
or Anti-lock brake warning light Low washer fluid warning light High beam indicator light (Blue)
Automatic transmission check warning
light Seat belt warning light Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)
or Brake warning light Supplemental air bag warning light Slip indicator light
Charge warning light or Automatic transmission posi-
tion indicator light Vehicle dynamics control off indicator
light
Door open warning light Cruise main switch indicator light Turn signal/hazard indicator lights
Engine oil pressure warning light Cruise set switch indicator light
CHECKING BULBS Apply the parking brake and turn the ignition
key to ON without starting the engine. The
following lights will come on:
, or , ,
The following lights come on briefly and then
go off:
, or , , ,
If any light fails to come on, it may indicate a
burned-out bulb or an open circuit in the elec-
trical system. Have the system repaired
promptly. WARNING LIGHTS
or Anti-lock brake
warning lightIf the light comes on while the engine is
running, it may indicate the anti-lock brake
system is not functioning properly. Have the
system checked by your INFINITI retailer.
If an abnormality occurs in the system, the
anti-lock function will cease but the ordinary
brakes will continue to operate normally.
If the light comes on while you are driving,
contact your INFINITI retailer for repair. Automatic transmission check
warning light When the ignition switch is turned ON, the light
comes on for 2 seconds. If the light blinks for
approximately 8 seconds, it may indicate the
automatic transmission system is not function-
ing properly. Have your INFINITI retailer check
and repair the transmission.
or Brake warning light This light functions for both the parking brake
and the foot brake systems.WARNING/INDICATOR LIGHTS
AND AUDIBLE REMINDERS
Instruments and controls
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control off switch is pushed to OFF. This
indicates the vehicle dynamics control system
and traction control system are not operating.
When the vehicle dynamics control off indica-
tor light and slip indicator light come on with
the vehicle dynamics control system turned
on, this light alerts the driver to the fact that the
vehicle dynamics control system's fail-safe
mode is operating, i.e. the vehicle dynamics
control system may not be functioning prop-
erly. Have the system checked by your
INFINITI retailer. If an abnormality occurs in
the system, the vehicle dynamics control sys-
tem function will be canceled but the vehicle is
still driveable. For additional information, see
ªVehicle dynamics control system (VDC)º in
the ª5. Starting and drivingº section of this
manual.
Turn signal/hazard indicator
lightsThe light flashes when the turn signal switch
lever or hazard switch is turned on.
AUDIBLE REMINDERS
Key reminder chime The chime will sound if the driver's side door is
opened while the key is left in the ignition
switch (ignition switch is turned off). Remove the key and take it with you when leaving the
vehicle.
Light reminder chime The chime will sound when the front door is
opened with the headlight switch on unless the
ignition key is in the ON position.
Make sure to turn the light switch off when you
leave the vehicle.
Brake pad wear warning The disc brake pads have audible wear warn-
ings. When a brake pad requires replacement,
it will make a high pitched scraping sound
when the vehicle is in motion whether or not
the brake pedal is depressed. Have the brakes
checked as soon as possible if the warning
sound is heard. Your vehicle has two types of security sys-
tems, as follows:
O Vehicle Security System
O Infiniti Vehicle Immobilizer System
The security condition will be shown by the
security indicator light.
VEHICLE SECURITY SYSTEM The vehicle security system provides visual
and audio alarm signals if parts of the vehicle
are disturbed.SECURITY SYSTEMS
Instruments and controls
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AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
5 speed automatic transmission The automatic transmission in your vehicle is
electronically controlled by a transmission con-
trol module to produce maximum power and
smooth operation.
Shown on the following pages are the recom-
mended operating procedures for this trans-
mission. Follow these procedures for maxi-
mum vehicle performance and driving
enjoyment.
Starting the vehicle After starting the engine, fully depress the foot
brake pedal and push the selector lever button
before shifting the selector lever to the R
(Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive) or Manual
shift mode position. Be sure the vehicle is fully
stopped before attempting to shift the selector
lever.
This automatic transmission model is de-
signed so that the foot brake pedal must be
depressed before shifting from P (Park) to
any drive position while the ignition switch
is ON.
The selector lever cannot be moved out of
P (Park) position and into any of the other
gear positions if the ignition key is turned to the LOCK, OFF or ACC position or if the
key is removed from the switch.
1. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and
push the selector lever button to shift into a
driving gear.
2. Release the parking brake and foot brake,
then gradually start the vehicle in motion.
WARNING O Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive) or
manual shift mode. Always depress
the brake pedal until shifting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause
you to lose control and have an acci-
dent.
O Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
O On slippery roads, do not downshift.
This may cause a loss of control.
O Never shift to P (Park) or R (Reverse) while vehicle is moving forward.
Never shift to P (Park) or D (Drive)
while vehicle is moving rearward.
These could cause an accident.
CAUTION When stopping the vehicle on an uphill
grade, do not hold the vehicle by de-
pressing the accelerator pedal. The foot
brakes should be used for this purpose.DRIVING THE VEHICLE
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O HEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:
j 2
Turn the wheels away from the curb and
move the vehicle back until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
O HEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO
CURB:
j 3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the road
so the vehicle will move away from the
center of the road if it moves.
4. Turn the ignition key to the LOCK position
and remove the key. The power assisted steering is designed to
use a hydraulic pump, driven by the engine, to
assist steering.
If the engine stops or the drive belt breaks, you
will still have control of the vehicle. However,
much greater steering effort is needed, espe-
cially in sharp turns or at low speeds.
WARNING If the engine is not running or is turned
off while driving, the power assist for the
steering will not work. Steering will be
much harder to operate. BRAKING PRECAUTIONS The brake system has two separate hydraulic
circuits. If one circuit malfunctions, you will still
have braking at two wheels.
Vacuum assisted brake
The brake booster aids braking by using en-
gine vacuum. If the engine stops, you can stop
the vehicle by depressing the brake pedal.
However, greater foot pressure on the brake
pedal will be required to stop the vehicle and
the stopping distance will be longer.
Wet brakes
When the vehicle is washed or driven through
water, the brakes may get wet. As a result,
your braking distance will be longer and the
vehicle may pull to one side during braking.
To dry brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe
speed while lightly pressing the brake pedal to
heat-up the brakes. Do this until the brakes
return to normal. Avoid driving the vehicle at
high speeds until the brakes function correctly.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal
while driving. This overheats the brakes, in-
creases wear on the brake linings and pads,
and reduces gas mileage.POWER STEERING BRAKE SYSTEM
Starting and driving
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To help save the brakes and to prevent the
brakes from overheating, reduce speed and
downshift to a lower gear before going down a
slope or long grade. Overheated brakes may
reduce braking performance and could result
in loss of vehicle control.
WARNINGO While driving on a slippery surface,
be careful when braking, accelerating
or downshifting. Abrupt braking or
accelerating could cause the wheels
to skid and result in an accident.
O If the engine is not running or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
Braking will be harder.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) The anti-lock brake system controls the brakes
at each wheel so the wheels will not lock when
braking abruptly or when braking on slippery
surfaces. The system detects the rotation
speed at each wheel and varies the brake fluid
pressure to prevent each wheel from locking
and sliding. By preventing wheel lockup, the
system helps the driver maintain steering con- trol and helps to minimize swerving and spin-
ning on slippery surfaces.
Using the system Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
WARNING Do not pump the brake pedal. Doing so
may result in increased stopping dis-
tances.
Normal operation The anti-lock brake system will not operate at
speeds below 3 to 6 MPH (5 to 10 km/h) to
completely stop the vehicle. (The speeds will
vary according to road conditions.) When the
anti-lock system senses that one or more
wheels are close to locking up, the actuator
(under the hood) rapidly applies and releases
hydraulic pressure (like pumping the brakes
very quickly). While the actuator is working,
you may feel a pulsation in the brake pedal
and hear a noise or vibration from the actuator
under the hood. This is normal and indicates
that the anti-lock system is working properly.
However, the pulsation may indicate that road conditions are hazardous and extra care is
required while driving.
Self-test feature The anti-lock brake system consists of elec-
tronic sensors, electric pumps, and hydraulic
solenoids controlled by a computer. The com-
puter has a built-in diagnostic feature that tests
the system each time you start the engine and
move the vehicle at a low speed in forward or
reverse. When the self-test occurs, you may
hear a clunk noise and/or feel a pulsation in
the brake pedal. This is normal and is not an
indication of any malfunction. If the computer
senses any malfunction, it switches the anti-
lock brake system OFF and turns on the ABS
warning light in the dashboard. The brake
system will then behave normally, but without
anti-lock assistance.
If the light comes on during the self check, or
while you are driving, you should take your
vehicle to your INFINITI retailer for repair at
your earliest convenience.
WARNING The anti-lock brake system is a sophis-
ticated device, but it cannot prevent ac-
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slippery surface. The brake LSD system
brakes the spinning wheel which distributes
the driving power to the other drive wheel. If
the vehicle is operated with the vehicle dynam-
ics control system turned off, all VDC and TCS
functions will be turned off. The brake LSD
system and ABS will still operate with the VDC
system off. If the brake LSD system or the ABS
is activated, the slip indicator light will blink and
you may hear a clunk noise and/or feel a
pulsation in the brake pedal. This is normal.
While the VDC system is operating, you may
feel a pulsation in the brake pedal and hear a
noise or vibration from under the hood. This is
normal and indicates that the VDC system is
working properly.
The computer has a built in diagnostic feature
that tests the system each time you start the
engine and move the vehicle forward or in
reverse at a slow speed. When the self-test
occurs, you may hear a clunk noise and/or feel
a pulsation in the brake pedal. This is normal
and is not an indication of a malfunction.
WARNINGO The vehicle dynamics control system
is designed to help improve driving stability but does not prevent acci-
dents due to abrupt steering opera-
tion at high speeds or by careless or
dangerous driving techniques. Re-
duce vehicle speed and be especially
careful when driving and cornering
on slippery surfaces and always drive
carefully.
O If suspension parts such as shock
absorbers, struts, springs and bush-
ings are not standard equipment or
are extremely deteriorated, the ve-
hicle dynamics control off indicator
light may come on.
O When driving on extremely inclined
surfaces such as higher banked cor-
ners, the vehicle dynamics control
system may not operate properly or
the vehicle dynamics control off indi-
cator light may come on. Do not drive
on these types of roads.
O If the tires other than the recom-
mended ones are used, the vehicle
dynamics control system may not op-
erate properly or the vehicle dynam- ics control off indicator light may
come on.
O The vehicle dynamics control system
is not a substitute for winter tires or
tire chains on a snow covered road.
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CHECKING PARKING BRAKE
Pedal type From the released position, depress the park-
ing brake pedal slowly and firmly, and check
the distance between the initial and final posi-
tion of the pedal. If it is out of the range shown
above, see your INFINITI retailer.
Lever type From the released position, pull the parking
brake lever up slowly and firmly. If the number
of clicks is out of the range listed above, see
your INFINITI retailer.
CHECKING BRAKE PEDAL With the engine running, check the distance
between the upper surface of the pedal and
the metal floor. If it is out of the range shown
above, see your INFINITI retailer.
Self-adjusting brakes Your vehicle is equipped with self-adjusting
brakes.
The disc-type brakes self-adjust every time the
brake pedal is applied.SDI1391 SDI1447 DI1020MK
PARKING BRAKE AND BRAKE
PEDAL
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WARNINGSee your INFINITI retailer and have it
checked if the brake pedal height does
not return to normal.
Brake pad wear indicators The disc brake pads on your vehicle have
audible wear indicators. When a brake pad
requires replacement, it will make a high
pitched scraping or screeching sound when
the vehicle is in motion whether or not the
brake pedal is depressed. Have the brakes
checked as soon as possible if the wear indi-
cator sound is heard.
Under some driving or climate conditions, oc-
casional brake squeak, squeal or other noise
may be heard. Occasional brake noise during
light to moderate stops is normal and does not
affect the function or performance of the brake
system.
Proper brake inspection intervals should
be followed. For additional information, see
ªPeriodic maintenance schedulesº in the ª9.
Maintenanceº section for maintenance inter-
vals. High performance sports brake pad occasion-
ally makes squeak, squeal or other braking
noise because of its very high friction coeffi-
cient.
These occasional brake noise is normal, but if
it continues, see your INFINITI retailer.
BRAKE BOOSTER Check the brake booster function as follows:
1. With the engine off, press and release the
brake pedal several times. When brake
pedal movement (distance of travel) re-
mains the same from one pedal application
to the next, continue on to the next step.
2. While depressing the brake pedal, start the
engine. The pedal height should drop a
little.
3. With the brake pedal depressed, stop the
engine. Keeping the pedal depressed for
about 30 seconds, the pedal height should
not change.
4. Run the engine for one minute without
depressing the brake pedal, then turn it off.
Depress the brake pedal several times. The
pedal travel distance will decrease gradu-
ally with each depression as the vacuum is
released from the booster. If the brakes do not operate properly, see your
INFINITI retailer.
Do-it-yourself
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