Mazda Tribute (2011 year). Instruction — part 7

WARNING: Each seating position in your vehicle has a specific
seat belt assembly which is made up of one buckle and one

tongue that are designed to be used as a pair. 1) Use the shoulder belt
on the outside shoulder only. Never wear the shoulder belt under the
arm. 2) Never swing the seat belt around your neck over the inside
shoulder. 3) Never use a single belt for more than one person.

WARNING: Placing a child, 12 years or younger, in the front
seat is dangerous. The child could be hit by a deploying airbag

and be seriously injured or even killed. A sleeping child is more likely
to lean against the door and be hit by the side airbag (if equipped) in a
moderate collision. Whenever possible, always secure a child, 12 years
or younger, in the rear seat, with an appropriate child restraint system
for the child’s age and size. Never use a rear-facing child restraint
system in the front seat with an airbag that could deploy.

WARNING: Front and rear seat occupants, including pregnant
women, should wear seat belts for optimum protection in an

accident.

Combination lap and shoulder belts

1. Insert the belt tongue into the

proper buckle (the buckle
closest to the direction the
tongue is coming from) until
you hear a snap and feel it
latch. Make sure the tongue is
securely fastened in the buckle.

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2. To unfasten, press the release

button and remove the tongue
from the buckle.

Restraint of pregnant women

WARNING: Always ride and drive with your seatback upright
and the seat belt properly fastened. The lap portion of the seat

belt should fit snug and be positioned low across the hips. The
shoulder portion of the seat belt should be positioned across the chest.
Pregnant women should also follow this practice. See figure below.

Pregnant women should always
wear their seat belt. The lap belt
portion of a combination lap and
shoulder belt should be positioned
low across the hips below the belly
and worn as tight as comfort will
allow. The shoulder belt should be
positioned to cross the middle of
the shoulder and the center of the
chest.

Load Limiter Feature
• This vehicle has a seat belt system with a load limiter feature at the

front and rear outboard seating positions to help further reduce the
risk of injury in the event of a head-on collision.

• This seat belt system has a retractor assembly that is designed to pay

out webbing in a controlled manner. This feature is designed to help
reduce the belt force acting on the occupant’s chest.

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All seat belts in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder belts. The
passenger seat belts have two types of locking modes described below:

Seat belt locking modes

All safety restraints in the vehicle are combination lap and shoulder
belts. The driver seat belt has the first locking mode and the front
outboard passenger and rear seat belts have both types of locking modes
described as follows:

Vehicle sensitive mode

This is the normal retractor mode, which allows free shoulder belt length
adjustment to your movements and locking in response to vehicle
movement. For example, if the driver brakes suddenly or turns a corner
sharply, or the vehicle receives an impact of approximately 5 mph
(8 km/h) or more, the combination seat belts will lock to help reduce
forward movement of the driver and passengers.

In addition, the retractor is designed to lock if the webbing is pulled out
too quickly. If this occurs, let the belt retract slightly and pull webbing
out again in a slow and controlled manner.

Automatic locking mode

In this mode, the shoulder belt is automatically pre-locked. The belt will
still retract to remove any slack in the shoulder belt. The automatic
locking mode is not available on the driver seat belt.

When to use the automatic locking mode

This mode should be used any time a child safety seat, except a
booster, is installed in passenger front or rear seating positions. Children
12 years old and under should be properly restrained in a rear seating
position whenever possible. Refer to Safety restraints for children or
Safety seats for children later in this chapter.

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How to use the automatic locking mode
• Buckle the combination lap and

shoulder belt.

• Grasp the shoulder portion and

pull downward until the entire
belt is pulled out.

• Allow the belt to retract. As the belt retracts, you will hear a clicking

sound. This indicates the seat belt is now in the automatic locking
mode.

How to disengage the automatic locking mode

Disconnect the combination lap/shoulder belt and allow it to retract
completely to disengage the automatic locking mode and activate the
vehicle sensitive (emergency) locking mode.

WARNING: After any vehicle collision, the seat belt system at
all passenger seating positions must be checked by an authorized

dealer to verify that the “automatic locking retractor” feature for child
seats is still functioning properly. In addition, all seat belts should be
checked for proper function.

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WARNING: BELT AND RETRACTOR ASSEMBLY MUST BE
REPLACED if the seat belt assembly “automatic locking

retractor” feature or any other seat belt function is not operating
properly when checked by an authorized dealer. Failure to replace the
belt and retractor assembly could increase the risk of injury in
collisions.

Seat belt height adjustment

Your vehicle has seat belt height
adjustments at the front outboard
seating positions. Adjust the height
of the shoulder belt so the belt rests
across the middle of your shoulder.

To adjust the shoulder belt height,
squeeze and hold the buttons on the
side and slide the height adjuster up
or down. Release the buttons and
pull down on the height adjuster to
make sure it is locked in place.

WARNING: Position the seat belt height adjusters so that the
belt rests across the middle of your shoulder. Failure to adjust

the seat belt properly could reduce the effectiveness of the seat belt
and increase the risk of injury in a collision.

Seat belt pretensioner

Your vehicle is equipped with seat belt pretensioners at the driver and
right front passenger seating positions.

The seat belt pretensioner removes some slack from the seat belt system
at the start of a crash. The seat belt pretensioner uses the same crash
sensor system as the front airbags and side-curtain airbags (if equipped).
When the seat belt pretensioner deploys, the lap and shoulder belt are
tightened.

When the side-curtain airbags (if equipped) and/or the front airbags are
activated, the seat belt pretensioners for the driver and right front
passenger seating positions will be activated when the respective seatbelt
is properly buckled.

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WARNING: The driver and the right front passenger seat belt
system (including retractors, buckles and height adjusters) must

be replaced if the vehicle is involved in a collision that results in
deployment of front airbags, seat-mounted side airbags, or side-curtain
airbags (if equipped) and seat belt pretensioners.

WARNING: Failure to replace both front restraints under the
above conditions could result in severe personal injuries in the

event of a collision. The seat belt pretensioners will only function once.
After they are deployed, they will not work again and must be replaced
immediately, even if there was no front seat occupant seated at the
time.

WARNING: Do not drive the vehicle with the airbag/ front seat
belt pretensioner system warning beep sounding: Driving the

vehicle with the airbag/ front seat belt pretensioner system warning
beep sounding is dangerous. In a collision, the airbags and the front
seat belt pretensioner system will not deploy and this could result in
death or serious injury. Contact an authorized Mazda dealer to have
the vehicle inspected as soon as possible.

WARNING: Modifying the components or wiring of the
pretensioner system, including the use of electronic testing

devices is dangerous. You could accidentally activate it or make it
inoperable which would prevent it from activating in an accident. Front
occupants could be seriously injured. Never modify the components or
wiring, or use electronic testing devices on the pretensioner system.

WARNING: Improper disposal of the pretensioner system or a
vehicle with non-deactivated pretensioners is dangerous. Unless

all safety procedures are followed, injury could result. Ask an
authorized Mazda dealer how to safely dispose of the pretensioner
system or how to scrap a front pretensioner-equipped vehicle.

Refer to the Seat belt maintenance section in this chapter.

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Seat belt extension assembly

If the seat belt is too short when fully extended, a 9 inch (23 cm) or
12 inch (31 cm) seat belt extension assembly can be added (part
numbers ZZC2–57–63X and ZZC0–57–63X respectively). Seat belt
extension assemblies can be obtained from your authorized dealer.

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

When you are not using the extensions store them in another location so
that no one will accidentally use them.

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

Seat belt warning light and indicator chime

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

Conditions of operation

If...

Then...

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

The seat belt warning light
illuminates 1 minute and the
warning chime sounds 6 seconds.

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

The seat belt warning light and
warning chime turn off.

The driver’s seat belt is buckled
before the ignition switch is turned
to the on position...

The seat belt warning light and
indicator chime remain off.

Belt-Minder

姞

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is a supplemental warning to the seat belt

warning function. This feature provides additional reminders by
intermittently sounding a chime and illuminating the seat belt warning
lamp in the instrument cluster when the driver’s and front passenger’s
seat belt is unbuckled.

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The Belt-Minder

威 feature uses information from the front passenger

sensing system to determine if a front seat passenger is present and
therefore potentially in need of a warning. To avoid activating the
Belt-Minder

威 feature for objects placed in the front passenger seat,

warnings will only be given to large front seat occupants as determined
by the front passenger sensing system.

Both the driver’s and passenger’s seat belt usages are monitored and
either may activate the Belt-Minder

威 feature. The warnings are the same

for the driver and the front passenger. If the Belt-Minder

威 warnings have

expired (warnings for approximately 5 minutes) for one occupant (driver
or front passenger), the other occupant can still activate the
Belt-Minder

威 feature.

If...

Then...

The driver’s and front
passenger’s seat belts are
buckled before the ignition
switch is turned to the on
position or less than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...

The Belt-Minder

威 feature will not

activate.

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

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is activated

- the seat belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for
approximately 5 minutes or until the
seat belts are buckled.

The driver’s or front
passenger’s seat belt becomes
unbuckled for approximately
1 minute while the vehicle is
traveling at least 3 mph
(5 km/h) and more than
1-2 minutes have elapsed since
the ignition switch has been
turned to on...

The Belt-Minder

威 feature is activated

- the seat belt warning light
illuminates and the warning chime
sounds for 6 seconds every
30 seconds, repeating for
approximately 5 minutes or until the
seat belts are buckled.

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

Reasons given...

Consider...

⬙Crashes are rare events⬙

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

⬙rare⬙ events, even for

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

⬙I’m not going far⬙

3 of 4 fatal crashes occur within 25
miles (40 km) of home.

⬙Belts are uncomfortable⬙

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

⬙I was in a hurry⬙

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

⬙Seat belts don’t work⬙

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

⬙Traffic is light⬙

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

⬙Belts wrinkle my clothes⬙

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

⬙The 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.

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Reasons given...

Consider...

⬙I have an airbag⬙

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

⬙I’d rather be thrown clear⬙

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

⬙PICK OUR

CRASH

⬙.

WARNING: Do not sit on top of a buckled seat belt or insert a
latchplate into the buckle to avoid the Belt-Minder

威 chime. To

do so may adversely affect the performance of the vehicle’s air bag
system and result in serious injury, ejection and death.

Deactivating/activating the Belt-Minder

姞 feature

The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder

威 are

deactivated/activated independently. When deactivating/activating
one seating position, do not buckle the other position as this will
terminate the process.
Read Steps 1 - 4 thoroughly before proceeding with the
deactivation/activation programming procedure.
The driver and front passenger Belt-Minder

威 features can be

deactivated/activated by performing the following procedure:
Before following the procedure, make sure that:
• The parking brake is set

• The gearshift is in P (Park) (automatic transmission)

• The gearshift is in N (Neutral) (manual transmission)

• The ignition switch is in the off position

• The driver and front passenger seat belts are unbuckled

WARNING: While the design allows you to deactivate your
Belt-Minder

威, this system is designed to improve your chances of

being safely belted and surviving an accident. We recommend you
leave the Belt-Minder

威 system activated for yourself and others who

may use the vehicle. To reduce the risk of injury, do not
deactivate/activate the Belt-Minder

威 feature while driving the vehicle.

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1. Turn the ignition switch to the on position. DO NOT START THE

ENGINE.

2. Wait until the seat belt warning light turns off (Approximately one

minute).

• Step 3 must be completed within 30 seconds after the seat belt

warning light turns off.

3. For the seating position being disabled, buckle then unbuckle the

seat belt three times, ending in the unbuckled state.

• After Step 3, the seat belt warning light will be turned on for three

seconds.

4. Within approximately seven seconds of the light turning off, buckle

then unbuckle the seat belt.

• This will disable the Belt-Minder威 feature for that seating position if it

is currently enabled. As confirmation, the seat belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds.

• This will enable the Belt-Minder威 feature for that seating position if it

is currently disabled. As confirmation, the seat belt warning light will
flash four times per second for three seconds, followed by three
seconds with the light off, then followed by the seat belt warning light
flashing four times per second for three seconds again.

• After receiving confirmation, the deactivation/activation procedure is

complete.

AIRBAG SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM (SRS)

4X4

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Important supplemental restraint system (SRS) precautions

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

WARNING: Airbags DO
NOT inflate slowly or gently

and the risk of injury from a
deploying airbag is greatest close
to the trim covering the airbag
module.

WARNING: All occupants of the vehicle, including the driver,
should always properly wear their seat belts, even when an air

bag supplemental restraint system (SRS) is provided.

WARNING: When possible, all children 12 years old and under
should be properly restrained in a rear seating position.

WARNING: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
(NHTSA) recommends a minimum distance of at least 10 inches

(25 cm) between an occupant’s chest and the driver airbag module.

WARNING: The driver should always hold onto only the rim of
the steering wheel. Never place your arm over the airbag module

or anywhere inside the rim as a deploying airbag can result in serious
arm fractures or other injuries.

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 notches) from the upright

position.

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WARNING: Do not put anything on or over the airbag module
including hands or feet. Placing objects on or over the airbag

inflation area may cause those objects to be propelled by the airbag
into your face and torso causing serious injury.

WARNING: Do not attempt to service, repair, or modify the
Airbag Supplemental Restraint Systems 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 affect the performance of the airbag sensors
increasing the risk of injury. Do not modify the front end of the
vehicle.

WARNING: Additional equipment may affect the performance of
the airbag sensors increasing the risk of injury. Consult your

authorized Mazda dealership before installation of additional
equipment.

Children and airbags

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

WARNING: Children must
always be properly

restrained. Accident statistics
suggest that children are safer
when properly restrained in the
rear seating positions rather than
in the front seating position.
Failure to follow these instructions
may increase the risk of injury in
a collision.

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WARNING: Airbags can kill or injure a child in a child seat.
NEVER place a rear-facing child seat in front of an active airbag.

If you must use a forward-facing child seat in the front seat, move the
seat all the way back. Secure the seat and the child in it properly.

How does the airbag supplemental restraint system work?

The airbag SRS is designed to
activate when the vehicle sustains
longitudinal deceleration sufficient
to cause the sensors to close an
electrical circuit that initiates airbag
inflation.

The fact that the airbags 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. Airbags are designed to inflate in frontal and
near-frontal collisions, not rollover, side-impact, or rear-impacts unless
the collision causes sufficient longitudinal deceleration.

The airbags inflate and deflate
rapidly upon activation. After airbag
deployment, it is normal to notice a
smoke-like, powdery residue or
smell the burnt propellant. This may
consist of cornstarch, talcum
powder or sodium compounds which
may irritate the skin and eyes, but
none of the residue is toxic.

While the SRS is designed to help
reduce serious injuries, contact with
a deploying airbag may also cause
abrasions, swelling or temporary
hearing loss. Because airbags 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 airbag deployment. It is

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extremely important that occupants be properly restrained as far away
from the airbag module as possible while maintaining vehicle control.

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

burned.

WARNING: If the airbag and seat belt pretensioners have
deployed, the airbag or seat belt pretensioners will not function

again and must be replaced immediately. If the airbag or seat belt
pretensioners are not replaced, the unrepaired area will increase the
risk of injury in a collision.

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

airbags),

• seat-mounted side airbags (if equipped). Refer to Seat-mounted

Seat-mounted side airbag system later in this chapter

• one or more impact and safing sensors,
• a readiness light and tone
• diagnostic module
• and the electrical wiring which connects the components.
• Side curtain airbag system. Refer to Side curtain airbag system later

in this chapter.

• Front passenger sensing system. Refer to Front passenger sensing

system later in this chapter.

• “Passenger airbag off” or “pass airbag off” indicator lamp. Refer to

Front passenger sensing system later in this chapter.

• Seat belt pretensioners
The diagnostic module monitors its own internal circuits and the
supplemental airbag electrical system wiring (including the impact
sensors), the system wiring, the airbag system readiness light, the airbag
backup power and the airbag ignitors.

Front passenger sensing system

The front passenger sensing system is designed to meet the regulatory
requirements of Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standard (FMVSS) 208

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and is designed to disable (will not inflate) the front passenger’s frontal
airbag under certain conditions.

The front passenger sensing system works with sensors that are part of
the front passenger’s seat and seat belt. The sensors are designed to
detect the presence of a properly seated occupant and determine if the
front passenger’s frontal airbag should be enabled (may inflate) or
disabled (will not inflate).

The front passenger sensing system will disable (will not inflate) the
front passenger’s frontal airbag if:
• the front passenger seat is unoccupied, or has small/medium objects in

the front seat,

• the system determines that an infant is present in a rear-facing infant

seat that is installed according to the manufacturer’s instructions,

• the system determines that a small child is present in a forward-facing

child restraint that is installed according to the manufacturer’s
instructions,

• the system determines that a small child is present in a booster seat,
• a front passenger takes his/her weight off of the seat for a period of

time,

Note: When the passenger airbag off light is illuminated, the passenger
(seat mounted) side airbag may be disabled to avoid the risk of airbag
deployment injuries.

The front passenger sensing system
uses a

⬙passenger airbag off⬙ or

⬙pass airbag off⬙ indicator which will
illuminate and stay lit to remind you
that the front passenger frontal airbag is disabled. The indicator lamp is
located in the center stack of the instrument panel just above the air
vents.

Note: The indicator lamp will illuminate for a short period of time when
the ignition is turned to the on position to confirm it is functional.

When the front passenger seat is not occupied (empty seat) or in the
event that the front passenger frontal airbag is enabled (may inflate), the
indicator lamp will be unlit.

The front passenger sensing system is designed to disable (will not
inflate) the front passenger’s frontal airbag when a rear facing infant
seat, a forward-facing child restraint, or a booster seat is detected.

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