Seat Belt Systems
Seat Belt Precautions
Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions
Pregnant women should always 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
When the seat belt is fastened, it will always be in the emergency locking mode.
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 is locked and cannot be pulled out, retract the belt once, and then try pulling it out slowly. If this fails, pull the belt strongly 1 time and loosen, then pull it out again slowly.
(Seat Belt with Automatic Locking Mode)
When the seat belt is fastened, it will always be in the emergency locking mode until it is switched to automatic locking mode by pulling it all the way out to its full length. If the belt feels tight and hinders comfortable movement while the vehicle is stopped or in motion, it may be in the automatic locking mode because the belt has been pulled too far out. To return the belt to the more comfortable emergency locking mode, wait until the vehicle has stopped in a safe, level area, retract the belt fully to convert it back to emergency locking mode and then extend it around you again.
Seat Belt
Fastening the Seat Belt
Insert the seat belt tongue into the buckle.
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Seat belt tongue
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Seat belt buckle
Position the lap belt as low as possible, not on the abdominal area, then adjust the shoulder belt so that it fits snugly against your body.
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Keep low on hip bone
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Take up slack
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Too high
Before fastening the rear seat belt, make sure that the seat belt passes through the seat belt guide correctly and it is not twisted.
Unfastening the Seat Belt
Depress the button on the seat belt buckle. If the belt does not fully retract, pull it out and check for kinks or twists. Then make sure it remains untwisted as it retracts.
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Button
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.
Seat Belt Pretensioner and Load Limiting Systems
Seat Belt Pretensioner and Load Limiting Systems
For optimum protection, the front seat belts and rear outboard seat belts are equipped with pretensioner and load limiting systems. For both these systems to work properly you must wear the seat belt properly.
Pretensioners:
When a collision is detected, the pretensioners deploy simultaneously with the air bags.
The pretensioners deploy simultaneously with the air bags when a roll-over is also detected.
For deployment details, refer to the SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria (Search).
The seat belt retractors remove slack quickly as the air bags are expanding. Any time the air bags and seat belt pretensioners have fired they must be replaced.
A system malfunction or operation conditions are indicated by a warning.
Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner System Warning Indication/Warning Light (Search).
In addition, the pretensioner system for the front passenger, like the front and side passenger air bag, is designed to only deploy in accordance with the total seated weight on the front passenger seat.
For details, refer to the front passenger seat weight sensors (Search).
Load limiter:
The load limiting system releases belt webbing in a controlled manner to reduce belt force on the occupant's chest. While the most severe load on a seat belt occurs in frontal collisions, the load limiter has an automatic mechanical function and can activate in any accident mode with sufficient occupant movement.
Even if the pretensioners have not fired, the load limiting function must be checked by an Authorized Mazda Dealer.
Wear seat belts only as recommended in this owner's manual:
Incorrect positioning of the 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. For more details about wearing seat belts, refer to "Fastening the Seat Belt" (Search).
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.
Do not modify the components or wiring, or use electronic testing devices on 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 or repairers could be seriously injured.
Properly dispose of the pretensioner system:
Improper disposal of the pretensioner system or a vehicle with non-deactivated pretensioners is dangerous. Unless all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer safely dispose of the pretensioner system or scrap a pretensioner system equipped vehicle.
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The pretensioner system may not operate depending on the type of the collision. For details, refer to the SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria (Search).
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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 pretensioner system gets on the skin or in the eyes, wash it off as soon as possible.
Seat Belt Extender
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.
