2003 NISSAN 350Z seat back

collisions, although they may inflate if the forces
in another type of collision are similar to those of
a higher severity side impact. They are designed
to inflate on the side where the vehicle is
impacted. They may not inflate in certain side
collisions. Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not
always an indication of proper supplemental side
air bag and curtain side-impact air bag opera-
tion.
When the supplemental side air bag and curtain
side-impact air bag inflate, a fairly loud noise
may be heard, followed by release of smoke.
This smoke is not harmful and does not indicate
a fire. Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it
may cause irritation and choking. Those with a
history of a breathing condition should get fresh
air promptly.
Supplemental side air bags, along with the use
of seat belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the chest of the front occupants. Curtain side-
impact air bags help to cushion the impact force
to the head of occupants. They can help save
lives and reduce serious injuries. However, an
inflating side air bag and curtain side-impact air
bag may cause abrasions or other injuries.
Supplemental side air bags and curtain side-
impact 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 aspractical away from the side air bag, and seated
as far away as practical from the door finishers
and side roof rails. The side air bags and curtain
side-impact air bag inflate quickly in order to
help protect the front occupants. Because of
this, the force of the side air bag and curtain
side-impact air bag inflating can increase the risk
of injury if the occupant is too close to, or is
against, these air bag modules during inflation.
The side air bag and curtain side-impact air bag
will deflate quickly after the collision is over.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The air bag warning light
will turn off after about 7 seconds if the
systems are operational.
WARNING
IDo 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 fin-
isher and the front seat. Such objects
may become dangerous projectiles
and cause injury if the side air bag
inflates.
IRight after inflation, several side airbag and curtain air bag system com-
ponents will be hot. Do not touch
them; you may severely burn your-
self.
INo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
this side air bag and curtain side-
impact air bag system. This is to pre-
vent accidental inflation of the side
air bag and curtain side-impact air
bag or damage to the side air bag
and curtain side-impact air bag sys-
tem.
IDo 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 side-impact air bag system.
ITampering 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
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PRECAUTIONS ON SEAT BELT
USAGEYour chances of being injured or killed in an
accident 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 states, provinces or territories re-
quire that seat belts be worn at all times
when a vehicle is being driven.
WARNING
IEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times.
IThe belt should be properly adjusted
to a snug fit. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the entire
restraint system and increase thechance or severity of injury in an
accident. Serious injury or death can
occur if the seat belt is not worn
properly.
IAlways 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
shoulder.
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should choose a child restraint that fits your
vehicle and always follow the manufacturer's
instructions for installation and use.Larger childrenChildren who are too large for child restraint
systems 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 available) may help
overcome this. The booster seat should raise the
child so that the shoulder belt is properly posi-
tioned across the top, middle portion of the
shoulder and the lap belt is low on the hips. The
booster seat should fit the vehicle seat and have
a label certifying that it complies with Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or Canadian
Motor 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.PREGNANT WOMENNISSAN 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 overyour abdominal area. Contact your doctor for
specific recommendations.
INJURED PERSONSNISSAN recommends that injured persons use
seat belts, depending on the injury. Check with
your doctor for specific recommendations.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WARNING
IEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times.
IDo 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
you could be thrown into it and re-
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ceive neck or other serious injuries.
You could also slide under the lap
belt and receive serious internal inju-
ries.
IFor 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 belts1. Adjust the seat.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the tongue into the buckle until it
clicks.
The retractor is designed to lock during a
sudden stop or on impact. A slow pulling
motion will permit the belt to move, and
allow you some freedom of movement in
the seat.
3. Position the lap belt portionlow and snug
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 cinching
mechanism for child restraint installation. It is
referred to as the automatic locking mode. (Also
remember, if you need to install a child restraint,
first obtain an air bag ON/OFF switch and turn
the passenger air bag OFF.)
When the cinching mechanism is activated the
seat belt cannot be withdrawn again until the
seat belt tongue is detached from the buckle and
fully retracted. For additional information, see
ªChild restraintsº later in this section.
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 acti-
vated. If it is activated it may cause uncom-
fortable seat belt tension.
WARNING
When fastening the seat belts, be cer-
tain that seatbacks are completely se-
cured in the latched position. If they are
not completely secured in the right po-
sition, passengers may be injured in an
accident or sudden stop.
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possible for even the strongest adult
to resist the forces of a severe acci-
dent. The child could be crushed be-
tween the adult and parts of the ve-
hicle. Also, do not put the same seat
belt around both your child and your-
self.
INever install a child restraint in the
front seat unless an air bag ON/OFF
switch has been installed and the air
bag has been turned OFF. An inflat-
ing supplemental air bag could seri-
ously injure or kill your child.
IAn improperly installed child re-
straint could lead to serious injury or
death in an accident.
In general, child restraints are designed to be
installed with the lap portion of a three-point type
seat belt.
The proper restraint depends on the child's size.
Generally, infants (up to about 1 year and less
than 20 lb (9 kg) should be placed in rear facing
child restraints. Front facing child restraints are
available for children who outgrow rear facing
child restraints.Child restraints for infants and children of various
sizes are offered by several manufacturers.
When selecting any child restraint, keep the
following points in mind:
Ichoose only a restraint with a label certifying
that it complies with Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 or Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
Icheck the child restraint in your vehicle to be
sure it is compatible with the vehicle's seat
and seat belt system.
Iif the child restraint is compatible with your
vehicle, place your child in the child restraint
and check the various adjustments to be sure
the child restraint is compatible with your
child. Always follow all recommended proce-
dures.
All US states and Canadian provinces re-
quire that infants and small children be
restrained in approved child restraints at
all times while the vehicle is being oper-
ated.
WARNING
IImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for boththe infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
IFollow all of the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for installation
and use. When purchasing a child
restraint, be sure to select one which
will fit your child and vehicle. It may
not be possible to properly install
some types of child restraints in your
vehicle.
IIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden stop
greatly increases.
IAdjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.
IAfter attaching the child restraint,
test it before you place the child in it.
Tilt it from side to side. Try to tug it
forward and check to see if the belt
holds the restraint in place. If the
restraint is not secure, tighten the
belt as necessary, or put the restraint
in another seat and test it again.
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4. Pull on the shoulder belt until all of the belt is
fully extended. At this time, the belt retractor
is in the automatic locking mode (child re-
straint mode). It reverts back to emergency
locking mode when the belt is fully retracted.5. Allow the belt to retract. Pull up on the belt to
remove any slack in the belt.6. Before placing the child in the child restraint,
use force to tilt the child restraint from side to
side, and tug it forward to make sure that it is
securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in the automatic
locking mode by trying to pull more belt out of
the retractor. If you cannot pull any more belt
webbing out of the retractor, the belt is in the
automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure that the child restraint is
properly secured prior to each use. If the lap
belt is not locked, repeat steps 4 through 7.
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After the child restraint is removed and the seat
belt is allowed to wind back into the retractor,
the automatic locking mode (child restraint
mode) is canceled; the seat belt only locks
during a sudden stop or impact.
Rear facingWhen you install a child restraint in the front
seat, follow these steps:
1. Turn the air bag ON/OFF switch to the OFF
position.
2. Position the child restraint on the front pas-
senger seat. Move the seat to the rearmost
position. The direction of the child restraint
depends on the type of the child restraint and
the size of the child. Always follow the re-
straint manufacturer's instructions.3. Route the seat belt tongue through the child
restraint and insert it into the buckle until you
hear and feel the latch engage.
Be sure to follow the child restraint manufac-
turer's instructions for belt routing.
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4. Pull on the shoulder belt until all of the belt is
fully extended. At this time, the belt retractor
is in the automatic locking mode (child re-
straint mode). It reverts back to emergency
locking mode when the belt is fully retracted.5. Allow the belt to retract. Pull up on the belt to
remove any slack in the belt.6. Before placing the child in the child restraint,
use force to tilt the child restraint from side to
side, and tug it forward to make sure that it is
securely held in place.
7. Check that the retractor is in the automatic
locking mode by trying to pull more belt out of
the retractor. If you cannot pull any more belt
webbing out of the retractor, the belt is in the
automatic locking mode.
8. Check to make sure that the child restraint is
properly secured prior to each use. If the belt
is not locked, repeat steps 4 through 7.
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