MAZDA MODEL MX-5 2020 Owners Manual (in English)

Rocking the Vehicle
WARNING
Do not spin the wheels at more than 56
km/h (35 mph), and do not allow anyone
to stand behind a wheel when pushing the
vehicle:
When the vehicle is stuck, spinning the
wheels at high speed is dangerous. The
spinning tire could overheat and explode.
This could cause serious injuries.
CAUTION
Too much rocking may cause engine
overheating, transmission failure, and tire
damage.
If you must rock the vehicle to free it from
snow, sand or mud, depress the accelerator
slightly and slowly move the shift lever/
selector lever from 1 (D) to R position.
Winter Driving
Carry emergency gear, including tire
chains, window scraper, flares, a small
shovel, jumper cables, and a small bag of
sand or salt.
Ask an Authorized Mazda Dealer to check
the following:
Have the proper ratio of antifreeze in the
radiator.
Refer to Engine Coolant on page 6-25.
Inspect the battery and its cables. Cold
reduces battery capacity.
Use an engine oil appropriate for the
lowest ambient temperatures that the
vehicle will be driven in (page 6-23).
Inspect the ignition system for damage
and loose connections.
Use washer fluid made with
antifreeze―but do not use engine
coolant antifreeze for washer fluid (page
6-27).
NOTE
Do not use the parking brake in freezing
weather as it may freeze. Instead, shift
to P with an automatic transmission and
to 1 or R with a manual transmission.
Block the rear wheels.
Remove snow before driving. Snow left
on the windshield is dangerous as it
could obstruct vision.
Do not open or close the soft top when
the temperature is 5 °C (41 °F) or less.
The material of the soft top could be
damaged by freezing.
Do not apply excessive force to a
window scraper when removing ice or
frozen snow on the mirror glass and
windshield.
Before Driving
Driving Tips
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Never use warm or hot water for
removing snow or ice from windows and
mirrors as it could result in the glass
cracking.
Drive slowly. Braking performance can
be adversely affected if snow or ice
adheres to the brake components. If this
situation occurs, drive the vehicle
slowly, releasing the accelerator pedal
and lightly applying the brakes several
times until the brake performance
returns to normal.
▼Snow Tires
Use snow tires on all 4 wheels
Do not go faster than 120 km/h (75 mph)
while driving with snow tires. Inflate snow
tires 30 kPa (0.3 kgf/cm
2, 4.3 psi) more
than recommended on the tire pressure
label (driver's door frame), but never more
than the maximum cold-tire pressure
shown on the tires.

The vehicle is origin ally equipped with
summer tires designed for optimum
traction on wet and dry roads. If your
vehicle is to be used on snow and ice
covered roads, Mazda recommends that
you replace the tires originally equipped
on your vehicle with snow tires during the
winter months.
WARNING
Use only the same size and type tires (snow,
radial, or non-radial) on all 4 wheels:
Using tires different in size or type is
dangerous. Your vehicle's handling could
be greatly affected and result in an
accident.
CAUTION
Check local regulations before using
studded tires.
NOTE
The tire pressure monitoring system may
not function correctly when using tires
with steel wire reinforcement in the
sidewalls (page 4-118).
▼Tire Chains
Check local regulations before using tire
chains.
CAUTION
 Chains may
affect handling.
 Do not go faster than 50 km/h (30 mph)
or the chain manufacturer's
recommended limit, whichever is lower.
 Drive carefully and avoid bumps, holes,
and sharp turns.
 Avoid locked-wheel braking.
 Do not use chains on roads that are free
of snow or ice. The tires and chains could
be damaged.
 Chains may scratch or chip aluminum
wheels.
NOTE
The tire pressure monitoring system may
not function correctly when using tire
chains.
Install the chains on the rear tires only.
Do not use chains on the front tires.
Please consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Before Driving
Driving Tips
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Installing the chains
1. Secure the chains on the rear tires as
tightly as possible.
Always follow the chain
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Retighten the chains after driving 1/2―1 km (1/4―1/2 mile).
Driving In Flooded Area
WARNING
Dry off brakes that have become wet by
driving slowly, releasing the accelerator
pedal and lightly applying the brakes
several times until the brake performance
returns to normal:
Driving with wet brakes is dangerous.
Increased stopping distance or the vehicle
pulling to one side when braking could
result in a serious accident. Light braking
will indicate whether the brakes have been
affected.
CAUTION
Do not drive the vehicle on flooded roads
as it could cause short circuiting of
electrical/electronic parts, or engine
damage or stalling from water absorption.
If the vehicle has been immersed in water,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Before Driving
Driving Tips
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Overloading
WARNING
Be careful not to overload your vehicle:
The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and
the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of
the vehicle are on the Motor Vehicle Safety
Standard Label on the driver's door frame.
Exceeding these ratings can cause an
accident or vehicle damage. You can
estimate the weight of the load by
weighing the items (or people) before
putting them in the vehicle.
Before Driving
Driving Tips
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Driving on Uneven Road
Your vehicle's suspension and underbody can be damaged if driven on rough/uneven roads
or over speed bumps at excessive speeds. Use care and reduce speed when traveling on
rough/uneven roads or over speed bumps.

Use care not to damage the vehicle's underbody, bumpers or muffler(s) when driving under
the following conditions:
Ascending or descending a slope w ith a sharp transition angle
Ascending or descending a driveway or trailer ramp with a sharp transition angle

This vehicle is equipped with low profile tires allowing class- leading performance and
handling. As a result , the sidewall of the tires are very thin and the tires and wheels can be
damaged if driven through potholes or on rough/uneven roads at excessive speeds. Use care
and reduce speed when traveling on rough/uneven roads or throug h potholes.
Before Driving
Driving Tips
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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 transmission is not designed for
towing this vehicle on all 4 wheels.
When doing recreational towing refer to
"Towing Description" (page 7-30) and
"Tiedown Hooks" (page 7-31) and
carefully follow the instructions.
Before Driving
Towing
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4When Driving
Information concerning safe driving and stopping.
Start/Stop Engine.............................. 4-4 Ignition Switch........ ..................... 4-4
Starting the Engine....................... 4-5
Turning the Engine Off............... 4-11
Instrument Cluster and Display ............
........................................................... 4-12 Meters and Gauges..................... 4-12
Multi-information Display and INFO
Switch
*....................................... 4-19
Warning/Indicator Lights............4-27
Manual Transmission
Operation......................................... 4-32 Manual Transmission Shift
Pattern......................................... 4-32
Automatic Transmission................. 4-35 Automatic Transmission
Controls...................................... 4-35
Shift-Lock System...................... 4-36
Transmission Ranges.................. 4-36
Manual Shift Mode..................... 4-38
Direct Mode
*.............................. 4-43
Driving Tips................................4-44
Switches and Controls..................... 4-45
Lighting Control......................... 4-45
Turn and Lane-Change
Signals........................................ 4-50
Windshield Wipers and
Washer........................................ 4-51
Rear Window Defogg er.............. 4-55
Horn............................................ 4-56
Hazard Warning Flasher............. 4-57
HomeLink Wireless Control
System
*.......................................4-57
Brake................................................ 4-61 Brake System.............................. 4-61
Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
*.........4-64
ABS/TCS/DSC................................. 4-65 Antilock Brake System
(ABS)..........................................4-65
Traction Control System
(TCS).......................................... 4-66
Dynamic Stability Control
(DSC)..........................................4-67
Fuel Economy Monitor................... 4-69 Fuel Economy Monito r...............4-69
Drive Selection................................. 4-72 Drive Selection
*..........................4-72
Power Steering................................. 4-74 Power Steering............................4-74
*Some models.4-1
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i-ACTIVSENSE............................... 4-75i-ACTIVSENSE
*........................4-75
Adaptive Front Lighting System
(AFS)
*........................................ 4-77
High Beam Control System
(HBC)
*........................................4-78
Lane Departure Warning System
(LDWS)
*.................................... 4-81
Blind Spot Monitoring (BSM)
*.........
.................................................... 4-87
Traffic Sign Recognition System
(TSR)
*........................................ 4-92
Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA)
*.....
.................................................... 4-98
Smart City Brake Support
(SCBS)
*.................................... 4-101
Forward Sensing Camera (FSC)
*......
.................................................. 4-105
Radar Sensors (Rear)
*.............. 4-109
Cruise Control................................ 4-111
Cruise Control
*......................... 4-111
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System............................................. 4-116 Tire Pressure Monitoring
System...................................... 4-116
Rear View Monitor....................... 4-120 Rear View Monitor
*................. 4-120
4-2*Some models.
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MEMO
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Ignition Switch
▼Push Button Start Positions
The system operates only when the key is
within operational range.
Each time the push button start is pressed,
the ignition switches in the order of off,
ACC, and ON. Pressing the push button
start again from ON switches the ignition
off.
Indicator light
NOTE
The engine starts by pressing the push
button start while depressing the clutch
pedal (manual transmission) or the
brake pedal (automatic transmission).
To switch the ignition position, press the
push button start without depressing the
pedal.
Do not leave the ignition switched ON
while the engine is not running. Doing
so could result in the battery going
dead. If the ignition is left in ACC (For
automatic transmission, the selector
lever is in the P position, and the
ignition is in ACC), the ignition switches
off automatically af ter about 25 minutes.
Off
The power supply to electrical devices
turns off and the push button start
indicator light (amber) also turns off.
WARNING
Before leaving the driver's seat, always
switch the ignition off, set the parking
brake, and make sure the selector lever is in
P (automatic transmission) position or in
1st gear or R (manual transmission):
Leaving the driver's seat without switching
the ignition off, setting the parking brake,
and shifting the selector lever to P
(automatic transmission) position or to 1st
gear or R (manual transmission) is
dangerous. Unexpected vehicle movement
could occur which could result in an
accident.
In addition, if your intention is to leave the
vehicle for even a short period, it is
important to switch the ignition off, as
leaving it in another position will disable
some of the vehicle's security systems and
run the battery down.
ACC (Accessory)
Some electrical accessories will operate
and the indicator light (amber) illuminates.
NOTE
The keyless entry system does not function
while the push button start has been
pressed to ACC, and the doors will not
lock/unlock even if they have been locked
manually.
When Driving
Start/Stop Engine
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