7 Seat Mazda5: Anyone Import 3 Seat 2nd Row to U.S.?

Z

zanglezonker

Member
:
2008 Mazda5
So the European/UK, (and possibly Japanese?) market Mazda5/Premacy have second row seats with parts that fold into a third (middle) seat, making a total of seven seats.

Has anyone imported these seats to the US?

I'm wondering about the install. It appears the middle seat parts are all attached to the Driver's side, but I'm imagining one end of the seat belt for the middle seat is anchored to the passenger side seat.

Can anyone in a market with the middle seat post some pictures of how the middle seat and seat belt attach?

I think it would be more manageable to import one seat and a seat belt than two seats (given the astronomical shipping one would probably pay).

Also, if anyone can point me to any kind of web search of EU/UK junk/salvage yards, such as car-part.com for the US/North America, that would be awesome.
 
From what I've seen of the Mazda Japan site, the extra seat comes from the 2nd row driver's side seat.

Like the seats in the GT model where the passenger 2nd row has a table that folds out; this is the similar approach on the chair you are looking for.

I would assume that you just need to source that seat and possible belt.

I agree that it would be nice to import but I suspect the seat belt may not have been safety tested to North American standards and thus not available here?

Let us know what you find.
 
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Seat belt would be the biggest challenge. The middle belt comes out from the roof and not safety tested. Actually, I vaguely recall that it failed US standards (not necessarily crash test but could be size regulation). I really wanted the middle seat too, even if only to use as a latch seat... And the power sliding doors whilt you are at it. That should be much easier, just need hardware.


We have a couple of UK members. Hopefully they can provide some input.
 
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You don't need to speak Japanese.

They are sold in English speaking countries like the UK. http://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda5/features/interior/

The New Zealand Mazda site says this about the Premacy (the name for the 5 in many other markets):
"The first generation Premacy was a 5 or 7 passenger vehicle with either 2 or 3 rows of seats, while the second generation added a third row of seats for up to 6 passengers in the US and 7 passengers in the rest of the world. Both generations feature near-flat floors, folding or removable 2nd row and fold-flat rear seats."
http://www.mazda.co.nz/mazda-premacy."

It looks to me like it probably was not approved for US safety because it appears only to have a lap belt for the middle seat.

BTW, the research shows that the middle back is the safest location within a car EVEN WHEN IT ONLY HAS A LAP BELT. This is mainly because the person in that seat is further from the outside of the car in any kind of impact. I looked into this when my younger daughter always wanted to sit in the middle (lap belt seat) in our older (1990's) cars.
 
zanglezonker said:
It looks to me like it probably was not approved for US safety because it appears only to have a lap belt for the middle seat.

BTW, the research shows that the middle back is the safest location within a car EVEN WHEN IT ONLY HAS A LAP BELT. This is mainly because the person in that seat is further from the outside of the car in any kind of impact. I looked into this when my younger daughter always wanted to sit in the middle (lap belt seat) in our older (1990's) cars.
Click to expand...

There is test data and regulations and both don't always agree with each other or make cense.
You may also wonder why in Europe you can adjust headlights left to right and can in the USA, I guess they figured that in the USA if the car has been involved in the accident is will always be repaired to the perfect as factory state and will always align as good as at the factory. (uhm)
 
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Silentnoise713 said:
Seat belt would be the biggest challenge. The middle belt comes out from the roof and not safety tested. Actually, I vaguely recall that it failed US standards (not necessarily crash test but could be size regulation). I really wanted the middle seat too, even if only to use as a latch seat... And the power sliding doors whilt you are at it. That should be much easier, just need hardware.

We have a couple of UK members. Hopefully they can provide some input.
Click to expand...

Yep, I would second all this as a UK 5 owner.

I think your biggest problem is going to be the seat belt. It comes out of the roof, and you are probably going to need the UK/Euro headliner if you want anything like a neat job. In the place where the seat belt exits the roof, the headliner has a molded shape around it all.

The seat itself wouldn't be too bad to do as I imagine it would probably just bolt in - the chassis/floor can't be any different there, it would be too expensive for Mazda otherwise.

I can take detailed pictures if you want.

zanglezonker said:
You don't need to speak Japanese.

They are sold in English speaking countries like the UK. http://www.mazda.co.uk/cars/mazda5/features/interior/

The New Zealand Mazda site says this about the Premacy (the name for the 5 in many other markets):
"The first generation Premacy was a 5 or 7 passenger vehicle with either 2 or 3 rows of seats, while the second generation added a third row of seats for up to 6 passengers in the US and 7 passengers in the rest of the world. Both generations feature near-flat floors, folding or removable 2nd row and fold-flat rear seats."
http://www.mazda.co.nz/mazda-premacy."

It looks to me like it probably was not approved for US safety because it appears only to have a lap belt for the middle seat.

BTW, the research shows that the middle back is the safest location within a car EVEN WHEN IT ONLY HAS A LAP BELT. This is mainly because the person in that seat is further from the outside of the car in any kind of impact. I looked into this when my younger daughter always wanted to sit in the middle (lap belt seat) in our older (1990's) cars.
Click to expand...

The UK version is NOT a lap belt.

As described, the shoulder belt part exits the roof, so it is like any normal seatbelt. You can't buy cars here now with middle lap belts.
 
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I wonder if, since the 7th seat is not US DOT approved, if one could just skip the shoulder strap and put a basic adjustable lap belt in it. If it normally has seatbelt sensors in the world version, you aren't going to be able to just hook those up Stateside anyway, so lap or 3-point, it won't matter much except from a peace-of-mind POV.
 
I'm not a fan of lap belts. If something goes wrong they are not ideal for our bodies. If you wanted to use it to secure a 5-point kid seat that would be okay. Just recently a few RVs have 3-point belts for those other than the front row driver/passenger. Some jets I fly on have shoulder harnesses, but most are still lap only.
 
thaxman said:
I wonder if, since the 7th seat is not US DOT approved, if one could just skip the shoulder strap and put a basic adjustable lap belt in it. If it normally has seatbelt sensors in the world version, you aren't going to be able to just hook those up Stateside anyway, so lap or 3-point, it won't matter much except from a peace-of-mind POV.
Click to expand...
would you try to get DMV approval for the add-on lap belt? My covern is that in any accident, you are liable for any injuries bc that seat is not suppose to be there.


The Euro C-Max's jump seat is much better and looks like it should be able to mount with little modding. I was heavily following the Grand C-Max the US was suppose to get but ended up still-born.
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLNG5M-s0lA
 
Silentnoise713 said:
would you try to get DMV approval for the add-on lap belt? My covern is that in any accident, you are liable for any injuries bc that seat is not suppose to be there.
Click to expand...


You know the answer: don't get into an accident.
I guess that if you live somewhere frequently affected by storms like the one rolling through right now, that may not be easy advice to follow.
 
There is a backseat available on Ebay. Search for "mazda5 rear seat".
But before you buy, make sure that you can install the safety belt in the roof.
 
thaxman said:
You know the answer: don't get into an accident.
Click to expand...
Trying me best (usa)

My main concern is nothing protects you from "others"... Say you are involved in a NO fault accident. You are likely held liable or insurance dodges the bullet b/c someone was in a seat that's not suppose to be there :(. It is essentiality having 6 passengers in a 5 seat car. That fact that a 6th DIY seat was erected does not make it a 6 seat car.
 
phunky.buddha said:
All the ones I found were the rear seat, not center 2nd row seat.
Click to expand...
Yes, but you do need a rear seat (left hand side). The center seat folds out of it. I haven't seen any center seat available separately. Be aware that you may need to buy a left and right hand site seat, because the center seat rests on the right hand site seat and it can be that your right hand side seat does not have a support for the center seat.
 
deisz001 said:
Yes, but you do need a rear seat (left hand side). The center seat folds out of it. I haven't seen any center seat available separately. Be aware that you may need to buy a left and right hand site seat, because the center seat rests on the right hand site seat and it can be that your right hand side seat does not have a support for the center seat.
Click to expand...

Gotcha. The listings for rear seat on ebay are for the 3rd row, not 2nd. I did find an entire set on ebay UK for 600 pounds, but that's way too damn much, especially after shipping to the US. Do you have the center seat option on yours? If you do, any way to take pictures of the attachment setup into the left middle seat? I'm guessing the attachment points exist on the US cars but that they just aren't used. I can probably source the missing parts from Japan and get them sent over.
 
phunky.buddha said:
Gotcha. The listings for rear seat on ebay are for the 3rd row, not 2nd. I did find an entire set on ebay UK for 600 pounds, but that's way too damn much, especially after shipping to the US. Do you have the center seat option on yours? If you do, any way to take pictures of the attachment setup into the left middle seat? I'm guessing the attachment points exist on the US cars but that they just aren't used. I can probably source the missing parts from Japan and get them sent over.
Click to expand...

So you are really serious about being the 1st North American Mazda5 owner with the center seat? Pretty cool...and ballsy I must say.
 
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