2003 NISSAN PATHFINDER Owners Manual

tem (Air Bag System) for the front passen-
ger. See “Supplemental Restraint System”
earlier in this section for precaution.Infants and small childrenNISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be placed in child restraints that comply
with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards or
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Standards. You
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 restraints
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 beltwithout the booster seat.
WARNING
Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat and do not allow a child in the
cargo areas while the vehicle is moving.
The child could be seriously injured or
killed in an accident or sudden stop.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 over
your 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
WITH RETRACTOR
WARNING

Every person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times.

Do 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
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you could be thrown into it and re-
ceive neck or other serious injuries.
You could also slide under the lap
belt and receive serious internal inju-
ries.

For 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
snaps.
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 seat passenger side seat belt and rear
three-point seat belts have a cinching mecha-
nism for child restraint installation. It is referred
to as the automatic locking mode.
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
“Child Restraints for Infants and Small Children”
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-
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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.
Unfastening the seat beltsTo unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle. The seat belt will automatically retract.Checking seat belt operationYour seat belt retractors are designed to lock
belt movement by two separate methods:

When the belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.

When the vehicle slows down rapidly.
You can check the operation as follows:

Grasp the shoulder belt and pull quicklyforward. The retractor should lock and restrict
further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this check or
if you have any question about belt operation,
see your NISSAN dealer.
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Shoulder belt height adjustment (For
front seats)The shoulder belt anchor height should be ad-
justed to the position best suited for you (see
“Precautions on Seat Belt Usage” earlier in this
section). To adjust, push (Type A)/pull (Type B)
the release buttons, then move the shoulder belt
anchor to the desired position so that the belt
passes over the shoulder. Release the adjust-
ment buttons to lock the shoulder belt anchor
into position.
WARNING

After adjustment, release the adjust-
ment button and try to move the
shoulder belt anchor up and down to
make sure it is securely fixed in po-
sition.

The shoulder belt anchor height
should be adjusted to the position
best for you. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the entirerestraint system and increase the
chance or severity of injury in an
accident.
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Seat belt hookWhen the rear seat belt is not in use, hook it at
the belt hook.
TWO-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITHOUT RETRACTOR (Center of
rear seat)
Selecting correct set of seat beltsThe center seat belt buckle and tongue are
identified by the CENTER mark. The center seat
belt tongue can be fastened only into the center
seat belt buckle.
Fastening the seat belts1. Insert the tongue into the buckle marked
CENTER until it snaps.
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2. To lengthen, hold the tongue at a right angle
to the belt and pull on the belt.
To shorten, pull the free end of the belt away
from the tongue, then pull the belt clip to take
up the slack.
3. Position the lap beltlow and snug on the
hipsas shown.
Unfastening the seat beltsTo unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle.
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SEAT BELT EXTENDERSIf, because of body size or driving position, it is
not possible to properly fit the lap-shoulder belt
and fasten it, an extender is available which is
compatible with the installed seat belts. The
extender adds approximately 8 inches (200 mm)
of length and may be used for either the driver or
right passenger seating position. See your
NISSAN dealer for assistance if the extender is
required.
WARNING

Only NISSAN belt extenders, made
by the same company which made
the original equipment belts, should
be used with NISSAN belts.

Persons who can use the standard
seat belt should not use an extender.
Such unnecessary use could result in
serious personal injury in the event
of an accident.

Never use seat belt extenders to in-
stall child restraints. If the child re-
straint is not secured properly, thechild could be seriously injured in a
collision or a sudden stop.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
To clean the seat belt webbings,apply a
mild soap solution or any solution recom-
mended for cleaning upholstery or carpets.
Then brush the webbing, wipe it with a cloth
and allow it to dry in the shade. Do not allow
the seat belts to retract until they are com-
pletely dry.

If dirt builds up in the shoulder belt guide of
the seat belt anchors, the seat belts may
retract slowly. Wipe the shoulder belt guide
with a clean, dry cloth.

Periodically check to see that the seat
belt and the metal componentssuch as
buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible wires
and anchors work properly. If loose parts,
deterioration, cuts or other damage on the
webbing is found, the entire belt assembly
should be replaced.
PRECAUTIONS ON CHILD
RESTRAINTS
WARNING

Infants and small children should al-
ways be placed in an appropriate
child restraint while riding in the ve-
hicle. Failure to use a child restraint
can result in serious injury or death.

Infants and small children should
never be carried on your lap. It is not
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.

Never install a rear facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental front air bag could se-
riously injure or kill your child. A rear
facing child restraint must only be
used in the rear seat.CHILD RESTRAINTS
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NISSAN recommends that the child
restraint be installed in the rear seat.
According to accident statistics, chil-
dren are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.

An 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 a lap belt or the lap portion of a
three point type seat belt. 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:

Choose only a restraint with a label certifying
that it complies with Federal Motor Vehicle
Safety Standard 213 or Canadian Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213.

Check the child restraint in your vehicle to be
sure it is compatible with the vehicle’s seat
and seat belt system.

If the child restraint is compatible with your
vehicle, place your child in the child restraint
and check the various adjustments to be surethe 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

Improper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.

Follow 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.

If the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child beinginjured in a collision or a sudden stop
greatly increases.

Adjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.

After 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.

For a front facing child restraint, if
the seat position where it is installed
has a three-point type lap/shoulder
belt, check to make sure the shoulder
belt does not go in front of the child’s
face or neck. If it does, put the shoul-
der belt behind the child restraint. If
you must install a front facing child
restraint in the front seat, see later in
“Child restraints” for installation on
front passenger seat.

When your child restraint is not in
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