2002 NISSAN ALTIMA air suspension

use of seat belts, help to cushion the impact
force on the face and chest of the front
occupants. They can help save lives and
reduce serious injuries. However, an inflat-
ing front air bag may cause facial abrasions
or other injuries. Front 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. The supplemental
front air bags inflate quickly in order to help
protect the front occupants. Because of this,
the force of the front air bag inflating can
increase the risk of injury if the occupant is
too close to or is against the air bag module
during inflation.The air bag will deflate
quickly after the collision is over.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warn-
ing light illuminates. The air bag warning
light will turn off after about 7 seconds if
the system is operational.
WARNING
c
Do not place any objects on the steer-
ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objectsbetween 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 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 front air bag sys-
tem. This is to prevent accidental in-
flation of the air bag or damage to the
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. For example, do not
change the steering wheel and the in-
strument panel assembly by placing
material over the steering wheel padand above the instrument panel, or by
installing additional trim material
around the air bag system.
cWork around and on the supplemental
front air bag system should be done
by an authorized NISSAN retailer. In-
stallation of electrical equipment
should also be done by an authorized
NISSAN retailer. The yellow and or-
ange Supplemental Restrain System
(SRS) wiring and connectors should
not be modified or disconnected. Un-
authorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the air bag system.
cA cracked windshield should be re-
placed immediately by a qualified
repair facility. A cracked windshield
could affect inflation of the supple-
mental air bag system.
c
The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the supple-
mental front air bag system and guide the
buyer to the appropriate sections in this
Owner's Manual.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-15
ZX

cRight after inflation, several side air
bag and curtain air bag system com-
ponents will be hot. Do not touch
them; you may severely burn your-
self.
cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of this side air bag and curtain air
bag system. This is to prevent acci-
dental inflation of the side air bag
and curtain air bag or damage to the
side air bag and curtain air bag sys-
tem.
cDo 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 and
curtain air bag system.
cTampering with the supplemental
system may result in serious per-
sonal injury. For example, do not
change the front seat by placing ma-
terial near the seatback or by install-
ing additional trim material, such as
seat covers, around the side air bag.cWork around and on the side air bag
and curtain air bag system should be
done by an authorized NISSAN re-
tailer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by an
authorized NISSAN retailer. The SRS
wiring harnesses* should not be
modified or disconnected. Unautho-
rized electrical test equipment and
probing devices should not be used
on the side air bag system.
* The SRS wiring harness connectors
are yellow and orange for easy identi-
fication.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the side air bag
and curtain 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 bereplaced 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 retailer.
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 retailer. In-
stallation of electrical equipment
should also be done by an autho-
rized NISSAN retailer. Unauthorized
electrical test equipment and prob-
ing devices should not be used on
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-17
ZX

WARNING
Never connect a trailer brake system
directly to the vehicle brake system.
Pre-towing tips
cBe certain your vehicle maintains a level
position when a loaded and/or unloaded
trailer is hitched. Do not drive the vehicle if
it has an abnormal nose-up or nose- down
condition; check for improper tongue load,
overload, worn suspension or other pos-
sible causes of either condition.
cAlways secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shift while driving.
cBe certain your rear view mirrors conform
to all federal, state or local regulations. If
not, install any mirrors required for towing
before driving the vehicle.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding
of the vehicle's behavior, you should prac-
tice turning, stopping and backing up in an
area which is free from traffic. Steering
stability and braking performance will be
somewhat different than under normal driv-
ing conditions.cAlways secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shift while driving.
cAvoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
cAvoid sharp turns or lane changes.
cAlways drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
cAlways block the wheels on both vehicle
and trailer when parking. Parking on a
slope is not recommended; however, if
you must do so, and if your vehicle is
equipped with an automatic transmis-
sion, first block the wheels and apply the
parking brake, and then move the shift
lever into the P position. If you move the
shift lever to the P position before block-
ing the wheels and applying the parking
brake, transmission damage could occur.
cWhen going down a hill, shift into a lower
gear and use the engine braking effect.
When ascending a long grade, downshift
the transmission to a lower gear and
reduce speed to reduce chances of en-
gine overloading and/or overheating.
cIf the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature when the airconditioner system is on, turn off the air
conditioner. Coolant heat can be addi-
tionally vented by opening the windows,
switching the fan control to high and
setting the temperature control to the
HOT position.
cTrailer towing requires more fuel than
normal circumstances.
cAvoid towing a trailer for the first 500
miles (800 km).
cHave your vehicle serviced more often
than at intervals specified in the recom-
mended Maintenance Schedule.
cWhen making a turn, your trailer wheels
will be closer to the inside of the turn than
your vehicle wheels. To compensate for
this, make a larger than normal turning
radius during the turn.
cCrosswinds and rough roads will ad-
versely affect vehicle/trailer handling,
possibly causing vehicle sway. When
being passed by larger vehicles, be pre-
pared for possible changes in crosswinds
that could affect vehicle handling. If
swaying does occur, firmly grip the steer-
ing wheel, steer straight ahead, and im-
mediately (but gradually) reduce vehicle
Technical and consumer information
9-17
ZX