Installing Child-Restraint Systems
Accident statistics reveal that a child is safer in the rear seat. The front passenger's seat is clearly the worst choice for any child under 12, and with rear-facing childrestraint systems it is clearly unsafe due to air bags.
Some child-restraint systems now come with tethers and therefore must be installed on the seats that take tethers to be effective. In your Mazda, tethered child-restraint systems can only be accommodated in the three positions on the rear seat.
Even if your vehicle is equipped with front passenger seat weight sensors, which automatically deactivates the front passenger air bag, a rear seat is the safest place for a child of any age or size.
Some child-restraint systems also employ specially designed LATCH attachments; refer to “LATCH Child-Restraint Systems”.
WARNING:
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.
Rear Seat Child-Restraint System Installation
Follow these instructions when using a child-restraint system, unless you are attaching a LATCH-equipped childrestraint system to the rear LATCH lower anchors. Refer to “LATCH Child- Restraint Systems”.
NOTE:
Follow the child-restraint system
manufacturer's instructions carefully. If you
are not sure whether you have a LATCH
system or tether, check in the child-restraint
system manufacturer's instructions and follow
them accordingly. Depending on the type of
child-restraint system, it may use LATCH
system instead of seat belts or if the belt goes
across the child's chest, may recommend
against using automatic locking mode.
1. Raise the head restraint to the top locked position (except center seat position).
Refer to Head restraints.
2. Secure the child-restraint system with the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the manufacturer's instructions on the child-restraint system for belt routing instructions.
3. To get the retractor into the automatic locking mode, pull the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt until the entire length of the belt is out of the retractor.
4. Push the child-restraint system firmly into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt retracts as snugly as possible. A clicking noise from the retractor will be heard during retraction if the system is in the automatic locking mode. If the belt does not lock the seat down tight, repeat this step.
NOTE:
Inspect this function before each use of the
child-restraint system. You should not be able
to pull the shoulder belt out of the retractor
while the system is in the automatic locking
mode. When you remove the child-restraint
system, be sure the belt fully retracts to return
the system to emergency locking mode before
occupants use the seat belts.
5. If your child-restraint system requires the use of a tether strap, refer to the manufacturer's instructions to hook and tighten the tether strap (except center position).
Anchor bracket location
Tether strap position
WARNING:
Use the tether and tether anchor only
for a child-restraint system:
Using the tether or tether anchor to
secure anything but a child-restraint
system is dangerous. This could
weaken or damage the tether or
tether anchor and result in injury.
Always route the tether strap between
the head restraint and the seatback
(Except center seat position):
Routing the tether strap on top of the
head restraint is dangerous. In a
collision the tether strap could slide
off the head restraint and loosen the
child-restraint system. The childrestraint
system could move which
may result in death or injury to the
child.
Always attach the tether strap to the correct tether anchor position: Attaching the tether strap to the incorrect tether anchor position is dangerous. In a collision, the tether strap could come off and loosen the child-restraint system. If the childrestraint system moves it could result in death or injury to the child.
If You Must Use the Front Seat for Children
If you cannot put all children in the rear seat, at least put the smallest children in the rear and be sure the largest child up front uses the shoulder belt over the shoulder.
NEVER put a rear-facing child-restraint system on the front passenger seat, even with a seat weight sensor equipped vehicle.
This seat is also not set up for tethered child-restraint systems, put them in one of the rear seat positions set up with tether anchors.
Likewise the LATCH child-restraint system cannot be secured in the front passenger's seat and should be used in the rear seat.
Do not allow anyone to sleep against the side window if you have an optional side and curtain air bag, it could cause serious injuries to an out of position occupant. As children more often sleep in cars, it is better to put them in the rear seat. If installing the child-restraint system on the front seat is unavoidable, follow these instructions when using a front-facing child-restraint system in the front passenger's seat.
NOTE:
- To check if your front seats have side air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with side air bag
will have a “SRS AIRBAG” tag on the
outboard shoulder of the front seats.
- To check if your vehicle has curtain air
bags:
Mazda vehicles equipped with curtain air
bag will have an “SRS AIRBAG” marking
on the window pillars along the roof edge.
WARNING:
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.
Do not allow a child or anyone to lean over or against the side window of a vehicle with side and curtain air bags: It is dangerous to allow anyone to lean over 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 or against the front door could block the side and curtain air bags and eliminate the advantages of supplemental protection. With the front air bag and the additional side air bag that comes out of the front seat, the rear seat is always a better location for children. Take special care not to allow a child to lean over or against the side window, even if the child is seated in a child-restraint system.
Front Passenger's Seat Child-Restraint System Installation
1. Slide the seat as far back as possible.
2. Secure the child-restraint system with the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt.
See the manufacturer's instructions on the child-restraint system for belt routing instructions.
3. To get the retractor into the automatic locking mode, pull the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt until the entire length of the belt is out of the retractor.
4. Push the child-restraint system firmly into the vehicle seat. Be sure the belt retracts as snugly as possible. A clicking noise from the retractor will be heard during retraction if the system is in automatic locking mode. If the belt does not lock the seat down tight, repeat the previous step and also this one.
NOTE:
- Inspect this function before each use of the
child-restraint system. You should not be
able to pull the shoulder belt out of the
retractor while the system is in the
automatic locking mode. When you remove
the child-restraint system, be sure the belt
fully retracts to return the system to
emergency locking mode before occupants
use the seat belts.
- Follow the child-restraint system manufacturer's instructions carefully.
Depending on the type of child-restraint system, it may not employ seat belts which are in automatic locking mode.
5. Make sure the front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light illuminates after installing a child-restraint system on the front passenger seat.
Refer to Front passenger air bag deactivation indicator light.
WARNING:
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 childrestraint
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. Seating a child in a childrestraint
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 even when the total
seated weight is less than
approximately 30 kg (66 lb), this
means that the front passenger front
and side air bags, and seat belt
pretensioner are ready for
deployment. If an accident were to
deploy an air bag, a child in a childrestraint
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.
See also:
Parking in an Emergency
The hazard warning lights should always
be used when you stop on or near a
roadway in an emergency.
The hazard warning lights warn other
drivers that your vehicle is a traffic hazard
and that the ...
Cargo & Towing
If it's not carrying six occupants, the Mazda5's measly cargo area can be
expanded to 44 cubic feet by folding the third-row seat down. Fold the second-
and third-row seats and there's 70.9 cubic ...
Horn
To sound the horn, press the
mark on
the steering wheel. ...