Get Essential Safety Equipment -> Seat Belt Systems Guide for Mazda 3 4 Door Second Generation (2010-2013)

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.

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.

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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.

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:

One or both front air bags may deploy, and the corresponding pretensioner(s) may

also deploy at the same time. Like the air bags, the front seat belt pretensioners will

only function once. While it is safer to use a post-crash (a seat belt that was used in

an accident) than no front seat belt at all, using a front seat belt with an expended

pretensioner or load limiter loaded reduces the safety available to you. If the front

seat belt pretensioners are not replaced, the risk of injury in a collision will increase.

Expended front seat belt pretensioners and air bags must be replaced after any

collision which caused them to deploy. Additionally, the load limiter will only limit

loads on the chest once in a collision and this is another reason to have the front

seat belts inspected. Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the front seat

belt pretensioners and air bags after any collision.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

CAUTION

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 “Cleaning the

Lap/Shoulder Belt Webbing” (page 8-65).

qPregnant 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 SNUGLYAND AS LOWAS 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.

qEmergency Locking Mode

In the emergency locking mode, the belt remains comfortable on the occupant and the

retractor will lock in position during a collision. 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.

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

qAutomatic 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 (page 2-28).

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Seat Belt

WARNING

Positioning the Shoulder Portion of the

Seat Belt:

qFastening 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.

1. Grasp the seat belt tongue.

2. Slowly pull out the lap/shoulder belt.

Lap/shoulder

belt

4. 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.

Seat belt

tongue

3. Insert the seat belt tongue into the seat

belt buckle until you hear a click

sound.

Take up slack

Keep low on

hip bone

Too high

Seat belt tongue

WARNING

Positioning the Lap Portion of the Seat

Belt:

Seat belt

buckle

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.

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

qUnfastening the Seat Belt

qFront Shoulder Belt Adjuster

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.

Adjust the height of the shoulder belt if

the seat belt touches your neck, or if it

crosses your arm instead of your shoulder.

To raise the shoulder belt adjuster, push

the adjuster up. To lower the shoulder belt

adjuster, pull the adjuster and slide it

down. Make sure the adjuster is locked.

To raise

To lower

Button

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 Authorized

Mazda Dealer.

WARNING

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.

2-21

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Front Seat Belt Pretensioner

and Load Limiting Systems

WARNING

Wear seat belts only as recommended

in this owner's manual:

For optimum protection, the driver and

front passenger seat belts are equipped

with pretensioner and load limiting

systems. For both these systems to work

properly you must wear the seat belt

properly.

Incorrect positioning of the driver and

front passenger 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 2-20).

Pretensioners:

In moderate or severe frontal or near-

frontal accidents, the front air bag and

pretensioner systems deploy

simultaneously. The front seat belt

retractors remove slack quickly as the air

bags are expanding. Any time the air bags

and front seat belt pretensioners have fired

they must be replaced.

(With Driver and Front Passenger

Occupant Classification System)

In addition, the pretensioner system for

the front passenger, like the front

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 (page 2-56).

Have your seat belts changed

immediately if the pretensioner or load

limiter has been expended:

One or both front air bags may

deploy, and the corresponding

pretensioner(s) may also deploy at

the same time. Like the air bags, the

front seat belt pretensioners will only

function once. While it is safer to use

a post-crash (a seat belt that was

used in an accident) than no front

seat belt at all, using a front seat belt

with an expended pretensioner or

load limiter loaded reduces the safety

available to you. If the front seat belt

pretensioners are not replaced, the

risk of injury in a collision will

increase. Expended front seat belt

pretensioners and air bags must be

replaced after any collision which

caused them to deploy. Additionally,

the load limiter will only limit loads

on the chest once in a collision and

this is another reason to have the

front seat belts inspected. Always

have an Authorized Mazda Dealer

inspect the front seat belt

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

after any collision.

pretensioners and air bags after any

collision.

2-22

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Do not modify the components or

wiring, or use electronic testing devices

on the pretensioner system:

NOTE

l

The pretensioner system will activate in a

moderate or greater frontal or near-frontal

collision. It will not activate in most

rollovers, side or rear impacts.

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.

(With Driver and Front Passenger

Occupant Classification System)

The pretensioner system for the front

passenger is designed to only deploy in

accordance with the total seated weight on

the front passenger seat.

l

Some smoke (non-toxic gas) will be

released when the air bags and

Properly dispose of the pretensioner

system:

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 front pretensioner system gets on the

skin or in the eyes, wash it off as soon as

possible.

Improper disposal of the pretensioner

system or a vehicle with non-

deactivated pretensioners is

dangerous. Unless all safety

procedures are followed, injury could

result. Ask an Authorized Mazda

Dealer how to safely dispose of the

pretensioner system or how to scrap

a pretensioner-equipped vehicle.

q

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt

Pretensioner System Warning Light

If the air bag/front seat belt pretensioner

system is working properly, the warning

light illuminates when the ignition is

switched ON or after the engine is

cranked. The warning light turns off after

a specified period of time.

2-23

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

A system malfunction is indicated if the

warning light constantly flashes,

constantly illuminates or does not

illuminate at all when the ignition is

switched ON. If any of these occur,

consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer as

soon as possible. The system may not

work in an accident.

WARNING

Do not drive the vehicle with the air

bag/front seat belt pretensioner system

warning beep sounding:

Driving the vehicle with the air bag/

front seat belt pretensioner system

warning beep sounding is dangerous.

In a collision, the air bags and the

front seat belt pretensioner system

will not deploy and this could result

in death or serious injury.

Contact an Authorized Mazda Dealer

to have the vehicle inspected as soon

as possible.

WARNING

Never tamper with the air bag/

pretensioner systems and always have

an Authorized Mazda Dealer perform

all servicing and repairs:

Self-servicing or tampering with the

systems is dangerous. An air bag/

pretensioner could accidentally

activate or become disabled causing

serious injury or death.

q

Air Bag/Front Seat Belt

Pretensioner System Warning Beep

If a malfunction is detected in the air bag/

front seat belt pretensioner systems and

the warning light, a warning beep sound

will be heard for about 5 seconds every

minute.

The air bag and seat belt pretensioner

system warning beep sound will continue

to be heard for approximately 35 minutes.

Have your vehicle inspected at an

Authorized Mazda Dealer as soon as

possible.

2-24

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Seat Belt Extender

WARNING

Do not use a seat belt extender unless

it is necessary:

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.

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).

2-25

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

NOTE

Seat Belt Warning Light/Beep

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.

The seat belt warning light illuminates

and a beep sound will be heard if the

driver's seat belt is not fastened when the

ignition is switched ON.

Conditions of operation

Condition

Result

The warning light

The driver's seat belt is not illuminates for about 1

fastened when the ignition is minute and a beep

switched ON.

sound will be heard

for about 6 seconds.

The driver's seat belt is

fastened while the warning

light and the beep sound are

activated.

The warning light

turns off and the beep

sound stops.

The warning light will

not illuminate and the

beep sound will not be

heard.

The driver's seat belt is

fastened before the ignition

is switched ON.

qBelt Minder

NOTE

The belt minder can be deactivated. Consult an

Authorized Mazda Dealer to deactivate or

restore the seat belt minder.

2-26

Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

Driver seated/Front passenger not

seated^*1

Driver seated/Front passenger seated

The seat belt warning function reminds

the front passenger to fasten the seat belt

according to the chart below.

The belt minder is a supplemental

warning to the seat belt warning function.

If the driver's seat belt is not fastened

when the ignition is switched ON, the

warning light/beep operates to give you

further reminders according to the chart

below.

*1 The belt minder operates according to

the chart below even if the front

passenger is seated (Without Driver

and Front Passenger Occupant

Classification System).

Vehicle speed

Between 0 ― 20

km/h

(0 ― 12 mph)

20 km/h

(12 mph) or

more

Condition

Seat belt

(Driver)

Seat belt

(Passenger)

Indicator

Beep

Vehicle speed

: Fastened

: Unfastened

: Illuminated

: Flashing

: Beep

Between 0 ― 20

km/h

(0 ― 12 mph)

20 km/h

(12 mph) or

more

Condition

Seat belt

(Driver)

Placing heavy items on the front

passenger seat may cause the front

passenger seat belt warning function to

operate depending on the weight of the

item.

Indicator

Beep

: Fastened

: Unfastened

: Illuminated

: Flashing

: Beep

Once the beep sound is heard, it continues

sounding even if the vehicle speed lowers

to 20 km/h (12 mph) or less until the

seatbelt is fastened or the beep sound

period has passed.

Once the beep sound is heard, it continues

sounding even if the vehicle speed lowers

to 20 km/h (12 mph) or less until the

seatbelt is fastened or the beep sound

period has passed.

NOTE

l

To allow the front passenger seat weight

sensor to function properly, do not place

and sit on an additional seat cushion on the

front passenger seat. The sensor may not

function properly because the additional

seat cushion could cause sensor

interference.

l

When a small child sits on the front

passenger seat, it is possible that neither

the warning light nor the warning beep

operate.

2-27

Essential Safety Equipment -> Seat Belt Systems for Your Mazda 3 4 Door Second Generation (2010-2013)

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