child seat MAZDA MODEL B-SERIES 2003 Owners Manual (in English)

Seating and Safety Restraints 67
Seating 67
Safety restraints 69
Air bags 82
Child restraints 93
Driving 110
Starting 110
Brakes 115
Transmission operation 119
Vehicle loading 129
Trailer towing 131
Recreational towing 138
Roadside Emergencies 140
Hazard flasher switch 140
Fuel pump shut-off switch 140
Fuses and relays 141
Overheating 151
Changing tires 152
Jump starting 158
Wrecker towing 164
Customer Assistance 165
Reporting safety defects (U.S. only) 175
Cleaning 176
Repairing paint chips 177
Underbody preservation 181
Table of Contents
2

Special instructions
For your added safety, your vehicle is fitted with sophisticated electronic
controls.
WARNING: Please read the sectionAir bagin theSeating and
safety restraintschapter. Failure to follow the specific
warnings and instructions could result in personal injury.
WARNING: Front seat mounted rear facing child or infant
seats should NEVER be used in front of a passenger side air bag
unless the air bag can be and is turned OFF.
Notice to owners of pickup trucks and utility type vehicles
WARNING: Utility vehicles have a significantly higher rollover
rate than other types of vehicles.
Before you drive your vehicle, please read this Owner's Guide carefully.
Your vehicle is not a passenger car. As with other vehicles of this type,
failure to operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss of vehicle
control, vehicle rollover, personal injury or death.
Be sure to readDriving off roadin theDrivingchapter.
Using your vehicle with a snowplow
WARNING: Do not use this vehicle for snowplowing.
Using your vehicle as an ambulance
WARNING: Do not use this vehicle as an ambulance.
Do not use your vehicle as an ambulance, as it is not equipped with an
ambulance preparation package.
Introduction
7

These are some of the symbols you may see on your vehicle.
Vehicle Symbol Glossary
Safety Alert
See Owner's Guide
Protecting the
EnvironmentFasten Safety Belt
Air Bag-FrontAir Bag-Side
Child SeatChild Seat Installation
Warning
Child Seat Lower
AnchorChild Seat Tether
Anchor
Brake SystemAnti-Lock Brake System
Brake Fluid -
Non-Petroleum BasedTraction Control
Master Lighting SwitchHazard Warning Flasher
Fog Lamps-FrontFuse Compartment
Fuel Pump ResetWindshield Wash/Wipe
Windshield
Defrost/DemistRear Window
Defrost/Demist
Introduction
8

REAR SEATS
Center facing jump seat (2±door Cab Plus) (if equipped)
To open, pull inboard and down on the seat handle.
To stow the seat, pull seat bottom back to the fully upright position.
WARNING: Do not install a child seat in a center facing jump
seat.
Center facing jump seat (4 door CabPlus 4) (if equipped)
To open, pull seat assembly down,
then raise seatback.
To stow the seat, fold seat back
down and raise seat assembly to the
fully upright position.
WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.
SAFETY RESTRAINTS
Safety restraints precautions
WARNING: Always drive and ride with your seatback upright
and the lap belt snug and low across the hips.
WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.
WARNING: Never let a passenger hold a child on his or her lap
while the vehicle is moving. The passenger cannot protect the
child from injury in a collision.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
air bag (SRS) is provided.
Seating and Safety Restraints
69

2. To unfasten, push the release
button and remove the tongue
from the buckle.
The front outboard safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap
and shoulder belts. The front passenger outboard safety belt has two
types of locking modes described below:
Energy Management Feature
²This vehicle has a seat belt system with an energy management
feature at the front outboard seating positions to help further reduce
the risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.
²This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay
out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant's chest.
Vehicle sensitive mode
This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 8 km/h
(5 mph) or more, the combination safety belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.
Automatic locking mode (outboard front passenger seating
position only) for use with child safety seats
In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt.
The automatic locking mode is not available on the driver safety belt.
When to use the automatic locking mode
²Any timea child safety seat is installed in a passenger front seat.
Refer toSafety Restraints for Children,Safety Seats for Children,
orPassenger air bag On/Off switchlater in this chapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
71

How to use the automatic locking mode (Outboard front passenger
seating position only) for use with child safety seats
²Buckle the combination lap and
shoulder belt.
²Grasp the shoulder portion and
pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.
²Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking
sound. This indicates the safety belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.
How to disengage the automatic locking mode
Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.
WARNING: After any vehicle collision, the entire seat belt
system should be checked for proper operation by a qualified
technician. Verify that the(automatic locking retractorsº in all
outboard seating positions are functioning properly.
Additionally check that the(automatic locking mode(feature
for child safety seat in the passenger outboard seating position
is functioning properly.
Seating and Safety Restraints
72

The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)
Reasons given... Consider...
9Crashes are rare events936,700 crashes occur every day.
The more we drive, the more we are
exposed to9rare9events, even for
good drivers.1 in 4 of us will be
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.
9I'm not going far93of4fatal crashes occur within25
miles of home.
9Belts are uncomfortable9Safety belts are designed to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable -
try different positions for the safety
belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as
possible; this can improve comfort.
9I was in a hurry9Prime time for an accident.Safety
Belt Warning Chime reminds us to
take a few seconds to buckle up.
9Seat belts don't work9Safety belts,when used properly,
reduce risk of deathto front seat
occupants by45% in cars,and by
60% in light trucks.
9Traffic is light9Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes,many when
no other vehicles are around.
9Belts wrinkle my clothes9Possibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.
9The people I'm with don't
wear belts9Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with
TWO or MORE people. Children and
younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.
Seating and Safety Restraints
78

NOTE:If unsure about the proper procedures, bring your vehicle to an
authorized Mazda dealership for inspection. Inspect the safety belts to
make sure there are no nicks, tears or cuts, replacing if necessary. Check
all automatic locking retractors on all outboard seating positions as well as
the automatic locking mode for child safety seats on the passenger front
belt. All safety belt assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front seat
belt buckle assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if equipped),
shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder belt guide on
seatback (if equipped), child safety seat tether bracket assemblies (if
equipped), LATCH child seat tether anchors and lower anchors (if
equipped), and attaching hardware, should be inspected after a collision.
Mazda recommends that all safety belt assemblies used in vehicles
involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was minor and
an authorized Mazda technician finds that the belts do not show damage
and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be replaced. Safety
belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also be inspected and
replaced if either damage or improper operation is noted.
The energy absorbing functions may have been activated in a collision so
the restraints should be examined; if the front air bags have deployed,
the pretensioners have also deployed and must be replaced Ð regardless
of whether there was an occupant in the passenger seat or not.
WARNING: Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the
safety belt assembly under the above conditions could result in
severe personal injuries in the event of a collision.
Refer toInteriorin theCleaningchapter.
Seating and Safety Restraints
81

WARNING: Airbags have been known to kill or injure a child in
front facing child restraints. When placing a child safety seat in
a front seating position including the center (if equipped), you
should turn off the passenger airbag switch after being certain
the child is properly restrained. If the child safety seat is in the
outboard seating position, slide the seat all the way back.
WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.
WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.
SeePassenger airbag ON/OFF switchin this chapter.
WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
air bag (SRS) is provided.
WARNING: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 25 cm
(10 inches) between an occupant's chest and the driver air bag
module.
WARNING: Never place your arm or feet over the air bag
module as a deploying air bag can result in serious arm
fractures or other injuries.
WARNING: Never place a rear facing infant seat in the front
seat unless the passenger air bag is turned off.
Steps you can take to properly position yourself away from the airbag:
²Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the
pedals comfortably.
Seating and Safety Restraints
83

²Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees) from the upright
position.
WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the air bag module
including hands or feet. Placing objects on or over the air bag
inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the
air bag into your face and torso causing serious injury.
WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint System or its fuses. See your
authorized Mazda dealership.
WARNING: Modifications to the front end of the vehicle,
including frame, bumper, front end body structure, tow hooks
and snow plows may effect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front
end of the vehicle.
WARNING: Additional equipment may effect the performance
of the air bag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Consult your
authorized Mazda dealership before installation of additional
equipment.
WARNING: The front passenger air bag is not designed to offer
protection to an occupant in the center front seating position.
Children and air bags
For additional important safety information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.
Seating and Safety Restraints
84