2003 NISSAN MURANO warning

Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag sys-
tems” section. Also instruct your passengers to
do so.
Seat belts help reduce the risk of injury in
collisions and rollovers.In a rollover crash, an
unbelted person is significantly more likely
to die than a person wearing a seat belt.ON-PAVEMENT AND OFFROAD
DRIVING PRECAUTIONS (AWD)Utility vehicles have a significantly higher
rollover rate than other types of vehicles.
They have higher ground clearance than passen-
ger cars to make them capable of performing in
a variety of on-pavement and offroad applica-
tions. This gives them a higher center of gravity
than ordinary cars. An advantage of higher
ground clearance is a better view of the road,
allowing you to anticipate problems. However,
they are not designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional two-wheel drive ve-
hicles any more than low-slung sports cars are
designed to perform satisfactorily under offroad
conditions. If at all possible, avoid sharp turns or
abrupt maneuvers, particularly at high speeds.
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may result in loss
of control or vehicle rollover.Be sure to read the driving safety precautions
later in this section.
DRINKING ALCOHOL/DRUGS AND
DRIVING
WARNING
Never drive under the influence of alco-
hol or drugs. Alcohol in the bloodstream
reduces coordination, delays reaction
time and impairs judgment. Driving after
drinking alcohol increases the likeli-
hood of being involved in an accident
injuring yourself and others. Addition-
ally, if you are injured in the accident,
alcohol can increase the severity of the
injury.
NISSAN is committed to safe driving. You must
not drive under the influence of alcohol. Every
year thousands of people are injured or killed in
alcohol related accidents. Although the local
laws vary on what is considered to be legally
intoxicated, the fact is that alcohol affects all
people differently and most people underesti-
mate the effects of alcohol.
Remember, drinking and driving don’t mix!And that’s true for drugs too (over the counter,
prescription, and illegal drugs). Don’t drive if
your ability to operate your vehicle is impaired by
alcohol, drugs, or some other physical condition.
DRIVING SAFETY PRECAUTIONSPlease observe the following precautions:
WARNING

Drive carefully when off the road and
avoid dangerous areas. Every person
who drives or rides in this vehicle
should be seated with their seat belt
fastened. This will keep you and your
passengers in position when driving
over rough terrain.

Before driving up or down grades,
check the road surface for bumps or
potholes. Be sure to climb a gentle
slope and descend a gentle slope.

Do not drive across steep slopes.
Instead drive either straight up or
straight down the slopes. Off-road
vehicles can tip over sideways much
more easily than they can forward or
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speeds. Your NISSAN all wheel drive
vehicle has a higher center of gravity
than a two wheel drive vehicle. The
vehicle is not designed for cornering
at the same speeds as conventional
two wheel drive vehicles. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly could
result in loss of control and/or a roll
over accident.

Always use tires of the same type,
size, brand, construction (bias, bias-
belted or radial), and tread pattern on
all four wheels. Install tire chains on
the front wheels when driving on slip-
pery roads and drive carefully.

Be sure to check the brakes immedi-
ately after driving in mud or water.
See “Brake system” later in this sec-
tion for wet brakes.

Avoid parking your vehicle on steep
hills. If you get out of the vehicle and
it rolls forward, backward or side-
ways, you could be injured.

Whenever you drive off-road throughsand, mud or water as deep as the
wheel hub, more frequent mainte-
nance may be required. See “Peri-
odic maintenance” in the “Service
and Maintenance Guide”.

Do not drive continuously on sandy
or muddy roads with the front wheels
spinning. The AWD warning light
blinks and the driving mode changes
to 2WD. This could reduce traction
force remarkably. Be especially care-
ful when towing a trailer. (AWD mod-
els)

Do not use 2-wheel chassis dyna-
mometers or 2-wheel free rollers.
(AWD models)

Never operate the accelerator pedal
with the front wheels raised and the
rear wheels on the ground while jack-
ing up or with the front wheels on the
roller and the rear wheels on the
ground. Otherwise, the vehicle could
jump. (AWD models)

When a wheel is suspended due torunning off the road, do not idle the
wheel excessively. (AWD models)

When the vehicle is on a free roller or
the front or rear wheels are jacked
up, do not start the engine. (AWD
models)
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On CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission)
models, the ignition lock is designed so that the
key cannot be turned to LOCK and removed
until the selector lever is moved to the P (Park)
position.
When removing the key from the ignition, make
sure the selector lever is in the P (Park) position.
If the selector lever is not returned to P (Park)
position, the key cannot be moved toward
LOCK.
When the key cannot be turned toward the
LOCK position, proceed as follows to remove
the key:1. Move the selector lever into the P (Park)
position.
2. Turn the ignition key slightly in the ON direc-
tion.
3. Turn the key toward the LOCK position.
4. Remove the key.
If the key is removed from the ignition switch, the
selector lever cannot be moved from P (Park)
position.The selector lever can be moved if
the ignition switch is in the ONposition
and the foot brake pedal is depressed.
There is an OFF position in between LOCK and
ACC, although it does not show on the lock
cylinder. When the ignition is in OFF the steering
wheel is not locked.
In order for the steering wheel to be locked, it
must be turned about 1/6 of a turn clockwise
from the straight up position.
To lock the steering wheel, turn the key to
the LOCK position. Remove the key. To
unlock the steering wheel, insert the key
and turn it gently while rotating the steer-
ing wheel slightly right and left.
WARNING
Never remove or turn the key to the
LOCK position while driving. The steer-
ing wheel will lock. This may cause the
driver to lose control of the vehicle and
could result in serious vehicle damage
and/or personal injury.KEY POSITIONSThe switch includes an anti-theft steering lock
device.
LOCK (Normal parking position) (0)
The ignition key can only be removed when the
switch is in this position.
OFF (1)
The engine can be turned off without locking the
steering wheel.
ACC (Accessories) (2)
This position activates electrical accessories
such as the radio when the engine is not running.
ON (Normal operating position) (3)
SSD0083F
IGNITION SWITCH5-8
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This position turns on the ignition system and the
electrical accessories.
START (4)
This position activates the starter motor, starting
the engine.NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEMThe Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System will not
allow the engine to start without the use of the
registered Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System
key.
If the engine fails to start using the registered
Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System key, it may be
due to interference caused by another Nissan
Vehicle Immobilizer System key, an automated
toll road device or automated payment device on
the key ring. Restart the engine using the follow-
ing procedures:
1. Leave the ignition switch in the ON position
for approximately 5 seconds.
2. Turn the ignition switch to the OFF or LOCK
position and wait approximately 10 seconds.
3. Repeat step 1 and 2 again.
4. Restart the engine while holding the device
(which may have caused the interference)
separate from the registered Nissan VehicleImmobilizer System key.
If this procedure allows the engine to start,
NISSAN recommends placing the registered
Nissan Vehicle Immobilizer System key on a
separate key ring to avoid interference from
other devices.
Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.

Maintenance items should be checked peri-
odically, for example, each time you check
engine oil.

Check that all windows and lights are clean.

Visually inspect tires for their appearance and
condition. Also, check tires for proper infla-
tion.

Lock all doors.

Position seat and adjust head restraints.

Adjust inside and outside mirrors.

Adjust the pedal position.

Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to
do likewise.

Check the operation of warning lights when
key is turned to the ON (3) position.
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE
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1. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and
shift into a driving range.
2. Release the parking brake and foot brake,
then gradually start the vehicle in motion.
WARNING

Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P or Nto R, or D.
Always depress the brake pedal until
shifting is completed. Failure to do
so could cause you to lose control
and have an accident.

Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward
or reverse range before the engine
has warmed up.

On slippery roads, do not downshift.
This may cause a loss of control.

Never shift to P or R while vehicle is
moving. This could cause an acci-
dent.
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.
ShiftingAfter starting the engine, fully depress the brake
pedal and shift the selector lever from P (Park) to
R (Reverse), D (Drive), or any of the desired shift
positions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the selector
lever is in any position while the engine
is not running. Failure to do so could
cause the vehicle to move unexpectedly
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Shift lock releaseIf the battery charge is low or discharged, the
selector lever may not be moved from the P
(Park) position even with the brake pedal de-
pressed.
To move the selector lever, depress the brake
pedal, remove the cover using a suitable tool and
push the shift lock release button. The selector
lever can be moved to N (Neutral). This allows
the vehicle to be moved if the battery is dis-
charged.
If the selector lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have your NISSAN dealer check the CVTsystem as soon as possible.
Accelerator downshift
— In D position —For rapid passing or hill climbing, fully depress
the accelerator pedal to the floor. This shifts the
transmission down into lower range, depending
on the vehicle speed.High fluid temperature protection
modeThis transmission has a high fluid temperature
protection mode. If the fluid temperature be-
comes too high (for example, when climbing
steep grades in high temperature with heavy
loads, such as when towing a trailer), engine
power and, under some conditions, vehicle
speed will be decreased automatically to reduce
the chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the vehicle may not accelerate above
approximately 40 to 50 MPH (65 to 80 km/h).Fail-safeIf the vehicle is driven under extreme con-
ditions, such as excessive wheel spinning
and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe
system may be activated. The MIL may
come on to indicate the fail-safe mode is
activated, see “Malfunction indicator lamp(MIL)” in the “2. Instrument and controls”
section. This will occur even if all electrical
circuits are functioning properly. In this
case, turn the ignition key OFF and wait for
3 seconds. Then turn the key back to the
ONposition. The vehicle should return to
its normal operating condition. If it does
not return to its normal operating condi-
tion, have your NISSAN dealer check the
transmission and repair if necessary.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature protec-
tion mode or fail-safe operation occurs,
vehicle speed may be gradually re-
duced. On highways, the reduced speed
may be lower than other traffic which
could increase the chance of a collision.
Be especially careful when driving. If
necessary, pull to the side of the road at
a safe place and allow the transmission
to return to normal operation, or have it
repaired if necessary.
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To apply:Fully depress the parking brake pedal.
To release:
1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Depress the parking brake pedal and the
parking brake will be released.
3. Before driving, be sure the brake warning
light goes out.
WARNING

Be sure the parking brake is fully
released before driving. Failure to do
so can cause brake failure and lead
to an accident.

Do not release the parking brake
from outside the vehicle.

Do not use the gear shift in place of
the parking brake. When parking, be
sure the parking brake is fully en-
gaged.

Do not leave children unattended in a
vehicle. They could release the park-
ing brake and cause an accident.
WARNING
Do not use the cruise control when driv-
ing under the following conditions:

it is not possible to keep the vehicle
at a set speed.

in heavy traffic or in traffic that varies
in speed.

on winding or hilly roads.

on slippery roads (rain, snow, ice,
etc.).

in very windy areas.
Doing so could cause a loss of vehicle
control and result in an accident.PRECAUTIONS ON CRUISE
CONTROL
If the cruise control system malfunctions, it
cancels automatically. The SET indicator light
on the meter panel then blinks to warn the
driver.

If the SET indicator light blinks, turn the
cruise control main switch off and have the
system checked by your NISSAN dealer.
SPA1286B
PARKING BRAKE
CRUISE CONTROL (if so
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AWD LOCK SWITCH OPERATIONSThe AWD system is used to select AUTO, LOCK depending on the driving conditions.
AWD system electronically controls the coupling.
Push the AWD LOCK switch to move between each mode AUTO and LOCK, depending on driving
conditions.AWD LOCK
switchWheel drivenAWD LOCK
indicator
lightUse conditions
AUTO (OFF)Distribution of torque to the front and
rear wheels changes automatically,
depending on road conditions en-
countered [100:0]↔[50:50].
This results in improved driving stabil-
ity.Goes off. For driving on paved or slippery roads
LOCK (ON) *1 ALL wheel drive AWD LOCK For driving on rough roads
*1 LOCK mode will change to AUTO mode automatically, when the vehicle is accelerated or the vehicle speed is
over approximately 19 MPH (30 km/h). The AWD LOCK indicator light does not go off.
If the AWD LOCK switch is operated while accelerating or decelerating, or if the key switch is
turned off while in the AUTO or LOCK position, you may feel a jerk. This is normal.

The oil temperature of power train parts will increase if the vehicle is continuously operated under
conditions where the difference in rotation between the front and rear wheels is large (wheel slip)
such as when driving the vehicle on rough roads through sand, mud or freeing a stuck vehicle. In
these cases, the AWD warning light blinks rapidly and the AWD mode changes to 2WD to protect
the power train parts. If you stop driving with the engine idling and wait until the warning light stops
blinking, the AWD returns to the AUTO mode.
WARNING

Do not start engine while in the
AUTO or LOCK mode in the following
cases:
When on free roller or jacking up the
front tire with the rear tires on the
ground.

When driving straight, shift the AWD
lock switch to AUTO or LOCK. Do not
operate the AWD lock switch when
making a turn or reversing.

Do not operate the AWD lock switch
(AUTO and LOCK) with the front
wheel spinning.

Engine idling speed is high while
warming up the engine. Be especially
careful when starting or driving on
slippery surfaces with the AWD lock
switch set in OFF (AUTO).

When turning the vehicle in LOCK
mode on paved roads, you may feel a
braking effect. This is a normal con-
dition of the AWD model.
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