1998 NISSAN ALTIMA child restraint

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. Additionally, a separate Customer Care/Lemon Law Booklet will explain how to resolve any
concerns you may have with your vehicle, as well as clarify your rights under your state's lemon law.
Your NISSAN dealership knows your vehicle best. When you require any service or have any questions, they will be glad to assist you with
the extensive resources available to them.
WARNING
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
REMINDERS FOR SAFETY!
Follow these 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.
c
ALWAYS use your seat belts and appropriate child restraint
systems. Pre-teen children should be seated in the rear seat.
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.
1997 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 find information 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.

1 Seats, restraints and supplemental air
bag systems
Front seats .............................................................1-2
Seat adjustment .....................................................1-3
Head restraints .......................................................1-5
Rear seat ................................................................1-6
Supplemental restraint system (air bag
system) ...................................................................1-7
Supplemental air bag system...............................1-10
Warning labels......................................................1-12
Supplemental air bag warning light......................1-12
Seat belts .............................................................1-14
Precautions on seat belt usage ...........................1-14Child safety...........................................................1-16
Pregnant women ..................................................1-16
Injured persons ....................................................1-16
Three-point type with retractor .............................1-17
2-point type without retractor (rear center lap
belt).......................................................................1-20
Seat belt extenders ..............................................1-22
Seat belt maintenance .........................................1-22
Child restraints .....................................................1-22
Top strap child restraint .......................................1-31
ZX

Power (if so equipped)
WARNING
c
Do not adjust the driver's seat while
driving in order that full attention may
be given to the driving operation.
cDo not leave children unattended in-
side the vehicle. They could unknow-
ingly activate switches or controls.
Unattended children could become
involved in serious accidents.
Operating Tips
cThe motor has an auto-reset overload
protection circuit. If the motor stops dur-
ing operation, wait 30 seconds, then re-
activate the switch.
cDo not operate the power support seat
for a long period of time when the engine
is off. This will discharge the battery.
Forward and backward adjustment
Moving the switch forward or backward will
slide the seat forward or backward to the
desired position.
Reclining
Move the recline switch backward until the
desired angle is obtained. To bring the
seatback forward again, move the switch
forward and move your body forward. The
seatback will move forward.
ARS1019
1-4Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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 re-
strained.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental air bag could seri-
ously injure or kill your child. See
``Child restraints'' later in this sec-
tion for details.
ARS1043
ARS1044
ARS1045
ARS1046
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-9
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.
Most U.S. states and all Canadian prov-
inces and 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.
ARS1048ARS1047
SEAT BELTS
1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

CHILD SAFETY
Children need adults to help protect them.
They need to be properly restrained.
The proper restraint depends on the child's
size. Generally, infants (up to about 1 year
and less than 20 pounds) should be placed
in rear facing child restraints. Forward fac-
ing child restraints are available for children
who outgrow rear facing child restraints.
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 improp-
erly fitting seat belt could cause seri-
ous or fatal injury. Always use appro-
priate 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'' later in this section.
In addition, there are many types of child
restraints available for larger children which
should be used for maximum protection.
NISSAN recommends that all preteens and
children be restrained 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. This
is especially important because your ve-
hicle has a supplemental restraint system
(Air bag system) for the front passenger.
See ``Supplemental restraint system'' ear-
lier in this section.
Infants and small children
NISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be placed in child restraints that
comply 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.
Larger children
Children who are too large for child re-
straints should be seated and restrained by
the seat belts which are provided.
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 the
child 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.
1-16Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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
three-point seat belts have a cinching
mechanism for child restraint installation. It
is referred to as the automatic locking mode.
When automatic locking mode 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. See ``Child Restraints'' later
in this section for more information.
The automatic locking mode should be
used only for child restraint installation.
During normal seat belt use by a passen-
ger, the locking mode should not be
activated. If it is activated it may cause
uncomfortable seat belt tension.
Unfastening the seat belts
To unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle. The seat belt automatically retracts.
ARS1077ARS1054
1-18Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

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 an extender is
required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN seat belt extenders,
made by the same company which
made the original equipment belts,
should be used with NISSAN seat
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 rec-
ommended 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 on 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 the 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.
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.
cInfants and small children should
never be carried on your lap. It is not
possible for even the strongest adult
to resist the forces of a severe acci-
dent. 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.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental air bag could seri-
ously injure or kill your child. A rear-
facing child restraint must only be
used in the rear seat.
cNissan recommends that the child
restraint 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.
CHILD RESTRAINTS
1-22Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX