2000 NISSAN ALTIMA warning

PRECAUTIONS ON SUPPLE-
MENTAL RESTRAINT SYSTEM
This Supplemental Restraint System (SRS)
section contains important information con-
cerning the driver and passenger supple-
mental front air bags, supplemental side air
bags and pre-tensioner seat belts.
Supplemental front air bag system:This
system can help cushion the impact force to
the face and chest of the driver and front
passenger in certain frontal collisions.
Supplemental side air bag system (if so
equipped):This system can help cushion
the impact force to the head and the chest
area of the driver and front passenger in
certain side impact collisions The supple-
mental side air bag is designed to inflate on
the side where the vehicle is impacted.
These supplemental restraint systems are
designed tosupplementthe crash protec-
tion provided by the driver and front passen-
ger seat belts and arenot a substitutefor
them. Seat belts should always be correctly
worn and the driver and front passenger
seated a suitable distance away from the
steering wheel, instrument panel and front
door finishers. (See ``Seat belts'' later in thissection for instructions and precautions on
seat belt usage.)
The supplemental air bags operate only
when the ignition switch is in the ON or
START position.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warn-
ing light illuminates. The supplemental
air bag warning light will turn off after
about 7 seconds if the system is opera-
tional.
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-9
ZX

WARNING
cThe supplemental front air bags or-
dinarily will not inflate in the event of
a side impact, rear impact, roll over,
or lower severity frontal collision.
Always wear your seat belts to help
reduce the risk or severity of injury
in various kinds of accidents.cThe seat belts and the supplemental
front air bags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright
in the seat. The front air bags inflate
with great force. If you are unre-
strained, leaning forward, sitting side-
ways or out of position in any way,
you are at greater risk of injury or
death in a crash and may also receive
serious or fatal injuries from the
supplemental front air bag if you are
up against it when it inflates. Always
sit back against the seatback and as
far away as practical from the steeringwheel or instrument panel. Always
use the seat belts.
cKeep hands on the outside of the
steering wheel. Placing them inside
the steering wheel rim could in-
crease the risk that they are injured
when the supplemental front air bag
inflates.
ARS1132
1-10Seats, 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 illustrations.
cChildren may be severely injured or
killed when the supplemental front
air bag inflates if they are not prop-
erly restrained.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental front air bag could se-
riously injure or kill your child. See
``Child restraints'' later in this sec-
tion for details.
ARS1043
ARS1044
ARS1045
ARS1046
1-12Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

WARNING
Supplemental side air bag (if so
equipped):
cThe 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 belt to help reduce the risk
or severity of injury in various kinds
of accidents.cThe seat belts and the supplemental
side air bag are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright
in the seat. The side air bag inflates
with great force. Do not allow any-
one to place their hand, leg or face
near the side air bag on the side of
the seatback of the front seat. Do not
allow anyone sitting in the front seat
to extend their hand out of the win-
dow or lean against the door. When
sitting in the rear seat, do not hold
onto the seatback of the front seat. Ifthe side air bag inflates, the occu-
pant may be seriously injured. Be
especially careful with children, who
should always be properly re-
strained. Some examples of danger-
ous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
cDo not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
supplemental side air bag inflation.
SSS0101SSS0140SSS0159
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-13
ZX

Supplemental front air bag system
The driver supplemental front air bag is lo-
cated in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front air bag is
mounted in the dashboard above the glove
box.
These systems are designed to meet op-
tional certification requirements under U.S.
regulations. They are also permitted in
Canada. The optional certification allows
the front air bags to be designed to inflate
somewhat less forcefully than previously.
However, all of the information, cautions
and warnings in this manual still applyand must be followed.
The supplemental front 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 front
air bag system operation.
When the supplemental front air bag in-
flates, a fairly loud noise may be heard,
followed by the release of smoke. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate
SSS0162WRS0003
1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

a fire, but care should be taken to not
intentionally inhale it, as it may cause irrita-
tion and choking. Those with a history of a
breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
The supplemental front air bags, along with
the use of seat belts, help to cushion the
impact force on the face and chest of the
occupant. They can help save lives and
reduce serious injuries. However, an inflat-
ing supplemental front air bag may cause
facial abrasions or other injuries. Supple-
mental front air bags do not provide 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
instrument panel. Since the supplemental
front air bags inflate quickly in order to help
protect the front occupants, the force of the
supplemental front air bag inflating can in-
crease the risk of injury if the occupant is too
close to or is against the supplemental front
air bag module during inflation.
The supplemental front air bags deflate
quickly after a collision.The supplemental front air bags operate
only when the ignition switch is in the
ON or START position.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warn-
ing light illuminates. The supplemental
air bag warning light will turn off after
about 7 seconds if the system is opera-
tional.
WARNING
c
Do 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 front air bag inflates.
cRight after inflation, several supple-
mental front air bag system compo-
nents 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 front air bag sys-
tem. This is to prevent accidental in-
flation of the supplemental front air
bags or damage to the supplemental
front air bag system.
cDo not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle's electrical system,
suspension system or front end
structure. This could affect proper
operation of the supplemental front
air bag system.
c
Tampering with the supplemental front
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
and above the dashboard, or by install-
ing additional trim material around the
supplemental front air bag system.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-15
ZX

The supplemental air bags operate only
when the ignition switch is in the ON or
START position.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warn-
ing light illuminates. The supplemental
air bag warning light will turn off after
about 7 seconds if the system is opera-
tional.
WARNING
cDo 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
finisher and the front seat. Such ob-
jects may become dangerous pro-
jectiles and cause injury if the
supplemental side air bag inflates.
cRight after inflation, several supple-
mental side air bag system compo-
nents will be hot. Do not touch them;
you may severely burn yourself.
cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the supplemental side air bag sys-
tem. This is to prevent accidentalinflation of the side air bag or dam-
age to the side air bag system.
cDo not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle's electrical system,
suspension system or side panel.
This could affect proper operation of
the side air bag system.
cTampering 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,
such as seat covers, around the side
air bag system.
cWork around and on the supplemen-
tal side air bag system should be
done by an authorized NISSAN
dealer. Installation of electrical
equipment should also be done by
an authorized NISSAN dealer. The
SRS wiring harnesses* should not
be modified or disconnected. Unau-
thorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the side 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 identi-
fication.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the supplemen-
tal side air bag system and guide the buyer
to the appropriate sections in this Owner's
Manual.
Pre-tensioner seat belt system (For
front seats)
WARNING
cThe pre-tensioner seat belt cannot
be reused after activation. It must be
replaced together with the retractor
as a unit.
cIf the vehicle becomes involved in a
frontal collision but the pre-
tensioner is not activated, be sure to
have the pre-tensioner system
checked and, if necessary, replaced
by your NISSAN dealer.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-17
ZX

cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the pre-tensioner seat belt sys-
tem. This is to prevent accidental
activation of the pre-tensioner seat
belt or damage to the pre-tensioner
seat belt operation. Tampering with
the pre-tensioner seat belt system
may result in serious personal in-
jury.
cWork around and on the pre-
tensioner system should be done by
an authorized NISSAN dealer. Instal-
lation of electrical equipment should
also be done by an authorized NIS-
SAN dealer. Unauthorized electrical
test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the pre-
tensioner seat belt system.
cIf you need to dispose of the pre-
tensioner or scrap the vehicle, con-
tact an authorized NISSAN dealer.
Correct pre-tensioner disposal pro-
cedures are set forth in the appropri-
ate NISSAN Service Manual. Incor-
rect disposal procedures could
cause personal injury.The front seat pre-tensioner seat belt sys-
tem activates in conjunction with the supple-
mental front air bag. Working with the seat
belt retractor, it helps tighten the seat belt
the instant the vehicle becomes involved in
certain types of collisions, thereby restrain-
ing seat occupants.
The pre-tensioner is encased with the seat
belt's retractor. These seat belts are used
the same as conventional seat belts.
When the pre-tensioner seat belt activates,
smoke is released and a loud noise may be
heard. The smoke is not harmful, but care
should be taken not to inhale it as it may
cause irritation and choking.
If any abnormality occurs in the pre-
tensioner system, the seat belt warning light
will flash intermittently after the igni-
tion key is turned to the ON or START
position. In this case, the pre-tensioner seat
belt will not function properly.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the pre-
tensioner seat belt system and guide the
buyer to the appropriate sections in this
owner's manual.
1-18Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX