Essential Safety Equipment; Child Restraint; System Installation- Page 34

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Essential Safety Equipment

Child Restraint

Form No. 8R29-EA-02I

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 child-restraint 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.

Some child-restraint systems also employ 
specially designed LATCH attachments; 
refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint 
Systems" (page 2-29).

▼

Rear Seat Child-Restraint 
System Installation

Follow these instructions when using a 
child-restraint system, unless you are 
attaching a LATCH-equipped child-
restraint system to the rear LATCH lower 
anchors. Refer to "LATCH Child-
Restraint Systems" (page 2-29).

1. Secure the child-restraint system with 

the lap portion of the lap/shoulder belt. 
See the instructions on the child-
restraint system for belt routing 
instructions.

2. 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.

Installing Child-Restraint 
Systems

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.

WARNING

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 not 
employ seat belts which are in 
automatic locking mode.

J56J_8R29_EA_02I_Edition4.book  Page 24  Monday, April 21, 2003  3:44 PM