MAZDA MODEL CX-3 2021 Owners Manual

on the slightest incline unless the parking
brake or brakes are on.
WARNING
If the engine is running faster than idle, do
not shift from N or P into a driving gear:
It's dangerous to shift from N or P into a
driving gear when the engine is running
faster than idle. If this is done, the vehicle
could move suddenly, causing an accident
or serious injury.
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle:
Shifting into N while driving is dangerous.
Engine braking cannot be applied when
decelerating which could lead to an
accident or serious injury.
CAUTION
Do not shift into N when driving the
vehicle. Doing so can cause transaxle
damage.
NOTE
Apply the parking brake or depress the
brake pedal before moving the selector
lever from N position to prevent the
vehicle from moving unexpectedly.
D (Drive)
D is the normal driving position. From a
stop, the transaxle wi ll automatically shift
through a 6-gear sequence.
M (Manual)
M is the manual shift mode position.
Gears can be shifted up or down by
operating the selector lever. Refer to
Manual Shift Mode on page 4-32.
▼ Shift Position Indication
The selector position is indicated when the
ignition is switched ON.
Gear position indication
In manual shift mode, the “M” of the shift
position indication illuminates and the
numeral for the selected gear is displayed.
▼Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)
Active Adaptive
Shift (AAS)
automatically controls the transaxle shift
points to best suit the road conditions and
driver input. This improves driving feel.
The transaxle may switch to AAS mode
when driving up and down slopes,
cornering, driving at high elevations, or
depressing the accelerator pedal quickly
while the selector lever is in the D
position. Depending on the road and
driving conditions/ve hicle operations, gear
shifting could be delayed or not occur,
however, this does not indicate a problem
because the AAS mode will maintain the
optimum gear position.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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Manual Shift Mode
The manual shift mode gives you the feel
of driving a manual transaxle vehicle by
allowing you to operate the selector lever
manually. This allows you to control
engine rpm and torque to the drive wheels
much like a manual transaxle when more
control is desired.
To change to manual shift mode, shift the
lever from D to M.

NOTE
Changing to manual shift mode while
driving will not damage the transaxle.
To return to automatic shift mode, shift the
lever from M to D.
NOTE
If you change to manual shift mode
when the vehicle is stopped, the gear
will shift to M1.
If you change to manual shift mode
without depressing the accelerator pedal
when driving in D range, 5th gear/6th
gear, the gear will shift to M4/M5.
▼ Indicators
Manual shift mo
de 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.

Ty p e A
Manual shift mode indication
Gear position indication
Ty p e B
Gear position indication
Manual shift mode indication
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 transaxle).
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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If the automatic transaxle fluid (ATF)
temperature becomes too high, there is
the possibility that the transaxle will
switch to automatic shift mode,
canceling manual shift mode and
turning off 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 hi gher gear with the
steering shift switch es, pull the UP switch
() toward you once with your
fingers.

UP switch (+/OFF)
WA R N I N G
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 TCS
is turned off. However, if the vehicle is
continuously driven at a high rpm, the
gears may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
*Some models.4-33
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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 (
) is
pulled rearward for a sufficient 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.

DOWN switch (-)
WA R N I N G
Do not use engine braking on slippery road
surfaces or at high speeds:
Shifting down while driving on wet, snowy,
or frozen roads, or while driving at high
speeds causes sudden engine braking,
which is dangerous. The sudden change in
tire speed could cause the tires to skid. This
could lead to loss of vehicle control and an
accident.
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 at high speeds, the gear
may not shift down.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
4-34*Some models.
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During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending on
vehicle speed.
When depressing the accelerator fully,
the transaxle will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed. However,
the gears do not kickdown while the TCS
is turned off.
▼Second Gear Fixed Mode
When the selector lever is moved back
while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h
(6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set in the
second gear fixed mode. The gear is fixed
in second while in this mode for easier
acceleration from a stop and driving on
slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back
or
forward
while in the second gear fixed
mode, the mode will be canceled.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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▼Shift Gear (Shifting) Speed Limit
For each gear position while in
the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows: When the
selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is shifted.

Shift up
The gear does not shift up while the vehi cle speed is lower than the speed limit.
Shift down
The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.
If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the gear
position indication flashes 2 ti mes to notify the driver that the gear cannot be shifted.
Kickdown
When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.
However, the gears do not kickdo wn while the TCS is turned off.
NOTE
The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear fixed mode.
Auto-shift down
The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during deceleration.
NOTE
If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear fixed mode, the gear remains in
second.
▼Recommendations for Shifting
Upshifting
For normal acceleration and cruising, Mazda recommends these shift points:
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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GearVehicle speed*1
M1 to M224 km/h (15 mph)
M2 to M3 40 km/h (25 mph)
M3 to M4 65 km/h (40 mph)
M4 to M5 73 km/h (45 mph)
M5 to M6 81 km/h (50 mph)
*1 Always observe local speed limit regulations.
Downshifting
When you must slow down in heavy traffic or on a steep upgrade, downshift before the
engine starts to overwork. This gives better acceleration when you need more speed.

On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake life.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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Direct Mode*
Direct mode can be used for temporarily
switching gears by operating the steering
shift switch while the vehicle is being
driven with the selector lever in the D
position.
While in direct mode, the D and M
indication illuminate and the gear position
in use is illuminated.
Direct mode is canceled (released) under
the following conditions.
The UP switch () is pulled
rearward for a certain amount of time or
longer.
The vehicle is driven for a certain
amount of time or longer (time differs
depending on the driving conditions
while operating).
The vehicle is stopped or moving at a
slow speed.

Ty p e A
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
Ty p e B
Gear position indication
Direct mode indication
NOTE
Shifting up and down while in direct mode
may not be possible depending on the
vehicle speed. In addition, because direct
mode is canceled (released) depending on
the rate of acceleration or if the
accelerator is fully depressed, use of the
manual shift mode is recommended if you
need to drive the ve hicle in a particular
gear for long periods.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
4-38*Some models.
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Driving Tips
WARNING
Do not let the vehicle move in a direction
opposite to the direction selected by the
selector lever:
Do not let the vehicle move backward with
the selector lever in a forward position, or
do not let the vehicle move forward with
the selector lever in the reverse position.
Otherwise, the engine may stop, causing
the loss of the power brake and power
steering functions, and make it difficult to
control the vehicle which could result in an
accident.
Passing
For extra power when passing another
vehicle or climbing steep grades, depress
the accelerator fully. The transaxle will
shift to a lower gear, depending on vehicle
speed.
NOTE
(Some models)
The accelerator pedal may initially feel
heavy as it is being depressed, then feel
lighter as it is depressed further. This
change in pedal force aids the engine
control system in determining how much
the accelerator pedal has been
depressed for performing kickdown, and
functions to control whether or not
kickdown should be performed.
While the selector lever is in the M
position and the TCS is turned off,
manual shift mode does not switch to
automatic shift mode even if the
accelerator pedal is completely
depressed. Operate the selector lever.
Climbing steep grades from a stop
To climb a steep grade from a stopped
position:
1. Depress the brake pedal.
2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the load weight and grade steepness.
3. Release the brake pedal while gradually accelerating.
Descending steep grades
When descending a steep grade, shift to
lower gears, depending on load weight and
grade steepness. Descend slowly, using the
brakes only occasionally to prevent them
from overheating.
When Driving
Automatic Transaxle
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Lighting Control
▼Headlights

Turn the headlight switch to
turn the headlights, other exterior lights on or off.
When the lights are turned on, the lights-on indi cator light in the instrument cluster turns on.

NOTE
If the light switch is left on, the lights will automatically switch off approximately 30
seconds after switching the ignition off.
The time setting can be changed.
Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-9.
To prevent discharging the battery, do not leave the lights on while th e engine is off unless
safety requires them.
Without auto-light control
Switch Position
Ignition Position ONACC or
OFF ONACC or
OFF ONACC or
OFF
Headlights Off Off Off Off On
On
*2
Daytime running lights
On*1OffOn*1Off Off Off
Taillights
Parking lights
License plate lights
Side-marker lights Off Off On
On
*2OnOn*2
*1 The lights are turned on while the vehicle is driven.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
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