MAZDA MODEL RX 8 2004 (in English) Owner's Manual

2-10
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

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.

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 2-17).
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2-11
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

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
Belt
Tongue
Tonge
Buckle
Positioning the Shoulder Portion of
the Seat Belt:
Improper positioning of the shoulder
portion of the seat belt is dangerous.
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 bone
Too high Take up slack
WARNING
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2-12
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Unfastening the Seat Belts
Depress the button on the buckle.
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.
NOTE
If a belt does not fully retract, inspect it
for kinks and twists. If it is still not
retracting properly, have it inspected at
an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
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
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2-13
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
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 both must be replaced
immediately, even if there was no
front seat occupant seated at the time
of the collision.
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 and air bags 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.
WARNING
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.
NOTE
•The pretensioner system will only
activate in a moderate or greater
frontal or near-frontal collision. It
will not activate in most rollovers,
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.
WARNING
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2-14
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt
Pretensioner System 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 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.If your seat belt is not long enough, even
when fully extended, a seat belt extender
may be available to you at no charge from
your Authorized Mazda Dealer.
This extender will be only for you and for
the particular vehicle and seat. Even if it
plugs into other seat belts, it may not hold
in the critical moment of a crash.
When ordering an extender, only order
one that provides the necessary additional
length to fasten the seat belt properly.
Please contact your Authorized Mazda
Dealer for more information.
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
Seat Belt Extender
Unnecessary Use of an Extender:
Using a seat belt extender when not
necessary is dangerous. The seat belt
will be too long and not fit properly.
In an accident, the seat belt will not
provide adequate protection and you
could be seriously injured. Only use
the extender when it is required to
fasten the seat belt properly.
Using an Improper Extender:
Using a seat belt extender that is for
another person or a different vehicle
or seat is dangerous. The seat belt will
not provide adequate protection and
the user could be seriously injured in
an accident. Only use the extender
provided for you and for the
particular vehicle and seat. NEVER
use the extender in a different vehicle
or seat.
WARNING
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2-15
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, the seat belt warning light
will remain on until the belt is fastened.
If the system does not operate correctly,
consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Using an Extender That is Too Long:
Using an extender that is too long is
dangerous. The seat belt will not fit
properly. In an accident, the seat belt
will not provide adequate protection
and you could be seriously injured.
Don’t use the extender or choose one
shorter in length if the distance
between the extender’s buckle and the
center of the user’s body is less than
15cm (6 in).
NOTE
When not in use, remove the seat belt
extender and store it in the vehicle. If
the seat belt extender is left connected,
the rear door cannot be opened
because the seat belt does not fully
retract and the seat belt warning light
will not illuminate and function
properly.
WARNINGSeat Belt Warning Light
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2-16
Essential Safety Equipment
Seat Belt Systems
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
If the driver’s seat belt is not fastened
when the ignition switch is turned to the
ON position, a beep will sound for about
6 seconds.
Seat Belt Warning Beep
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2-17
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Child Restraint
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 the 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.
Statistics confirm that the rear seat is the best place for all children up to 12 years of age-
the more so with a supplemental restraint system (air bags).
A rear-facing child-restraint system should NEVER
be used in the front seat because it
would be too close to the air bag. The front passenger’s seat is also the least preferred seat
for other child-restraint systems.
Child Restraint Precautions
Proper Size of Child-Restraint System:
For effective protection in vehicle accidents and sudden stops, a child must be
properly restrained using a seat belt or child-restraint system depending on age and
size. If not, the child could be seriously injured or even killed in an accident.
Follow the Manufacturer’s Instructions and Always Keep the Child-Restraint System
Buckled Down:
An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it
could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make sure
the child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-restraint
system manufacturer’s instructions. When not in use, remove it from the vehicle or
fasten it with a seat belt, or latch it down to BOTH LATCH lower anchors for LATCH
child-restraint systems.
WARNING
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2-18
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Holding a Child While the Vehicle is Moving:
Holding a child in your arms while the vehicle is moving is extremely dangerous. No
matter how strong the person may be, he or she cannot hold onto a child in a sudden
stop or collision and it could result in serious injury or death to the child or other
occupants. Even in a moderate accident, the child may be exposed to air bag forces
that could result in serious injury or death to the child, or the child may be slammed
into the adult, injuring the adult. Always secure a child in a proper child-restraint
system.
Rear-Facing Child-Restraint System:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems on the front seat are particularly dangerous.
The child-restraint system can be hit by a deploying air bag and moved violently
backward resulting in serious injury or death to the child. NEVER use a rear-facing
child-restraint system in the front seat with an air bag that could deploy.
Front Passenger’s Seat Position:
If your vehicle is equipped with a passenger air bag, a front-facing child-restraint
system should only be put on the front seat when it is unavoidable. Always move the
seat as far back as possible, because the force of a deploying air bag could cause
serious injury or death to the child.
WARNING
Deploying air bag
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2-19
Essential Safety Equipment
Child Restraint
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
Children and Seating Position with Side and Curtain Air Bags:
Allowing anyone to lean over or against the front or rear doors is dangerous. If the
vehicle is equipped with side and curtain air bags, the impact of inflation could cause
serious injury or death to the person. Children are more likely to sleep in the vehicle;
when they do, they are more at risk in the front passenger’s seat that have a side air
bag because they may slump over into the path of the air bags.Furthermore, leaning
over or against the doors could block the side and curtain air bags and eliminate the
advantages of supplemental protection.With the front air bag and the additional side
air bag that comes out of the front seat, the rear seat is always a better location for
children who are prone to sleeping. Do not allow a child to lean over or against the
doors, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
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.
A seat belt or child-restraint system can become very hot in a closed vehicle during
warm weather. To avoid burning yourself or a child, check them before you or your child
touches them.
NOTE
Your Mazda is equipped with LATCH lower anchors for attachment of specially
designed LATCH child-restraint systems in the rear seat. When using these anchors to
secure a child-restraint system, refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint Systems" (page 2-25).
WARNING
CAUTION
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