Mazda B4000 4WD Truck (2004 year). Manual

If you need to lengthen the belt, unfasten it and repeat the procedure
above.

To unfasten the belt, push in the release button prior to opening the rear
door.

Safety belt extension assembly

If the safety belt assembly is too short for you, even when fully
extended, 20 cm (8 inches) can be added to the safety belt assembly by
adding a safety belt extension assembly. Safety belt extension assemblies
can be obtained from your authorized Mazda dealership.

Use only extensions manufactured by the same supplier as the safety
belt. Manufacturer identification is located at the end of the webbing on
the label. Also, use the safety belt extension only if the safety belt is too
short for you when fully extended.

NOTE: Do not use extensions to change the fit of the shoulder belt
across the torso.

Safety belt warning light and indicator chime

The safety belt warning light illuminates in the instrument cluster and a
chime sounds to remind the occupants to fasten their safety belts.

Conditions of operation

If...

Then...

The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...

The safety belt warning light
illuminates 1-2 minutes and the
warning chime sounds 4-8 seconds.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the indicator
light is illuminated and the
warning chime is sounding...

The safety belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...

The safety belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.

Seating and Safety Restraints

BeltMinder

The BeltMinder feature is a supplemental warning to the safety belt
warning function. This feature provides additional reminders to the
driver that the driver’s safety belt is unbuckled by intermittently
sounding a chime and illuminating the safety belt warning lamp in the
instrument cluster.

If...

Then...

The driver’s safety belt is not
buckled before the vehicle has
reached at least 5 km/h (3
mph) and 1-2 minutes have
elapsed since the ignition
switch has been turned to
ON...

The BeltMinder feature is activated -
the safety belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every 30
seconds, repeating for approximately
5 minutes or until driver’s safety belt
is buckled.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled while the safety belt
indicator light is illuminated
and the safety belt warning
chime is sounding...

The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.

The driver’s safety belt is
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the ON
position...

The BeltMinder feature will not
activate.

The following are reasons most often given for not wearing safety belts:
(All statistics based on U.S. data)

Reasons given...

Consider...

9Crashes are rare events9

36,700 crashes occur every day.
The more we drive, the more we are
exposed to

9rare9 events, even for

good drivers. 1 in 4 of us will be
seriously injured in a crash during
our lifetime.

9I’m not going far9

3 of 4 fatal crashes occur within 25
miles of home.

Seating and Safety Restraints

Reasons given...

Consider...

9Belts are uncomfortable9

Safety belts are designed to enhance
comfort. If you are uncomfortable -
try different positions for the safety
belt upper anchorage and seatback
which should be as upright as
possible; this can improve comfort.

9I was in a hurry9

Prime time for an accident. Safety
Belt Warning Chime reminds us to
take a few seconds to buckle up.

9Seat belts don’t work9

Safety belts, when used properly,
reduce risk of death to front seat
occupants by 45% in cars, and by
60% in light trucks.

9Traffic is light9

Nearly 1 of 2 deaths occur in
single-vehicle crashes, many when
no other vehicles are around.

9Belts wrinkle my clothes9

Possibly, but a serious crash can do
much more than wrinkle your clothes,
particularly if you are unbelted.

9The people I’m with don’t
wear belts

Set the example, teen deaths occur 4
times more often in vehicles with
TWO or MORE people. Children and
younger brothers/sisters imitate
behavior they see.

9I have an air bag9

Air bags offer greater protection when
used with safety belts. Frontal airbags
are not designed to inflate in rear and
side crashes or rollovers.

9I’d rather be thrown clear9

Not a good idea. People who are
ejected are 40 times more likely
to DIE. Safety belts help prevent
ejection, WE CAN’T

9PICK OUR

CRASH

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: Always wear the safety belt. Do not be tempted to
sit on top of the belt to fool police or to defeat the warning
system. The safety belt and safety belt warning system are
there to protect your life.

One time disable

Any time the safety belt is buckled and then unbuckled during an
ignition ON cycle, the BeltMinder will be disabled for that ignition cycle
only.

Deactivating/activating the BeltMinder feature

Read steps 1 - 9 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.

The BeltMinder feature can be deactivated/activated by performing the
following procedure:

Before following the procedure, ensure that the following conditions are
met:
• The parking brake is set.
• The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission) or the neutral

position (manual transmission).

• The ignition switch is in the OFF position.
• All vehicle doors are closed.
• The driver’s safety belt is unbuckled.
• The parklamps/headlamps are in OFF position (If vehicle is equipped

with Autolamps, this will not affect the procedure).

WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, do not
deactivate/activate the Belt Minder feature while driving the
vehicle.

BeltMinder activation and deactivation procedure

1. Turn the ignition switch to the RUN (or ON) position. (DO NOT

START THE ENGINE.)

2. Wait until the safety belt warning light turns off. (Approximately 1–2

minutes.)

• Steps 3–5 must be completed within 60 seconds or the procedure will

have to be repeated.

Seating and Safety Restraints

3. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the

safety belt unbuckled. This can be done before or during BeltMinder
warning activation.

4. Turn on the parklamps/headlamps, turn off the

parklamps/headlamps.

5. Buckle then unbuckle the safety belt three times, ending with the

safety belt unbuckled.

• After step 5 the safety belt warning light will be turned on for three

seconds.

6. Within seven seconds of the safety belt warning light turning off,

buckle then unbuckle the safety belt.

• This will disable BeltMinder if it is currently enabled, or enable

BeltMinder if it is currently disabled.

7. Confirmation of disabling BeltMinder is provided by the safety belt

warning light flashing four times per second for three seconds.

8. Confirmation of enabling BeltMinder is provided by:

• The safety belt warning light flashing four times per second for three

seconds.

• Followed by three seconds with the safety belt warning light off.
• Once again, the safety belt warning light will flash four times per

second for three seconds.

9. After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is

complete.

Safety belt maintenance

Inspect the safety belt systems periodically to make sure they work
properly and are not damaged.

NOTE:If unsure about the proper procedures, bring your vehicle to an
authorized Mazda dealership for inspection. Inspect the safety belts to
make sure there are no nicks, tears or cuts, replacing if necessary. Check
all automatic locking retractors on all outboard seating positions as well
as the automatic locking mode for child safety seats on the passenger
front belt. All safety belt assemblies, including retractors, buckles, front
seat belt buckle assemblies, buckle support assemblies (slide bar-if
equipped), shoulder belt height adjusters (if equipped), shoulder belt
guide on seatback (if equipped), child safety seat tether bracket
assemblies (if equipped), LATCH child seat tether anchors and lower
anchors (if equipped), and attaching hardware, should be inspected after

Seating and Safety Restraints

a collision. Mazda recommends that all safety belt assemblies used in
vehicles involved in a collision be replaced. However, if the collision was
minor and an authorized Mazda technician finds that the belts do not
show damage and continue to operate properly, they do not need to be
replaced. Safety belt assemblies not in use during a collision should also
be inspected and replaced if either damage or improper operation is
noted.

The energy absorbing functions may have been activated in a collision so
the restraints should be examined; if the front air bags have deployed,
the pretensioners have also deployed and must be replaced — regardless
of whether there was an occupant in the passenger seat or not.

WARNING: Failure to inspect and if necessary replace the
safety belt assembly under the above conditions could result in
severe personal injuries in the event of a collision.

Refer to Interior in the Cleaning chapter.

AIR BAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions

The supplemental restraint system is designed to work with the safety
belt to help protect the driver and right front passenger from certain
upper body injuries.

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: Air bags DO NOT
inflate slowly or gently and the
risk of injury from a deploying
air bag is greatest close to the
trim covering the air bag
module. Always wear your
safety belt.

WARNING: Airbags have been known to kill or injure a child in
front facing child restraints. When placing a child safety seat in
a front seating position including the center (if equipped), you
should turn off the passenger airbag switch after being certain
the child is properly restrained. If the child safety seat is in the
outboard seating position, slide the seat all the way back.

WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.

WARNING: Rear facing child
seats should NEVER be placed
in the front seats unless the
passenger airbag switch is
turned off. See Passenger
airbag ON/OFF switch

in this

chapter.

WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their safety belts, even when an
air bag (SRS) is provided.

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 25 cm (10
inches) between an occupant’s chest and the driver air bag
module.

WARNING: Never place your arm or feet over the air bag
module as a deploying air bag can result in serious arm
fractures or other injuries.

WARNING: Never place a rear facing infant seat in the front
seat unless the passenger air bag is turned off.

Steps you can take to properly position yourself away from the airbag:
• Move your seat to the rear as far as you can while still reaching the

pedals comfortably.

• Recline the seat slightly (one or two degrees) from the upright

position.

WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the air bag module
including hands or feet. Placing objects on or over the air bag
inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the
air bag into your face and torso causing serious injury.

WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the Air
Bag Supplemental Restraint System or its fuses. See your
authorized Mazda dealership.

WARNING: Modifications to the front end of the vehicle,
including frame, bumper, front end body structure, tow hooks
and snow plows may effect the performance of the air bag
sensors increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front
end of the vehicle.

WARNING: Additional equipment may effect the performance
of the air bag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Consult your
authorized Mazda dealership before installation of additional
equipment.

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: The front passenger air bag is not designed to offer
protection to an occupant in the center front seating position.

Children and air bags

For additional important safety information, read all information on
safety restraints in this guide.

WARNING: Never place a rearward facing child safety restraint
in front of an activated airbag. Airbags have been known to kill
or injure children in front facing child safety restraints.
Whenever placing a child safety seat in a front seating position
(including center if equipped), turn off the passenger side air
bag switch after being certain the child is properly restrained.
If using a forward facing child safety restraint in the front
outboard seat, slide the seat all the way back, and turn off the
passenger air bag. If using a rear facing child safety seat in the
front outboard seating position, make sure the passenger airbag
is turned off and slide the passenger seat all the way forward
until the safety seat rests on the dashboard. See Passenger air
bag on/off switch

in this chapter.

WARNING: Do not install a
child seat in a center facing
jump seat.

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: An air bag can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
Child seats should never be placed in the front seats, unless
passenger air bag switch is turned off. See Passenger air bag
on/off switch

in this chapter.

WARNING: Rear facing child seats should NEVER be placed in
the front seats unless the passenger airbag switch is turned off.

WARNING: Booster seats must be installed only in seating
positions equipped with a combination lap/shoulder belt.

WARNING: To reduce the risk of injury, make sure children sit
where they can be properly restrained.

How does the air bag supplemental restraint system work?

The air bag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
sufficient longitudinal deceleration.

The fact that the air bags did not
inflate in a collision does not mean
that something is wrong with the
system. Rather, it means the forces
were not of the type sufficient to
cause activation. Air bags are
designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover,
side-impact, or rear-impacts.

Seating and Safety Restraints

The air bags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After air bag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder (to lubricate the bag) or
sodium compounds (e.g., baking
soda) that result from the
combustion process that inflates the
air bag. Small amounts of sodium
hydroxide may be present which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.

While the system is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, it may also
cause minor abrasions, swelling or temporary hearing loss. Because air
bags must inflate rapidly and with considerable force, there is the risk of
death or serious injuries such as fractures, facial and eye injuries or
internal injuries, particularly to occupants who are not properly
restrained or are otherwise out of position at the time of air bag
deployment. Thus, it is extremely important that occupants be properly
restrained as far away from the air bag module as possible while
maintaining vehicle control.

WARNING: Several air bag system components get hot after
inflation. Do not touch them after inflation or you may be
burned.

WARNING: If the air bag has deployed, the air bag will not
function again and must be replaced immediately. If the air bag
is not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the risk of
injury in a collision.

The SRS consists of:
• driver and passenger air bag modules (which include the inflators and

air bags),

• passenger air bag deactivation switch and restraint control module

(RCM)

• a readiness light and tone,

Seating and Safety Restraints

• and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
The RCM (restraints control module) monitors its own internal circuits
and the supplemental air bag electrical system wiring (including the
passenger air bag deactivation switch, the system wiring, the air bag
system readiness light, the air bag back up power and the air bag
ignitors).

Determining if the system is operational

The SRS uses readiness lights in the instrument cluster and the
passenger air bag deactivate switch or a tone to indicate the condition of
the system. Refer to the Air bag readiness section in the
Instrumentation chapter or Passenger air bag deactivate switch
section in this chapter. Routine maintenance of the air bag is not
required.

A difficulty with the system is indicated by one or more of the following:
• The readiness lights will either

flash or stay lit.

• The readiness lights will not

illuminate immediately after
ignition is turned on.

• A series of five beeps will be heard. The tone pattern will repeat

periodically until the problem and/or light are repaired.

If any of these things happen, even intermittently, have the SRS serviced
at your authorized Mazda dealership immediately.

WARNING: Unless serviced, the system may not function
properly in the event of a collision.

Disposal of air bags and air bag equipped vehicles (including
safety belt pretensioners)

For disposal of safety belt pretensioners, air bags, or air bag equipped
vehicles, see your authorized Mazda dealership or qualified technician.
Air bags MUST BE disposed of by qualified personnel.

Seating and Safety Restraints

Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch

WARNING: An airbag ON/OFF
switch has been installed in
this vehicle. Before driving,
always

look at the face of the

switch to be sure the switch is
in the proper position in
accordance with these
instructions and warnings.
Failure to put the switch in a
proper position can increase
the risk of serious injury or
death in a collision.

Turning the passenger air bag off

1. Ignition OFF.

2. Insert the ignition key, turn the

switch to OFF position and hold
in OFF position while removing
the key.

3. When the ignition switch is

turned to the ON position the
OFF light illuminates briefly,
momentarily shuts off and then
turns back on. This indicates that the passenger air bag is
deactivated. Do not use a second key to turn off the passenger
airbag, as the lock position might be changed without your knowing.

OFF

PASSENGER AIRBAG

OFF

PASSENGER AIRBAG

WARNING: You must turn the passenger air bag Off if you have
a rear facing child seat in the front seat of the pickup (the
center lapbelt on front split seats or the center facing rear
seats do not accommodate child seats). Statistics show that
children under 12 are more likely to suffer minor injuries in the
front passenger seats than adults. If you must have a child in
the front passenger seat, place the largest child in the front
seat, make sure that the child is belted, the vehicle seat is all
the way back, and the passenger airbag is turned OFF. The front
seat center lap belt and the center facing rear seats do not
accommodate child seats; therefore, you may not be able to put
a larger child in the front passenger seat if a child seat is
involved.

WARNING: If the OFF light fails to illuminate when the
passenger air bag switch is in the OFF position and the ignition
switch is in the ON position, have the passenger air bag switch
serviced at your authorized Mazda dealership.

WARNING: In order to avoid inadvertent activation of the
switch, always remove the ignition key from the passenger air
bag ON/OFF switch.

Turning the passenger air bag back on

The passenger air bag remains OFF until you turn it back ON.

1. Insert the ignition key and turn

the switch to ON.

2. The OFF light will briefly

illuminate when the ignition is
turned to ON. This indicates
that the passenger air bag is
operational.

OFF

PASSENGER AIRBAG

Seating and Safety Restraints

WARNING: If the light is illuminated when the passenger air
bag ON/OFF switch is in the ON position and the ignition switch
is ON, have the passenger air bag ON/OFF switch serviced at
your authorized Mazda dealership immediately.

The passenger side air bag should always be ON (the air bag OFF light
should not be illuminated) except for certain vulnerable persons. See
guidance on following pages.

WARNING: The safety belts for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions have been specifically designed to
function together with the air bags in certain types of crashes.
When you turn OFF your air bag, you not only lose the
protection of the air bag, you also may reduce the effectiveness
of your safety belt system, which was designed to work with the
air bag. Most vehicles with full back seats do not have cut-off
switches, but NHTSA and Transport Canada will allow a cut-off
switch to be installed on request for a certain category of
persons who must ride up front and there is a concern about
riding there. Please see the guidance below.

WARNING: Always use safety belts and child restraints
properly. If a child in a rear facing infant seat must be
transported in front, the passenger air bag must be turned OFF.
This is because the back of the infant seat is too close to the
inflating air bag and the risk of a fatal injury to the infant when
the air bag inflates is substantial.

The vast majority of drivers and passengers over the age of 12 years are
much safer with an air bag than without. To do their job and reduce the
risk of life threatening injuries, air bags must open with great force, and
this force can pose a potentially deadly risk in some situations,
particularly when a front seat occupant is not properly buckled up. The
most effective way to reduce the risk of unnecessary air bag injuries
without reducing the overall safety of the vehicle is to make sure all
occupants are properly restrained in the vehicle, especially in the front
seat. This provides the protection of safety belts and permits the air bags
to provide the additional protection they were designed to provide. If
you choose to deactivate your air bag, you are losing the very significant
risk reducing benefits of the air bag and you are also reducing the

Seating and Safety Restraints

effectiveness of the safety belts, because safety belts in modern vehicles
are designed to work as a safety system with the air bags.

Read all air bag Warning labels in the vehicle as well as the other
important air bag instructions and Warnings in this Owner’s Guide.

NHTSA gives permission to install airbag cut-off switches in the
following terms:

1. Infant. An infant (less than 1 year old) must ride in the front seat

because:

• the vehicle has no rear seat;
• the vehicle has a rear seat too small to accommodate a rear-facing

infant seat; or

• the infant has a medical condition which, according to the infant’s

physician, makes it necessary for the infant to ride in the front so that
the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.

2. Child age 1 to 12. A child age 1 to 12 must ride in the front seat

because:

• the vehicle has no rear seat;
• although children ages 1 to 12 ride in the rear seat(s) whenever

possible, children ages 1 to 12 sometimes must ride in the front
because no space is available in the rear seat(s) of the vehicle; or

• the child has a medical condition which, according to the child’s

physician, makes it necessary for the child to ride in the front seat so
that the driver can constantly monitor the child’s condition.

3. Medical condition. A passenger has a medical condition which,

according to his or her physician:

• causes the passenger air bag to pose a special risk for the passenger;

and

• makes the potential harm from the passenger air bag in a crash

greater than the potential harm from turning OFF the air bag and
allowing the passenger, even if belted, to hit the dashboard or
windshield in a crash.

Seating and Safety Restraints

Mazda B4000 4WD Truck (2004 year). Manual - part 5