Knowing Your Mazda; Riding in the Truck Bed:; Riding in the truck bed, on the bum-- Page 82

Knowing Your Mazda

3-20

WARNING

Riding in the Truck Bed:
Riding in the truck bed, on the bum-
per, or on the tailgate, whether it’s
open or closed, is dangerous. Some-
one doing this could be injured or
killed during a sudden stop or acci-
dent. Camper type covers of any
kind offer no real protection from
these dangers and may trap poison-
ous exhaust fumes. They should
only be occupied when the vehicle is
parked without the engine running.
Never allow anyone to ride outside
the passenger compartment.

If there is no rear step-bumper and you
want to let the tailgate hang freely, here’s
what to do:

1. Lower the tailgate partially.

2. Support it to allow slack in both

cables.

3. Use a coin or similar object to pry the

spring clip (on each upper cable con-
nector) past the head of the support
screw. This will allow you to discon-
nect the loop of the connector cable
from the support screw.

4. Do the same on the other side.

5. Lower the tailgate carefully.