1999 NISSAN FRONTIER Owners Manual

PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGE
Your chances of being injured 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 passengers
to buckle up every time you drive, even if
your seating position includes a supplemen-
tal 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
IEvery 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.
I
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.
IAlways 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.
IPosition 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.
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SEAT BELTS
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IBe sure the seat belt tongue is se-
curely fastened to the proper buckle.
IDo not wear the belt inside out or
twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
IDo not allow more than one person
to use the same belt.
INever carry more people in the ve-
hicle than there are seat belts.I
Never allow anyone to ride in the cargo
area or in a slide-in camper or other
type cargo area cover while the vehicle
is in motion. These areas do not con-
tain seat belts. It is not designed for
passengers. They could be injured in
sudden braking or a collision.
IIf the seat belt warning lamp glows
continuously while the ignition is
turned ON with all doors closed and
all seat belts fastened, it may indi-
cate a malfunction in the system.
Have the system checked by an au-
thorized NISSAN dealer.
I
All seat belt assemblies including
retractors and attaching hardware
should be inspected after any colli-
sion by an authorized NISSAN dealer.
NISSAN recommends that all seat-
belt assemblies in use during a colli-
sion be replaced unless the collision
was minor and the belts show no
damage and continue to operate
properly. Seat belt assemblies not in
use during a collision should also be
inspected and replaced if either dam-
age or improper operation is noted.
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 (9
kg) should be placed in rear facing child
restraints. Front facing child restraints
are available for children who outgrow
rear facing child restraints.
WARNING
IBe sure to turn the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch
OFF when using a rear facing child
restraint 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.
IDo not install a child restraint in the
jump seats (King Cab model). These
seats are not suitable for child re-
straint installation.
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IDo not install a child restraint in the
center position of the front bench
seat. This position is not suitable for
child restraint installation.
I
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 Canadian provinces or
territories require the use of approved child
restraints for infants and small children. See
``Child restraints'' later in this section for
more information.
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 available. According to accident
statistics, children are safer when prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.This is especially important because
your vehicle has a supplemental re-
straint system (Supplemental air bag
system) for the front passenger (For pre-
cautions, see ``Supplemental restraint
system'' earlier in this section). Also, see
``Passenger air bag ON/OFF switch and
light'' earlier in this section.
Infants and small children
NISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be seated in child restraints that
comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. You should choose a
child restraint which 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 the shoulder
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, depending on the injury.
Check with your doctor for specific recom-
mendations.
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THREE-POINT TYPE WITH
RETRACTOR
WARNING
IEvery 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.
I
Do not ride in a moving vehicle when
the seatback is reclined. This can be
dangerous. The shoulder belt will not
be against your body. In an accidentyou could be thrown into it and re-
ceive neck or other serious injuries.
You could also slide under the lap belt
and receive serious internal injuries.
IFor most effective protection when
the vehicle is in motion, the seat
should be upright. Always sit well
back in the seat and adjust the seat
belt properly.
Fastening the seat belt
1. Adjust the seat.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retrac-
tor and insert the tongue into the buckle
until it clicks.
The retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the seat belt to
move, and allows you some freedom of
movement in the seat.3. Position the lap belt portionlow on the
hipsas shown.
4. Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack.
The front passenger seat belt has a cinch-
ing mechanism for child restraint installa-
tion. It is referred to as the automatic locking
mode.
When the cinching mechanism is activated
the seat belt cannot be extracted again until
the seat belt tongue is detached from the
buckle and the seat belt is fully retracted.
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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 belt
To unfasten the seat belt, press the button
on the buckle. The seat belt automatically
retracts.
Checking seat belt operation
Seat belt retractors are designed to lock
seat belt movement by two separate meth-
ods:
1) When the seat belt is pulled quickly from
the retractor.
2) When the vehicle slows down rapidly.
To increase your confidence in the seatbelts, check the operation as follows.
IGrasp 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
seat belt operation, see an authorized
NISSAN dealer.
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Shoulder belt height adjustment
(front seats only)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
``Precautions on seat belt usage'' earlier in
this section.) To adjust, squeeze the adjust-
ment buttons and move the shoulder belt
anchor to the desired position, so the belt
passes over the center of the shoulder. The
belt should be away from your face and
neck, but not falling off of your shoulder.
Release the adjustment buttons to lock the
shoulder belt anchor into position.
WARNING
IAfter adjustment, release the but-
tons and try to move the shoulder
belt anchor up and down to make
sure it is securely fixed in position.
IThe shoulder belt anchor height
should be adjusted to the position
best for you. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the en-
tire restraint system and increase
the chance or severity of injury in an
accident.
TWO-POINT TYPE WITHOUT RE-
TRACTOR (Center of 60/40 bench
seat)
On 60/40 bench seat equipped models, the
center seat belt buckle and tonque are
identified by the word CENTER. The center
seat belt tongue can be fastened only into the
center seat belt buckle.
Pull down and latch the armrest/storage
compartment lid and push up the arm rest
assembly to the upright position.
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TWO-POINT TYPE WITHOUT
RETRACTOR (Jump seat and
center of bench seat)
WARNING
IDo not install a child restraint in the
jump seats (King Cab model). These
seats are not suitable for child re-
straint installation.
IDo not install a child restraint in the
center position of the front bench
seat. This position is not suitable for
child restraint installation.ISerious or fatal injury could occur.
Selecting the correct set of seat
belts
The center seat belt buckle and tongue are
identified by by the word CENTER. The
center seat belt tongue can only be fas-
tened into the center seat belt buckle.
Fastening the seat belt
1. Insert the tongue into the buckle until it
clicks.
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2. Tighten the belt by pulling the free end of
the belt away from the tongue, then pull
the belt clip to take up the slack.3. Position the lap beltlow on the hipsas
illustrated.4. Loosen the belt by holding the tongue at
a right angle to the belt, then pull on the
belt.
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