Child-restraint Systems

Use the correct size child-restraint system.

For effective protection in vehicle accidents and sudden stops, a child must be properly restrained using a seat belt or child-restraint system depending on age and size. If not, the child could be seriously injured or even killed in an accident.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions and always keep the child-restraint system buckled down.

An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make sure any child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions. When not in use, remove it from the vehicle or fasten it with a seat belt, or attach it to BOTH ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchors for ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 child-restraint systems and the corresponding tether anchor.

1. ISOFIX (Mexico)/LATCH (Except Mexico)

Always secure a child in a proper child-restraint system.

Holding a child in your arms while the vehicle is moving is extremely dangerous. No matter how strong the person may be, he or she cannot hold onto a child in a sudden stop or collision and it could result in serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Even in a moderate accident, the child may be exposed to air bag forces that could result in serious injury or death to the child, or the child may be slammed into an adult, causing injury to both child and adult.

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.

(Mexico)

NEVER use a rearward facing child restraint on a seat protected by an ACTIVE AIRBAG in front of it, DEATH or SERIOUS INJURY to the CHILD can occur.

Vehicles with a front passenger air bag have the following warning label. The warning label reminds you not to put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat at any time.

 

(Except Mexico)

Vehicles with a front passenger air bag have the following warning label. The warning label reminds you not to put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat at any time.

Do not install a front-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat unless it is unavoidable.

In a collision, the force of a deploying air bag could cause serious injury or death to the child. If installing a front-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is unavoidable, move the front passenger seat as far back as possible.

Seating a child in a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat is dangerous under certain conditions (With Front Passenger Occupant Classification System).

Your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors. Even with the front passenger seat weight sensors, if you must use the front passenger seat to seat a child, using a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat under the following conditions increases the danger of the front passenger air bag deploying and could result in serious injury or death to the child.

• The front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light does not illuminate when seating a child in the child-restraint system.

• Luggage or other items are placed on the seat with the child in the child-restraint system.

• A rear passenger or luggage pushing or pulling down on the front passenger seatback.

• Luggage or other items are placed on the seatback or hung on the head restraint.

• The seat is washed.

• Liquids are spilled on the seat.

• The front passenger seat is moved backward, pushing into luggage or other items placed behind it.

• The front passenger seatback contacts the rear seat.

• Luggage or other items are placed between the front passenger seat and driver seat.

• An electric device is put on the front passenger's seat.

• An additional electrical device, such as a seat warmer is installed to the surface of the front passenger seat.

• Any accessories, which might increase the total seated weight on the front passenger seat, are attached to the front passenger seat.

The designated positions with seat belts on the rear seats are the safest places for children. Always use seat belts and child restraints.

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.

Tethered Child-Restraint Systems Work Only on Tether-Equipped Rear Seats.

Installation of a tether equipped child-restraint system in the front passenger's seat defeats the safety design of the system and will result in an increased chance of serious injury if the child-restraint system goes forward without benefit of being tethered.

Place tether equipped child-restraint systems where there are tether anchors.

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.

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 How to Use the Head Restraints (Search).

Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over to or against the side window of a vehicle with side and curtain air bags.

It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean over to 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 to or against the door could block the side and curtain air bags and eliminate the advantages of supplemental protection. Because the front seats are equipped with front air bags, the rear seat is always a better location for children. Take special care not to allow a child to lean over to or against the side window, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.

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 knee air bags, and seat belt pretensioners 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.

Follow the manufacturer's instructions for the use of the child-restraint system.

An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Make sure the child-restraint system is properly secured in place according to the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions.

Never attach two child-restraint systems to the same ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchor.

Attaching two child-restraint systems to the same ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchor is dangerous. In a collision, one anchor may not be strong enough to hold two child-restraint system attachments, and it may break, causing serious injury or death. If you use the seat position for another child-restraint system when an outboard ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 position is occupied, use the center seat belts instead, and the tether if tether-equipped.

Make sure the child-restraint system is properly secured.

An unsecured child-restraint system is dangerous. In a sudden stop or a collision it could move causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. Follow the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions on belt routing to secure the seat just as you would with a child in it so that nobody is tempted to put a child in an improperly secured seat later on. When not in use, remove it from the vehicle or fasten it with a seat belt, or attach it to BOTH ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchors for ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 child-restraint systems.

Make sure there are no seat belts or foreign objects near or around the ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 child-restraint system.

Not following the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions when installing the child-restraint system is dangerous. If seat belts or a foreign object prevent the child-restraint system from being securely attached to the ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchors and the child-restraint system is installed improperly, the child-restraint system could move in a sudden stop or collision causing serious injury or death to the child or other occupants. When installing the child-restraint system, make sure there are no seat belts or foreign objects near or around the ISOFIX/LATCH^*1 lower anchors. Always follow the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions.