tow MAZDA MODEL CX-3 2021 Owners Manual

1. With your back resting against the seatback, extend both arms, place them on the top of
the steering wheel, and pull the steering wh eel 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 secure ly 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.
▼ Driving Position Memory*
The desired driving position can be called
up after programming the position.
The following driving positions can be
programmed.
Driver’s seat position (seat slide, height
adjustment, front e
dge of seat bottom,
seat recline)
Refer to Adjusting the Driver's Seat on
page 2-5.
Active driving display (display position,
brightness level, display information)
Refer to Active Driving Display on page
4-18.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-10*Some models.
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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 specific 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 th e 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 confirm that the rear seat is the best place for all children up to 12 years of age,
and more so with a supplement al 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 Occupa nt Classification System)
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by de ployment of the front passenger air bag, the
front passenger occupant classification sensor works as a part of the supplemental restraint
system. This system deactivates the front passe nger front and side 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 off the front
passenger front and side 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 of f, 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 passenge r occupant classification sensor" (page 2-66).

Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
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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....................................... 3-19
Fuel and Emission........................... 3-23 Fuel and Engine Exhaust
Precautions................................. 3-23
Fuel-Filler Lid and Cap.............. 3-26
Mirrors............................................. 3-28 Mirrors........................................ 3-28
Windows........................................... 3-30 Power Windows..........................3-30
Moonroof*.................................. 3-33
Security System............................... 3-36 Modification and Add-On
Equipment...................................3-36
Immobilizer System....................3-36
Theft-Deterrent System
*.............3-38
Driving Tips..................................... 3-40 Break-In Period.......................... 3-40
Saving Fuel and Protection of the
Environment............................... 3-40
Hazardous Driving.... ..................3-41
Floor Mat.................................... 3-41
Rocking the Vehicle....................3-42
Winter Driving............................3-42
Driving In Flooded Area............ 3-44
Overloading................................ 3-45
Driving on Uneven Road............ 3-46
Towing.............................................. 3-47 Trailer Towing............................ 3-47
Recreational Towing................... 3-47
*Some models.3-1
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In the storage compartments such as
the glove compartment or the center
console
Next to a communication device such
as a mobile phone
When the ignition is switched to ACC or
ON, the vehicle lock-out prevention
feature prevents you from locking
yourself out of the vehicle.
All doors and the liftgate will
automatically unlock if they are locked
using the power door locks with any
door or the liftgate open.
The vehicle lock-out prevention feature
does not operate while the ignition is
switched off.
When all doors and the liftgate are
locked using the power door lock with
any door or the liftgate open, the closed
doors and the liftgate are locked. After
that, when all doors and the liftgate are
closed, all doors and the liftgate are
locked. However, if the key is inside the
vehicle, all doors and the liftgate are
automatically unlocked.
(With the advanced keyless function)
The beep sound is heard for about 10
seconds to notify the driver that the key
has been left in the vehicle.
(Without the advanced keyless
function)
The horn sound is heard twice to notify
the driver that the key has been left in
the vehicle.
(Door unlock (control) system with
collision detection)
This system automatically unlocks the
doors and the liftgate in the event the
vehicle is involved in an accident to
allow passengers to get out of the
vehicle immediately and prevent being
trapped inside. While the ignition is
switched ON and in the event the vehicle
receives an impact strong enough to
inflate the air bags, all the doors and the
liftgate are automatically unlocked after
about 6 seconds have elapsed from the
time of the accident.
The doors and the liftgate may not
unlock depending on how an impact is
applied, the force of the impact, and
other conditions of the accident.
If door-related systems or the battery is
malfunctioning, the doors and the
liftgate may not unlock depending on
your vehicle type.
▼Locking, Unlocking with Auxiliary
Key
Turn the auxiliary key toward the front to
lock, toward the
back to unlock.
To l o c k
All doors and the liftgate lock
automatically when the driver's door is
locked using th e auxiliary key.
To u n l o c k
The driver’s door unlocks when the
auxiliary key is turned briefly to the
unlock position and then immediately
returned to the center position.
All doors and the liftgate unlock when the
driver's door is unlocked and the auxiliary
Before Driving
Doors and Locks
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Trailer Towing
Your Mazda is not designed for towing.
Never tow a trailer with your Mazda.
Recreational Towing
An example of "recreational towing" is
towing your vehicle behind a motorhome.
The transaxle 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
To w i n g
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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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The sensitivity of the AUTO lights may be changed by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Refer to Personalization Features on page 9-9.
▼Headlight High-Low Beam
The headlights switch between high and
low beams by moving the lever forward or
backward.

High beam
Low beam
When the headlight high-beams are on, the
headlight high-beam indicator light is
turned on.

▼ Flashing the Headlights
Can be used when the ignition is switched
ON.
To flash the headlights, pull the lever fully
towards you (the headlight switch does not
need to be on).

OFF
Headlight
flashing
The headlight high-beam indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates
simultaneously. The le ver will return to
the normal position when released.

▼ Coming Home Light
The coming home light turns on the
headlights (low beams) when the lever is
operated.
To turn on the lights
When the lever is pu
lled with the ignition
switched to ACC or OFF, the low beam
headlights turn on.
The headlights turn off after a certain
period of time has elapsed after all of the
doors are closed.
NOTE
The time until the headlights turn off
after all of the doors are closed can be
changed.
Refer to Personalization Features on
page 9-9.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
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Turn and Lane-ChangeSignals
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the turn and lane-change signals.
▼Turn Signals
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 re
turn the lever to its
original position.
Right turn
Left turn
Right lane change
Left lane change OFF
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
If an indicator light stays on without
flashing or if it flashes abnormally, one
of the turn signal bulbs may be burned
out.
A personalized function is available to
change the turn indicator sound volume.
(page 9-9)
▼ 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 off position when
released.
▼ Three-Flash Turn Signal
After releasing the turn
signal lever, 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 operable/inoperable using the
personalization function.
Refer to Personalization Features on page
9-9.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
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▼Windshield Washer
Pull the lever toward you and hold it to
spray washer fluid.

Washer
OFF
NOTE
If the windshield washer is turned on when
the windshield wipers are not operating,
the windshield wipers operate a few times.
If the washer does not
work, inspect the
fluid level (page 6-27). If the fluid level
is normal, consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Rear Window Wiper and Wa s h e r
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the wiper.
▼Rear Window Wiper
Turn the wiper on by turning the rear
wiper/washer switch.
Switch Posi
‐
tion Wiper operation
OFF Stop INT Intermittent
ON Normal
▼ Rear Window Washer
To spray washer fluid, turn the rear wiper/
washer switch to either of the
position.
After the switch is released, the washer
will stop.
If the washer does not work, inspect the
fluid level (page 6-27). If the fluid level
is normal and the washer still does not
work, consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
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