Mazda 3 Owners Manual: Seat Precautions

Make sure the adjustable components of a seat are locked in place: Adjustable seats and seatbacks that are not securely locked are dangerous. In a sudden stop or collision, the seat or seatback could move, causing injury. Make sure the adjustable components of the seat are locked in place by attempting to slide the seat forward and backward and rocking the seatback.

Never allow children to adjust a seat: Allowing children to adjust a seat is dangerous as it could result in serious injury if a child's hands or feet become caught in the seat.

Do not drive with the seatback unlocked: All of the seatbacks play an important role in your protection in a vehicle. Leaving the seatback unlocked is dangerous as it can allow passengers to be ejected or thrown around and baggage to strike occupants in a sudden stop or collision, resulting in severe injury. After adjusting the seatback at any time, even when there are no other passengers, rock the seatback to make sure it is locked in place.

Adjust the driver's seat only when the vehicle is stopped: Adjusting the driver's seat while the vehicle is moving is dangerous. The driver could lose control of the vehicle and have an accident.

Do not modify or replace the front seats: Modifying or replacing the front seats such as replacing the upholstery or loosening any bolts is dangerous. The front seats contain air bag components essential to the supplemental restraint system. Such modifi cations could damage the supplemental restraint system and result in serious injury. Consult an Authorized Mazda Dealer if there is any need to remove or reinstall the front seats.

Do not drive with damaged front seats: Driving with damaged front seats, such as seat cushions torn or damaged down to the urethane, is dangerous. A collision, even one not strong enough to infl ate the air bags, could damage the front seats which contain essential air bag components. If there was a subsequent collision, an air bag may not deploy which could lead to injuries. Always have an Authorized Mazda Dealer inspect the front seats, front seat belt pretensioners and air bags after a collision.

Do not drive with either front seats reclined: Sitting in a reclined position while the vehicle is moving is dangerous because you do not get the full protection from seat belts. During sudden braking or a collision, you can slide under the lap belt and suff er serious internal injuries. For maximum protection, sit well back and upright.

Do not place an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back: Putting an object such as a cushion between the seatback and your back is dangerous because you will be unable to maintain a safe driving posture and the seat belt cannot function at its full capacity in a collision, which could result in a serious accident, injury or death.

Do not place objects under the seat: The object could get stuck and cause the seat to not be fi xed securely, and result in an accident.

Do not stack cargo higher than the seatbacks: Stacking luggage or other cargo higher than the seatbacks is dangerous. During sudden braking or a collision, objects can fl y around and become projectiles that may hit and injure passengers.

Make sure luggage and cargo is secured before driving: Not securing cargo while driving is dangerous as it could move or be crushed during sudden braking or a collision and cause injury.

Never allow a passenger to sit or stand on the folded seatback while the vehicle is moving: Driving with a passenger on the folded seatback is dangerous. Allowing a child to sit up on the folded seatback while the vehicle is moving is particularly dangerous. In a sudden stop or even a minor collision, a child not in a proper seat or child-restraint system and seat belt could be thrown forward, back or even out of the vehicle resulting in serious injuries or death. The child in the baggage area could be thrown into other occupants and cause serious injury.

Never give the car keys to children and do not allow them to play in the vehicle (4– Door): Playing with the folding rear seats is dangerous. Once the seatbacks are back up, a child in the trunk would not be able to get out the way they had entered. If you have small children, keep the seatbacks locked.

Always leave your car locked and keep the car keys safely away from children (4– Door): Leaving your car unlocked or the keys in reach of children is dangerous. Children who fi nd their way into the trunk through an unlocked rear seatback or an open trunk can become accidentally locked in the trunk. This could result in death or brain damage from heat prostration, particularly in the summer. Always lock the doors and the trunk, and as an added measure, keep the rear seatbacks locked, whether you have children in your home or not.

• When operating a seat, be careful not to put your hands or fi ngers near the moving parts of the seat or on the side trim to prevent injury.
• When moving the seats, make sure there is no cargo in the surrounding area. If the cargo gets caught it could damage the cargo.
• (Manual Seat) When moving the seats forward and rearward or returning a rear-reclined seatback to its upright position, make sure you hold onto the seatback with your hand while operating. If the seatback is not held, the seat will move suddenly and could cause injury.
• (Power Seat) The seat-bottom power adjustment is operated by motors. Avoid extended operation because excessive use can damage the motors.
• To prevent the battery from running down, avoid using the power adjustment when the engine is stopped. The adjuster uses a large amount of electrical power.
• Do not use the switch to make more than one adjustment at a time.