2002 NISSAN FRONTIER Owners Manual

PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGE
Your chances of being injured in an acci-
dent 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 supplemental air bag.
Most U.S. States and Canadian prov-
inces or territories specify that seat belts
be worn at all times when a vehicle is
being driven.
WARNING
cEvery 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.
c
The seat belt should be properly ad-
justed 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.cAlways 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 shoul-
der.cPosition the lap belt as low and snug
as possible AROUND THE HIPS,
NOT THE WAIST. A lap belt worn too
high could increase the risk of inter-
nal injuries in an accident.
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cBe sure the seat belt tongue is se-
curely fastened to the proper buckle.
cDo not wear the seat belt inside out
or twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
cDo not allow more than one person
to use the same seat belt.
cNever carry more people in the ve-
hicle than there are seat belts.c
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.
cIf the seat belt warning light 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.
c
All seat belt assemblies including
retractors and attaching hardware
should be inspected by an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer after any colli-
sion. NISSAN recommends that all
seat belt assemblies in use during a
collision be replaced unless the col-
lision 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.
cAll child restraints and attaching
hardware should be inspected after
any collision. Always follow the re-
straint manufacturer's inspection in-
structions and replacement recom-
mendations. The child restraints
should be replaced if they are dam-
aged.
CHILD SAFETY
Children need adults to help protect
them. They need to be properly re-
strained.
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 chil-
dren who outgrow rear facing child re-
straints.
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WARNING
cBe sure to turn the passenger
supplemental air bag ON/OFF switch
OFF when using a rear facing child
restraint in the front passenger seat
in models so equipped. 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. See(Passenger supple-
mental air bag ON/OFF switch and
light(earlier in this section.
cIn Crew Cab models, never install a
rear facing child restraint in the front
passenger seat. An inflating supple-
mental air bag could seriously injure
or kill your child. A rear facing child
restraint must only be used in the
rear seat.
cDo not install a child restraint in the
jump seats (King Cab model). These
seats are not suitable for child re-
straint installation.cInfants and children need special
protection. The vehicle's seat belts
may not fit them properly. The shoul-
der belt may come too close to the-
face or neck. The lap belt may not
fitover their small hip bones. In an
accident, an improperly fitting seat
belt could cause serious or fatal in-
jury. 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 pre-teen
children be restrained in the rear seat if
possible. According to accident statis-
tics, children are safer when properly
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 bagsystem) 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
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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 or sudden
stop.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women
use seat belts. The seat belt should be worn
snug, and always position the lap belt as
low as possible around the hips, not the
waist. Place the shoulder belt over your
shoulder and across your chest. Never run
the lap/shoulder belt over your abdominal
area. Contact your doctor for specific rec-
ommendations.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons
use seat belts, depending on the injury.
Check with your doctor for specific recom-
mendations.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR
WARNING
cEvery 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.
c
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 accident
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you 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.
cFor 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 belts
1. Adjust the seat.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retrac-
tor and insert the tongue into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
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.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.
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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.
cGrasp 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.
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(For front seats)
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, pull out the adjust-
ment button 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 button to lock the
shoulder belt anchor into position.
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WARNING
cAfter adjustment, release the adjust-
ment button and try to move the
shoulder belt anchor up and down to
make sure it is securely fixed in
position.
cThe 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 SEAT BELT
WITHOUT RETRACTOR (Jump
seat in King Cab models and cen-
ter of rear seat in Crew Cab mod-
els)
WARNING
cDo not install a child restraint in the
jump seats (King Cab model). These
seats are not suitable for child re-
straint installation.
cSerious or fatal injury could occur.
Fastening the seat belts
1. Insert the tongue into the buckle until you
hear and feel the latch engage.
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2. Tighten the belt by pulling the free end of
the belt away from the tongue.3. Position the lap beltlow and snug 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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