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.