Get When Driving -> Automatic Transmission Guide for Mazda 3 4 Door Fourth Generation (2019-2026)

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

NOTE

Automatic Transmission

Controls

The Sport AT has an option that is not

included in the traditional automatic

transmission that gives the driver the

option of selecting each gear instead of

leaving it to the transmission to shift

gears. Even if you intend to use the

automatic transmission functions as a

traditional automatic, you should also

be aware that you can inadvertently

shift into manual shift mode and an

inappropriate gear may be retained as

the vehicle speed increases. If you

notice the engine speed going higher

or hear the engine racing, conﬁrm you

have not accidentally slipped into

manual shift mode (page 4-45).

Automatic Transmission Controls

▼

1. Lock-release button

2. Selector lever

Indication

Various Lockouts

Indicates that you must depress

the brake pedal and hold in the

lock-release button to shift (The ig-

nition must be switched ON).

Indicates the selector lever can be

shifted freely into any position.

Indicates that you must hold in the

lock-release button to shift.

4-41

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Shift-Lock Override

▼

Shift-Lock System

If the selector lever will not move from

P position using the proper shift

procedure, continue to hold down the

brake pedal.

1. Remove the shift-lock override

cover using a cloth-wrapped ﬂat

head screwdriver.

Shift-Lock System

▼

The shift-lock system prevents shifting

out of P unless the brake pedal is

depressed.

To shift from P:

1. Depress and hold the brake pedal.

2. Start the engine.

2. Insert a ﬂat screwdriver and push it

down.

3. Press and hold the lock-release

button.

4. Move the selector lever.

NOTE



When the ignition is switched to

ACC or the ignition is switched oꢀ,

the selector lever cannot be shifted

from P position.



The ignition cannot be switched to

OFF if the selector lever is not in P

position.

1. Cover

3. Press and hold the lock-release

button.

4. Move the selector lever.

Take the vehicle to an Authorized

Mazda Dealer to have the system

checked.

4-42

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

When the selector lever is shifted to

the R position with the ignition

switched ON, the parking sensor

system is activated and a beep sound is

heard.

Transmission Ranges

▼



The shift position indication in the

instrument cluster illuminates.

Refer to Shift Position Indication on

page 4-44.

Shift the selector lever to the P or N

position to start the engine.

Refer to Parking Sensor System on page

4-247.

N (Neutral)



In N, the wheels and transmission are

not locked. The vehicle will roll freely

even on the slightest incline unless the

parking brake or brakes are on.

P (Park)

P locks the transmission and prevents

the front wheels from rotating.

WARNING

If the engine is running faster than

idle, do not shift from N or P into a

driving gear:

It's dangerous to shift from N or P into

a driving gear when the engine is

running faster than idle. If this is done,

the vehicle could move suddenly,

causing an accident or serious injury.

Always set the selector lever to P

position and set the parking brake:

Only setting the selector lever to the P

position without using the parking

brake to hold the vehicle is dangerous.

If P fails to hold, the vehicle could

move and cause an accident.

Do not shift into N when driving the

vehicle:

CAUTION

Shifting into P, N or R while the

vehicle is moving can damage your

transmission.

Shifting into a driving gear or reverse

when the engine is running faster

than idle can damage the

transmission.

Shifting into N while driving is

dangerous. Engine braking cannot be

applied when decelerating which

could lead to an accident or serious

injury.

CAUTION

R (Reverse)

Do not shift into N when driving the

vehicle. Doing so can cause

transmission damage.

In position R, the vehicle moves only

backward. You must be at a complete

stop before shifting to or from R,

except under rare circumstances as

explained in Rocking the Vehicle (page

3-48).

NOTE

Apply the parking brake or depress the

brake pedal before moving the selector

lever from N position to prevent the

vehicle from moving unexpectedly.

NOTE

(With parking sensor system)

4-43

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

D (Drive)

shifting could be delayed or not occur,

however, this does not indicate a

problem because the AAS mode will

maintain the optimum gear position.

D is the normal driving position. From

a stop, the transmission will

automatically shift through a 6-gear

sequence.

M (Manual)

M is the manual shift mode position.

Gears can be shifted up or down by

operating the selector lever.

Refer to Manual Shift Mode on page

4-45.

Shift Position Indication

▼

1. Shift position indication

The selector position is indicated when

the ignition is switched ON.

Gear position indication

In manual shift mode, the “M” of the

shift position indication illuminates

and the numeral for the selected gear

is displayed.

Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)

▼

Active Adaptive Shift (AAS)

automatically controls the transmission

shift points to best suit the road

conditions and driver input. This

improves driving feel. The transmission

may switch to AAS mode when driving

up and down slopes, cornering, driving

at high elevations, or depressing the

accelerator pedal quickly while the

selector lever is in the D position.

Depending on the road and driving

conditions/vehicle operations, gear

4-44

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Indications

▼

Manual Shift Mode

▼

The manual shift mode gives you the

feel of driving a manual transmission

vehicle by allowing you to operate the

selector lever manually. This allows you

to control engine rpm and torque to

the drive wheels much like a manual

transmission when more control is

desired.

1. Manual shift mode indication

2. Gear position indication

To change to manual shift mode, shift

the lever from D to M.

Manual shift mode indication

In manual shift mode, the “M” of the

shift position indication in the

instrument panel illuminates.

Gear position indication

The numeral for the selected gear

illuminates.

NOTE



If the gears cannot be shifted down

when driving at higher speeds, the

gear position indication will ﬂash

twice to signal that the gears cannot

be shifted down (to protect the

transmission).

NOTE



Changing to manual shift mode

while driving will not damage the

transmission.

If you change to manual shift mode



If the automatic transmission ﬂuid

(ATF) temperature becomes too

high, there is the possibility that the

transmission will switch to automatic

shift mode, canceling manual shift

mode and turning oꢀ the gear

position indication illumination. This

is a normal function to protect the

AT. After the ATF temperature has

decreased, the gear position



when the vehicle is stopped, the gear

will shift to M1.

If you change to manual shift mode



without depressing the accelerator

pedal when driving in D range, 5th

gear/6th gear, the gear will shift to

M4/M5.

indication illumination turns back on

and driving in manual shift mode is

restored.

To return to automatic shift mode, shift

the lever from M to D.

4-45

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Manually Shifting Up

▼

WARNING

You can shift gears up by operating the

selector lever or the steering shift

switches .

Keep your hands on the steering

wheel rim when using ﬁngers on the

steering shift switches:

*

M1 → M2 → M3 → M4 → M5 → M6

Putting your hands inside the rim of

the steering wheel when using the

steering shift switches is dangerous. If

the driver's air bag were to deploy in a

collision, your hands could be

impacted causing injury.

Using selector lever

To shift up to a higher gear, tap the

selector lever back + once.

NOTE



When driving slowly, the gears may

not shift up.

Do not drive the vehicle with the



tachometer needle in the RED ZONE

while in manual shift mode. In

addition, manual shift mode

switches to automatic shift mode

while the accelerator pedal is

completely depressed.

This function is canceled while the

DSC is turned oꢀ. However, if the

vehicle is continuously driven at a

high rpm, the gears may

*

Using steering shift switch

To shift up to a higher gear with the

steering shift switches, pull the UP

switch (+/OFF) toward you once with

your ﬁngers.

automatically shift up to protect the

engine.

The steering shift switch can be used



temporarily even if the selector lever

is in the D position while driving. In

addition, it returns to automatic shift

mode when the UP switch (+/OFF)

is pulled rearward for a suꢁcient

amount of time.

1. UP switch (+/OFF)

4-46

*Some models.

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Manually Shifting Down

▼

WARNING

You can shift gears down by operating

the selector lever or the steering shift

switches .

Do not use engine braking on slippery

road surfaces or at high speeds:

Shifting down while driving on wet,

snowy, or frozen roads, or while

driving at high speeds causes sudden

engine braking, which is dangerous.

The sudden change in tire speed could

cause the tires to skid. This could lead

to loss of vehicle control and an

accident.

*

M6 → M5 → M4 → M3 → M2→ M1

Using selector lever

To shift down to a lower gear, tap the

selector lever forward – once.

Keep your hands on the steering

wheel rim when using ﬁngers on the

steering shift switches:

Putting your hands inside the rim of

the steering wheel when using the

steering shift switches is dangerous. If

the driver's air bag were to deploy in a

collision, your hands could be

impacted causing injury.

*

Using steering shift switch

NOTE

To shift down to a lower gear with the

steering shift switches, pull the DOWN

switch (–) toward you once with your

ﬁngers.



When driving at high speeds, the

gear may not shift down.

During deceleration, the gear may



automatically shift down depending

on vehicle speed.

When depressing the accelerator



fully, the transmission will shift to a

lower gear, depending on vehicle

speed. However, the transmission

does not kickdown while the DSC is

turned oꢀ.

1. DOWN switch (–)

4-47

*Some models.

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Second Gear Fixed Mode

▼

When the selector lever is moved back

+ while the vehicle speed is about 10

km/h (6.2 mph) or less, the

transmission is set in the second gear

ﬁxed mode. The gear is ﬁxed in second

while in this mode for easier

acceleration from a stop and driving on

slippery roads such as snow-covered

roads.

If the selector lever is moved back + or

forward – while in the second gear

ﬁxed mode, the mode will be

canceled.

4-48

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Shift Gear (Shifting) Speed Limit

▼

For each gear position while in the manual mode, the speed limit is set as follows:

When the selector lever is operated within the range of the speed limit, the gear is

shifted.

1. 1st

2. 2nd

3. 3rd

4. 4th

5. 5th

6. 6th

Shift up

The gear does not shift up while the vehicle speed is lower than the speed limit.

Shift down

The gear does not shift down while the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit.

If the vehicle speed exceeds the speed limit and the gear does not shift down, the

gear position indication ﬂashes 2 times to notify the driver that the gear cannot be

shifted.

Kickdown

When the accelerator pedal is depressed fully while driving, the gear shifts down.

However, the transmission does not kickdown while the DSC is turned oꢀ.

NOTE

The gear also shifts down using kickdown while in the second gear ﬁxed mode.

Auto-shift down

The gear shifts down automatically depending on the vehicle speed during

deceleration.

NOTE

If the vehicle comes to a stop while in the second gear ﬁxed mode, the gear remains

in second.

4-49

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Recommendations for Shifting

▼

Upshifting

For normal acceleration and cruising, Mazda recommends these shift points:

(U.S.A. and Canada)

*1

Gear

Vehicle speed

M1 to M2

M2 to M3

M3 to M4

M4 to M5

M5 to M6

24 km/h (15 mph)

40 km/h (25 mph)

65 km/h (40 mph)

73 km/h (45 mph)

81 km/h (50 mph)

*

1

Always observe local speed limit regulations.

Downshifting

When you must slow down in heavy traꢁc or on a steep upgrade, downshift before

the engine starts to overwork. This gives better acceleration when you need more

speed.

On a steep downgrade, downshifting helps maintain safe speed and prolongs brake

life.

4-50

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

NOTE

Direct Mode^*

Shifting up and down while in direct

mode may not be possible depending

on the vehicle speed. In addition,

because direct mode is canceled

(released) depending on the rate of

acceleration or if the accelerator is fully

depressed, use of the manual shift

mode is recommended if you need to

drive the vehicle in a particular gear for

long periods.

Direct Mode

▼

Direct mode can be used for

temporarily switching gears by

operating the steering shift switch

while the vehicle is being driven with

the selector lever in the D position.

While in direct mode, the D and M

indication illuminate and the gear

position in use is illuminated.

1. Direct mode indication

2. Gear position indication

Direct mode is canceled (released)

under the following conditions.



The UP switch (+/OFF) is pulled

rearward for a certain amount of

time or longer.

The vehicle is driven for a certain



amount of time or longer (time

diꢀers depending on the driving

conditions while operating).



The vehicle is stopped or moving at a

slow speed.

4-51

*Some models.

When Driving

Automatic Transmission

Climbing steep grades from a stop

Driving Tips

To climb a steep grade from a stopped

position:

Driving Tips

▼

1. Depress the brake pedal.

2. Shift to D or M1, depending on the

load weight and grade steepness.

3. Release the brake pedal while

gradually accelerating.

WARNING

Do not let the vehicle move in a

direction opposite to the direction

selected by the selector lever:

Descending steep grades

Do not let the vehicle move backward

with the selector lever in a forward

position, or do not let the vehicle

move forward with the selector lever in

the reverse position. Otherwise, the

engine may stop, causing the loss of

the power brake and power steering

functions, and make it diꢁcult to

control the vehicle which could result

in an accident.

When descending a steep grade, shift

to lower gears, depending on load

weight and grade steepness. Descend

slowly, using the brakes only

occasionally to prevent them from

overheating.

Passing

For extra power when passing another

vehicle or climbing steep grades,

depress the accelerator fully. The

transmission will shift to a lower gear,

depending on vehicle speed.

NOTE



The accelerator pedal may initially

feel heavy as it is being depressed,

then feel lighter as it is depressed

further. This change in pedal force

aids the engine control system in

determining how much the

accelerator pedal has been

depressed for performing kickdown,

and functions to control whether or

not kickdown should be performed.



The manual shift mode does not

switch to automatic shift mode while

the DSC is turned oꢀ when the

selector lever is in the M position.

Shift the selector lever.

4-52

When Driving -> Automatic Transmission for Your Mazda 3 4 Door Fourth Generation (2019-2026)

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