1996 NISSAN SENTRA Owners Manual

WARNING
The seatback should not be reclined
any more than needed for comfort. Seat
belts are most effective when the pas-
senger sits well back and straight up in
the seat. If the seat is reclined, the risk
of sliding under the lap belt and being
injured is increased.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retrac-
tor and insert the tongue into the buckle
until it snaps.
The retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the belt to move,
and allows you some freedom of move-
ment in the seat.
3. Position the lap belt portionlow on the
hipsas shown.
4. Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack.The front seat passenger side seat belt and
rear 3-point seat belts have a cinching
mechanism for child seat installation. It is
referred to as the automatic locking mode.
When the cinching mechanism is activated
the seat belt cannot be withdrawn again
until the seat belt tongue is detached from
the buckle and fully retracted. Refer to
``Child Restraints for Infants and Small
Children'' later in this section for more infor-
mation.
APD0631APD0640
2-24
ZX

WARNING
The automatic locking mode should be
used only for child seat installation.
During normal seat belt use by a pas-
senger, the locking mode should not be
activated. If it is activated it may cause
uncomfortable seat belt tension.
Unfastening the belts
To unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle. The seat belt automatically retracts.
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(For front seats) (If so equipped)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
``Precautions on Seat Belt Usage''.) To ad-
just, press both release buttons and move it
to the desired position so the belt passes
over the center of the shoulder. The belt
should be away from your face and neck,
but not falling off of your shoulder.
CAUTION
After adjustment, release the button
and check that it does not move up and
down to make sure the shoulder belt
anchor is securely fixed in position.
Checking seat belt operation
(3-point type with retractor)
Your seat belt retractors are designed to
lock belt movement by two separate meth-
ods:
1) When the belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.
2) When the vehicle slows down rapidly.
To increase your confidence in the belts,
check the operation as follows:
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull forward
quickly. The retractor should lock and
restrict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this
check or if you have any question about belt
operation, see your NISSAN dealer.
APD0630APD0617
2-25
ZX

2-POINT TYPE WITHOUT
RETRACTOR (rear center lap
belt)
Fastening the belts
1. Insert the tongue into the buckle until it
snaps. Both the tongue and the buckle
are marked CENTER.
2. To lengthen, hold the tongue at a right
angle to the belt and pull on the belt. To
shorten, pull the end of the belt attached
to the belt clip away from the tongue,
then pull the belt clip to take up the slack.3. Position the lap beltlow on the hipsas
illustrated.
Unfastening the belts
To unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle.
APD0633APD0634
2-26
ZX

Selecting correct set of belts
The center seat belt buckle and tongue are
identified by the CENTER label. The center
seat belt tongue can be fastenedonlyinto
the center seat belt buckle.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fit the lap-
shoulder belt and fasten it, an extender is
available which is compatible with the in-
stalled seat belts. The extender adds ap-
proximately 8 inches (200 mm) of length
and may be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position. See your NIS-
SAN dealer for assistance if the extender is
required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN belt extenders, made by
the same company which made the
original equipment belts, should be
used with NISSAN belts.
cPersons who can use the standard
seat belt should not use an extender.
Such unnecessary use could result in
serious personal injury in the event
of an accident.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
cTo clean the belt webbings,apply a
mild soap solution or any solution recom-
mended for cleaning upholstery or car-
pets. Then brush the webbing, wipe it
with a cloth and allow it to dry in the
shade. Do not allow the belts to retract
until they are completely dry.
cPeriodically check to see that the belt
and metal components,such as buck-
les, tongues, retractors, flexible wires
and anchors, work properly. If loose
parts, deterioration, cuts or other dam-
age on the webbing is found, the entire
belt assembly should be replaced.
APD0627
2-27
ZX

WARNING
Infants and small children shouldalwaysbe
placed in an appropriate child restraint while
riding in the vehicle. Failure to use a child
restraint can result in serious injury or death.
Children and infants should never be
carried on your lap. It is not possible for
even the strongest adult to resist the
forces of a severe accident. The child
could be crushed between the adult
and parts of the vehicle. Also, do not
put the same seat belt around both
your child and yourself.
In general, child restraints are designed
to be installed with a lap belt or the lap
portion of a three-point type seat belt.
Nissan recommends that the child re-
straint system be installed in the rear
seat. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
An improperly installed child restraint
could lead to serious injury or death in
an accident.Child restraints specially designed for in-
fants and small children are offered by
several manufacturers. When selecting any
child restraint, keep the following points in
mind:
1) Choose only a restraint with a label cer-
tifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or Cana-
dian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
2) Check the child restraint in your vehicle
to be sure it is compatible with the vehi-
cle's seat belt system.
3) If the child restraint is compatible with
your vehicle, place your child in the child
restraint and check the various adjust-
ments to be sure the child restraint is
compatible with your child. Always follow
all recommended procedures.
WARNING
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. A rear-facing
child restraint must only be used in
the rear seat. See ªInstallation on
front passenger seatº for details.cFollow all of the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for installation
and use. When purchasing a child
restraint, be sure to select one which
will fit your child and vehicle. It may
not be possible to properly install
some types of child restraints in your
vehicle.
cImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
c
When your child restraint is not in
use, keep it secured with a seat belt to
prevent it from being thrown forward
in case of a sudden stop or accident.
cRemember that a child restraint left in
a closed vehicle can become very
hot. Check the seating surface and
buckles before placing your child in
the child restraint.
c
All U.S. states and provinces of
Canada require that infants and small
children be restrained in approved
child restraints at all times while the
vehicle is being operated.
CHILD RESTRAINTS FOR
INFANTS AND SMALL
CHILDREN
2-28
ZX

cAfter attaching the child restraint, test
it before you place the child in it. Tilt it
from side to side. Try to tug it forward
and check to see if the belt holds the
restraint in place. If the restraint is not
secure, tighten the belt as necessary,
or put the restraint in another seat and
test it again.
cIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden stop
greatly increases.
cAdjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.
cFor a front facing child restraint, if the
seat position where it is installed has
a 3-point type lap/shoulder belt,
check to make sure the shoulder belt
does not go in front of the child's face
or neck. If it does, put the shoulder
belt behind the child restraint.
Installation on rear seat
Center lap belt
Secure the child restraint with the lap belt as
illustrated. Remove all slack in the lap belt
for a very tight fit by pulling forcefully on the
lap belt adjustment.
PD1026MPD1174
2-29
ZX

Installation on rear outboard seating
positions
WARNING
cThe 3-point belt in your vehicle is
equipped with a locking mode retrac-
tor which must be used when install-
ing a child restraint.
cFailure to do so will result in the child
restraint not being properly secured.
It could tip over or otherwise be un-
secured and cause injury to the child
in a sudden stop or collision.When you install a child restraint in a rear
outboard seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the seat. It
can be placed in a forward facing or rear
facing direction, depending on the size of
the child. Always follow the restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
2. Route the seat belt tongue through the
child restraint and insert it into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
Be sure to follow the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for belt routing.
3. Pull on the shoulder belt until all of the
belt is fully extended and a click is heard.
At this time, the belt retractor is in the
automatic locking mode (child restraint
mode). (It reverts back to ``emergency
locking'' when the belt is fully retracted.)
4. Allow the belt to retract. A clicking sound
will be heard as the belt retracts. This
indicates that the retractor is in the auto-
matic locking mode. Pull down on the belt
to remove any slack in the belt.5. Before placing the child in the child re-
straint, use force to tilt the child restraint
from side to side, and tug it forward to
make sure that it is securely held in
place.
6. Check that the retractor is in the auto-
matic locking mode by trying to pull more
belt out of the retractor. If you cannot pull
any more belt webbing out of the retrac-
tor, the belt is in the automatic locking
mode.
7. Check to make sure that the child re-
straint is properly secured prior to each
PD1331PD1332
2-30
ZX

use. If the belt is not locked, repeat steps
3 through 6.
After the child restraint is removed and the
seat belt is allowed to wind back into the
retractor, the automatic locking mode (child
restraint mode) is canceled; the seat belt
may be used as normal and only locks
during a sudden stop or impact.
TOP STRAP CHILD RESTRAINT
If your child restraint has a top strap, it must
be secured to the provided anchor point.
Anchor bracket hardware must be installed.
The top strap anchor bracket hardware is
available through your NISSAN dealer.
Part #88894-89900
Secure the child restraint with the center lap
belt or the lap portion of the outboard
3-point belt and latch the top strap hook
onto the anchor bracket. To install the an-
chor bracket, a metric bolt of the dimensions
listed below must be used.Bolt diameter: 8.0 mm
Bolt length: more than 1.18 in (30 mm)
Thread pitch: 1.25 mm
The top strap should be secured to the
attaching bolt which provides the straightest
installation of the top strap.
Child restraint anchor points are de-
signed to withstand only those loads
imposed by correctly fitted child re-
straints. Under no circumstances are
they to be used for adult seat belts or
harnesses.
APD0206
2-31
ZX