Essential Safety Equipment; Seat Belt Systems; Do not operate a vehicle with a damaged seat belt:- Page 33

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Essential Safety Equipment

Seat Belt Systems

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.

In a rollover crash, an unbelted person is significantly more likely to die than a person 

wearing a seat belt.

CAUTION

Belt retraction may become difficult if the belts and rings are soiled, so try to keep them 

clean. For more details about cleaning the seat belts, refer to "Seat Belt Maintenance" 

(page 6-69).

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