Seat Belts

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.

 

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person wearing a seat belt.

 

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 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.

Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer 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. A seat belt with an expended pretensioner or load limiter is still better than wearing no seat belt at all; however, 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.

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.

Pregnant women and persons with a medical condition should always wear seat belts.

However, ask your doctor about precautions in using a seat belt because a strong impact might be applied locally during sudden braking or a collision. The lap portion of the belt should fit the pelvis as low as possible avoiding abdominal area. In addition, the shoulder portion should be positioned on the shoulder and fitted to the chest avoiding the abdominal area.

Wear seat belts only as recommended in this owner's manual.

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 "How to Use the Seat Belts" (Search).

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 person making the modification could be seriously injured.

Properly dispose of the pretensioner system.

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 Authorized Mazda Dealer safely dispose of the pretensioner system or scrap a pretensioner system equipped vehicle.