airbag MAZDA MODEL RX 8 2004 Owners Manual (in English)

2-27
Essential Safety Equipment
Form No. 8R65-EA-03C
SRS Air Bags
Read this owner’s manual carefully to verify what air bags (driver-side air bag, passenger-
side air bag, side and curtain air bags) are equipped in your vehicle.
The front and side supplemental restraint systems (SRS) include up to 6 air bags (verify
"SRS AIRBAG" location indicator marks).
They are located in:
•The steering wheel hub
•The passenger side dashboard
•The outboard sides of the front seatbacks
•The front and rear window pillars, and the roof edge along both sides
These systems operate independently depending on the type of accident encountered; if
you have side and curtain air bags, the side and curtain air bags are not likely to deploy on
both sides in the same accident because a vehicle is not often hit from both sides. The side
and curtain air bags work together but they and the frontal air bag system will not normally
deploy during the same type of accident unless a combination of frontal and side impacts
occur.
The air bag supplemental restraint systems are designed to provide supplemental protection
only in the front seats in certain situations and the rear outside passenger positions only in
same-side collisions, so seat belts become 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:
•Keep the passenger away from an inflating air bag.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries during an accident that is not designed for air bag
inflation, such as roll-over or rear impact.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries in frontal or side collisions that are not severe enough
to activate the air bags.
•Reduce the possibility of being thrown from your vehicle.
•Reduce the possibility of injuries to lower body and legs during an accident because the
air bags provide no protection to these parts.
•Hold the driver in a position which allows better control of the vehicle.
Supplemental Restraint Systems (SRS) Precautions
J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition2.book Page 27 Saturday, April 26, 2003 1:48 PM