SRS Air Bags

Seat belts must be worn in air bag equipped vehicles.

Depending only on the air bags for protection during an accident is dangerous. Alone, air bags may not prevent serious injuries. The appropriate air bags can be expected to inflate only in the first accident, such as frontal, near frontal or side collisions or roll-over accidents that are at least moderate. Vehicle occupants should always wear seat belts.

 

Children should not ride in the front passenger seat.

Placing a child, 12 years or under, in the front seat is dangerous. The child could be hit by a deploying air bag and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more likely to lean against the door and be hit by the side air bag in moderate collision to the front-passenger side of the vehicle. Whenever possible, always secure a child 12 years or under on the rear seats with an appropriate child-restraint system for the child's age and size.

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 though you may feel assured that a front passenger air bag will not deploy based on the fact that the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates. 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.

Do not sit too close to the driver and front passenger air bags.

Sitting too close to the driver and front passenger air bag modules or placing hands or feet on them is extremely dangerous. The driver and front passenger air bags inflate with great force and speed. Serious injuries could occur if someone is too close. The driver should always hold onto only the rim of the steering wheel. The front seat passenger should keep both feet on the floor. Front seat occupants should adjust their seats as far back as possible and always sit upright against the seatbacks with seat belts worn properly.

Sit in the center of the seat and wear seat belts properly.

Sitting too close to the side air bag modules or placing hands on them, or sleeping up against the door or hanging out the windows is extremely dangerous. The side and curtain air bags inflate with great force and speed directly expanding along the door on the side the car is hit. Serious injury could occur if someone is sitting too close to the door or leaning against a window, or if rear seat occupants grab the sides of the front seatbacks. Give the side and curtain air bags room to work by sitting in the center of the seat while the vehicle is moving with seat belts worn properly.

Do not attach objects on or around the area where air bags deploy.

Attaching objects to the air bags or placing something in the area where the air bags deploy is dangerous. In an accident, an object could interfere with air bag inflation and injure the occupants. Furthermore, the bag could be damaged causing gases to release. Always keep the deployment area of the air bag modules free of any obstructions.

For example, you should not do any of the following as it may interfere with air bag deployment.

• Do not put a covering on or lean anything against areas such as the dashboard and lower portion of the instrument panel that blocks the passenger front air bag and knee air bags.

• Do not use seat covers on the front seats and rear seats equipped with in-seat side air bags.

• Do not hang any backpacks, bags or pouches that cover the sides of the seats that block the side air bags.

• Do not place any objects on the assist grips.  Only hang clothes directly on the coat hooks.

Do not touch the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags have inflated.

Touching the components of the supplemental restraint system after the air bags have inflated is dangerous. Immediately after inflation, they are very hot. You could get burned.

Never install any front-end equipment to your vehicle.

Installation of front-end equipment, such as frontal protection bar (kangaroo bar, bull bar, push bar, or other similar devices), snowplow, or winches, is dangerous. The air bag crash sensor system could be affected. This could cause air bags to inflate unexpectedly, or it could prevent the air bags from inflating during an accident. Front occupants could be seriously injured.

Do not modify the suspension.

Modifying the vehicle suspension is dangerous. If the vehicle's height or the suspension is modified, the vehicle will be unable to accurately detect a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.

To prevent false detection by the air bag sensor system, heed the following.

• Do not use tires or wheels other than those specified for your Mazda:

  Use of any tire or wheel other than those specified for your Mazda (Search) is dangerous. Use of such wheels will prevent the vehicle's accident detections system from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries.

• Do not overload your vehicle:

  Overloading your vehicle is dangerous as it could prevent the air bag crash sensor system from accurately detecting a collision or roll-over accident resulting in incorrect or unexpected air bag deployment and the possibility of serious injuries. The gross axle weight rating (GAWR) and the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) for your vehicle are on the Motor Vehicle Safety Standard Label on the driver's door frame. Do not exceed these ratings.

Do not modify a front door or leave any damage unrepaired. Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect a damaged front door.

Modifying a front door or leaving any damage unrepaired is dangerous. Each front door has a side crash sensor as a component of the supplemental restraint system. If holes are drilled in a front door, a door speaker is left removed, or a damaged door is left unrepaired, the sensor could be adversely affected causing it to not detect the pressure of an impact correctly during a side collision. If a sensor does not detect a side impact correctly, the side and curtain air bags and the front seat belt pretensioner may not operate normally which could result in serious injury to occupants.

Do not modify the supplemental restraint system.

Modifying the components or wiring of the supplemental restraint system is dangerous. You could accidentally activate it or make it inoperable. Do not make any modifications to the supplemental restraint system. This includes installing trim, badges, or anything else over the air bag modules. It also includes installing extra electrical equipment on or near system components or wiring. An Authorized Mazda Dealer can provide the special care needed in the removal and installation of front seats and rear seats equipped with in-seat side air bags. It is important to protect the air bag wiring and connections to assure that the bags do not accidentally deploy, and that the front passenger occupant classification system and the seats retain an undamaged air bag connection.

Do not place luggage or other objects under the front seats and rear seats.

Placing luggage or other objects under the front or rear seats equipped with in-seat side air bags is dangerous. The components essential to the supplemental restraint system could be damaged, and in the event of a side collision, the appropriate air bags may not deploy, which could result in death or serious injury. To prevent damage to the components essential to the supplemental restraint system, do not place luggage or other objects under the front seats.

Do not operate a vehicle with damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system components.

Expended or damaged air bag/seat belt pretensioner system components must be replaced after any collision which caused them to deploy or damage them. Only a trained Authorized Mazda Dealer can fully evaluate these systems to see that they will work in any subsequent accident. Driving with an expended or damaged air bag or pretensioner unit will not afford you the necessary protection in the event of any subsequent accident which could result in serious injury or death.

Do not remove interior air bag parts.

Removing any components such as the front seats, front dashboard, the steering wheel or parts on the front and rear window pillars and along the roof edge, containing air bag parts or sensors is dangerous. These parts contain essential air bag components. The air bag could accidentally activate and cause serious injuries. Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer remove these parts.

Properly dispose of the air bag system.

Improper disposal of an air bag or a vehicle with live air bags in it can be extremely dangerous. Unless all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Have an Authorized Mazda Dealer safely dispose of the air bag system or scrap an air bag equipped vehicle.