tow MAZDA MODEL MX-5 MIATA RF 2019 Owners Manual

Adjusting the steering wheel position
Adjust the steering wheel to the position where it can be operated easily and the gauges can
be viewed easily.
1. With your back resting against the seatback, extend both arms , place them on the top of
the steering wheel, and pull the steering wheel towards you to the position of your
wrists.
2. Adjust the steering wheel height so that the gauges can be vi ewed easily.
3. Raise the lever to securely lock the steering wheel.
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
2-8
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

3Before Driving
Use of various features, including keys, doors, mirrors and windows.
Keys.................................................... 3-2 Keys.............................................. 3-2
Keyless Entry System................... 3-3
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
Trunk Lid................. ................... 3-19
Inside Trunk Release Lever
*...... 3-21
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........................................... 3-31 Power Windows..........................3-31
Convertible Top (Soft Top)............. 3-34 Convertible Top (Sof t Top).........3-34
Convertible Top (Hardtop)............. 3-39
Convertible Top (Har dtop)......... 3-39
Security System............................... 3-44 Modification and Add-On
Equipment...................................3-44
Immobilizer System....................3-44
Theft-Deterrent System
*.............3-46
Driving Tips..................................... 3-48 Break-In Period.......................... 3-48
Saving Fuel and Protection of the
Environment............................... 3-48
Hazardous Driving.... ..................3-49
Floor Mat.................................... 3-49
Rocking the Vehicle....................3-50
Winter Driving............................3-50
Driving In Flooded A rea............ 3-52
Overloading................................ 3-53
Driving on Uneven Road............ 3-54
Towing.............................................. 3-55 Trailer Towing............................ 3-55
Recreational Towing................... 3-55
*Some models.3-1
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

▼Locking, Unlocking with Auxiliary
Key
Both doors and the fuel-filler lid lock
automatically when th
e driver's door is
locked using the auxiliary key.
Both doors and the fuel-filler lid unlock
when the driver's door is unlocked and the
auxiliary key is held i n the unlock position
for one second or longer.
Turn the auxiliary key toward the front to
lock, toward the back to unlock.
Lock Unlock
NOTE
Holding the auxiliary
key in the unlocked
position in the driver's door lock for about
a second unlocks both doors. To unlock
the driver's door and the fuel-filler lid,
insert the auxiliary key into the driver's
door lock and turn the auxiliary key
briefly to the unlock position and then
immediately return it to the center
position.
▼ Locking, Unlocking with Request
Switch (With the advanced keyless
function)
Both doors and the fu
el-filler lid can be
locked/unlocked by pressing the request
switch while the key is being carried.
Request switch
To l o c k
To lock the doors and the fuel-filler lid,
press the request switch and the hazard
warning lights will flash once.
A beep sound will be heard once.
To unlock
Driver's door request switch
To unlock the driver's door and the
fuel-filler lid, press the request switch. A
beep sound will be heard twice and the
hazard warning lights will flash twice.
To unlock both doors and the fuel-filler
lid, press the request switch agai n within 3
seconds and two more beep sounds will be
heard.
Front passenger doo r request switch
To unlock both doors and the fuel-filler
lid, press the request switch. A beep sound
will be heard twice and the hazard
warning lights will flash twice.
Before Driving
Doors and Locks
3-13
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

▼Lowering the Convertible Top
CAUTION
Do not sit on the folded convertible top.
Otherwise, the convertible top could be
damaged or you may fall off and be
injured.
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. If the engine is running, turn it off.
3. Make sure there are no objects which
have been placed in the area where the
convertible top is to be retracted.
4. With the lock release button depressed forward, pull back the top latch lever
to unlock it.

Top latch
Lock release button
5. Remove the striker from the anchor.

Anchor Striker
NOTE
If the power windows do not go down
automatically, fully open the windows
or open the doors.
6. Standing outside of the vehicle, hold
the convertible top along the front edge
and pull it toward the vehicle rear.

Front edge
NOTE
To lower the convertible top from
inside the vehicle, use the convertible
top's handles.

Convertible top's handles
Before Driving
Convertible Top (Soft Top)
3-36
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

7. Move the convertible top rearward andfold it while pres sing the rear glass
lightly with your hand.

8. With the back end of the convertible top pressed, press the front end until a
latch sound is heard.
Lightly rock the retracted convertible
top to make sure it is securely locked.

▼ Raising the Convertible Top
1. Make sure the parking brake is
applied.
2. If the engine is running, turn it off.
3. Pull up the unlock lever to disengage the lock.

Unlock Lever
4. Standing outside of the vehicle, holdthe convertible top along the front edge
and pull it towards the vehicle front.

Front edge
NOTE
If the power windows do not go
down automatically, fully open the
windows or open the doors.
Before Driving
Convertible Top (Soft Top)
3-37
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

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
To w i n g
3-55
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

Using steering shift switch*
To shift up to a higher gear with the
steering shift switches, 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 DSC
is turned off. Howeve r, if the vehicle is
continuously driven at a high rpm, the
gears may automatically shift up to
protect the engine.
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.

When Driving
Automatic Transmission
4-38*Some models.
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

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.
During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending on
vehicle speed.
When depressing th e accelerator fully,
the transmission will shift to a lower
gear, depending on vehicle speed.
However, the gears do not kickdown
while the DSC 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 t
ransmission 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 Transmission
*Some models.4-39
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3 2018-7-17 15:48:16

▼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 headlight
s, pull the lever fully
towards you (th e headlight switch does not
need to be on).

OFF
Headlight
flashing
The headlight high-beam indicator light in
the instrument cluster illuminates
simultaneously. The lever 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 pulled 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 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.
If no operations are done for 3 minutes
after the lever is pulled, the headlights
turn off.
When Driving
Switches and Controls
4-47
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3
2018-7-17 15:48:16

Turn and Lane-ChangeSignals
The ignition must be switched ON to use
the turn and lane-change signals.
▼Tu r n S i g n a l s
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, ma
nually return 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 cancelled 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
4-49
MX-5_8GV5-EA-18E_Edition3
2018-7-17 15:48:16