Driving Your Mazda; Hand Position When Using Steering ; Shift Switches:- Page 104

5-14

Driving Your Mazda

Starting and Driving

Form No. 8R65-EA-03C

Manually shifting down

(M4

→

M3

→

M2

→

M1)

To shift down to a lower gear with the 
shift lever, tap the shift lever forward (-) 
once.

To shift down to a lower gear with the 
steering shift switches, press either of the 
DOWN switches away from you once 
with your thumb.

Sudden Engine-Braking:
Shifting down while driving on wet, 
snowy, or frozen roads, or while 
driving at high speeds causes sudden 
engine braking, which is dangerous. 
The sudden change in tire speed 
could cause the tires to skid. This 
could lead to loss of vehicle control 
and an accident. Do not use sudden 
engine braking on slippery road 
surfaces or at high speeds.

NOTE

•

When driving at high speeds, the 
gear may not shift down depending 
on vehicle speed.

•

During deceleration, the gear may 
automatically shift down depending 
on vehicle speed.

•

When depressing the accelerator 
fully, the transmission will shift to a 
lower gear, depending on vehicle 
speed.

WARNING

Hand Position When Using Steering 
Shift Switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of 
the steering wheel when using the 
steering shift switches is dangerous. 
If the driver air bag were to deploy in 
a collision, your hands could be 
impacted causing injury. Keep your 
hands on the steering wheel rim when 
using fingers or thumbs on the 
steering shift switches.

DOWN switches

WARNING

J60E_8R65-EA-03C_Edition6.book  Page 14  Wednesday, December 10, 2003  4:24 PM

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