2003 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

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Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-11
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WARNING
cChildren may be severely injured or
killed when the supplemental front air
bags, side air bags or curtain side-
impact air bags inflate if they are not
properly restrained. Pre-teens and chil-
dren should be properly restrained in
the rear seat, if possible.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental front air bag could seri-
ously injure or kill your child. See “Child
restraints” later in this section for
details.
WARNING
Supplemental side air bag and curtain
side-impact air bag (if so equipped):
cThe supplemental side air bag and cur-
tain side-impact air bag ordinarily will
not inflate in the event of a frontal im-
pact, rear impact, rollover or lower se-
verity side collision. Always wear your
seat belts to help reduce the risk or
severity of injury in various kinds of
accidents.
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1-12Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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WARNING
cThe seat belts, the supplemental side
air bags and curtain side-impact air
bags are most effective when you are
sitting well back and upright in the seat.
The side air bag and curtain side-impact
air bag inflate with great force. Do not
allow anyone to place their hand, leg or
face near the side air bag on the side of
the seatback of the front seat or near
the side roof rails. Do not allow anyone
sitting in the front seats or rear out-
board seats to extend their hand out of
the window or lean against the door.
Some examples of dangerous riding
positions are shown in the previous
illustrations.
WARNING
cWhen sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front seat.
If the side air bag inflates, you may be
seriously injured. Be especially careful
with children, who should always be
properly restrained. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown
in the illustrations.
cDo not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
supplemental side air bag inflation.
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Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-13
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SSS0159SSS0162
1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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1. SRS curtain side-impact air bag (right)
(if so equipped)
2. Supplemental side air bag modules (if
so equipped)
3. SRS curtain side-impact air bag mod-
ule (if so equipped)4. Satellite sensors
5. Seat belt pre-tensioner retractor
6. Diagnosis sensor unit
7. Supplemental front air bag modules
8. Crash zone sensor9. SRS curtain side-impact air bag (left) (if
so equipped)
10. Seat belt buckle switches
Supplemental front air bag system
The driver supplemental front air bag is located in
the center of the steering wheel. The passenger
supplemental front air bag is mounted in the
dashboard above the glove box.
These systems are designed to meet optional
certification requirements under U.S. regulations.
They are also permitted in Canada. The optional
certification allows the front air bags to be de-
signed to inflate somewhat less forcefully than
previously.However, all of the information,
cautions and warnings in this manual still
apply and must be followed.
The supplemental front air bag system is de-
signed to inflate in higher severity frontal colli-
sions, although it may inflate if the forces in an-
other type of collision are similar to those of a
higher severity frontal impact. It may not inflate in
certain frontal collisions. Vehicle damage (or lack
of it) is not always an indication of proper supple-
mental front air bag system operation.
The supplemental air bag system has dual stage
inflators for both the driver and passenger air
bags. The system monitors information from the
crash zone sensor, the diagnosis sensor unit and
WRS0168
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-15
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seat belt buckle sensors that detect if the seat
belts are fastened. Inflator operation is based on
the severity of a collision and whether the seat
belts are being used. Only one front air bag may
inflate in a crash, depending on the crash severity
and whether the front occupants are belted or
unbelted. This does not indicate improper perfor-
mance of the system. If you have any questions
about the performance of your air bag system,
please contact your NISSAN dealer.
When the supplemental front air bag inflates, a
fairly loud noise may be heard, followed by the
release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful and
does not indicate a fire. Care should be taken to
not inhale it, as it may cause irritation and chok-
ing. Those with a history of a breathing condition
should get fresh air promptly.
Supplemental front air bags, along with the 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 inflating front air bag may cause
facial abrasions or other injuries. Front air bags
do not provide restraint to the lower body.
Seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel. The supplemental front air bags in-
flate quickly in order to help protect the frontoccupants. 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
front air bag module during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly after a collision.
The supplemental front air bags operate
only when the ignition switch is in the ON
or START position.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the system is operational.
WARNING
cDo not place any objects on the steer-
ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steering
wheel or instrument panel. Such ob-
jects may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the supplemen-
tal front air bag inflates.
cImmediately after inflation, several
front air bag system components will be
hot. Do not touch them; you may se-
verely burn yourself.cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This is
to prevent accidental inflation of the
supplemental air bag or damage to the
supplemental air bag system.
cDo not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or front end structure.
This could affect proper operation of
the supplemental front air bag system.
cTampering with the supplemental front
air bag system may result in serious
personal injury. Tampering includes
changes to the steering wheel and the
instrument panel assembly by placing
material over the steering wheel pad
and above the instrument panel or by
installing additional trim material
around the air bag system.
1-16Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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cMaintenance on and around the supple-
mental front air bag system should be
done by a NISSAN dealer. Installation
of electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN dealer. The Supple-
mental Restraint System (SRS) wiring
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized 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 re-
pair facility. A cracked windshield could
affect inflation of the supplemental air
bag system.
cThe SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy
identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the supplemental front air
bag system and guide the buyer to the appropri-
ate sections in this Owner’s Manual.
Supplemental side-impact air bag and
curtain side-impact air bags system (if
so equipped)
The supplemental side-impact air bags are lo-
cated in the outside of the seatback of the front
seats. The supplemental curtain side-impact air
bags are located in the side roof rails. These
systems are designed to meet voluntary guide-
lines to help reduce the risk of injury to out-of-
position occupants.However, all of the infor-
mation, cautions and warnings in this
manual still apply and must be followed.
The supplemental side air bags and curtain side-
impact air bags are designed to inflate in higherseverity side 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 operation.
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 in the front and rear
outboard seating positions. 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.
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Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-17
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The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the supplemental side air
bag. Rear seat passengers should be 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.
The supplemental side air bags and curtain
side-impact air bags operate only when the
ignition switch is in the ON or START posi-
tions.
After turning the ignition key to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the system is operational.WARNING
cDo not place any objects near the seat-
back of the front seats. Also, do not
place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher
and the front seat. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if the supplemental side air
bag inflates.
cRight after inflation, several side air bag
and curtain side-impact air bag system
components will be hot. Do not touch
them; you may severely burn yourself.
cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain side-impact
air bag system. This is to prevent acci-
dental 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 system.
cDo not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
supplemental side air bag and curtain
side-impact air bag system.cTampering with the supplemental side
air bag system may result in serious
personal injury. For example, do not
change the front seats by placing mate-
rial near the seatback or by installing
additional trim material, such as seat
covers, around the side air bag.
cWork around and on the side air bag
and curtain side-impact air bag system
should be done by a NISSAN dealer.
Installation of electrical equipment
should also be done by a NISSAN
dealer. The SRS wiring harnesses*
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized 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 identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the supplemental side air
bag and curtain side-impact air bag system and
guide the buyer to the appropriate sections in this
Owner’s Manual.
1-18Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2003 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
X