If You Must Use the Front Seat for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear seat, at least put the smallest children in the rear and be sure the largest child up front uses the shoulder belt over the shoulder.
NEVER put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat whether your vehicle is equipped with an occupant classification sensor or not.
This seat is also not set up for tethered child-restraint systems, put them in one of the rear seat positions set up with tether anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint system cannot be secured in the front passenger's seat and should be used in the second-row seat.
Do not allow anyone to sleep against the side window since your vehicle has side and curtain air bags, it could cause serious injuries to an out of position occupant. As children more often sleep in cars, it is better to put them in the rear seat. If installing the child-restraint system on the front seat is unavoidable, follow these instructions when using a front-facing child-restraint system in the front passenger's seat.
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To check if your front seats have side air bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with side air bag will have a "SRS AIRBAG" tag on the outboard shoulder of the front seats.
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To check if your vehicle has curtain air bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with curtain air bag will have an "SRS AIRBAG" marking on the window pillars along the roof edge.
Always move the front passenger seat as far back as possible if installing a front-facing child-restraint system on it is unavoidable:
As your vehicle has front air bags and doubly so because your vehicle has side air bags, a front-facing child-restraint system should be put on the front passenger seat only when it is unavoidable.
Even if the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates, 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.
Never use a rear-facing child-restraint system in the front seat with an air bag that could deploy:
Rear-facing child-restraint systems on the front seat are particularly dangerous.
Even in a moderate collision, 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. Even though you may feel assured that the front passenger air bag will not deploy based on the fact that the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates, you should not use a rear-facing child-restraint system in the front seat.
Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over or against the side window of a vehicle with side and curtain air bags:
It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean over or against the side window, the area of the front passenger seat, the front and rear window pillars and the roof edge along both sides from which the side and curtain air bags deploy, even if a child-restraint system is used. The impact of inflation from a side or curtain air bag could cause serious injury or death to an out of position child. Furthermore, leaning over or against the front door 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. Take special care not to allow a child to lean over or against the side window, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
Always remove the head restraint and install child-restraint system (except when installing a backless booster seat):
Installing a child-restraint system without removing the head restraint is dangerous. The child-restraint system cannot be installed correctly which may result in death or injury to the child in a collision.
Always install the head restraint and adjust it to the appropriate position after removing the child-restraint system:
Driving with the head restraint removed is dangerous as impact to the occupant's head cannot be prevented during emergency braking or in a collision, which could result in a serious accident, injury or death.
Refer to Head Restraints (Search).
Front Passenger's Seat Child-Restraint System Installation (With Front Passenger Occupant Classification System)
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Make sure the ignition is switched off.
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Slide the seat as far back as possible.
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Remove the head restraint. However, when installing a backless booster seat, always install the vehicle head restraint to the seat where the backless booster seat is installed.
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Place the child-restraint system on the seat without putting your weight on the seat and fasten the seat belt. See the manufacturer's instructions on the child-restraint system for belt routing instructions.
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To get the retractor into the automatic locking mode, pull the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt until the entire length of the belt is out of the retractor.
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Push the child-restraint system firmly into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt retracts as snugly as possible. A clicking noise from the retractor will be heard during retraction if the system is in automatic locking mode. If the belt does not lock the seat down tight, repeat the previous step and also this one.
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Inspect this function before each use of the child-restraint system. You should not be able to pull the shoulder belt out of the retractor while the system is in the automatic locking mode. When you remove the child-restraint system, be sure the belt fully retracts to return the system to emergency locking mode before occupants use the seat belts.
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Follow the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Depending on the type of child-restraint system, it may not employ seat belts which are in automatic locking mode.
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Seat your child safely in the child-restraint system and secure the child according to the instructions from the child-restraint system manufacturer.
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Switch the ignition ON and make sure the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates after installing a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat.
If the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate, remove the child-restraint system, switch the ignition to OFF, and then re-install the child-restraint system (Search).
Do not seat a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat if the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate:
While it is always better to install any child-restraint system on the rear seat, it is imperative that a child-restraint system ONLY be used on the front passenger seat if the deactivation indicator light illuminates when the child is seated in the child-restraint system (Search). Seating a child in a child-restraint system installed on the front passenger seat with the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light not illuminated is dangerous. If this indicator light does not illuminate, this means that the front passenger front and side air bags, and seat belt pretensioner are ready for deployment. If an accident were to deploy an air bag, a child in a child-restraint system sitting in the front passenger seat could be seriously injured or killed. If the indicator light does not illuminate after seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat, seat a child in a child-restraint system on the rear seat and consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as possible.
