MAZDA MODEL MX-5 MIATA 2010 Service Manual

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Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) Precautions
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 4 air bags.Please
verify the air bags equipped on your vehicle by locating the “SRS AIRBAG ”location
indicators. These indicators are visible in the area where the air bags are installed.
The air bags are installed in the following locations:
lThe steering wheel hub (driver air bag)lThe passenger dashboard (passenger air bag)lThe outboard sides of the seatbacks (side air bags)í
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection
in certain situations, so seat belts are always important in the following ways:
Without seat belt usage, the air bags cannot provide adequate protection during an accident.
Seat belt usage is necessary to:
lKeep the occupant from being thrown into an inflating air bag.lReduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
inflation, such as roll-over or rear impact.
lReduce the possibility of injuries in frontal, near frontal, side collisions that are not
severe enough to activate the air bags.
lReduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.lReduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts of the body.
lHold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
For some models, a passenger air bag deactivation switch is provided. This switch should
be used to deactivate the passenger front and side air bags and also the passenger seat belt
pretensioner system if a child-restraint system is installed on the passenger seat. Make sure
the passenger air bag deactivation switch is in the ON position except when a child-
restraint system is installed on the passenger seat. Refer to Passenger Air Bag Deactivation
Switch on page 2-40.
If your vehicle is also equipped with a driver and passenger occupant classification
system, refer to the Driver and Passenger Occupant Classification System (page 2-44)
for details.
To reduce the chance of injuries caused by the deployment of the passenger air bag in the
unlikely event of an accident, there are two methods to deactivate the passenger air bag as
follows, however, the surest way to prevent the passenger air bag from deploying is to use
the ignition key to turn it off rather than rely on the passenger seat weight sensors, which
will also detect other loads or objects on and around the passenger seat.
Small children must be protected by a child-restraint system as stipulated by law in every
state and province. In certain states and provinces, larger children must use a child-restraint
system (page 2-18).
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-29íSome models.
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Carefully consider which child-restraint system is necessary for your child and follow the
installation directions in this Owner's Manual as well as the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions.
Do not use a child-restraint system which employs an upper tether because there is no
appropriate means to anchor the tether.
WARNING
Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles:Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous.
Alone, air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be
expected to inflate only in the first accident, such as frontal, near frontal, side
collisions that are at least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat
belts.
Always make sure the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light is illuminated
when using a rear-facing child-restraint system: Seating a child in a rear-facing child-restraint system that is installed on the
passenger seat with the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light not
illuminated is extremely dangerous. In an accident, a air bag could inflate and cause
serious injuries or even death to the child seated in the rear-facing child-restraint
system. Always make sure the passenger air bag deactivation indicator light is
illuminated using the key to turn the passenger air bag off.
Refer to Passenger Air Bag Deactivation Switch on page 2-40.
Refer to Passenger seat weight sensors on page 2-44.
Do not sit too close to the driver and passenger air bags:
Sitting too close to the driver and passenger air bag modules or placing hands or
feet on them is extremely dangerous. The driver and passenger air bags inflate with
great force and speed. Serious injuries could occur if someone is too close. The driver
should always hold onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The seat passenger
should keep both feet on the floor. Seat occupants should adjust their seats as far
back as possible and always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat belts worn
properly.
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SRS Air Bags
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Do not sit too close to a door or lean against doors in vehicles with side air bags:Sitting too close to the side air bag modules or placing hands on them is extremely
dangerous. A side air bag inflates with great force and speed directly out of the
outboard shoulder of the seat and expands along the door on the side the car is hit.
Serious injury could occur if someone is sitting too close to the door or leaning
against a window in the seats. Furthermore, sleeping up against the door or hanging
out the driver-side window while driving could block the side air bag and eliminate
the advantages of supplemental protection. Give the side air bags room to work by
sitting in the center of the seat while the vehicle is moving with seat belts worn
properly.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where driver and passenger air bags
deploy: Attaching an object to the driver and passenger air bag modules or placing
something in front of them is dangerous. In an accident, an object could interfere
with air bag inflation and injure the occupants.
Do not attach objects on or around the area where a side air bag deploys: Attaching things to the seat in such a way as to cover the outboard side of the seat
in any way is dangerous. In an accident the object could interfere with the side air
bag, which inflates from the outboard side of the seats, impeding the added
protection of the side air bag system or redirecting the air bag in a way that is
dangerous. Furthermore, the bag could be cut open releasing the gas.
Never use seat covers on the seats. Always keep the side air bag modules in your
seats free to deploy in the event of a side collision.
Do not place luggage or other objects under the seats: Placing luggage or other objects under the seats is dangerous. The components
essential to the supplemental restraint system could be damaged, and in the event of
a side collision, the appropriate air bags may not deploy, which could result in death
or serious injury. To prevent damage to the components essential to the
supplemental restraint system, do not place luggage or other objects under the
seats.
Do not touch the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags
have inflated: Touching the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags
have inflated is dangerous. Immediately after inflation, they are very hot. You could
get burned.
Never install any front-end equipment to your vehicle: Installation of front-end equipment, such as frontal protection bar (kangaroo bar,
bull bar, push bar, or other similar devices), snowplow, or winches, is dangerous. The
air bag crash sensor system could be affected. This could cause air bags to inflate
unexpectedly, or it could prevent the air bags from inflating during an accident.
Occupants could be seriously injured.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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Do not modify the suspension:Modifying the vehicle suspension is dangerous. If the vehicle's height or the
suspension is modified, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision
resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious
injuries.
Do not modify the supplemental restraint system: Modifying the components or wiring of the supplemental restraint system is
dangerous. You could accidentally activate it or make it inoperable. Do not make
any modifications to the supplemental restraint system. This includes installing trim,
badges, or anything else over the air bag modules. It also includes installing extra
electrical equipment on or near system components or wiring. An Authorized Mazda
Dealer can provide the special care needed in the removal and installation of seats. It
is important to protect the air bag wiring and connections to assure that the bags do
not accidentally deploy, the driver seat slide position sensor and passenger seat
weight sensors are not damaged and that the seats retain an undamaged air bag
connection.
NOTE
lWhen an air bag deploys, a loud inflation noise can be heard and some smoke will be released.
Neither is likely to cause injury, however, the texture of the air bags may cause light skin injuries
on body parts not covered with clothing through friction.
lShould you sell your Mazda, we urge you to tell the new owner of its air bag systems and that
familiarization with all instructions about them, from the Owner's Manual, is important.
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Supplemental Restraint System Components
Driver/Passenger inflators and air bags
Crash sensor, and diagnostic module (SAS unit)
Seat belt pretensioner and load limiting systems (page 2-13)
Front air bag sensor
Side crash sensorsí
Air bag/seat belt pretensioner system warning light (page 2-36)
Side inflators and air bagsí
Passenger air bag deactivation indicator light (page 2-44)
Passenger air bag deactivation switch (page 2-40)
Passenger seat weight sensors (page 2-44)
Passenger seat weight sensor control module
Driver and passenger seat belt buckle switches (page 2-48)
Driver seat slide position sensor (page 2-44)
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
2-33íSome models.
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How the SRS Air Bags Work
Your Mazda is equipped with the following types of SRS air bags. SRS air bags are
designed to work together with the seat belts to help to reduce injuries during an accident.
The SRS air bags are designed to provide further protection for passengers in addition to
the seat belt functions. Be sure to wear seat belts properly.
qSeat Belt Pretensioners
The seat belt pretensioners are designed to deploy in moderate or severe frontal, near
frontal collisions.
qDriver Air Bag
The driver's air bag is mounted in the steering wheels.
When air bag crash sensors detect a frontal impact of greater than moderate force, the
driver's air bag inflates quickly helping to reduce injury mainly to the driver's head or chest
caused by directly hitting the steering wheel.
The driver's dual-stage air bag controls air bag inflation in two energy stages. During an
impact of moderate severity the driver's air bag deploys with lesser energy, whereas during
more severe impacts, it deploys with more energy.
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qPassenger Air Bag
The passenger air bag is mounted in the passenger dashboard.
The inflation mechanism for the passenger air bag is the same as the driver's air bag, as
mentioned above. In addition, the passenger air bag is designed to only deploy in
accordance with the total seated weight on the passenger seat. For details, refer to the driver
and passenger occupant classification system (page 2-44).
qSide Air Bagsí
The side air bags are mounted in the outboard sides of the front seatbacks.
When the air bag crash sensors detect a side impact of greater than moderate force, the
system inflates the side air bag only on the side in which the vehicle was hit. The side air
bag inflates quickly to reduce injury to the driver or front passenger's chest caused by
directly hitting interior parts such as a door or window. In addition, the front passenger side
air bag is designed to only deploy in accordance with the total seated weight on the front
passenger seat. For details, refer to the driver and front passenger occupant classification
system (page 2-44).
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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qAir Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner System Warning Light
If the air bag/seat belt pretensioner system is working properly, the warning light
illuminates when the ignition switch is turned to the ON position or after the engine is
cranked. The warning light turns off after a specified period of time.
A system malfunction is indicated if the warning light constantly flashes, constantly
illuminates or does not illuminate at all when the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position. If any of these occur, consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
The system may not work in an accident.
WARNING
Never tamper with the air bag/pretensioner systems and always have an Authorized
Mazda Dealer perform all servicing and repairs:
Self-servicing or tampering with the systems is dangerous. An air bag/pretensioner
could accidentally activate or become disabled causing serious injury or death.
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SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria
This chart indicates the applicable SRS equipment that will deploy depending on the type
of collision.
(The illustrations are the representative cases of collisions.)
SRS
equipment Types of collision
A severe frontal/near frontal collision A severe side collision A rear collision
Seat belt
pretensioner X*1(both sides)
No air bag and front seat
belt pretensioner will be
activated in a rear collision.
Driver air
bag X
Passenger air bag X
*1
Side air
bagíX*1(impact side only)
X: The SRS air bag equipment is designed to deploy in a collision.
*1: The passenger front and side air bags and the seat belt pretensioner are designed to deploy depending on the condition of the total seated weight on the passenger seat or
the status of the passenger air bag deactivation switch.
Essential Safety Equipment
SRS Air Bags
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Limitations to SRS Air Bag
In severe collisions such as those described previously in“SRS Air Bag Deployment
Criteria ”, the applicable SRS air bag equipment will deploy. However, in some accidents,
the equipment may not deploy depending on the type of collision and its severity.
Limitations to front/near front collision detection:
The following illustrations are examples of front/near front collisions that may not be
detected as severe enough to deploy the SRS air bag equipment.
Impacts involving trees or poles Frontal offset impact to the vehicle
Rear-ending or running under a truck’s tail gate
Limitations to side collision detection:
The following illustrations are examples of side collisions that may not be detected as
severe enough to deploy the SRS air bag equipment.
Side impacts involving trees or polesSide impacts with two-wheeled vehicles
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