1998 NISSAN FRONTIER Owners Manual

The driver's supplemental air bag is located in
the center of the steering wheel. The passen-
ger's supplemental air bag is located in the top
right section of the instrument panel.
These systems are designed to meet optional
certification requirements under U.S. regula-tions. They are also permitted in Canada. The
optional certification allows air bags to be
designed to inflate somewhat less forcefully
than previously.However, all of the infor-
mation, cautions and warnings in this
manual still apply and must be followed.
The supplemental air bag system is designed
to inflate in higher severity frontal collisions,
although it may inflate if the forces in another
type of collision are similar to those of a higher
severity frontal impact. It may not inflate in
certain frontal collisions. Vehicle damage (or
lack of it) is not always an indication of proper
supplemental air bag operation.
The front passenger supplemental air bag is
equipped with an ON/OFF switch. Because
no rear seat exists where a rear facing child
restraint can be secured, the switch is de-
signed to turn OFF the passenger supple-
mental air bag so that a rear facing child
restraint can be used in the front passenger
seat. See ``Passenger supplemental air bag
ON/OFF switch and light'' later in this section
for details.
When the supplemental air bag inflates, a
fairly loud noise may be heard, followed by
the release of smoke. This smoke is not
harmful and does not indicate a fire, but
care should be taken not to unintentionally
inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing
condition should get fresh air promptly.
The supplemental air bags, along with the use
of the seat belt, helps to cushion the impact
force on the face and chest of the occupant.
ARS1116
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
SYSTEM
1-10Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

It can help save lives and reduce serious
injuries. However, an inflating supplemental
air bag may cause facial abrasions or other
injuries. Supplemental air bags do not pro-
vide restraint to the lower body.
Seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far
as practical away from the steering wheel or
dashboard. Since the supplemental air bags
inflate quickly in order to help protect the
front occupants, the force of the supplemen-
tal air bag inflating can increase the risk of
injury if the occupant is too close to or
against the supplemental air bag module
during inflation.
The supplemental air bags deflate quickly
after a collision.
The supplemental air bags operate only
when the ignition switch is in the ON or
START position.
WARNING
cDo not attach any objects to the
steering wheel pad or on the instru-
ment panel. Also, do not place any
objects between any occupant and
the steering wheel or on the instru-
ment panel. Such objects maybecome dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if the supplemental air
bag inflates.
cRight after inflation, several supple-
mental air bag system components
will be hot. Do not touch them; you
may severely burn yourself.
c
No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This
is to prevent accidental inflation of
the supplemental air bag or damage
to the supplemental air bag system.
cDo not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle's electrical system, sus-
pension system or front end structure.
This could affect proper operation of
the supplemental air bag system.
cTampering with the supplemental air
bag system may result in serious per-
sonal injury. Tampering includes
changes to the steering wheel and the
instrument panel assembly by placing
material over the steering wheel pad,
above the dashboard, or by installing
additional trim material around the
supplemental air bag system.cWork around and on the supplemen-
tal air bag system should be done by
an authorized NISSAN dealer. Installa-
tion of electrical equipment should
also be done by an authorized NIS-
SAN dealer. The yellow SRS wiring-
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the supple-
mental air bag system.
cSRS wiring harnesses are covered
with yellow insulation either just be-
fore the harness connectors or over
the complete harness for easy iden-
tification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the supplemental
air bag system and guide the buyer to the
appropriate sections in this Owner's Manual.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-11
ZX

PASSENGER SUPPLEMENTAL
AIR BAG ON/OFF SWITCH AND
LIGHT.
WARNING
Air bags and seat belts are designed to
work as a unit. Do not switch the air bag
OFF unless you meet federal govern-
ment criteria. Switching off the air bag
may increase the risk of serious or fatal
injuries in a collision where the air bag
would have inflated.
The passenger air bag ON/OFF switch is
located in the center of the instrument panel,
near the ashtray. It can be used to turn the
passenger supplemental air bag OFF.
In rare instances, some passengers are ex-
posed to serious injury risks from inflating air
bags, especially if not properly restrained.
The U.S. and Canadian federal governments
recognize other limited circumstances in
which an air bag could reduce safety. The
passenger air bag ON/OFF switch is, there-
fore, allowed in this vehicle. Because the
overall benefits of air bags are great, in most
situations air bags should not be switched off
unless special government criteria exist.
ARS1117
1-12Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

The ON/OFF switch should ONLYbe used
to turn the passenger supplemental air bag
OFF when the following government criteria
exist:
cInfants (less than 1 year old) in rear
facing child restraints MUST
be placed
in the front passenger seat.
cChildren ages 1-12 years MUST
be
placed in the front passenger seat.
c
The passenger has a medical condition
which, according to a physician, causes
the air bag to pose a special risk and
makes the potential harm from the air
bag greater than the potential harm
from turning off the air bag.
Seat belts and child restraints should al-
ways be properly used. See ªPrecautions
on seat belt usageº and ªChild restraintsº
later in this section for details.
To turn the passenger supplemental air bag
OFF, insert the ignition key in the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch and
turn the switch clockwise to the OFF posi-
tion. Then remove the key. When the igni-
tion is turned to the ON or START position
the passenger air bag OFF indicator light
will illuminate to indicate the air bag is OFF.To turn the passenger supplemental air bag
ON, insert the ignition key in the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch and
turn the switch counter clockwise to the ON
position. Then remove the key. When the
ignition is turned to the ON or START
position the passenger air bag OFF indica-
tor light will illuminate for 7 seconds to
indicate the system is working properly and
then go out to indicate that the passenger
supplemental air bag is ON.
When the switch is turned to the ON posi-
tion, the passenger supplemental air bag is
enabled and could inflate in a frontal colli-
sion. When the switch is turned to the OFF
position, the passenger supplemental air
bag is disabled and will not inflate in a
frontal collision. The passenger supplemen-
tal air bag OFF indicator light on the instru-
ment panel illuminates when the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch is
turned to the OFF position. The driver's side
supplemental air bag always remains en-
abled and is not affected by the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch.
The passenger supplemental air bag light,
displaying OFF in the center of the instru-
ment panel, monitors the position of thepassenger supplemental air bag ON/OFF
switch. When the ignition key is in the ON or
START position, the light illuminates for
about 7 seconds and then turns off if the air
bag is ON, or stays on if the air bag is OFF.
WARNING
cDo not switch the air bag OFF unless
you meet the federal government cri-
teria outlined below. This vehicle is
equipped with seat belts with a ``load
limiter'' feature. The seat belts are
designed to work with the air bags to
reduce the risk of injury in a colli-
sion. The seat belts are designed to
release additional belt webbing dur-
ing some collisions to reduce the
concentration of force on the occu-
pant's chest area. In a collision with
the air bag turned OFF, the seat belt
may allow the occupant enough for-
ward movement to incur serious or
fatal injuries.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-13
ZX

cKeep the passenger supplemental
air bag ON/OFF switch turned ON
unless
a rear-facing child restraint
must be used in the front seat, if
children ages 1-12 must be placed in
the front seat, or if the passenger
has a medical condition, which, ac-
cording to a physician, causes the
air bag to pose a special risk of harm
(the federal government criteria). If
the switch is OFF, the air bag will not
inflate in a collision as designed and
the extra protection provided by the
air bag may be lost.
c
Be sure to turn the passenger supple-
mental air bag ON/OFF switch OFF
when using a rear facing child re-
straint in the front passenger seat. If
it is not OFF, the air bag may inflate in
a collision. The force of the rapidly
inflating air bag could cause serious
injury or kill the child in the child
restraint. Children ages 1-12 and per-
sons with special medical conditions
may also be at risk from an inflating
air bag.cIf the supplemental air bag warning
light located in the instrument panel
next to the speedometer comes on
when the passenger supplemental air
bag OFF light is also illuminated,
something may be wrong with the air
bag system. Infants, children ages
1-12 or persons with special medical
conditions should not use the front
passenger seat until the system is
checked by your NISSAN dealer.
1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

Warning labels about the supplemental air
bag system are placed in the vehicle as
shown in the illustration.The supplemental air bag warning light,
displaying AIR BAG in the instrument panel,
monitors the circuits of the supplemental air
bag. The circuits monitored by the supple-
mental air bag warning light are the diagno-
sis sensor unit, the supplemental air bag
module and all related wiring.
When the ignition key is in the ON or START
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates for about 7 seconds and
then turns off. This means the system is
operational.
If any of the following conditions occur, the
supplemental air bag needs servicing and
ARS1028ARS1029
WARNING LABELS SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
WARNING LIGHT
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-15
ZX

should be taken to your nearest authorized
NISSAN dealer:
1. The supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on and remain on for 7
seconds and then go off as described
above.
2. The supplemental air bag warning light
flashes intermittently or remains on.
3. The supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on at all.
Under these conditions, the Supplemental
Restraint System (supplemental air bag
system) may not function properly. It must
be checked and repaired.
WARNING
If the supplemental air bag warning
light is on, it could mean that the
supplemental air bag system will not
operate in an accident.
Repair and replacement procedure
The supplemental air bag system is de-
signed to inflate on a one-time-only basis.
As a reminder, unless it is damaged, the
supplemental air bag warning light remainsilluminated after inflation has occurred.
Repair and replacement of the supplemen-
tal air bag system should be done only by
an authorized NISSAN dealer.
To ensure long-term functioning, the
system must be inspected 10 years after
the date of manufacture noted on the
certification label located on the driver
side front pillar.
When maintenance work is required on the
vehicle, the supplemental air bag system
and related parts should be pointed out to
the person conducting the maintenance.
The ignition key must always be in the LOCK
position when working under the hood or
inside the vehicle.
WARNING
cOnce the supplemental air bag in-
flates, the supplemental air bag
module will not function again and
should be replaced by an authorized
NISSAN dealer. The supplemental air
bag module cannot be repaired.cThe supplemental air bag system
should be inspected by an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer if there is any
damage to the front end portion of
the vehicle.
cIf you need to dispose of the supple-
mental air bag or scrap the vehicle,
contact an authorized NISSAN
dealer. Correct supplemental air bag
disposal procedures are set forth in
the appropriate NISSAN Service
Manual. Incorrect disposal proce-
dures could cause personal injury.
1-16Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGE
Your chances of being injured in an acci-
dent and/or the severity of injury may be
greatly reduced if you are wearing your seat
belt and it is properly adjusted. 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 Canadian prov-
inces or territories may specify 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
child restraints.
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 as pos-
sible AROUND THE HIPS, NOT THE
WAIST. A lap belt worn too high
could increase the risk of internal
injuries in an accident.
ARS1101ARS1100ARS1103
SEAT BELTS
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-17
ZX