Automatic transmission model To apply: Fully depress the parking brake
pedal
q A
.
To release:
1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Depress the parking brake pedal
q A
and the parking brake will be re-
leased.
3. Before driving, be sure the brake
warning light goes out. Manual transmission model To apply: Pull the parking brake lever up
q 1
.
To release:
1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Place the shift lever in the N (Neutral)
position.
3. While pulling up on the parking brake
lever slightly, push the button
q 2
and
lower the lever completely
q 3
.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake
warning light goes out. WARNING O Be sure the parking brake is fully re-
leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to an
accident.
O Do not release the parking brake from
outside the vehicle.
O Do not use the gear shift in place of the
parking brake. When parking, be sure
the parking brake is fully engaged.
O Do not leave children unattended in a ve-
hicle. They could release the parking
brake and cause an accident.SPA1286E SPA2110
PARKING BRAKE
Starting and driving
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O If the warning light remains on after the
above operation, have your vehicle
checked by an INFINITI dealer as soon as
possible.
O The power train may be damaged if you
continue driving with the warning light
blinking rapidly.
WARNING O Do not stop or park the vehicle over flam-
mable materials such as dry grass,
waste paper or rags. They may ignite and
cause a fire.
O Never leave the engine running while the
vehicle is unattended.
O Never leave children unattended inside
the vehicle. O Safe parking procedures require that
both the parking brake be set and the
transmission placed into P (Park).
Failure to do so could cause the vehicle
to move unexpectedly or roll away and
result in an accident.
O Make sure the shift lever has been
pushed as far forward as it can go and
cannot be moved without depressing the
button at the end of the lever. SD1006MA
PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS
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1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Automatic transmission models:
Move the selector lever to the P (Park)
position.
Manual transmission models:
Place the shift lever in the R (Reverse)
position. When parking on an uphill
grade, place the shift lever in the 1
(Low gear) position.
3. To help prevent the vehicle from
rolling into the street when parked on
a sloping drive way, it is a good prac-
tice to turn the wheels as illustrated.
O HEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB:
q 1
Turn the wheels into the curb and
move the vehicle forward until the
curb side wheel gently touches the
curb.
O HEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:
q 2
Turn the wheels away from the curb
and move the vehicle back until the
curb side wheel gently touches the
curb. O HEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO
CURB:
q 3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the
road so the vehicle will move away
from the center of the road if it moves.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK
position and remove the key. The power assisted steering uses a hy-
draulic pump, driven by the engine, to as-
sist steering.
If the engine stops or the drive belt
breaks, you will still have control of the
vehicle. However, much greater steering
effort is needed, especially in sharp turns
or at low speeds.
WARNING If the engine is not running or is turned off
while driving, the power assist for the steer-
ing will not work. Steering will be much
harder to operate.POWER STEERING
Starting and driving
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BRAKING PRECAUTIONS The brake system has two separate hy-
draulic circuits. If one circuit malfunc-
tions, you will still have braking ability at
two wheels.
Vacuum assisted brake
The brake booster aids braking by using
engine vacuum. If the engine stops, you
can stop the vehicle by depressing the
brake pedal. However, greater foot pres-
sure on the brake pedal will be required
to stop the vehicle and the stopping dis-
tance will be longer.
Wet brakes
When the vehicle is washed or driven
through water, the brakes may get wet.
As a result, your braking distance will be
longer and the vehicle may pull to one
side during braking.
To dry brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe
speed while lightly tapping the brake
pedal to heat-up the brakes. Do this until
the brakes return to normal. Avoid driving
the vehicle at high speeds until the
brakes function correctly.
Parking brake break-in
Break-in the parking brake shoes when-
ever the stopping effect of the parking brake is weakened or whenever the park-
ing brake shoes and/or drums/rotors are
replaced, in order to assure the best
braking performance.
This procedure is described in the vehicle
service manual and can be performed by
your INFINITI dealer.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal
while driving. This will cause overheating
of the brakes, increases wear on the
brakes and pads, and reduces gas
mileage.
To help save the brakes and to prevent
the brakes from overheating, reduce
speed and downshift to a lower gear be-
fore going down a slope or long grade.
Overheated brakes may reduce braking
performance and could result in loss of
vehicle control.
WARNING O While driving on a slippery surface, be
careful when braking, accelerating or
downshifting. Abrupt braking or accel- erating could cause the wheels to skid
and result in an accident.
O If the engine is not running or is turned
off while driving, the power assist for the
brakes will not work. Braking will be
harder.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM (ABS) The anti-lock brake system (ABS) controls
the brakes so the wheels will not lock when
braking abruptly or when braking on slip-
pery surfaces. The system detects the rota-
tion speed at each wheel and varies the
brake fluid pressure to prevent each wheel
from locking and sliding. By preventing
wheel lockup, the system helps the driver
maintain steering control and helps to mini-
mize swerving and spinning on slippery sur-
faces.
Using the system Depress the brake pedal and hold it
down.BRAKE SYSTEM
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Stopping the vehicle 1. Safely move the vehicle off the road
away from traffic.
2. Turn on the hazard warning flashers.
3. Park on a level surface and apply the
parking brake. Shift the manual trans-
mission into the R (Reverse) position
(automatic transmission into the P
(Park) position).
4. Turn off the engine.
5. Raise the hood to warn other traffic,
and to signal professional road assis-
tance personnel that you need assis-
tance.
6. Have all passengers get out of the ve-
hicle and stand in a safe place, away
from traffic and clear of the vehicle.
WARNINGO Make sure the parking brake is securely
applied and the manual transmission is
shifted into R (Reverse), or the automatic
transmission into P (Park). O Never change tires when the vehicle is
on a slope, ice or slippery areas. This is
hazardous.
O Never change tires if oncoming traffic is
close to your vehicle. Wait for profes-
sional road assistance.
Blocking wheels Place suitable blocks
q 1
at both the front
and back of the wheel diagonally oppo-
site the flat tire to prevent the vehicle
from moving when it is jacked up.
WARNING Be sure to block the wheel as the vehicle
may move and result in personal injury. MCE0001A
In case of emergency
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O The booster battery must be rated at 12
volts. Use of an improperly rated battery
can damage your vehicle.
O Whenever working on or near a battery,
always wear suitable eye protectors (for
example, goggles or industrial safety
spectacles) and remove rings, metal
bands, or any other jewelry. Do not lean
over the battery when jump starting.
O Do not attempt to jump start a frozen
battery. It could explode and cause se-
rious injury.
If needed Roadside Assistance is available.
Please see your Warranty Information
Booklet or Roadside Assistance I.D. Card
for the toll-free number to call (U.S.) or War-
ranty Information Booklet (Canada).
WARNING Always follow the instructions below. Failure
to do so could result in damage to the charg-
ing system and cause personal injury.
1. If the booster battery is in another ve-
hicle
q B
, position the two vehicles
q A
and
q B
to bring their batteries into
close proximity to each other.
Do not allow the two vehicles to touch. 2. Apply parking brake. Move the shift
lever to the N (Neutral) position (On
automatic transmission models, move
the selector lever to the P (Park) posi-
tion). Switch off all unnecessary elec-
trical systems (light, heater, air condi-
tioner, etc.).
3. Remove vent caps on the battery (if so
equipped). Cover the battery with an
old cloth to reduce explosion hazard.
4. Connect jumper cables in the se-
quence as illustrated. SCE0539A
In case of emergency
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WARNINGO Do not continue to drive if your vehicle
overheats. Doing so could cause engine
damage or a vehicle fire.
O To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator cap while the
engine is still hot. When the radiator cap
is removed, pressurized hot water will
spurt out, possibly causing serious in-
jury.
O Do not open the hood if steam is coming
out.
If your vehicle is overheating (indicated
by an extremely high temperature gauge
reading), or if you feel a lack of engine
power, detect abnormal noise, etc., take
the following steps:
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road,
apply the parking brake and move the
shift lever to the N (Neutral) position
(automatic transmission to the P
(Park) position).
Do not stop the engine. 2. Turn off the air conditioner. Open all
the windows, and move the tempera-
ture control to maximum hot and the
fan control to high speed.
3. If engine overheating is caused by
climbing a long hill on a hot day, run
the engine at a fast idle (approximately
1,500 rpm) until the temperature gauge
indication returns to normal.
4. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen
for steam or coolant escaping from the
radiator before opening the hood. (If
steam or coolant is escaping, turn off
the engine.) Do not open the hood fur-
ther until no steam or coolant can be
seen.
5. Open the engine hood.
WARNING If steam or water is coming from the engine,
stand clear to prevent getting burned.
6. Visually check if the cooling fan is run-
ning. The radiator hoses and radiator
should not leak water. If coolant is
leaking or the cooling fan does not
run, stop the engine. WARNING O Be careful not to allow your hands, hair,
jewelry or clothing to come into contact
with, or to get caught in, the engine
belts or the engine cooling fan.
O The engine cooling fan can start at any
time when the coolant temperature is
high.
7. After the engine cools down, check
the coolant level in the reservoir tank
with the engine running. Add coolant
to the reservoir tank if necessary.
Have your vehicle repaired at an
INFINITI dealer.
If needed, Roadside Assistance is avail-
able. Please see your Warranty Information
Booklet or Roadside Assistance I.D. Card
for the toll-free number to call (U.S.) or War-
ranty Information Booklet (Canada).IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency
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the ground or place the vehicle on a flat
bed truck as illustrated.
CAUTION O Never tow automatic transmission
models with the rear wheels on the ground or four wheels on the ground
(forward or backward) as this may cause
serious and expensive damage to the
transmission. If it is necessary to tow the
vehicle with the front wheels raised, al-
ways use towing dollies under the rear
wheels.
O When towing rear wheel drive models
with the front wheels on the ground or
on towing dollies:
Turn the ignition key to the OFF position,
and secure the steering wheel in a
straight ahead position with a rope or
similar device. Never secure the steering
wheel by turning the ignition key to the
LOCK position. This may damage the
steering lock mechanism.
O If you have to tow manual transmission
models with the rear wheels on the
ground or four wheels on the ground (if
you do not use towing dollies):
O Always release the parking brake.
O Move the transmission shift lever to
the N (Neutral) position. SCE0387A
Automatic transmission (AT) models
In case of emergency
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