Highly rigid body

The basic development concept for the body shell of the all-new Mazda 3 was to improve the overall balance of the body's rigidity and ensure it firmly absorbs the reaction force of the dampers. To this end, particular attention went to reinforcing the area around the front and rear suspension mounts and the joint sections in each corner, which are subject to greater stress. Structural adhesive was used to strengthen the joints for the front and rear suspension towers, and spot welding was added to reinforce the joints of the door openings. The result is a substantial improvement in rigidity and body hysteresis (the degree of car body deformation due to repeated applications of torsional load).

    See also:

    Automatic Transaxle Controls
    Various Lockouts: Indicates that you must depress the brake pedal to shift (The ignition switch must be in the ACC or ON position). Indicates the shift lever can be shifted freely into any po ...

    Power Steering
    Power steering is only operable when the engine is running. If the engine is off or if the power steering system is inoperable, you can still steer, but it requires more physical effort. If the s ...

    Introduction
    Be extremely careful and prevent injury to yourself and others or damage to your vehicle when using this manual for inspection and maintenance. If you're unsure about any procedure it describes, w ...