1998 NISSAN MAXIMA Owners Manual

INever let children ride unrestrained
or extend their hands or face out of
the window. Do not attempt to hold
them in your lap or arms. Some ex-
amples of dangerous riding positions
are shown in the previous illustra-
tions.
IChildren may be severely injured or
killed when the supplemental air bag
or supplemental side air bag inflates
if they are not properly restrained.
IAlso never install a rear facing child
restraint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental air bag could seriously
injure or kill your child. For additional
information, see ªChild restraintsº
later in this section.
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Supplemental side air bag equipped
models:
IThe supplemental side air bag ordi-
narily will not inflate in the event of a
frontal impact, rear impact or lower
severity side collision. Always wear
your seat belts to help reduce the risk
or severity of injury in various kinds
of accidents.
IThe seat belts and the supplemental
side air bag are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright
in the seat. Supplemental side air bag
inflates with great force. Do not allow
anyone to place their hand, leg or
face near the supplemental side air
bag on the side of the seatback of the
front seat. Do not allow anyone sit-
ting in the front seat to extend their
hand out of the window or lean
against the door. When sitting in the
rear seat, do not hold onto the seat-
back of the front seat. If the supple-
mental side air bag inflates, the occu-
pant may be seriously injured. Be
especially careful with children, who
should always be properly restrained.
IDo not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
supplemental side air bag inflation.
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Supplemental air bag systemThe driver supplemental air bag is located in
the center of the steering wheel; the front
passenger supplemental air bag is mounted in
the dashboard above the glove box. The
supplemental air bags are designed to inflate
in higher severity frontal collisions, although
they may inflate if the forces in another type of
collision are similar to those of a higher sever-
ity frontal impact. They may not inflate in
certain frontal collisions. Vehicle damage (or
lack of it) is not always an indication of proper
supplemental air bag operation.
When the supplemental air bag inflates, a fairlyloud noise may be heard, followed by release
of smoke. This smoke is not harmful and does
not indicate a fire, but care should be taken not
to inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing
condition should get fresh air promptly.
Supplemental air bags along with the use of
seat belts, helps to cushion the impact force on
the face and chest of the front occupants. They
can help save lives and reduce serious inju-
ries. However, an inflating supplemental air
bag may cause facial abrasions or other inju-
ries. Supplemental air bags do not provide
restraint to the lower body.The seat belts should be correctly worn and
the driver and passenger seated upright as far
as practical away from the steering wheel or
dash board. Since the supplemental air bags
inflates quickly in order to help protect the front
occupants, the force of the supplemental air
bag inflating can increase the risk of injury if
the occupant is too close to or is against the
supplemental air bag module during inflation.
The supplemental air bag will deflate quickly
after the collision is over.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the system is operational.
IDo not place any objects on the steer-
ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steer-
ing wheel or instrument panel. Such
objects may become dangerous pro-
jectiles and cause injury if the supple-
mental air bag inflates.
IRight after inflation, several supple-
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mental air bag system components
will be hot. Do not touch them; you
may severely burn yourself.
INo 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 dam-
age to the supplemental air bag sys-
tem.
IDo not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle's electrical system,
suspension system or front end
structure. This could affect proper
operation of the supplemental air bag
system.
ITampering with the supplemental air
bag system may result in serious
personal 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 sys-
tem.IWork around and on the supplemen-
tal air bag system should be done by
an authorized NISSAN dealer. Instal-
lation of electrical equipment should
also be done by an authorized
NISSAN dealer. The SRS wiring har-
nesses* should not be modified or
disconnected. Unauthorized electri-
cal test equipment and probing de-
vices should not be used on the
supplemental air bag system.
* The SRS wiring harnesses are cov-
ered with yellow insulation either just
before the harness connectors or
over the complete harness for easy
identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the supplemental air
bag system and guide the buyer to the appro-
priate sections in this Owner's Manual.Supplemental side air bag systemThe supplemental side air bags are located in
the outside of the seatback of the front seats.
The supplemental side air bag (on the driver or
front passenger seat) is designed to inflate in
higher severity side collisions, although it may
inflate if the forces in another type of collisionare similar to those of a higher severity side
impact. It is designed to inflate on the side
where the vehicle is impacted. It may not
inflate in certain side collisions. Vehicle dam-
age (or lack of it) is not always an indication of
proper supplemental side air bag operation.
When the supplemental side air bag inflates, a
fairly loud noise may be heard, followed by
release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire, but care should be
taken not to inhale it, as it may cause irritation
and choking. Those with a history of a breath-
ing condition should get fresh air promptly.
Supplemental side air bags along with the use
of seat belts, help to cushion the impact force
on the chest of the front occupants. They can
help save lives and reduce serious injuries.
However, an inflating supplemental side air
bag may cause abrasions or other injuries.
The seat belts should be correctly worn and
the driver and passenger seated upright as far
as practical away from the supplemental side
air bag. Since the supplemental side air bag
inflates quickly in order to help protect the front
occupants, the force of the supplemental side
air bag inflating can increase the risk of injury
if the occupant is too close to or is against the
supplemental side air bag module during infla-
tion. The supplemental side air bag will deflate
quickly after the collision is over.
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After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the system is operational.IDo not place any objects near the
seatback of the front seats. Also, do
not place any objects (an umbrella,
bag, etc.) between the front door fin-
isher and the front seat. Such objects
may become dangerous projectiles
and cause injury if the supplemental
side air bag inflates.
IRight after inflation, several supple-
mental side air bag system compo-
nents will be hot. Do not touch them;
you may severely burn yourself.
INo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental side air bag sys-
tem. This is to prevent accidental
inflation of the supplemental side air
bag or damage to the supplemental
side air bag system.IDo not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle's electrical system,
suspension system or side panel.
This could affect proper operation of
the supplemental side air bag sys-
tem.
ITampering with the supplemental
side air bag system may result in
serious personal injury. Tampering
includes changes to the front seats
assembly by placing material near
the seatback of the front seat, or by
installing additional trim material
around the supplemental side air bag
system.
IWork around and on the supplemen-
tal side air bag system should be
done by an authorized NISSAN
dealer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by an au-
thorized NISSAN dealer. The SRS wir-
ing harnesses* should not be
modified or disconnected. Unautho-
rized electrical test equipment and
probing devices should not be used
on the supplemental side air bag sys-
tem.* The SRS wiring harnesses are cov-
ered with yellow insulation either just
before the harness connectors or
over the complete harness for easy
identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the supplemental side
air bag system and guide the buyer to the
appropriate sections in this Owner's Manual.
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SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
WARNING LABELSWarning labels about the supplemental air bag
system are placed in the vehicle as shown in
the illustration.
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
WARNING LIGHTThe supplemental air bag warning light, dis-
playing AIR BAG in the instrument panel,
monitors the circuits of the supplemental air
bag and supplemental side air bag systems.
The circuits monitored by the supplemental air
bag warning light are the diagnosis sensor
unit, satellite sensors, supplemental air bag
modules, supplemental side air bag modules
and all related wiring.
After turning the ignition key to the ON, the
supplemental air bag warning light illuminates.
The supplemental air bag warning light will
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turn off after about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.
If any of the following conditions occur, the
supplemental air bag and supplemental side
air bag systems needs servicing:
IThe supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on and remain on for 7
seconds and then go off as described
above.
IThe supplemental air bag light flashes in-
termittently or remains on (after 7 seconds).
IThe supplemental air bag light does not
come on at all.
Under these conditions, the supplemental air
bags or supplemental side air bags may not
operate properly. It must be checked and
repaired. Take your vehicle to the nearest
authorized NISSAN dealer.If the supplemental air bag warning light
is on, it could mean that the supplemen-
tal air bag or supplemental side air bag
system will not operate in an accident.Repair and replacement procedureThe supplemental air bags or supplemental
side air bags are designed to inflate on aone-time-only basis. As a reminder, unless it is
damaged, the supplemental air bag warning
light will remain illuminated after inflation has
occurred. Repair and replacement of these
supplemental systems should be done only by
authorized NISSAN dealers.
To ensure long-term functioning, these
systems must be inspected 10 years after
the date of manufacture noted on the cer-
tification label located on the driver side
center pillar.
When maintenance work is required on the
vehicle, the supplemental air bags, supple-
mental side air bags and related parts should
be pointed out to the person conducting the
maintenance. The ignition key should always
be in the LOCK position when working under
the hood or inside the vehicle.
IOnce the supplemental air bag or
supplemental side air bag has in-
flated, the supplemental air bag mod-
ule or supplemental side air bag mod-
ule will not function again and must
be replaced. The supplemental air
bag module or supplemental side air
bag module should be replaced by anauthorized NISSAN dealer. The
supplemental air bag module or
supplemental side air bag module
cannot be repaired.
IThe supplemental air bag and supple-
mental side air bag systems should
be inspected by an authorized
NISSAN dealer if there is any damage
to the front end or side portion of the
vehicle.
IIf you need to dispose of these
supplemental systems or scrap the
vehicle, contact an authorized
NISSAN dealer.
Correct disposal procedures are set
forth in the appropriate NISSAN Ser-
vice Manual. Incorrect disposal pro-
cedures could cause personal injury.
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PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGEYour chances of being injured or killed in an
accident 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 pas-
sengers to buckle up every time you drive,
even if your seating position includes a supple-
mental air bag.
Most states, provinces or territories require
that seat belts be worn at all times when a
vehicle is being driven.
IEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times. Children should be properly
restrained and, if appropriate, in a
child restraint.
IThe 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
accident. Serious injury or death can
occur if the seat belt is not worn
properly.
IAlways route the shoulder belt over
your shoulder and across your chest.
Never run the belt behind your backs
under your arm or across your neck.
The belt should be away from your
face and neck, but not falling off your
shoulder.
IPosition the lap belt as low and snug
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SEAT BELTS
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