Get Essential Safety Equipment -> Seat Belt Systems Guide for Mazda 2 SUV First Generation (2002-2007)

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

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.

Front seat and rear outboard seat

The front seats and rear outboard seats have lap/shoulder belts. These belts have retractors

with inertia locks that keep them out of the way when not in use. The locks allow the belts

to remain comfortable on users, but they will lock in position during a collision.

Rear centre seat

With 3-point type seat belt

The 3-point type seat belt has lap/shoulder belts. This belt has a retractor with an inertia lock

that keeps it out of the way when not in use. The lock allows the belt to remain comfortable

on the user, but it will lock in position during a collision.

With 2-point type seat belt

The 2-point type seat belt has a lap belt with manual adjustment.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

WARNING

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.

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 expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer

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 expert repairer, we recommend an Authorised Mazda Repairer

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. 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.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

WARNING

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.

Instructions for Use of Seat Belt Assemblies:

Seatbelts are designed to bear upon the bony structure of the body, and should be worn

low across the front of the pelvis or the pelvis, chest and shoulders, as applicable;

wearing the lap section of the belt across the abdominal area must be avoided.

Seatbelts should be adjusted as ¿rmly as possible, consistent with comfort, to provide

the protection for which they have been designed. A slack belt will greatly reduce the

protection afforded to the wearer.

Care should be taken to avoid contamination of the webbing with polishes, oils and

chemicals, and particularly battery acid. Cleaning may safely be carried out using mild

soap and water. The belt should be replaced if webbing becomes frayed, contaminated

or damaged.

It is essential to replace the entire assembly after it has been worn in a severe impact

even if damage to the assembly is not obvious.

Belts should not be worn with straps twisted.

Each belt assembly must only be used by one occupant; it is dangerous to put a belt

around a child being carried on the occupant's lap.

No modi¿cations or additions should be made by the user which will either prevent

the seat belt adjusting devices from operating to remove slack, or prevent the seat belt

assembly from being adjusted to remove slack.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

CAUTION

Belt retraction may become dif¿cult 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"

(page 6-74).

Ring

Pregnant Women and Persons with Serious Medical Conditions

Pregnant women should always wear seat belts. Ask your doctor for speci¿c

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 speci¿c 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 one time and loosen, then pull it out again slowly.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Unfastening the Seat Belt

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.

Fastening the Seat Belt

Seat belt tongue

Seat belt

buckle

Button

Position the lap belt as low as possible,

not on the abdominal area, then adjust the

shoulder belt so that it ¿ts snugly against

your body.

NOTE

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 expert repairer, we recommend an

Authorised Mazda Repairer.

Take up slack

Keep low on

hip bone

Front Shoulder Belt Adjuster

Too high

To raise

To lower

Make sure the adjuster is locked.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Seat Belt Warning Systems

If it detects that the occupant seat belt

is unfastened, the warning light or beep

alerts the occupant.

Seat Belt Pretensioner

and Load Limiting

Systems

Refer to Taking Action on page 7-42.

Refer to Seat Belt Warning Beep on page

7-48.

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.

Seat belt indicator light (rear seat)

(green) ^*

Pretensioners:

When a collision is detected, the

pretensioners deploy simultaneously with

the air bags.

For deployment details, refer to the SRS

Air Bag Deployment Criteria (page

2-56).

The light turns on when the ignition

is switched ON and a rear seat belt is

fastened.

The seat belt retractors remove slack

quickly as the air bags are expanding.

Any time the air bags and seat belt

pretensioners have ¿red they must be

replaced.

A system malfunction or operation

conditions are indicated by a warning.

Refer to Warning/Indicator Lights on page

4-38.

Refer to Air Bag/Seat Belt Pretensioner

System Warning Beep on page 7-48.

(With front passenger air bag

deactivation switch)

In addition, the pretensioner system for

the front passenger, like the front and side

passenger air bag, is designed to only

deploy when the front passenger air bag

deactivation switch is turned to the ON

position.

For details, refer to front passenger air bag

deactivation switch (page 2-47).

*Some models.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

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

suf¿cient occupant movement.

Even if the pretensioners have not ¿red,

the load limiting function must be checked

by an expert repairer, we recommend an

Authorised Mazda Repairer.

WARNING

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.

WARNING

Properly dispose of the pretensioner

system:

Wear seat belts only as recommended

in this owner's manual:

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 expert repairer, we recommend an

Authorised Mazda Repairer safely

dispose of the pretensioner system or

scrap a pretensioner system equipped

vehicle.

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 belts" (page

2-17).

Have your seat belts changed

immediately if the pretensioner or load

limiter has been expended:

Always have an expert repairer, we

recommend an Authorised Mazda

Repairer 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. If the seat

belt pretensioners and load limiters

are not replaced, the risk of injury in a

collision will increase.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

NOTE

Centre-Rear Position Seat

Belt^*

ꢀ ꢀ

The pretensioner system may not

operate depending on the type of

the collision. For details, refer to the

SRS Air Bag Deployment Criteria

(page 2-56).

Fastening the Seat Belt

1. Pull the seat belt tongue to the desired

length.

2. Insert it into the seat belt buckle until

you hear a click sound.

ꢀ ꢀ

Some smoke (non-toxic gas) will

be released when the air bags and

pretensioners deploy. This does not

indicate a ¿re. 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 tongue

Seat belt

buckle

*Some models.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

3. Adjust the belt length.

To lengthen the belt, hold the seat belt

tongue at a right angle to the webbing

and pull. To shorten, pull the loose end

of the webbing.

WARNING

Wearing the Lap Belt:

A lap 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 belt snugly and as low as

possible.

Lengthen

Unfastening the Seat Belt

Depress the button on the seat belt buckle.

Shorten

4. Make sure the lap belt is snugly ¿tted

against your body.

Button

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Essential Safety Equipment -> Seat Belt Systems for Your Mazda 2 SUV First Generation (2002-2007)

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