MAZDA MX5 MIATA 2017 Owners Manual

4 –57 When Driving
Switches and Controls
*Some models.Hazard Warning Flasher The hazard warning lights should always
be used when you stop on or near a
roadway in an emergency.
The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a traffic hazard
and that they must take extreme caution
when near it.
Depress the hazard warning flasher and
all the turn signals will flash. The hazard
warning indicator lights in the instrument
cluster flash simultaneously.
NOTE 
The turn signals do not work when the
hazard warning lights are on. 
Check local regulations about the use of
hazard warning lights while the vehicle
is being towed to verify that it is not in
violation of the law. HomeLink Wireless
Control System *
NOTE
HomeLink and HomeLink house icon
are registered trademarks of Gentex
Corporation.
The HomeLink system replaces up to
3 hand-held transmitters with a single
built-in component in the auto-dimming
mirror. Pressing the HomeLink button on
the auto-dimming mirror activates garage
doors, gates and other devices surrounding
your home.
HomeLink button Indicator light
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4 –58 When Driving
Switches and Controls
WARNINGDo not use the HomeLink system with
any garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature:
Using the HomeLink system with any
garage door opener that lacks the
safety stop and reverse feature as
required by federal safety standards
is dangerous. (This includes garage
doors manufactured before April 1,
1982.)
Using these garage door openers can
increase the risk of serious injury or
death. For further information, contact
HomeLink at 1-800-355-3515 or www.
homelink.com or an Authorized Mazda
Dealer.
Always check the areas surrounding
garage doors and gates for people
or obstructions before programming
or during operation of the HomeLink
system:
Programming or operating the
HomeLink system without verifying
the safety of areas surrounding garage
doors and gates is dangerous and
could result in an unexpected accident
and serious injury if someone were to
be hit.
NOTE
The programming will not be erased even
if the battery is disconnected. Pre-programming the HomeLink
System NOTE
It is recommended that a new battery be
placed in the hand-held transmitter of the
device being programmed to HomeLink
for quicker training and accurate
transmission of the radio-frequency signal. 
Verify that there is a remote control
transmitter available for the device you
would like to program. 
Disconnect the power to the device.
Programming the HomeLink
System
CAUTION When programming a garage door
opener or a gate, disconnect the power
to these devices before performing
programming. Continuous operation
of the devices could damage the
motor.
The HomeLink system provides 3 buttons
which can be individually selected and
programmed using the transmitters for
current, on-market devices as follows:
1. Disconnect the power to the garage
door opener or gate programmed to the
hand-held transmitter.
2. Position the end of your hand-held
transmitter 2.5—7.5 cm (1—3 inches)
away from the HomeLink button you
wish to program while keeping the
indicator light in view.
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4 –59 When Driving
Switches and Controls3. Simultaneously press and hold both
the chosen HomeLink and hand-held
transmitter buttons. Do not release
the buttons until step 3 has been
completed.NOTE
Some gate operators and garage door
openers may require you to replace this
Programming Step 2 with procedures
noted in the “Gate Operator/Canadian
Programming” section.
4. After the HomeLink indicator light
changes from a slow to a rapidly
blinking light, release both the
HomeLink and hand-held transmitter
buttons.
NOTE
If the HomeLink indicator light does not
change to a rapidly blinking light, contact
HomeLink at www.homelink.com or call
1-800-355-3515 for assistance.
5. Connect the power to the garage door
opener or gate programmed to the
hand-held transmitter. 6. Firmly press and hold the programmed
HomeLink button for five seconds,
and then release it. Perform this
operation two times to activate the door
or gate. If the door or gate does not
activate, press and hold the just-trained
HomeLink button and observe the
indicator light.
If the indicator light stays on
constantly, programming is complete
and your device should activate when
the HomeLink button is pressed and
released.
NOTE
To program the remaining two HomeLink
buttons, begin with “Programming” —
step 1
If the indicator light blinks rapidly
for two seconds and then turns
to a constant light, continue with
“Programming” steps 7

4 –60 When Driving
Switches and Controls 9. Return to the vehicle and firmly press,
hold for two seconds and release the
programmed HomeLink button. Repeat
the “ press/hold/release ” sequence a
second time, and, depending on the
brand of the garage door opener (or
other rolling code equipped device),
repeat this sequence a third time to
complete the programming process.
HomeLink should now activate your
rolling code equipped device.
NOTE
To program the remaining two HomeLink
buttons, begin with “Programming” —
step 1
For questions or comments, please contact
HomeLink at www.homelink.com or 1-
800-355-3515 .
Gate operator/Canadian
ProgrammingCanadian radio-frequency laws require
transmitter signals to “time-out” (or quit)
after several seconds of transmission
— which may not be long enough for
HomeLink to pick up the signal during
programming. Similar to this Canadian
law, some U.S. gate operators are designed
to “time-out” in the same manner.
If you live in Canada or you are having
difficulties programming a gate operator
by using the “Programming” procedures
(regardless of where you live), replace
“Programming HomeLink” step 3 with
the following:
NOTE
If programming a garage door opener or
gate operator, it is advised to unplug the
device during the “cycling” process to
prevent possible overheating. Continue to press and hold the HomeLink
button while you press and release
— every two seconds (“cycle”) your
hand-held transmitter until the frequency
signal has successfully been accepted by
HomeLink. (The indicator light will flash
slowly and then rapidly.)
Proceed with “Programming” step 4 to
complete.
Operating the HomeLink System Press the programmed HomeLink button
to operate a programmed device. The
code will continue being transmitted for a
maximum of 20 seconds.
Reprogramming the HomeLink
system To program a device to HomeLink using
a HomeLink button previously trained,
follow these steps:
1. Press and hold the desired HomeLink
button. DO NOT release the button.
2. The indicator light will begin to flash
after 20 seconds. Without releasing
the HomeLink button, proceed with
“Programming” - step 1.
Erasing Programmed HomeLink
Buttons
To erase the existing programming from
all three operating channels, press and
hold the two outside buttons (
, ) on
the auto-dimming mirror until the
HomeLink indicator light begins to flash
after approximately 10 seconds.
Verify that the programming has been
erased when you resell the vehicle.
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4 –61 When Driving
Brake
Brake System Foot BrakeThis vehicle has power-assisted brakes
that adjust automatically through normal
use.
Should power-assist fail, you can stop by
applying greater force than normal to the
brake pedal. But the distance required to
stop will be greater than usual.
WARNING Do not coast with the engine stalled or
turned off, find a safe place to stop:
Coasting with the engine stalled or
turned off is dangerous. Braking will
require more effort, and the brake's
power-assist could be depleted if
you pump the brake. This will cause
longer stopping distances or even an
accident.
Shift to a lower gear when going down
steep hills:
Driving with your foot continuously on
the brake pedal or steadily applying
the brakes for long distances is
dangerous. This causes overheated
brakes, resulting in longer stopping
distances or even total brake failure.
This could cause loss of vehicle
control and a serious accident. Avoid
continuous application of the brakes. Dry off brakes that have become
wet by driving slowly, releasing the
accelerator pedal and lightly applying
the brakes several times until the brake
performance returns to normal:
Driving with wet brakes is dangerous.
Increased stopping distance or the
vehicle pulling to one side when
braking could result in a serious
accident. Light braking will indicate
whether the brakes have been affected.
CAUTION 
Do not drive with your foot held on the
clutch pedal or brake pedal, or hold
the clutch pedal depressed halfway
unnecessarily. Doing so could result in
the following: 
The clutch and brake parts will wear
out more quickly. 
The brakes can overheat and
adversely affect brake performance. 
Always depress the brake pedal with
the right foot. Applying the brakes with
the unaccustomed left foot could slow
your reaction time to an emergency
situation resulting in insufficient braking
operation.


Wear shoes appropriate for driving in
order to avoid your shoe contacting
the brake pedal when depressing the
accelerator pedal.
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4 –62 When Driving
Brake Parking Brake
CAUTION Driving with the parking brake on
will cause excessive wear of the brake
parts.
NOTE
For parking in snow, refer to Winter
Driving (page 3-53 ) regarding parking
brake use.
Setting the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and then firmly
pull the parking brake lever fully upwards
with sufficient force to hold the vehicle in
a stationary position. Releasing the parking brake
Depress the brake pedal and pull the
parking brake lever upwards, then press
the release button. While holding the
button, lower the parking brake lever all
the way down to the released position. Button
Warning Light The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Lights on page 4-26 .
Brake Pad Wear Indicator When the disc brake pads become worn,
the built-in wear indicators contact the
disc plates. This causes a screeching noise
to warn that the pads should be replaced.
When you hear this noise, consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as
possible.
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4 –63 When Driving
Brake
*Some models.WARNING Do not drive with worn disc pads:
Driving with worn disc pads is
dangerous. The brakes could fail and
cause a serious accident. As soon as
you hear a screeching noise consult an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Brake AssistDuring emergency braking situations
when it is necessary to depress the brake
pedal with greater force, the brake assist
system provides braking assistance, thus
enhancing braking performance.
When the brake pedal is depressed hard or
depressed more quickly, the brakes apply
more firmly.
NOTE 
When the brake pedal is depressed hard
or depressed more quickly, the pedal
will feel softer but the brakes will apply
more firmly. This is a normal effect of
the brake assist operation and does not
indicate a malfunction. 
When the brake pedal is depressed
hard or depressed more quickly, a
motor/pump operation noise may be
heard. This is a normal effect of the
brake assist and does not indicate a
malfunction. 
The brake assist equipment does not
supersede the functionality of the
vehicle's main braking system. Hill Launch Assist (HLA) *
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is a function
which assists the driver in accelerating
from a stop while on a slope. When
the driver releases the brake pedal and
depresses the accelerator pedal while
on a slope, the function prevents the
vehicle from rolling. The braking force is
maintained automatically after the brake
pedal is released on a steep grade.
For vehicles with a manual transmission,
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) operates on a
downward slope when the shift lever is in
the reverse (R) position, and on an upward
slope when the shift lever is in a position
other than the reverse (R) position.
For vehicles with an automatic
transmission, Hill Launch Assist (HLA)
operates on a downward slope when the
selector lever is in the reverse (R) position,
and on an upward slope when the selector
lever is in a forward gear.
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4 –64 When Driving
Brake
WARNINGDo not rely completely on Hill Launch
Assist (HLA):
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is an auxiliary
device for accelerating from a stop
on a slope. The system only operates
for about two seconds and therefore,
relying only on the system, when
accelerating from a stop is dangerous
because the vehicle may move (roll)
unexpectedly and cause an accident.
The vehicle could roll depending on
the vehicle's load or if it is towing
something. In addition, for vehicles
with a manual transmission, the
vehicle could still roll depending on
how the clutch pedal or the accelerator
pedal is operated.
Always confirm the safety around the
vehicle before starting to drive the
vehicle. NOTE 
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate on a gentle slope. In addition,
the gradient of the slope on which the
system will operate changes depending
on the vehicle's load. 
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate if the parking brake is applied,
the vehicle has not stopped completely,
or the clutch pedal is released. 
While Hill Launch Assist (HLA) is
operating, the brake pedal may feel
stiff and vibrate, however, this does not
indicate a malfunction. 
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
operate while the TCS/DSC indicator
light is illuminated.
Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on
page 4-26 . 
Hill Launch Assist (HLA) does not
turn off even if the DSC OFF switch is
pressed to turn off the TCS/DSC.
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4 –65 When Driving
ABS/TCS/DSC
Antilock Brake System
(ABS) The ABS control unit continuously
monitors the speed of each wheel. If
one wheel is about to lock up, the ABS
responds by automatically releasing and
reapplying that wheel's brake.
The driver will feel a slight vibration in
the brake pedal and may hear a chattering
noise from the brake system. This is
normal ABS system operation. Continue to
depress the brake pedal without pumping
the brakes.
The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Indication/Warning
Lights on page 4-26 .
WARNING Do not rely on ABS as a substitute for
safe driving:
The ABS cannot compensate for unsafe
and reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), driving on ice and snow,
and hydroplaning (reduced tire friction
and road contact because of water on
the road surface). You can still have an
accident. NOTE 
Braking distances may be longer on
loose surfaces (snow or gravel, for
example) which usually have a hard
foundation. A vehicle with a normal
braking system may require less
distance to stop under these conditions
because the tires will build up a wedge
of surface layer when the wheels skid. 
The sound of the ABS operating may
be heard when starting the engine
or immediately after starting the
vehicle, however, it does not indicate a
malfunction.
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4 –66 When Driving
ABS/TCS/DSC
Traction Control System
(TCS) The Traction Control System (TCS)
enhances traction and safety by controlling
engine torque and braking. When the TCS
detects driving wheel slippage, it lowers
engine torque and operates the brakes to
prevent loss of traction.
This means that on a slick surface, the
engine adjusts automatically to provide
optimum power to the drive wheels,
limiting wheel spin and loss of traction.
The warning light turns on when the
system has a malfunction.
Refer to Warning Indication/Warning
Lights on page 4-26 .
WARNINGDo not rely on the Traction Control
System (TCS) as a substitute for safe
driving:
The Traction Control System (TCS)
cannot compensate for unsafe and
reckless driving, excessive speed,
tailgating (following another vehicle
too closely), and hydroplaning
(reduced tire friction and road contact
because of water on the road surface).
You can still have an accident.
Use snow tires or tire chains and drive at
reduced speeds when roads are covered
with ice and/or snow:
Driving without proper traction devices
on snow and/or ice-covered roads
is dangerous. The Traction Control
System (TCS) alone cannot provide
adequate traction and you could still
have an accident. NOTE
To turn off the TCS, press the DSC OFF
switch (page 4-68 ).
TCS/DSC Indicator Light
This indicator light stays on for a few
seconds when the ignition is switched
ON. If the TCS or DSC is operating, the
indicator light flashes.
If the light stays on, the TCS, DSC
or the brake assist system may have a
malfunction and they may not operate
correctly. Take your vehicle to an
Authorized Mazda Dealer.
NOTE 
In addition to the indicator light
flashing, a slight lugging sound will
come from the engine. This indicates
that the TCS/DSC is operating properly. 
On slippery surfaces, such as fresh
snow, it will be impossible to achieve
high rpm when the TCS is on.
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