion of the belt snugly and as low
as possible.
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qUnfastening the Seat Belts
Depress the button on the buckle.
Button
NOTE
If a belt does not fully retract, inspect it
for kinks and twists. If it is still not
retracting properly, have it inspected at
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
qShoulder Belt Adjuster
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt if
the seat belt touches your neck, or if it
crosses your arm instead of your shoulder.
To raise the shoulder belt adjuster, push
the adjuster up. To lower the shoulder belt
adjuster, pull the adjuster and slide it
down. Make sure the adjuster is locked.
WARNING
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
Always make sure the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is positioned
across your shoulder and near your
neck, but never under your arm, on
your neck, or on your upper arm.
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Seat Belt Systems
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Front Seat Belt Pretensioner
and Load Limiting Systems
For optimum protection, the driver and
front passenger seat belts are equipped
with pretensioner and load limiting
systems.
In moderate or greater frontal or near-
frontal accidents, the front air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously. The pretensioners take up
slack in the front seat belts as the air bags
are expanding. The seat belt pretensioner
system cannot provide adequate
protection in an accident if the seat belt is
not fastened properly. The load limiting
system releases belt webbing in a
controlled manner to reduce belt force on
the occupant's chest.
WARNING
Incorrect Positioning of the Driver
and Front Passenger Seat Belts:
Incorrect positioning of the driver and
passenger seat belts is dangerous.
Without proper positioning, the
pretensioner and load limiting systems
cannot provide adequate protection in
an accident and this could result in
serious injury. Wear seat belts only as
recommended in this owner's manual
(page 2-12).
WARNING
Expended Seat Belt Pretensioners:
One or both front air bags may deploy,
and the corresponding pretensioner(s)
will also deploy at the same time. Use
of front seat belts with the
pretensioner system expended is
dangerous. 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 is
another reason to have the front seat
belts inspected.
Modification or Testing of the
Pretensioner System:
Modifying the components or wiring
of the pretensioner system, including
the use of electronic testing devices is
dangerous. You could accidentally
activate it or make it inoperable which
would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants or repairers
could be seriously injured. Never
modify the components or wiring, or
use electronic testing devices on the
pretensioner system.
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WARNING
Pretensioner System Disposal:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner
system or a vehicle with non-
deactivated pretensioners is
dangerous. Unless all safety
procedures are followed, injury could
result. Ask an Authorized Mazda
Dealer how to safely dispose of the
pretensioner system or how to scrap a
pretensioner-equipped vehicle.
NOTE
lThe pretensioner system will only
activate in a moderate or greater
frontal or near-frontal collision. It
will not activate in most rollovers,
side or rear impacts.
lSome smoke (non-toxic gas) will be
released when the air bags and
pretensioners deploy. This does not
indicate a fire. This gas normally has
no effect on occupants, however,
those with sensitive skin may
experience light skin irritation. If
residue from the deployment of the
air bags or the front pretensioner
system gets on the skin or in the
eyes, wash it off as soon as possible.
qAir Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning Light
If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner
system is normal, the warning light
illuminates when the ignition switch is
turned to the ON position or after the
engine is cranked. After about 6 seconds
it goes out.
A system malfunction is indicated when
the warning light constantly illuminates or
doesn't illuminate at all when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON position. If any
of these occur, consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer as soon as possible. The
system may not work in an accident.
WARNING
Self-Servicing the Air Bag/
Pretensioner Systems:
Self-servicing or tampering with the
systems is dangerous. An air bag/
pretensioner could accidentally
activate or become disabled. This
could cause serious injuries. Never
tamper with the systems and always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer
perform all servicing and repairs.
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Seat Belt Systems
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qAir Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System Warning Beep
If a malfunction is detected in the air bag/
front seat belt pretensioner systems and
the warning light, a warning beep sound
will be heard for about 5 seconds every
minute.
The air bag and seat belt pretensioner
system warning beep sound will continue
to be heard for approximately 35 minutes.
Have your vehicle inspected at an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
WARNING
Air Bag/Front Seat Belt Pretensioner
System Warning Beep:
Driving the vehicle with the air bag/
front seat belt pretensioner system
warning beep sounding is dangerous.
In a collision, the air bags and the
front seat belt pretensioner system will
not deploy and this could result in
death or serious injury.
Do not drive the vehicle with the air
bag/front seat belt pretensioner system
warning beep sounding. Contact an
Authorized Mazda Dealer to have the
vehicle inspected as soon as possible.
Center-Rear Position Seat
Belt (3-Point Type)
Before using the center-rear lap/shoulder
belt make sure tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) are fastened.
(A)
(B)
qFastening the Seat Belt
1. Grasp the tongue (C).
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
3. Insert the tongue (C) into the buckle
(D) until you hear a click.
(A)
(B) (C)
(D)
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WARNING
Fastening the Center-Rear Seat Belt
with Only One Buckle:
Fastening the center-rear seat belt
with only one buckle is dangerous. If
only one pair of seat belt tongue and
buckle, either tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) or tongue (C) and anchor
buckle (D), is fastened, the seat belt
cannot provide full protection. In a
sudden stop or collision, the user
could slide under the belt and suffer
serious injuries. Always make sure
that both pairs of seat belt tongues and
buckles are fastened properly.
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
Always make sure the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is positioned
across your shoulder and near your
neck, but never under your arm, on
your neck, or on your upper arm.
4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.
WARNING
Positioning the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision,
this would concentrate the impact
force directly on the abdominal area,
causing serious injury. Wear the lap
portion of the belt snugly and as low
as possible.
qUnfastening the Seat Belt
Depress the button on the buckle.
Button
qUnfastening the Lap Portion of
the Seat Belt
Insert a small object such as a key in the
anchor buckle (B) slot.
(A)
(B)
CAUTION
Always unfasten the lap portion of the
belt before folding the left-rear
seatback. Leaving the lap portion of the
belt fastened could cause damage to the
seat belt, buckle and seatback.
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NOTE
To encourage rear seat passengers to
wear their seat belts, we suggest leaving
the center-rear lap position of the belt
fastened at all times except when
folding the rear seat forward.
qFastening the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt
Grasp tongue (A) and insert it into the
anchor buckle (B) until you hear a click. It
is now secure for passenger use.
NOTE
After returning the left-rear seatback to
its upright position, fasten the lap
portion of the belt.
Seat Belt Extender
If your seat belt is not long enough, even
when fully extended, a seat belt extender
may be available to you at no charge from
your Authorized Mazda Dealer.
This extender will be only for you and for
the particular vehicle and seat. Even if it
plugs into other seat belts, it may not hold
in the critical moment of a crash.
When ordering an extender, only order
one that provides the necessary additional
length to fasten the seat belt properly.
Please contact your Authorized Mazda
Dealer for more information.
WARNING
Unnecessary Use of an Extender:
Using a seat belt extender when not
necessary is dangerous. The seat belt
will be too long and not fit properly. In
an accident, the seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and you
could be seriously injured. Only use
the extender when it is required to
fasten the seat belt properly.
Using an Improper Extender:
Using a seat belt extender that is for
another person or a different vehicle
or seat is dangerous. The seat belt will
not provide adequate protection and
the user could be seriously injured in
an accident. Only use the extender
provided for you and for the particular
vehicle and seat. NEVER use the
extender in a different vehicle or seat.
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WARNING
Using an Extender That is Too Long:
Using an extender that is too long is
dangerous. The seat belt will not fit
properly. In an accident, the seat belt
will not provide adequate protection
and you could be seriously injured.
Don't use the extender or choose one
shorter in length if the distance
between the extender's buckle and the
center of the user's body is less than
15cm (6 in).
NOTE
When not in use, remove the seat belt
extender and store it in the vehicle. If
the seat belt extender is left connected,
the seat belt extender might get
damaged as it will not retract with the
rest of the seat belt and can easily fall
out of the door when not in use and be
damaged the seat belt warning light will
not illuminate and function properly.
Seat Belt Warning Light/Beep
The seat belt warning light illuminates
and a beep sound will be heard if the
driver's seat belt is not fastened when the
ignition switch is turned to the ON
position.
Conditions of operation
Condition Result
The driver's seat belt is not
fastened when the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position.The warning light
illuminates for about 1
minute and a beep
sound will be heard
for about 6 seconds.
The driver's seat belt is
fastened while the warning
light and the beep sound are
activated.The warning light
turns off and the beep
sound stops.
The driver's seat belt is
fastened before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position.The warning light will
not illuminate and the
beep sound will not be
heard.
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Seat Belt Systems
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