tow MAZDA MODEL 3 HATCHBACK 2021 Owners Manual

Adjusting the height on the front edge
of the seat bottom
Adjust the height on the front edge of
the seat bottom to the position where
the back of your knees contacts the
front edge of the seat bottom.
1. With your right foot set on theaccelerator pedal, adjust the height
on the front edge of the seat
bottom so that the back of your
knees lightly contacts the front edge
of the seat bottom.
2. Depress the accelerator pedal and make sure that you no longer feel
cramping in the back of your knees.
1. Manual Seat
2. Power Seat

Adjusting the steering wheel position
Adjust the steering wheel to the
position where it can be operated
easily and the gauges can be viewed
easily.
1. With your back resting against theseatback, extend both arms, place
them on the top of the steering
wheel, and pull the steering wheel
towards you to the position of your
wrists.
2. Adjust the steering wheel height so
that the gauges can be viewed
easily.
3. Raise the lever to securely lock the steering wheel.
Adjusting the head restraint position
To prevent shock to the head and
neck, adjust the head restraints to their
correct positions.
Refer to Height Adjustment on page
2-17.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-10
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

Child-RestraintPrecautions
▼ Child-Restraint Precautions
Mazda strongly urges the use of
child-restraint systems for children
small enough to use them.

You are required by law to use a
child-restraint system for children in
the U.S. and Canada.
Check your local and state or
provincial laws for speci
fic
requirements regarding the safety of
children riding in your vehicle.

Whatever child-restraint system you
consider, please pick the appropriate
one for the age and size of the child,
obey the law and follow the
instructions that come with the
individual child-restraint system.

A child who has outgrown
child-restraint systems should sit in the
rear and use seat belts, both lap and
shoulder. If the shoulder belt crosses
the neck or face, move the child closer
to the center of the vehicle in the
outboard seats, and towards the
buckle on the right if the child is seated
on the center seat.

Statistics con firm that the rear seat is
the best place for all children up to 12
years of age, and more so with a
supplemental restraint system (air
bags).

A rear-facing child-restraint system
should NEVER be used on the front
seat with the air bag system activated.
The front passenger's seat is also the
least preferred seat for other
child-restraint systems.

(With Front Passenger Occupant
Classi fication System)
To reduce the chance of injuries
caused by deployment of the front
passenger air bag, the front passenger
seat weight sensors occupant
classi fication sensor works as a part of
the supplemental restraint system. This
system deactivates the front passenger
front and side air bags and knee air
bags, and also the front passenger seat
belt pretensioner system when the
front passenger air bag deactivation
indicator light illuminates.

When an infant or small child sits on
the front passenger seat, the system
shuts o ff 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.

Even if the front passenger air bag is
shut o ff, Mazda strongly recommends
that children be properly restrained
and child-restraint systems of all kinds
are properly secured on the rear seats
which are the best place for children.

For more details, refer to "Front
passenger seat weight sensors" (page
2-71).

Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
2-32
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

3Before Driving
Use of various features, including keys, doors, mirrors and
windows.
Keys........................................ 3-2 Keys...................................... 3-2
Keyless Entry System...............3-4
Advanced Keyless Entry
System.....................................3-9 Advanced Keyless Entry
System
*................................. 3-9
Operational Range...............3-10
Doors and Locks..................... 3-11 Door Locks.......................... 3-11
Liftgate/Trunk Lid.................3-19
Inside Trunk Release Lever (4-
door)
*................................. 3-24
Fuel and Emission................... 3-25 Fuel and Engine Exhaust
Precautions......................... 3-25
Fuel-Filler Lid and Cap..........3-27
Mirrors.................................. 3-30 Mirrors................................3-30
Windows............................... 3-34 Power Windows...................3-34
Moonroof*.......................... 3-37
Security System.......................3-40 Modi fication and Add-
On Equipment..................... 3-40
Immobilizer System..............3-40
Theft-Deterrent System
*........3-42
Driving Tips............................ 3-44 Break-In Period.................... 3-44
Saving Fuel and Protection of the
Environment........................ 3-44
Hazardous Driving............... 3-45
Floor Mat............................ 3-46
Rocking the Vehicle..............3-46
Winter Driving..................... 3-47
Driving In Flooded Area........3-49
Overloading........................ 3-49
Driving on Uneven Road.......3-50
Turbocharger Information
(SKYACTIV -G 2.5T).............. 3-50
Towing.................................. 3-51 Trailer Towing...................... 3-51
Recreational Towing............. 3-51
*Some models.3-1
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

Tra i l e r To w i n g
▼Tra i l e r To w i n g
Yo u r M a z d a i s n o t d e
signed for towing.
Never tow a trailer with your Mazda.
Recreational Towing
▼ Recreational Towing
An example of "recreational towing" is
towing your vehicle behind a
motorhome.
The transmission is not designed for
towing this vehicle on all 4 wheels.
When doing recreational towing refer
to "Towing Description" (page 7-23)
and "Tiedown Hooks" (page 7-24)
and carefully follow the instructions.
Before Driving
Towing
3-51
Mazda3_8JM2-EA
-20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

▼Indications
1. Manual shift mode indication
2. Gear position indication
Manual shift mode indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the
shift position indication in the
instrument panel illuminates.
Gear position indication
The numeral for the selected gear
illuminates.

NOTE
If the gears cannot be shifted down
when driving at higher speeds, the
gear position indication will
flash
twice to signal that the gears cannot
be shifted down (to protect the
transmission).
If the automatic transmission fluid
(ATF) temperature becomes too
high, there is the possibility that the
transmission will switch to automatic
shift mode, canceling manual shift
mode and turning o ff the gear
position indication illumination. This
is a normal function to protect the
AT. After the ATF temperature has
decreased, the gear position
indication illumination turns back on
and driving in manual shift mode is
restored.
▼ Manually Shifting Up
You can shift gears up by operating the
selector lever or the steering shift
switches
*.
M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6
Using selector lever
To shift up to a higher gear, tap the
selector lever back + once.

Using steering shift switch*
To shift up to a higher gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the UP
switch (+/OFF) toward you once with
your fingers.

1. UP switch (+/OFF)
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
*Some models.4-39
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

WARNING
Keep your hands on the steering
wheel rim when using fingers on the
steering shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous. If
the driver's air bag were to deploy in a
collision, your hands could be
impacted causing injury.
NOTE
When driving slowly, the gears may
not shift up.
Do not drive the vehicle with the
tachometer needle in the RED ZONE
while in manual shift mode. In
addition, manual shift mode
switches to automatic shift mode
while the accelerator pedal is
completely depressed.
This function is canceled while the
DSC is turned o ff. However, if the
vehicle is continuously driven at a
high rpm, the gears may
automatically shift up to protect the
engine.
The steering shift switch can be used
temporarily even if the selector lever
is in the D position while driving. In
addition, it returns to automatic shift
mode when the UP switch (+/OFF)
is pulled rearward for a su fficient
amount of time.
▼ Manually Shifting Down
You can shift gears down by operating
the selector lever or the steering shift
switches
*.
M6 → M5 → M4 → M3 → M2 → M1
Using selector lever
To shift down to a lower gear, tap the
selector lever forward – once.

Using steering shift switch*
To shift down to a lower gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the DOWN
switch (–) toward you once with your
fingers.

1. DOWN switch (–)
When Driving
Automatic Transmission
4-40*Some models.
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

Turn and Lane-ChangeSignals
▼Turn and Lane-Change Signals
The ignition must be switched ON to
use the turn and lane-change signals.
▼Tu r n S i g n a l s
Move the signal lever down (for a left
turn) or up (for a right turn) to the stop
position. The signal will self-cancel
after the turn is completed.

If the indicator light continues to
flash
after a turn, manually return the lever
to its original position.
1. Right turn
2. Right lane change
3. OFF
4. Left lane change
5. Left turn

The turn signal indicators in the
instrument cluster flash according to
the operation of the turn signal lever to
show which signal is working.

NOTE
There may be a problem with the
turn signal lights if they do not flash
but remain turned on, or they flash
abnormally. Have your vehicle
inspected by an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
A personalized function is available
to change the turn indicator sound
volume.
Refer to the Settings section in the
Mazda Connect Owner's Manual.
▼ Lane-Change Signals
Move the lever halfway toward the
direction of the lane change
―until the
indicator flashes ― and hold it there. It
will return to the o ff position when
released.
▼ Three-Flash Turn Signal
After releasing the turn signal lever
from the halfway point, the turn signal
indicator
flashes 3 times. The
operation can be canceled by moving
the lever in the direction opposite to
which it was operated.
NOTE
The three- flash turn signal function can
be switched to on/o ff using the
personalization function.
Refer to the Settings section in the
Mazda Connect Owner's Manual.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
4-52
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

If the headlight switch and the
windshield wiper switch are in
AUTO, and the wipers are operated
at low or high speed by the auto
wiper control for several seconds,
bad weather conditions are
determined and the headlights may
be turned on.
The auto-wiper control functions can
be turned off.
Refer to the Settings section in the
Mazda Connect Owner's Manual.
▼ Windshield Washer
Pull the wiper lever toward you to
spray washer
fluid and operate the
windshield wipers several times. The
washer fluid is sprayed only while the
windshield wipers move out of their
stowed positions to the point where
they start reversing back.

1. OFF
2. Washer
NOTE
If the windshield washer is turned on
when the windshield wipers are not
operating, the windshield wipers
operate a few times.
If you pull the wiper lever while the
windshield wipers are reversing back
to their stowed positions, the next
time the washer fluid is sprayed is
during the next cycle.
If the washer does not work, inspect
the fluid level (page 6-22). If the fl uid
level is normal, consult an Authorized
Mazda Dealer.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
4-56
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

Hazard Warning Flasher
▼Hazard Warning Flasher
The hazard warning lights should
always be used when you stop on or
near a roadway in an emergency.

The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a tra
ffic
hazard and that they must take
extreme caution when near it.

Depress the hazard warning flasher
and all the turn signals will flash. The
hazard warning indicator lights in the
instrument cluster flash simultaneously.
NOTE
The turn signals do not work when
the hazard warning lights are on.
Check local regulations about the
use of hazard warning lights while
the vehicle is being towed to verify
that it is not in violation of the law.
HomeLink Wireless
Control System
*
▼ HomeLink Wireless Control
System
NOTE
HomeLink and HomeLink house are
registered trademarks of Gentex
Corporation.
The HomeLink system replaces up to 3
hand-held transmitters with a single
built-in component in the
auto-dimming mirror. Pressing the
HomeLink button on the
auto-dimming mirror activates garage
doors, gates and other devices
surrounding your home.

1. Indicator light
2. HomeLink button
WARNING
Do not use the HomeLink system with
any garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature:
Using the HomeLink system with any
garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature as
required by federal safety standards is
dangerous. (This includes garage doors
manufactured before
April 1, 1982.)
When Driving
Switches and Controls
4-60*Some models.
Mazda3_8JM2-EA-20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34

If any of the following conditions
occurs while the AUTOHOLD
function is operating (AUTOHOLD
active indicator light is turned on),
the parking brake is applied
automatically and the AUTOHOLD
function turns o ff. For the Electric
Parking Brake (EPB) operation, refer
to the Electric Parking Brake (EPB) on
page 4-66.
The ignition is switched OFF.There is a problem with the
AUTOHOLD function.
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
▼ Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
The HLA functions to assist in
accelerating the vehicle from a stop on
slopes. When releasing the brake pedal
and depressing the accelerator pedal
to accelerate the vehicle from a stop
while on a slope, the function prevents
the vehicle from rolling. The HLA also
operates when reversing on a slope.
The braking force is maintained
automatically after releasing the brake
pedal on a steep slope.
For manual transmission vehicles, the
HLA operates when the vehicle is tilted
rearward with the shift lever in a
forward gear, and operates when the
vehicle is tilted forward with the shift
lever in the R position.
For automatic transmission vehicles,
the HLA operates when the vehicle is
tilted rearward with the selector lever
in a forward gear, and operates when
the vehicle is tilted forward with the
selector lever in the R position.
WARNING
Do not rely completely on HLA
:
HLA is an auxiliary device for
accelerating from a stop on a slope.
The system only operates for about 2
seconds and therefore, relying only on
the system, when accelerating from a
stop is dangerous because the vehicle
may move (roll) unexpectedly and
cause an accident.
The vehicle could roll depending on
the vehicle's load or if it is towing
something. In addition, for vehicles
with a manual transmission, the
vehicle could still roll depending on
how the clutch pedal or the accelerator
pedal is operated.
When Driving
Brake
4-75
Mazda3_8JM2-EA -20H_Edition1_new 2020-7-10 17:21:34