HANDLES LIKE A DREAM

ACTIVE SAFETY

ADVANCED VEHICLE CONTROL

Active safety is primarily involved with keeping you in control of the vehicle so you can avoid hazards. And Mazda MX-5 features a number of advanced technologies to do this. A 4-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (4W-ABS) prevents wheel lockup during hard braking, even on slippery surfaces, allowing you to maintain control and steer around danger. Electronic Brake-force Distribution (EBD) works with 4W-ABS to minimize stopping distance by automatically adjusting brake force on the rear wheels according to weight distribution within the car. Dynamic Stability Control (DSC) combines 4W-ABS with traction control to manage engine output and brake force on each wheel and minimize the risk of skids or spinning when cornering on slippery surfaces.

PASSIVE SAFETY

IMPACT-ABSORBING BODY STRUCTURE

The new MX-5's rigid unibody design uses the Mazda Advanced Impact Distribution and Absorption system to meet and exceed government collision standards. Occupant protection from injury as a result of front, side, and rear impacts from various angles is provided and its safety performance is excellent. The windshield pillars and front frame use high-strength steel sheet and ultra-high-strength steel sheet to further reinforce body stiffness.

PRETENSIONER AND LOAD LIMITER

The primary restraints are three-point emergency-locking-retractor seatbelts. In some markets, the passenger's seatbelt is an emergency locking retractor/automatic locking retractor type. Each seatbelt has a pretensioner and a variable load limiter.

FRONT AND SIDE AIRBAGS

The new steering-wheel-mounted supplemental restraint system (SRS) air bag emerges from its storage container in the shape of a doughnut but quickly swells to surround the center horn button to guard the driver's head and torso from impact forces. Newly developed seat-mounted side air bags are standard or optional equipment in all markets. An inflator inflates two chambers in each bag to provide both additional torso and head protection from side-collision injury. The firmness engineered for the larger head air bag is purposely higher than that specified for the smaller torso restraint. A check valve located between the two volumes helps keep the head restraint inflated for a longer period of time.

OTHER SAFETY SYSTEMS

Instead of collapsing along its axis, the steering column moves in a horizontal direction when loaded by the driver's weight to minimize the likelihood of head and chest injury. Crashable brake pedals are prevented from crushing back into the feet so they're less likely to inflict lower-leg injuries. Seats and headrests help resist neck injuries caused by low-speed rear impacts.