
NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM (NVIS) KEYS
You can only drive your vehicle using the
master or valet keys which are registered to
the Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System
components in your vehicle. These keys
have a transponder chip in the key head.
The master key can be used for all the locks.
The valet key cannot be used for the trunk
lid glove box lock or rear seatback lock.
To protect belongings when you leave a key
with someone, give them the valet key only.Never leave these keys in the vehicle.
Record the key number on the key number
plate supplied with your keys and keep it in
a safe place (such as your wallet), not in the
vehicle. NISSAN does not record any key
numbers so it is very important to keep track
of your key number plate.
A key number is only necessary when you
have lost all keys and do not have one to
duplicate from. If you still have a key, this key
can be duplicated by your NISSAN dealer.
Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System KEY -
Master and Valet keys:
The key number is necessary when you
need extra Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer Sys-
tem keys. As many as 5 Nissan Vehicle
Immoblizer System keys can be used with
one vehicle. New keys must be registered to
the Nissan Vehicle Immoblizer System
components in your vehicle by your
NISSAN dealer. At this time, you should
bring all Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System
keys that you have to your NISSAN dealer
for registration. This is because the regis-
tration process will erase all memory of the
Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System compo-
nents.
WARNING
cAlways have the doors locked while
driving. Along with the use of seat
belts, this provides greater safety in
the event of an accident by helping
to prevent persons from being
thrown from the vehicle. This also
helps keep children and others from
unintentionally opening the doors,
and will help keep out intruders.
cBefore opening any door, always
look for and avoid oncoming traffic.
cDo not leave children unattended in-
side the vehicle. They could un-
knowingly activate switches or con-
trols. Unattended children could
become involved in serious acci-
dents.
WPD0013
KEYS DOORS
3-2Pre-driving checks and adjustments
ZX

RADIO
Turn the ignition key to ACC or ON and
press the power on switch to turn on the
radio. If you listen to the radio with the
engine not running, the key should be
turned to the ACC position.
Radio reception is affected by station signal
strength, distance from radio transmitter,
buildings, bridges, mountains and other ex-
ternal influences. Intermittent changes in
reception quality normally are caused by
these external influences.
Using a cellular phone in or near the
vehicle may influence radio reception
quality.
Radio reception
Your NISSAN radio system is equipped with
state-of-the-art electronic circuits to en-
hance radio reception. These circuits are
designed to extend reception range, and to
enhance the quality of that reception.
However there are some general character-
istics of both FM and AM radio signals that
can affect radio reception quality in a mov-
ing vehicle, even when the finest equipment
is used. These characteristics are com-pletely normal in a given reception area,
and do not indicate any malfunction in your
NISSAN radio system.
Reception conditions will constantly change
because of vehicle movement. Buildings,
terrain, signal distance and interference
from other vehicles can work against ideal
reception. Described below are some of the
factors that can affect your radio reception.
FM RADIO RECEPTION
Range: FM range is normally limited to 25 to
30 miles (40 to 48 km), with monaural
(single channel) FM having slightly more
range than stereo FM. External influences
may sometimes interfere with FM station
reception even if the FM station is within 25
miles (40 km). The strength of the FM signal
is directly related to the distance between
the transmitter and receiver. FM signals
follow a line-of-sight path, exhibiting many
of the same characteristics as light. For
example they will reflect off objects.
Fade and drift: As your vehicle moves away
from a station transmitter, the signals will
tend to fade and/or drift.
Static and flutter: During signal interference
from buildings, large hills or due to antennaposition (usually in conjunction with in-
creased distance from the station transmit-
ter) static or flutter can be heard. This can
be reduced by adjusting the treble control
counterclockwise to reduce treble re-
sponse.
Multipath reception: Because of the reflec-
tive characteristics of FM signals, direct and
reflected signals reach the receiver at the
same time. The signals may cancel each
other, resulting in momentary flutter or loss
of sound.
AM RADIO RECEPTION
AM signals, because of their low frequency,
can bend around objects and skip along the
ground. In addition, the signals can be
bounced off the ionosphere and bent back
to earth. Because of these characteristics.
AM signals are also subject to interference
as they travel from transmitter to receiver.
Fading: Occurs while the vehicle is passing
through freeway underpasses or in areas
with many tall buildings. It can also occur for
several seconds during ionospheric turbu-
lence even in areas where no obstacles
exist.
Static: Caused by thunderstorms, electrical
AUDIO SYSTEM
4-12Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
ZX

FM-AM RADIO WITH COMPACT
DISC (CD) PLAYER
ONzOFF/VOL control
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position, then push the PWR control knob. If
you listen to the radio with the engine not
running, turn the key to the ACC position.
The mode (radio or CD) that was playing
immediately before the system was turned
off resumes playing.
When no CD is loaded, the radio comes on.
Pushing the PWR control knob again turns
the system off.
Turn the PWR control knob to the right to
increase volume or to the left to decrease
volume.
Adjusting tone quality and speaker bal-
ance
Press the AUDIO button to enter the audio
adjust mode:
Bass!Mid!Treb!Fade!Bal
Press the TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (or) to adjust to the
desired levels. The display will return to the
regular radio display after 7 seconds, or youmay press the AUDIO button again to return
to the regular radio display.
Clock operation
Pressing the MENU or CLOCK button dis-
plays the clock with the radio on or off.
Press the MENU or CLOCK button again to
turn off the clock display.
Clock set
1. Press and hold the MENU or CLOCK
button until it beeps (>2 seconds).
2. The hours will start flashing. Press
TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (or) to adjust the
hours.
3. Press the MENU or CLOCK button to
switch to the minute adjustment.
4. Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (or) to adjust
the minutes.
5. Press the MENU or CLOCK button again
to exit the clock set mode.
The display will return to the regular clock
display after 7 seconds, or you may press
the MENU or CLOCK button again to return
to the regular clock display.
FM-AM radio operation
FM-AM band select
Push the AM or the FM button to change
from AM to FM reception.
The FM stereo indicator, ST, illuminates
during FM stereo reception. When the ste-
reo broadcast signal is weak, the radio
automatically changes from stereo to mon-
aural reception.
Station signal strength, distance from radio
transmitter, buildings, bridges, mountains,
and other external influences affect radio
reception. Intermittent changes in reception
quality normally are caused by these exter-
nal influences.
Using a cellular phone in or near the
vehicle may influence radio reception
quality.
4-16Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
ZX

radio displaysªNO STATIONºand
mutes the audio.
5. If the radio cannot fill all the presets, the
remaining presets are stored with 87.9
for FM, and 600 for AM.
The TUNE, SCAN, SEEK and preset
memory functions are available while Travel
Preset mode is on.
Canceling Travel Preset
Press the TRAVEL preset button (<1.5 sec-
onds) to clear the Travel Preset memory.
This turns off the Travel icon. The radio
returns to the last used preset of A, B or C in
the permanent preset memory.
Storing Travel Preset stations in perma-
nent memory
1. While in Travel Preset mode, press and
hold the TRAVEL preset button until it
beeps (>3 seconds).
2. The presets are transferred from Travel
Preset memory to the permanent preset
memory for A, B, and C.ªLOADºis
displayed.
3. The TRAVEL preset indicator turns off.Preset Scan
Pressing the Preset Scan button (<1.5 sec-
onds) scans the permanent preset memory
that is selected (A, B or C) from 1-6 for 5
seconds. If the Travel Preset is ON, the
travel preset that is selected (A, B, or C)
from 1-6 is scanned for 5 seconds.
All Preset Scan
Pressing the Preset Scan button (>1.5 sec-
onds) scans all the permanent preset
memory banks (A, B or C) from 1-6 for 5
seconds. If the Travel Preset is ON, all the
travel preset memory banks (A, B, or C)
from 1-6 are scanned for 5 seconds.
Canceling preset scan mode
Pressing any button except CLOCK,
EJECT, MIX and CD cancels the Preset
Scan mode.
Speed Sensitive Control Volume (SCV)
(if so equipped)
Your vehicle has Speed Sensitive Control
Volume (SCV) for audio. The audio volume
changes as the driving speed changes.
Press and hold the MENU button (>2 sec-
onds) until the radio beeps to start the
editing mode. Press the MENU button untilthe display showsªSCVº. This display will
last 2 seconds and then change toªOFFº.
Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or)to
change between:
Off!Low!Mid!High
Compact disc (CD) operation
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position.
CAUTION
cDo not force a compact disc (CD)
into the CD insert slot. This could
damage the CD and/or CD changer.
cTrying to load a CD with the CD door
closed could damage the CD and/or
CD changer.
CD button
When the CD button is pressed with a
compact disc loaded and the radio playing,
the radio turns off and the last used com-
pact disc starts to play.
FF (fast forward) REW
(rewind) buttons
When the TUNE/FF-REV (
or) but-
ton is pressed while the compact disc is
4-18Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
ZX

FM-AM RADIO WITH COMPACT
DISC (CD) CHANGER (if so
equipped)
ONzOFF/VOL control
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position, then push the PWR control knob. If
you listen to the radio with the engine not
running, turn the key to the ACC position.
The mode (radio or CD) that was playing
immediately before the system was turned
off resumes playing.
When no CD is loaded, the radio comes on.
Pushing the PWR control knob again turns
the system off.
Turn the PWR control knob to the right to
increase volume or to the left to decrease
volume.
Adjusting tone quality and speaker bal-
ance
Press the AUDIO button to enter the audio
adjust mode:
Bass!Treb!Fade!Bal
Press the TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (or) to adjust to
the desired levels. The display will return tothe regular radio display after 7 seconds, or
youmay press the AUDIO button again to
return to the regular radio display.
Clock operation
Pressing the MENU button displays the
clock with the radio on or off. Press the
MENU button again to turn off the clock
display.
Clock set
1. Press and hold the MENU button until it
beeps (>2 seconds).
2. The hours will start flashing. Press
TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (
or) to adjust
the hours.
3. Press the MENU button to switch to the
minute adjustment.
4. Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or)or
SEEK/TRACK (
or) to adjust
the minutes.
5. Press the MENU button again to exit the
clock set mode.
The display will return to the regular clock
display after 7 seconds, or you may pressthe MENU button again to return to the
regular clock display.
FM-AM radio operation
FM-AM band select
Push the AM or the FM button to change
from AM to FM reception.
The FM stereo indicator, ST, illuminates
during FM stereo reception. When the ste-
reo broadcast signal is weak, the radio
automatically changes from stereo to mon-
aural reception.
Station signal strength, distance from radio
transmitter, buildings, bridges, mountains,
and other external influences affect radio
reception. Intermittent changes in reception
quality normally are caused by these exter-
nal influences.
Using a cellular phone in or near the
vehicle may influence radio reception
quality.
Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
4-21
ZX

radio tunes to the first stored preset of
Travel Preset A.
4. If the radio cannot find any stations, the
radio displaysªNO STATIONºand
mutes the audio.
5. If the radio cannot fill all the presets, the
remaining presets are stored with 87.9
for FM, and 600 for AM.
The TUNE, SCAN, SEEK and preset
memory functions are available while Travel
Preset mode is on.
Canceling Travel Preset
Press the TRAVEL preset button (<1.5 sec-
onds) to clear the Travel Preset memory.
This turns off the Travel icon. The radio
returns to the last used preset of A, B or C in
the permanent preset memory.
Editing Travel Preset
1. Press and hold the TRAVEL preset but-
ton (>3 seconds) until the radio beeps to
start the editing mode. The Travel icon
will flash while in TRAVEL PRESET
EDIT mode.
2. The radio displaysªTRAVEL EDITºfor 2
seconds and then changes toªSET A-*º.3. Press TUNE/FF-REV (or)tose-
lect a mode.
4. Press the TRAVEL PRESET button to
save the mode.
5. Display is changed toªSET B-*º, repeat
steps 3 and 4.
6. Display is changed toªSET C-*º, repeat
step 3.
7. Press the TRAVEL PRESET button to
exit the edit mode and return to normal
mode.
*: AM, FM, FM RDS, Rock, Classic Rock,
Soft Rock, Top 40, Country, Jazz, Classical,
Oldies, News, Sports, Talk.
Storing Travel Preset stations in perma-
nent memory
1. While in Travel Preset mode, press and
hold the TRAVEL preset button until it
beeps (>3 seconds).
2. The presets are transferred from Travel
Preset memory to the permanent preset
memory for A, B, and C.ªPRESETS
LOADEDºis displayed.
3. The TRAVEL preset indicator turns off.RDS (Radio Data System)
RDS stands for Radio Data System, and is
a data information service transmitted by
some radio stations on the FM band (not
AM band) encoded within a regular radio
broadcast. Currently, most RDS stations
are in large cities, but many stations are
now considering broadcasting RDS data.
RDS can display:
cStation call sign, such as ªWHFR 98.3º.
cStation name, such as ªThe Grooveº.
cMusic or programming type such as
ªClassicalº, ªCountryº, or ªRockº.
cTraffic reports about delays or construc-
tion.
If the station broadcasts RDS information,
the RDS icon is displayed. The RDS infor-
mation will be displayed according to the
option chosen in the RDS setup mode. (FM
& RDS is the default.) Press the RDS button
again to display the frequency for 3 sec-
onds. The radio will then return to the nor-
mal display. If the station does not broad-
cast RDS information, the RDS icon will not
be displayed.
Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
4-23
ZX

Setting RDS Mode
Press and hold the MENU button (>2 sec-
onds) until the radio beeps to start the
editing mode. Press the MENU button until
the display showsªRDS TRAFFICº. This
display will last 2 seconds and then change
toªTRAFFIC-OFFº. Press TUNE/FF-REV
(
or) to toggle the RDS traffic mode
from ªOFFº to ªONº. Press the RDS button
again to set your RDS mode selection.
The display changes toªRDS DISPLAYº.
This display will last 2 seconds and then
change to ªSHOWº. Press TUNE/FF-REV
(
or) to switch between the follow-
ing RDS display modes:
cªFM & RDSº: the radio display will show
the station's broadcast frequency and the
station's name.
cªRDS ONLYº: the radio display will show
the station's name only.
cªRDS TEMPº: the radio display will show
the station's name for 5 seconds and
then display only the radio station's
broadcast frequency.PTY (Program Type)
PTY can be used to search for a certain
program type. Certain areas have a limited
number of stations that transmit RDS. Many
stations transmit call letters and frequencies
only. Searching or scanning by program
type may yield a limited number of selec-
tions.
1. Press the MIXzPTY button. The display
changes fromªRDS PTY SEARCHºto
ªSELECT BY TUNEº.
2. Press TUNE/FF-REV (
or)
up/down button to choose a specific pro-
gram type:
ROCK, CLASSIC ROCK, SOFT ROCK,
TOP 40, COUNTRY, JAZZ, CLASSICAL,
OLDIES, NEWS, SPORTS, TALK, ANY
3. Press the SEEK (
or) or SCAN
button to search for the next station with
the selected PTY. The SCAN icon
flashes when the SCAN button is
pressed. If SCAN is selected, push the
PTY or SCAN buttons to stop on a station.
If SEEK is selected, the radio automati-
cally stops on the next radio station
matching the selected program type.4. Press the PTY button again to cancel the
PTY mode.
Speed Sensitive Control Volume (SCV)
Your vehicle has Speed Sensitive Control
Volume (SCV) for audio. The audio volume
changes as the driving speed changes.
Press and hold the MENU button (>2 sec-
onds) until the radio beeps to start the
editing mode. Press the MENU button until
the display showsªSpeed comp volº. This
display will last 2 seconds and then change
toªSCV-offº. Press TUNE/FF-REV
(
or) to change between:
Off!Low!Mid!High
Compact disc (CD) operation
Turn the ignition key to the ACC or ON
position.
CAUTION
cDo not force a compact disc (CD)
into the CD insert slot. This could
damage the CD and/or CD changer.
cTrying to load a CD with the CD door
closed could damage the CD and/or
CD changer.
4-24Heater, air conditioner and audio systems
ZX

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving ...................5-2
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) .......................5-2
Three-way catalyst ............................................5-2
Avoiding collision and rollover ...........................5-3
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ....................5-4
Ignition switch .........................................................5-4
Automatic transmission .....................................5-4
Manual transmission..........................................5-5
Key positions .....................................................5-5
Nissan vehicle immobilizer system
(NVIS) ................................................................5-6
Before starting the engine ......................................5-6
Starting the engine .................................................5-7
Driving the vehicle ..................................................5-7
Automatic transmission .....................................5-7
Manual transmission........................................5-11
Parking brake .......................................................5-13
Cruise control (if so equipped) .............................5-14
Precautions on cruise control ..........................5-14Cruise control operations ................................5-14
Break-in schedule ................................................5-15
Increasing fuel economy ......................................5-16
Parking/parking on hills ........................................5-17
Power steering .....................................................5-18
Brake system........................................................5-18
Braking precautions .........................................5-18
Anti-lock brake system (ABS)
(if so equipped)................................................5-19
Traction control system (TCS) .............................5-20
Cold weather driving ............................................5-21
Freeing a frozen door lock ..............................5-21
Anti-freeze .......................................................5-21
Battery .............................................................5-21
Draining of coolant water ................................5-21
Tire equipment.................................................5-22
Special winter equipment ................................5-22
Driving on snow or ice.....................................5-22
Engine block heater (if so equipped) ..............5-23
ZX