2004 NISSAN MAXIMA belt

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.
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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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags1-11
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1-12Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags
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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.
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WARNING
Supplemental side air bag and curtain
side-impact air bag:
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.
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.
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1-14Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags
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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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1. SRS curtain side-impact air bag (right)
2. Supplemental side air bag modules
3. SRS curtain side-impact air bag mod-
ule
4. Satellite sensors
5. Seat belt pre-tensioner retractor6. Diagnosis sensor unit
7. Supplemental front air bag modules
8. Crash zone sensor
9. SRS curtain side-impact air bag (left)
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
instrument panel 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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1-16Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags
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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.
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.
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cWork on and around the supplemental
front air bag system should be done by
a NISSAN dealer. Installation of electri-
cal equipment should also be done by a
NISSAN dealer. The Supplemental Re-
straint System (SRS) wiring should not
be modified or disconnected. Unautho-
rized 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
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 higher
severity side collisions, although they may inflate
if the forces in another type of collision are similarto 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.
The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
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1-18Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental air bags
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