2004 Mazda MPV Owner's Manual - Page 54

Essential Safety Equipment Child Restraint Installing Child-Restraint Systems Accident statistics reveal that a child is safer in the rear seats (both second-row seats and third-row center 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 specific seating positions on the rear seats (both second-row seats and third-row center seat). Some child-restraint systems also employ specially designed LATCH attachments; refer to "LATCH Child-Restraint Systems" (page 2-53). WARNING 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 or the third-row outboard seats 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. M Second-Row Seats ChildRestraint System Installation Follow these instructions when using a child-restraint system, unless you are attaching a LATCH-equipped childrestraint system to the rear LATCH lower anchors. Refer to "LATCH ChildRestraint Systems" (page 2-53). 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. 2-45