Mazda 3 2016 Manual page 163

To shift down to a lower gear with the
steering shift switches, pull the DOWN
switch toward you once with your
ngers.
WARNING
Do not use engine braking on slippery
road surfaces or at high speeds:
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.
Keep your hands on the steering wheel
rim when using fi ngers on the steering
shift switches:
Putting your hands inside the rim of
the steering wheel when using the
steering shift switches is dangerous.
If the driver's air bag were to deploy
in a collision, your hands could be
impacted causing injury.
DOWN switch
NOTE
When driving at high speeds, the gear
may not shift down.
During deceleration, the gear may
automatically shift down depending on
vehicle speed.
When depressing the accelerator fully,
the transaxle will shift to a lower gear,
depending on vehicle speed.
Second gear xed mode
When the selector lever is moved back
while the vehicle speed is about 10 km/h
(6.2 mph) or less, the transaxle is set in the
second gear xed mode. The gear is xed
in second while in this mode for easier
acceleration from a stop and driving on
slippery roads such as snow-covered
roads.
If the selector lever is moved back
forward while in the second gear xed
mode, the mode will be canceled.
When Driving
Transaxle
or
4–35