2003 NISSAN XTERRA warning

WARNING
cThe supplemental front air bags ordi-
narily will not inflate in the event of a
side impact, rear impact, rollover, or
lower severity frontal collision. Always
wear your seat belts to help reduce the
risk or severity of injury in various kinds
of accidents.cThe seat belts and the supplemental
front air bags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright in
the seat. The front air bags inflate with
great force. If you are unrestrained,
leaning forward, sitting sideways or out
of position in any way, you are at
greater risk of injury or death in a crash.
You may also receive serious or fatal
injuries from the supplemental front air
bag if you are up against it when it
inflates. Always sit back against the
seatback and as far away as practical
from the steering wheel or instrument
panel. Always use the seat belts.cThe driver and front passenger seat belt
buckles are equipped with sensors that
detect if the seat belts are fastened. The
air bag system monitors the severity of
a collision and then inflates the air bags
based on belt usage. Failure to properly
wear seat belts can increase the risk or
severity of injury in an accident.
cKeep hands on the outside of the steer-
ing wheel. Placing them inside the
steering wheel rim could increase the
risk that they are injured when the
supplemental front air bag inflates.
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Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-9
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WARNING
cNever let children ride unrestrained or
extend their hands or face out of the
window. Do not attempt to hold them in
your lap or arms. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown
in the illustrations.
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1-10Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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WARNING
cChildren may be severely injured or
killed when the supplemental front air
bags or curtain side-impact air bags
inflate if they are not properly re-
strained. Pre-teens and children 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 curtain side impact air bag:
cThe supplemental curtain side-impact
air bag ordinarily will not inflate in the
event of a frontal impact, rear impact,
rollover or lower severity side collision.
Always wear your seat belt to help re-
duce 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 and the supplemental
curtain side-impact air bags are most
effective when you are sitting well back
and upright in the seat. The curtain
side-impact air bag inflates with great
force. Do not allow anyone to place
their hand, leg or face near the side roof
rails or 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.
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1. Crash zone sensor
2.
Passenger supplemental air bag module
3. Passenger seat belt buckle switch
4. Side curtain air bag
5. Front seat belt pre-tensioner6. Driver seat belt buckle switch
7. Air bag diagnosis sensor unit
8. Front seat belt pre-tensioner
9. Driver supplemental air bag module
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
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
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1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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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 front
occupants. 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.
cRight after inflation, several front 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 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.
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cMaintenance around and on 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 curtain side-impact air
bag system (if so equipped)
The supplemental curtain side-impact air bags
are located in the roof side rails. This system is
designed to meet voluntary guidelines to help
reduce the risk of injury to out-of-position occu-
pants.However, all of the information, cau-
tions and warnings in this manual still ap-
ply and must be followed.The curtain side-
impact air bags are designed to inflate in higher
severity 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 aredesigned 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 curtain side-
impact air bag operation.
When the supplemental curtain side-impact air
bags 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 curtain side-impact air bags help
to cushion the impact force to the head of occu-
pants in the front and rear outboard seating po-
sitions. They can help save lives and reduce
serious injuries. However, an inflating curtain
side-impact air bag may cause abrasions or other
injuries. Supplemental curtain side-impact air
bags do not provide restraint to the lower body.
Rear seat passengers should be seated as far
away as practical from the door finishers and side
roof rails. The curtain side-impact air bag inflate
quickly in order to help protect the occupants.
Because of this, the force of the curtain side-
impact air bag inflating can increase the risk of
injury if the occupant is too close to, or is against,
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1-16Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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these air bag modules during inflation. The cur-
tain side-impact air bag will deflate quickly after
the collision is over.
The supplemental curtain side-impact 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
cRight after inflation, several curtain
side-impact air bag system compo-
nents 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 curtain side-impact air bag system.
This is to prevent accidental inflation of
the curtain side-impact air bag or dam-
age to the 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 curtain side-impact air
bag system.
cWork around and on the curtain side-
impact air bag system should be done
by a NISSAN dealer. Installation of elec-
trical equipment should also be done by
a NISSAN dealer. The SRS wiring har-
nesses* should not be modified or dis-
connected. 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.
Pre-tensioner seat belt system (For
front seats)
WARNING
cThe pre-tensioner seat belt cannot be
reused after activation. It must be re-
placed together with the retractor and
buckle as a unit.
cIf the vehicle becomes involved in a
frontal collision but the pre-tensioner is
not activated, be sure to have the pre-
tensioner system checked and, if nec-
essary, replaced by your NISSAN
dealer.
cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the pre-tensioner seat belt system. This
is to prevent accidental activation of
the pre-tensioner seat belt or damage
to the pre-tensioner seat belt operation.
Tampering with the pre-tensioner seat
belt system may result in serious per-
sonal injury.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-17
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