1997 NISSAN SENTRA Owners Manual

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.
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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 seat belt webbings,apply
a mild soap solution or any solution
recommended for cleaning upholstery or
carpets. Then brush the webbing, wipe it
with a cloth and allow it to dry in the
shade. Do not allow the seat belts to
retract until they are completely dry.
cIf dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guideof the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoul-
der belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
cPeriodically check to see that the
seat belt and metal components,such
as buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible
wires and anchors, work properly. If
loose parts, deterioration, cuts or other
damage on the webbing is found, the
entire seat belt assembly should be re-
placed.
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WARNING
cInfants and small children should
always be placed in an appropriate
child restraint while riding in the ve-
hicle. Failure to use a child restraint
can result in serious injury or death.
cChildren 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.
cNissan recommends that the child
restraint system be installed in the
rear seat. According to accident sta-
tistics, children are safer when prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.
cAn improperly installed child re-
straint could lead to serious injury or
death in an accident.
In general, child restraints are designed to
be installed with a lap belt or the lap portion
of a three-point type seat belt.Child restraints specially designed for infants
and small children are offered by several
manufacturers. When selecting any child re-
straint, 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 and seat belt system. Choose
the child restraint that meets the guide-
lines of Society of Automotive Engineers
recommended practice J1819 for child
seat installation.
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.
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 oper-
ated.
WARNING
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
air bag could seriously injure or kill
your child. A rear-facing child re-
straint must only be used in the rear
seat. See ªInstallation on front pas-
senger seatº for details.
cImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
cFollow all of the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions for in-
stallation 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.
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.
CHILD RESTRAINTS FOR
INFANTS AND SMALL
CHILDREN
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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.
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 shoul-
der belt behind the child restraint.
c
When your child restraint is not in
use, keep it secured with a seat belt to
prevent it from being thrown around
in case of a sudden stop or accident.
CAUTION
Remember 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.
Installation on rear seat
Center lap belt
When you install a child restraint in a rear
center seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the seat, as
illustrated. 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 restraint manufac-
turer's instructions for belt routing.3. Remove all slack in the lap belt for a very
tight fit by pulling forcefully on the lap belt
adjustment.
4. 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 it is securely held in place.
5. If it is not secure, try to tighten the belt
again, or put the restraint in another seat.
6. Check to make sure the child restraint is
properly secured prior to each use.
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Installation on rear outboard seating
positions
WARNING
cThe 3-point belt in your vehicle is
equipped with a locking mode re-
tractor which must be used when
installing a child restraint.
cFailure to do so will result in the
child restraint not being properly se-
cured. It could tip over or otherwise
be unsecured 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 up on the belt to
remove any slack in the belt.
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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 eachuse. 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.
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To install the anchor 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.
WARNING
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.
Anchor point locations
Anchor points are located under the rear
parcel shelf finisher.
To use attaching hardware for child re-
straints with top straps, follow these instruc-
tions carefully:
1.
Open the trunk and find the anchor point
nuts on the underside of the rear parcel
shelf. Thread a bolt (8.0 mm diameter,
1.25 pitch) up through the nut behind the
seating position where the child restraint
will be installed and use it to break through
the rear parcel shelf support material.There are pre-cut circles at each anchor
point location that should break away from
the shelf support material when pressure
is applied to them. Remove the bolt after
you feel the pre-cut circle separate from
the shelf support material.
2. Cut a small slit through the parcel shelf
fabric at the anchor point location. Reach
through the fabric with a tool such as a
pair of needle-nose pliers and remove
the pre-cut circle in the parcel shelf sup-
port material.
3. Install the bolt through the top strap hook
and into the anchor point nut.
4. Be sure to follow all of the instructions
that accompany the top strap attaching
hardware.
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Installation on front passenger seat
(vehicles with passenger-side air bag)
WARNING
c
Never install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front passenger seat. Air
bags inflate with great force. A rear-
facing child restraint could be struck
by the air bag in a crash and could
seriously injure or kill your child.
cIf you install a forward-facing child
restraint in the front passenger seat,
place the passenger seat as far back
as possible.A child restraint with a top strap should not
be used in the front passenger seat.
WARNING
cThe 3-point belt in your vehicle is
equipped with a locking mode re-
tractor which must be used when
installing a child restraint.
cFailure to use the retractor's locking
mode will result in the child restraint
not being properly secured. The re-
straint could tip over or otherwise be
unsecured and cause injury to the
child in a sudden stop or collision.When you install a child restraint in the front
seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the front
passenger seat.It should be placed in
a forward-facing direction only.Move
the seat as far back from the instrument
panel as possible. Always follow the re-
straint manufacturer's instructions.Child
restraints for infants must be used in
the rear-facing direction and therefore
must not be used in the front seat.
2. Route the seat belt tongue through the
child restraint and insert it into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
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