Monthly Archives: August 2020

Mazda Dashboard Warning Lights

Understanding Mazda Dashboard Warning Lights and Indicators

By
Posted in Tips and tricks

It is important to pay attention to any warning lights or indicators that show up on the dashboard of your Mazda. These lights and indicators are built into your car for a reason. They serve to automatically alert you to some problem or abnormality that has been detected inside your car. Some warning lights and indicators notify you of mild issues, while others alert you to more severe and potentially dangerous problems with your Mazda. Therefore, it is very important to pay close attention to every warning light and indicator that shows up on your Mazda’s dashboard. 

The first step to paying close attention to the warning lights and indicators that show up in your Mazda is gaining a thorough understanding of what each of these lights and indicators actually means. Although they are designed to be fairly intuitive for drivers, the tiny warning lights and indicators that can pop up on the dashboard of your Mazda can be confusing. It’s time to stop worrying and wondering once and for all what that light on your dashboard might be trying to tell you. Keep reading to learn the meanings of 5 of the most important and most common warning lights and indicators that are built into your Mazda vehicle. 

Pay Attention to Color 

Before you learn more about 5 of the most common warning light indicators that you may see pop up on your Mazda’s dashboard, it is important to note that the colors of the symbols you see are not random. They matter. 

If the symbol that lights up on your Mazda’s dashboard is green, it’s probably nothing to worry about. For example, green symbols pop up to notify you that your cruise control is set, or that one of your turn signals is engaged. Yellow and red symbols, on the other hand, pop up when there is a more serious issue with your car. Mazda recommends that Mazda drivers bring their vehicle in for service when a yellow or red symbol pops up and persists on their car’s dashboard.

1. Battery Light 

The battery light is pretty self-explanatory. It pops up on your Mazda’s dashboard as a red or yellow battery symbol. 

However, this battery light comes on to alert you of a variety of problems. Your Mazda’s battery light might pop up as a result of a malfunctioning battery or problems with your vehicle’s voltage regulator or internal wiring. 

Regardless, it is important to take your Mazda to get checked out at an official Mazda dealership if your vehicle’s battery light pops up and sticks around. 

2. Tire Pressure Light 

The tire pressure light on your Mazda’s dashboard signifies that one or more of your vehicle’s tires is below a safe pressure level. It shows up as an exclamation mark inside a semi-circle symbol. 

If you fill all of your tires with air and the tire pressure light still persists on your Mazda’s dashboard, that likely means that at least one of your tires has a leak and will need to be patched or replaced. 

If you notice that your Mazda’s tire pressure light comes on frequently, even after you’ve checked the pressure in all of your tires, the root cause might be temperature changes. Extreme temperature changes can cause your vehicle’s tire pressure light to pop up, even if all of your car’s tires are filled with air. 

3. Airbag Light 

If you see the word “Airbag” highlighted in red on your Mazda’s dashboard, it’s not something you should ignore. This red alert is meant to notify you that the airbags in your Mazda might not be working as they should. 

As airbags are one of the most important safety features of your vehicle, it’s important to get your Mazda checked out right away at an official Mazda dealership service center if the airbag light persists on your vehicle’s dashboard.

4. Seat Belt Light 

The seat belt light shows up on your Mazda’s dashboard as a stick figure sitting in a seat and wearing a seat belt with a circle in front of their face. This symbol serves to alert you that your vehicle is not properly detecting your seat belt. 

If you and all passengers in your car are wearing your seat belts and the light persists, take your Mazda in to get inspected at an official Mazda dealership to ensure that your vehicle’s safety equipment is functioning as it should. 

5. Check Fuel Cap Light 

While an open fuel cap is definitely not the most dangerous problem your vehicle might encounter, it is one of the most common and least intuitive symbols that might light up on your Mazda’s dashboard. 

It’s pretty easy to forget to close your Mazda’s fuel cap when you’re done refueling. Almost every driver has done it at least once. When you see a yellow symbol that looks like an old-fashioned gas can with a little cap in the top right corner, pull over and screw on your Mazda’s fuel cap.

In every case, it’s important that you understand what the Mazda Dashboard Warning Lights are telling you. Refer to your owners manual for more info.

Mazda Key Fob

How Do I Start My Mazda if My Key Fob Dies?

By
Posted in Tips and tricks

So, your key fob died. Now what do you do? Car key fobs are one of those everyday objects that you take for granted. You probably won’t realize how helpless you are without your key fob until it suddenly doesn’t work anymore. We have some useful tips to help you get your car started if the Mazda key fob dies.

There are few things more frustrating than heading out to your car to go to work in the morning and pressing the buttons on your key fob, only to realize that the fob is suddenly not responding to your commands. If your car key fob dies, there’s no need to panic. If you’re a Mazda driver, keep reading to learn how the key fobs work, how to start your Mazda in the case that your key fob dies, and how to replace your key fob the right way. 

What is a Key Fob? 

To fully understand how to start your Mazda in the case that your key fob dies, it is helpful to understand exactly how key fobs work. A key fob is the pre-programmed hardware device that locks and unlocks your car doors. It is generally attached to the physical key that you can use to manually unlock the doors of your car. Key fobs are usually equipped with a simple set of buttons that allow you to lock and unlock your car, sound your car’s alarm, or even pop open the trunk of your car. 

They might look simple, but the technology that is included inside these tiny devices is actually quite complex. Your car’s key fob is a critical component of the security of your car. Traditional key fobs that allow you to unlock and lock your car doors from a distance are equipped with short-range radio transmitters that send coded signals via radio waves to your car when you press a button on the fob from within a certain distance of your vehicle. 

Even if your car is equipped with remote and/or push-button start capabilities, it is likely still connected to a key fob. Key fobs for these high-tech cars transmit low-frequency signals that are transmitted to your car’s built-in computer system and allow your car’s engine to respond when you get into your car and press its ‘Start’ button. Some advanced key fobs also serve other purposes and can lower your car windows, open your car’s sunroof, fold in your car’s side mirrors, and more.

How to Start Your Car with a Dead Key Fob 

Don’t worry. If your key fob battery dies, you can still get into your Mazda, start its engine, and drive it without any problems. The process is simple but slightly unintuitive so it is important to follow all of the following steps carefully. 

Start by turning your car key over. Locate the small latch on the back of the key fob. Release and pull down on the latch. A hidden traditional physical key should emerge from the inside of the fob. To unlock the doors of your Mazda, insert this traditional key into the keyhole on the driver side door and turn it to manually unlock the door. 

If your vehicle is equipped with push-button start, you might be at a loss on how to start your car’s engine when you’re stuck with a dead key fob. Start your Mazda with a dead key fob by pressing your foot down on the car’s brake and simultaneously pressing the Mazda symbol that is located near the top of your key fob against the push-button start area of your vehicle. A small chip inside the key fob will connect to the vehicle and command the car’s engine to start. 

Replacing a Mazda Key Fob 

Replacing your Mazda key fob is technically optional. You can continue to manually lock and unlock the doors of your car and start your car’s engine using the method explained above—even when the fob battery is dead. 

Mazda Key Fob

However, the fobs exist for a reason. It is way more convenient to operate your car with your key fob than circumventing the need for a working fob via the more complex and time-consuming method explained above. If you’ve decided it’s time to replace your fob, here’s how to go about the replacement process. 

Where to Buy a Replacement

It can be tempting to purchase a third-party replacement key fob for your Mazda. However, it is important to note that—while these third-party replacement fobs might be marginally cheaper—they are not guaranteed to function as an official Mazda key fob. 

If you need to replace your key fob, your best bet is to go to an official Mazda dealership. They will likely have replacement key fobs available for your Mazda model in their parts department.

How Much Does it Cost to Replace a Mazda Key Fob? 

Although they might not look like much due to their small size and simplistic design, they are high-tech devices. That means they can cost a lot to replace. Official Mazda fobs vary in cost depending on the fob and its functionality, but range in price from $100 or less to $300 or more. 

Many drivers are surprised by how much a replacement key fob can cost, but most Mazda drivers agree that the modern convenience of their key fob is worth the one-time cost of replacing it.