Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt Precautions
Seat Belt Precautions
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 all rear lap/shoulder belt retractors operate in two modes: emergency locking mode, and for child-restraint systems, automatic locking mode. While we recommend you put all children in the rear seats, if you must use the front passenger seat for a child, slide the front passenger seat as far back as possible and make sure any child-restraint system is secured properly.
Always wear your seat belt and make sure all occupants are properly restrained:
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.
In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.
Do not wear twisted seat belts:
Twisted seat belts are dangerous. In a collision, the full width of the belt is not available to absorb the impact. This puts more force on the bones beneath the belt, which could cause serious injury or death. So, if your seat belt is twisted, you must straighten the seat belt to remove any twists and to allow the full width of the belt to be used.
Never use one seat belt on more than one person at a time:
Using one seat belt for more than one person at a time is dangerous. A seat belt used in this way cannot 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 and always operate the vehicle with each occupant properly restrained.
Do not operate a vehicle with a damaged seat belt:
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.
Have your seat belts changed immediately if the pretensioner or load limiter has been expended:
Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer immediately inspect the seat belt pretensioners and air bags after any collision. Like the air bags, the seat belt pretensioners and load limiters will only function once and must be replaced after any collision that caused them to deploy. A seat belt with an expended pretensioner or load limiter is still better than wearing no seat belt at all; however, if the seat belt pretensioners and load limiters are not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase.
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.
Do not use a front seat belt while seated in a rear seat:
Using a front seat belt, which is stored in the rear door, is dangerous as the seat belt cannot function at its full capacity during sudden braking or in a collision, which could result in serious, injury or death. In addition, using the seat belt in this manner could damage the rear seat belt buckle.
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.
Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep them clean. For more details about cleaning the seat belts, refer to "Seat Belt Maintenance" (Search).
-
Ring
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 enable seat belt 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 (Search).
Fastening the Seat Belt
Seat Belt Extender
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.
Do not use a seat belt extender unless it is necessary:
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.
Do not use 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. If you sell your Mazda, do not leave your seat belt extender in the vehicle. It could be used accidentally by the new owner of the vehicle. After removing the seat belt extender, discard it. Never use the seat belt extender in any other vehicle you may own in the future.
Do not use 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. Do not 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 15 cm (6 in).
Do not leave a seat belt extender connected to the buckle:
Leaving a seat belt extender connected to the buckle without using the seat belt is dangerous. When the seat belt extender is connected to the driver's seat belt buckle (or front passenger's seat belt buckle), the SRS driver's (or front passenger's) air bag system will determine that the driver (or front passenger) is wearing the seat belt even if the driver (or front passenger) is not wearing it. This condition could cause the driver's (or front passenger's) air bag to not activate correctly and result in death or serious injury in the event of collision. Always wear the seat belt with the seat belt extender.
Do not use the seat belt extender when installing a child-restraint system on the front or rear passenger seat:
Using a seat belt extender to fasten a child-restraint system on any seat is dangerous. Always follow the child-restraint system manufacturer's installation instructions and never use a seat belt extender.
When not in use, remove the seat belt extender and store it in the vehicle. If the seat belt extender is left connected, the seat belt extender might get damaged as it will not retract with the rest of the seat belt and can easily fall out of the door when not in use and be damaged. In addition, the seat belt warning light will not illuminate and function properly.
