1997 NISSAN ALTIMA child seat

Foreword
Welcome to the growing family of new NISSAN owners. This vehicle is delivered to you with confidence. It was produced using the latest
techniques and strict quality control.
This manual was prepared to help you understand the operation and maintenance of your vehicle so that you may enjoy many miles of
driving pleasure. Please read through this manual before operating your vehicle.
A separate Warranty Information and Maintenance Log Booklet explains details about the warranties covering your vehicle and vehicle
maintenance schedules.
Your NISSAN dealer knows your vehicle best. When you require any service or have any questions, he will be glad to assist you with the
extensive resources available to him.
WARNING
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
REMINDERS FOR SAFETY!
Follow these five important rules to help ensure a safe and
complete trip for you and your passengers!
cNEVER drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
cALWAYS observe posted speed limits and never drive too
fast for conditions.
cALWAYS use your seat belts and appropriate child restraint
systems.
cALWAYS provide information about the proper use of
vehicle safety features to all occupants of the vehicle.
cALWAYS review this Owner's Manual for important safety
information.
1996 NISSAN NORTH AMERICA, INC.
TORRANCE, CALIFORNIA
All rights reserved. No part of this Owner's Manual may be reproduced
or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any
means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of Nissan North America, Inc.
NOTES ON THE INFORMATION CONTAINED IN
THIS OWNER'S MANUAL
This owner's manual contains descriptions and operating in-
structions for all systems, features and optional equipment that
might appear in any model of this vehicle built for any destina-
tion in North America, including the continental United States,
Canada and Hawaii. Therefore, you may very well find informa-
tion in this manual that does not apply to your vehicle.
MODIFICATION OF YOUR VEHICLE
This vehicle should not be modified. Modification could affect
its performance, safety or durability, and may even violate
governmental regulations. In addition, damage or perfor-
mance problems resulting from modifications may not be
covered under NISSAN warranties.
All information, specifications and illustrations in this manual are
those in effect at the time of printing. NISSAN reserves the right to
change specifications or design without notice and without obligation.
The inside pages of this manual contain
a minimum of 50% recycled fibers,
including 10% post-consumer fibers.

Tilting the sunroof
To tilt up, first close the sunroof, then push
and hold the UP side of the tilt switch. To close
the sunroof, push and hold the DOWN side.
Sun shade
Open and close the sun shade by sliding it
forward or backward.
WARNING
cIn an accident you could be thrown
from the vehicle through an open
sunroof. Always use seat belts and
child restraints.
c
Do not allow anyone to stand up or
extend any portion of their body out of
the opening while the vehicle is in
motion or while the sunroof is closing.
CAUTION
cRemove water drops, snow, ice or
sand from the sunroof before
opening.
cDo not place any heavy object on the
sunroof or surrounding area.
IF THE SUNROOF DOES NOT
CLOSE
1. Turn the ignition key to the OFF position.
Be sure no objects are caught in the
sunroof opening.
2. Remove the spotlight unit. The shaft end
of the sunroof motor will be visible.
3. Using a 5mm (0.20 in) hex wrench, turn
the shaft clockwise to close the sunroof.
Have the sunroof system checked and re-
paired by your NISSAN dealer.
AIC0519
1-19
ZX

2Pre-driving checks and adjustments
Key .........................................................................2-2
Door locks ..............................................................2-2
Manual door lock ....................................................2-2
Power door lock .....................................................2-3
Child safety rear door lock .....................................2-4
Multi-remote control system (if so equipped).........2-4
Battery replacement ...............................................2-6
Hood release ..........................................................2-8
Glove box ...............................................................2-8
Trunk lid lock operation ..........................................2-9
Opener cancel lever for trunk lid..........................2-10
Fuel filler lid lock operation ..................................2-10
Fuel filler cap ........................................................2-11
Front seats ...........................................................2-12
Seat adjustment ...................................................2-12
Head restraints .....................................................2-14
Rear seat ..............................................................2-15
Supplemental restraint system (air bag
system) .................................................................2-16Supplemental air bag system...............................2-19
Warning labels......................................................2-21
Supplemental air bag warning light......................2-21
Seat belts .............................................................2-23
Precautions on seat belt usage ...........................2-23
Child safety...........................................................2-25
3-point type with retractor ....................................2-26
2-point type without retractor (center position
of rear seat) ..........................................................2-28
Seat belt extenders ..............................................2-30
Seat belt maintenance .........................................2-30
Child restraints for infants and small children......2-30
Top strap child restraint .......................................2-34
Tilting steering wheel ...........................................2-37
Outside mirror remote control ..............................2-37
Outside mirrors .....................................................2-37
Inside mirror .........................................................2-38
Vanity mirror .........................................................2-38
ZX

POWER DOOR LOCK
The power door lock system allows you to
lock or unlock all doors simultaneously.
Turning the front door key to the front of the
vehicle locks all doors.
Turning the front door key one time to the
rear of the vehicle unlocks the correspond-
ing door. From that position, returning the
key to Neutral (where the key can only be
removed and inserted) and turning it to the
rear again within 5 seconds unlocks all
doors.To lock from the outside without a key, push
the door lock button (driver side only) or the
door lock knob (driver or passenger side),
then close the door. When locking the door
this way, be certain not to leave the key
inside the vehicle.
All doors automatically unlock with the key
in the ignition.
WARNING
cAlways have the doors locked while
driving. Along with the use of seat
belts, this provides greater safety in
the event of an accident by helping
to prevent persons from being
thrown from the vehicle. This also
helps keep children and others from
unintentionally opening the doors,
and will help keep out intruders.
cBefore opening any door, always
look for and avoid oncoming traffic.
APD0528APD0521APD0527
2-3
ZX

WARNING
cNever let children ride unrestrained.
Do not attempt to hold them in your
lap or arms. Some examples of dan-
gerous riding positions are shown in
the previous illustrations.
cChildren may be severely injured or
killed when the supplemental air bag
inflates if they are not properly
restrained.
cAlso, never install a rear-facing child
restraint in the front seat. An inflat-
ing supplemental air bag could seri-
ously injure or kill your child. See
``Child restraints for infants and
small children'' for details.
APD0652
APD0653
APD0660
APD0648
2-18
ZX

PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGE
If you are wearing your seat belt properly
adjusted, your chances of being injured or
killed in an accident and/or the severity of
injury may be greatly reduced. NISSAN
strongly encourages you and all of your
passengers to buckle up every time you
drive, even if your seating position includes
a supplemental air bag.
Some states and all Canadian provinces or
territories require that seat belts be worn at
all times when a vehicle is being driven.
WARNING
cEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times. Children should be prop-
erly restrained and, if appropriate, in
a child restraint.
c
The belt should be properly adjusted
to a snug fit. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the entire
restraint system and increase the
chance or severity of injury in an acci-
dent. Serious injury or death can occur
if the seat belt is not worn properly.cAlways route the shoulder belt over
your shoulder and across your chest.
Never run the belt behind your back,
under your arm or across your neck.
The belt should be away from your
face and neck, but not falling off your
shoulder.cPosition the lap belt as low and snug
as possible AROUND THE HIPS,
NOT THE WAIST. A lap belt worn too
high could increase the risk of inter-
nal injuries in an accident.
APD0658APD0718
SEAT BELTS
2-23
ZX

CHILD SAFETY
Children need adults to help protect
them.
WARNING
Infants and children need special pro-
tection. The vehicle's seat belts may
not fit them properly. The shoulder belt
may come too close to the face or neck.
The lap belt may not fit over their small
hip bones. In an accident an improperly
fitting seat belt could cause serious or
fatal injury. Always use appropriate
child restraints.
All U.S. states and provinces of Canada
require the use of approved child restraints
for infants and small children. (See ``Child
Restraints for Infants and Small Children''
later in this section.)
In addition, there are many types of child
restraints available for larger children which
should be used for maximum protection.
Infant or small child
NISSAN recommends that infants or small
children be placed in child restraints thatcomply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. You should choose a
child restraint that fits your vehicle and
always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions for installation and use.
Children
Children who are too large for child re-
straints should be seated and restrained by
the seat belts which are provided.
NISSAN recommends that children sit in the
rear seat if possible. According to accident
statistics, children are safer when properly
restrained in the rear seat than in the front
seat.
If the child's seating position has a shoulder
belt that fits close to the face or neck, the
use of a booster seat (commercially avail-
able) may help overcome this. The booster
seat should raise the child so that the shoul-
der belt is properly positioned across the
top, middle portion of the shoulder and the
lap belt is low on the hips. The booster seat
should fit the vehicle seat and have a label
certifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canadian Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standards. Once thechild has grown so the shoulder belt is no
longer on or near the face and neck, use the
shoulder belt without the booster seat.
WARNING
Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat and do not allow a child in the
cargo areas while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The child could be seriously in-
jured or killed in an accident.
Pregnant women
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women
use seat belts. Contact your doctor for spe-
cific recommendations. The lap belt should
be worn snug and positioned as low as
possible around the hips, not the waist.
Injured persons
NISSAN recommends that injured persons
use seat belts. Check with your doctor for
specific recommendations.
2-25
ZX

3. Position the lap belt portionlow and
snug on the hipsas shown.
4. Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack.
The front passenger side seat belt and rear
3-point seat belts have a cinching mecha-
nism 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 further
until the seat belt tongue is detached from
the buckle and fully retracted. Once re-
tracted, the seat belt is in the emergencylocking mode. Refer to ``Child Restraints for
Infants and Small Children'' later in this
section for more information.
The automatic locking mode should be
used only for child seat installation. Dur-
ing normal seat belt use by a passenger,
the locking mode should not be acti-
vated. 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.
Checking seat belt operation
(3-point type with retractor)
Seat belt retractors are designed to lock belt
movement using two separate methods:
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 their operation as follows:
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull quickly
forward. The retractor should lock and
restrict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this
check or if you have any questions about
belt operation, see your NISSAN dealer.
PD1024M
2-27
ZX