CAUTION
When cleaning the inner side of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or dam-
age the rear window defroster.
NOTE:
The top few rows of wires on the rear win-
dow are not part of the rear window de-
froster system. These wires make up the
antenna for the audio system.
XENON HEADLIGHTS
WARNING
cHIGH VOLTAGE
cWhen xenon headlights are on, they
produce a high voltage. To prevent an
electric shock, never attempt to modify
or disassemble. Always have your xe-
non headlights replaced at a NISSAN
dealer.
cXenon headlights provide considerably
more light than conventional head-
lights. If they are not correctly aimed,
they might temporarily blind an oncom-
ing driver or the driver ahead of you and
cause a serious accident. If headlights
are not aimed correctly, immediately
take your vehicle to a NISSAN dealer
and have the headlights adjusted
correctly.
When the xenon headlight is initially turned on, its
brightness or color varies slightly. However, the
color and brightness will soon stabilize.cThe life of xenon headlights will be
shortened by frequent on-off opera-
tion. It is generally desirable not to turn
off the headlights for short intervals
(for example, when the vehicle stops at
a traffic signal) . Even when the daytime
running lights are active (Canada only) ,
the xenon headlights do not turn on.
This way the life of the xenon head-
lights is not reduced.
cIf the xenon headlight bulb is close to
burning out, the brightness will drasti-
cally decrease, the light will start blink-
ing, or the color of the light will be-
come reddish. If one or more of the
above signs appear, contact a NISSAN
dealer.
Type B
LIC0317
HEADLIGHT AND TURN SIGNAL
SWITCH
2-18Instruments and controls
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Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
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Headlight beam select
s1To select the high beam function, push the
lever forward. The high beam lights come on
and the
light illuminates.
s2Pull the lever back to select the low beam.
s3Pulling and releasing the lever flashes the
headlight high beams on and off.
Battery saver system
If the ignition switch is turned OFF while the
headlight switch is in theorposi-
tion, the headlights will turn off after 5 minutes.
CAUTION
cBe sure to turn the light switch to the
OFF position when you leave the ve-
hicle for extended periods of time, oth-
erwise the battery will go dead.
cNever leave the light switch on when
the engine is not running for extended
periods of time even if the headlights
turn off automatically.
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SYSTEM
(Canada only)
The headlights automatically illuminate at a re-
duced intensity when the engine is started with
the parking brake released. The daytime running
lights operate with the headlight switch in the
OFF position or in the
position. Turn the
headlight switch to theposition for full
illumination when driving at night.
If the parking brake is applied before the engine is
started, the daytime running lights do not illumi-
nate. The daytime running lights illuminate when
the parking brake is released. The daytime run-
ning lights will remain on until the ignition switch
is turned off.
WARNING
When the daytime running light system is
active, tail lights on your vehicle are not
on. It is necessary at dusk to turn on your
headlights. Failure to do so could cause
an accident injuring yourself and others.
LIC0318
Instruments and controls2-21
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Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
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cIf the ignition switch is in the OFF position
with the fog lights turned ON, a warning
chime will sound indicating the fog lights
were left ON. The fog lights will be turned
OFF by the Battery Saver function approxi-
mately 5 minutes after the last door is
closed.
cIf the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position after the fog lights were turned OFF
by the Battery Saver function, the fog lights
will immediately come back ON.
Headlight switch in the AUTO position;
nighttime operation
cFog lights, marker and taillights come ON.
cHeadlights come ON.
The lights can be adjusted to turn ON in
brighter or dimmer environments. See
your NISSAN dealer to have the sensi-
tivity setting adjusted.
cDash readouts dim unless the dimmer
switch is on full bright.
cIf the ignition switch is in the OFF position
with the fog lights turned ON, the fog lights
will be turned OFF by the Twilight Sentinel
function approximately 45 seconds after the
last door is closed.The default setting is 45 seconds. See
your NISSAN dealer to have this time
adjusted up to 180 seconds.
cIf any door is opened when the ignition
switch is in the OFF position, the Twilight
Sentinel function operates for approximately
5 minutes. After approximately 5 minutes,
the lights will turn OFF due to the Battery
Saver function.
cIf the ignition switch is turned to the ON
position after the fog lights were turned OFF
by the Twilight Sentinel function, the fog
lights and the headlights will come ON to-
gether when the Auto Light Sensor deter-
mines it is dark enough. The fog lights will
now operate independently of the headlights
only if the headlight switch is turned OFF.
cWhen the high beams are turned ON, the
fog lights will turn OFF. The fog lights will
come back ON when the high beams are
turned OFF.
Headlights turned ON and OFF by the
driver (no AUTO headlight function) ; day or
nighttime operation
cSame operation as “Headlight switch in the
AUTO position; daytime operation” de-
scribed above.Some of the Battery Saver and Twilight
Sentinel functions can be turned ON and
OFF or adjusted. Please see your NISSAN
dealer if you have any questions.
To turn the fog lights OFF, turn the switch to the
OFF position.
The fog lights automatically turn off whenever the
high beam headlight function is selected.
Instruments and controls2-23
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Push the switch on to warn other drivers when
you must stop or park under emergency condi-
tions. All turn signal lights flash.
WARNING
cIf stopping for an emergency, be sure to
move the vehicle well off the road.
cDo not use the hazard warning flashers
while moving on the highway unless
unusual circumstances force you to
drive so slowly that your vehicle might
become a hazard to other traffic.cTurn signals do not work when the haz-
ard warning flasher lights are on.
The flashers will operate with the ignition switch
in any position.
Some state laws may prohibit the use of
the hazard warning flasher switch while
driving.
To sound the horn, push the center pad area of
the steering wheel.
WARNING
Do not disassemble the horn. Doing so
could affect proper operation of the
supplemental front air bag system. Tam-
pering with the supplemental front air bag
system may result in serious personal
injury.
WIC0275WIC0249
HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
SWITCHHORN
2-24Instruments and controls
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2003 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
X
SUNGLASSES HOLDER
To open the sunglasses holder, push and release.
WARNING
The sunglasses case should not be used
while driving so full attention may be
given to vehicle operation.
CAUTION
cDo not use for anything other than
sunglasses.cDo not leave sunglasses in the sun-
glasses holder while parking in direct
sunlight. The heat may damage the
sunglasses.
CUP HOLDERS
To open the front cup holders, lift the console
cover. To close, lower the console cover.
The rubber insert may be removed for cleaning.
The rear cup holders are located in the fold-down
armrest in the rear seat back.
WIC0307
Front
WIC0278
2-28Instruments and controls
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2003 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
X
CONSOLE BOX
WARNING
The center console box should not be
used while driving so full attention may be
given to vehicle operation.
CAUTION
cThis power outlet is not designed for
use with a cigarette lighter unit.
cDo not use accessories that exceed 12
volt, 120W (10A) power draw. Do not use
double adapters or more than one elec-
trical accessory.
Armrest
Push the button to elevate the armrest. To return
armrest to regular position, push armrest rear-
ward until locked.
Upper half
Pull up on the lever to open the upper half of the
console box. The rubber mat may be removed for
cleaning.
The upper half of the console box may be used for
storage of cellular phones. An access hole is
provided at the bottom of the upper half of the
console box for phone cord routing to the power
socket.
To route a phone cord to the power socket:
1. Open the upper half of the console box.
2. Remove the rubber mat, and then remove
the cutout area from the mat.
WIC0283WIC0281
2-30Instruments and controls
ZREVIEW COPY:Ð2003 Altima(l30)
Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
X
The interior lights illuminate when a front or rear
door is opened. Once the doors are closed,
these lights turn off in 30 seconds or turn off
immediately when the key is turned to the ON
position.
BATTERY SAVER
If the vehicle doors are not fully closed and the
interior lights remain illuminated, they eventually
turn off automatically to prevent the battery from
becoming discharged. Interior lights that illumi-
nate when doors are opened turn off after ap-
proximately 30 minutes.The HomeLinkTUniversal Transceiver provides a
convenient way to consolidate the functions of up
to three individual hand-held transmitters into
one built-in device.
HomeLinkTUniversal Transceiver:
cWill operate most Radio Frequency (RF)
devices such as garage doors, gates, home
and office lighting, entry door locks and se-
curity systems.
cIs powered by your vehicle’s battery. No
separate batteries are required. If the vehi-
cle’s battery is discharged or is discon-
nected, HomeLinkTwill retain all program-
ming.
Once the HomeLinkTUniversal Transceiver
is programmed, retain the original trans-
mitter for future programming procedures
(i.e., new vehicle purchases) . Upon sale of
the vehicle, the programmed HomeLinkT
Universal Transceiver buttons should be
erased for security purposes. For addi-
tional information refer to “Programming
the HomeLinkTUniversal Transceiver” later
in this section.
WARNING
cDo not use the HomeLinkTUniversal
Transceiver with any garage door
opener that lacks safety stop and re-
verse features as required by federal
safety standards. (These standards be-
came effective for opener models
manufactured after April 1, 1982) . A ga-
rage door opener which cannot detect
an object in the path of a closing garage
door and then automatically stop and
reverse, does not meet current federal
safety standards. Using a garage door
opener without these features in-
creases the risk of serious injury or
death.
cDuring the programming procedure
your garage door or security gate will
open and close (if the transmitter is
within range) . Make sure that people or
objects are clear of the garage door,
gate, etc. that you are programming.
cYour vehicle’s engine should be turned
off while programming the HomeLinkT
Universal Transceiver.
ILLUMINATED ENTRY SYSTEM HOMELINKTUNIVERSAL
TRANSCEIVER (if so equipped)
2-38Instruments and controls
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Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
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s1Pull the hood lock release handle located
below the driver side instrument panel; the
hood springs up slightly.
s2Lift the lever at the front of the hood with your
fingertips and raise the hood.
s3Remove the support rod from the clamp.
s4Insert the support rod into the slot on the
passenger side fender ledge.5. When closing the hood, return the support
rod to its original position, lower the hood to
approximately 12 inches above the latch and
release it. This allows proper engagement of
the hood latch.
WARNING
cMake sure the hood is completely
closed and latched before driving. Fail-
ure to do so could cause the hood to fly
open and result in an accident.
cIf you see steam or smoke coming from
the engine compartment, to avoid injury
do not open the hood.
LPD0072
HOOD
3-10Pre-driving checks and adjustments
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Owners Manual(owners)ÐUSA English(nna)
04/21/03Ðdebbie
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