MAZDA MODEL PROTÉGÉ 2003 (in English) Owner's Manual

2-10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seats
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
Height adjustment
To raise a head restraint, pull it up to the
desired position.
To lower the head restraint, press the stop-
catch release, then push the head restraint
down.
Adjust the head restraint so that the top is
parallel with the top of the passenger’s
ears, never the passenger’s neck.
Removal
To remove the head restraint, press the
stop-catch release, then pull up on the
head restraint.
Stop-catch release
Stop-catch release
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2-11
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
Seat Belt Systems
Seat belts help to decrease the possibility of severe injury during accidents and sudden
stops. Mazda recommends that the driver and all passengers always wear seat belts.
All of the seat belt retractors are designed to keep the lap/shoulder belts out of the way
when not in use.
The driver’s seat belt has no provisions for child-restraint systems and has only an
emergency locking mode. The driver may wear it comfortably, and it will lock during a
collision.
However, the front passenger’s seat and rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two
modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode.
Seat Belt Precautions
Not Wearing Seat Belts:
Not wearing a seat belt is extremely dangerous. During a collision, occupants not
wearing seat belts could hit someone or things inside the vehicle or even be thrown
out of the vehicle. They could be seriously injured or even killed. In the same
collision, occupants wearing seat belts would be much safer. Always wear your seat
belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained.
Seat Belt Damaged During an Accident:
Using a damaged seat belt is dangerous. An accident could damage the belt webbing
of the seat belt in use. A damaged seat belt cannot provide adequate protection in a
collision. Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect all seat belt systems in use during
an accident before they are used again.
Twisted Seat Belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt isn’t
available to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt,
which could break them or cause other serious injury or death. Don’t wear twisted
seat belts.
WARNING
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2-12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for specific recommendations.
The lap belt should be worn SNUGLY AND AS LOW AS POSSIBLE OVER THE HIPS.
The shoulder belt should be worn across your shoulder properly, but never across the
stomach area.
Persons with serious medical conditions also should wear seat belts. Check with your
doctor for any special instructions regarding specific medical conditions.
One Belt, One Passenger:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used
in this way can’t spread the impact forces properly and the two passengers could be
crushed together and seriously injured or even killed. Never use one belt for more
than one person at a time.
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep them
clean.
WARNING
CAUTION
Ring
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2-13
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Emergency Locking Mode
If the belt has fully retracted, it will always be in the emergency locking mode until you
move it into automatic locking mode by pulling the belt all the way out to its full length. In
the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the
retractor will lock in position during a collision.
If the belt feels tight and hinders comfortable movement while the vehicle is stopped or in
motion, you may be in the automatic locking mode because you have pulled the belt too far
out. To return to the more comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until you can stop
the vehicle in a safe area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking
mode and then again extend it around you.

Automatic Locking Mode
Always use the automatic locking mode to keep the child-restraint system from shifting to
an unsafe position in the event of an accident. To get the seat belt into the automatic
locking mode, pull it all the way out and connect it as instructed on the child-restraint
system. It will retract down to the child-restraint system and stay locked on it. See the
section on child restraint (page 2-22).
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2-14
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Fastening the Seat Belts
1. Grasp the buckle and tongue.
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
3. Insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear a click.4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.
3-Point Type Seat Belt
NOTE
When using the rear center seat belt,
refer to "Rear Center Position Seat
Belt" (page 2-18).
Belt
Tongue
Tongue
Buckle
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
An improperly positioned belt will
provide little or no protection in a
collision. Always make sure the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
positioned across your shoulder and
near your neck, but never under your
arm, on your neck, or on your upper
arm.
Positioning the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision,
this would concentrate the impact
force directly on the abdominal area,
causing serious injury. Wear the lap
portion of the belt snugly and as low
as possible.
WARNING
Keep low on
hip boneTake up slack
Too high
WARNING
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2-15
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Unfastening the Seat Belts
Depress the button on the buckle.

Shoulder Belt Adjuster
Adjust the height of the shoulder belt if
the seat belt touches your neck, or if it
crosses your arm instead of your shoulder.
To raise the shoulder belt adjuster, push
the adjuster up. To lower the shoulder belt
adjuster, push the button and slide it
down. Make sure the adjuster is locked.
NOTE
If a belt does not fully retract, inspect it
for kinks and twists.
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
An improperly positioned belt will
provide little or no protection in a
collision. Always make sure the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
positioned across your shoulder and
near your neck, but never under your
arm, on your neck, or on your upper
arm.
Button
Shoulder belt
adjuster
WARNING
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2-16
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
For optimum protection, the driver and
front passenger seat belts are equipped
with pretensioner and load limiting
systems.
In moderate or greater frontal or near-
frontal accidents, the front air bag and
pretensioner systems deploy
simultaneously. The pretensioners take up
slack in the front seat belts as the air bags
are expanding. The load limiting system
releases belt webbing in a controlled
manner to reduce belt force on the
occupant’s chest.
Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner and Load
Limiting Systems
Incorrect Positioning of the Driver
and Front Passenger Seat Belts:
Incorrect positioning of the driver
and passenger seat belts is dangerous.
Without proper positioning, the
pretensioner and load limiting
systems cannot provide adequate
protection in an accident and this
could result in serious injury. Wear
seat belts only as recommended in
this owner’s manual.
WARNING
Expended Seat Belt Pretensioners:
Use of front seat belts with the
pretensioner system expended is
dangerous.
The seat belt pretensioners will only
function once. After they are
expended, they will not work again
and must be replaced immediately,
even if there was no front seat
occupant seated at the time.
If the seat belt pretensioners are not
replaced, the risk of injury in a
collision will increase.
Always have an Authorized Mazda
Dealer inspect and replace the seat
belt pretensioners after a collision.
Modification or Testing of the
Pretensioner System:
Modifying the components or wiring
of the pretensioner system, including
the use of electronic testing devices is
dangerous. You could accidentally
activate it or make it inoperable which
would prevent it from activating in an
accident. The occupants could be
seriously injured. Never modify the
components or wiring, or use
electronic testing devices on the
pretensioner system.
Pretensioner System Disposal:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner
system or a vehicle with non-
deactivated pretensioners is
dangerous. Unless all safety
procedures are followed, injury could
result. Ask an Authorized Mazda
Dealer how to safely dispose of the
pretensioner system or how to scrap a
pretensioner-equipped vehicle.
WARNING
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2-17
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner Systems Warning
Light
If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner
system is OK, the warning light comes on
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position or after the engine is cranked.
After about 6 seconds it goes out.
A system malfunction is indicated when
the warning light constantly flashes, stays
on or doesn’t come on at all. If any of
these occur, consult an Authorized Mazda
Dealer as soon as possible. The system
may not work in an accident.
NOTE
•The pretensioner system will only
activate in a moderate or greater
frontal or near-frontal collision. It
will not activate in side or rear
impacts.
•Some smoke (non-toxic gas) will be
released when the air bags and
pretensioners deploy. This does not
indicate a fire. This gas normally
has no effect on occupants,
however, those with sensitive skin
may experience light skin irritation.
If residue from the deployment of
the air bags or the front pretensioner
system gets on the skin or in the
eyes, wash it off as soon as possible.
Self-Servicing the Air Bag/
Pretensioner Systems:
Self-servicing or tampering with the
systems is dangerous. An air bag/
pretensioner could accidentally
activate or become disabled. This
could cause serious injuries. Never
tamper with the systems and always
have an Authorized Mazda Dealer
perform all servicing and repairs.
WARNING
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2-18
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G
Before using the rear-center lap/shoulder
belt make sure tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) are fastened.

Fastening the Seat Belt
1. Grasp the buckle (D) and tongue (C).
2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.
3. Insert the tongue (C) into the buckle
(D) until you hear a click.
4. Make sure the shoulder belt is snugly
fitted against your body.
Rear Center Position Seat
Belt
Sedan
Hatchback (A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
(C)
(D)(A)
(B)
Fastening the Rear-Center Seat Belt
with Only One Buckle:
Fastening the rear-center seat belt
with only one buckle is dangerous. If
only one pair of seat belt tongue and
buckle, either tongue (A) and anchor
buckle (B) or tongue (C) and anchor
buckle (D), is fastened, the seat belt
cannot provide full protection. In a
sudden stop or collision, the user
could slide under the belt and suffer
serious injuries. Always make sure
that both pairs of seat belt tongues
and buckles as fastened properly.
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
An improperly positioned belt will
provide little or no protection in a
collision. Always make sure the
shoulder portion of the seat belt is
positioned across your shoulder and
near your neck, but never under your
arm, on your neck, or on your upper
arm.
WARNING
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2-19
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8Q94-EA-02G

Unfastening the Seat Belt
Depress the button on the buckle.

Unfastening the Lap Portion of
the Seat Belt
Insert a small object in the anchor buckle
(B) slot, such as a key.

Fastening the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt
Grasp tongue (A) and insert it into the
anchor buckle (B) until you hear a click. It
is now secure for passenger use.
Positioning the Lap Portion of the
Seat Belt:
The lap portion of the seat belt worn
too high is dangerous. In a collision,
this would concentrate the impact
force directly on the abdominal area,
causing serious injury. Wear the lap
portion of the belt snugly and as low
as possible.
WARNING
Always unfasten the lap portion of the
belt before folding the rear-left
seatback. Leaving the lap portion of
the belt fastened could cause damage
to the seat belt, buckle and seatback.
NOTE
After returning the rear-left seatback to
its upright position, fasten the lap
portion of the belt.
Sedan
Hatchback (A)
(B)
(A)
(B)
CAUTION
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