2007 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID Owners Manual

ARS1042ARS1043ARS1044
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-37
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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.cEven with the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System, never install a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. An in-
flating supplemental front air bag could
seriously injure or kill your child. See
“Child restraints” earlier in this section
for details.
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1-38Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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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
with both feet on the floor. The side air
bag and curtain side-impact air bag in-
flate with great force. Do not allow any-
one to place their hand, leg or face near
the side air bag on the side of the seat-
back of the front seat or near the side
roof rails. Do not allow anyone sitting in
the front seats or rear outboard 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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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-39
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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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1-40Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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1. SRS curtain side-impact air bag mod-
ules
2. SRS curtain side-impact air bags
3. Supplemental side air bag modules
4. Diagnosis sensor unit
5. Supplemental front air bag modules
6. Crash zone sensor
7. Seat belt buckle switches on driver’s
and passenger’s side
8. Occupant classification sensor (pattern
sensor)
9. Occupant classification system control
unit
10. Seat belt pre-tensioner retractor
11. Side satellite sensor
12. LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for
CHildren)
NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats)
This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN ad-
vanced air bag system for the driver and front
passenger seats. This system is designed to
meet certification requirements under U.S. regu-
lations. It is also permitted in Canada.However,
all of the information, cautions and warn-
ings in this manual still apply and must be
followed.
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41
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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. The supplemen-
tal front air bags are designed to inflate in higher
severity frontal collisions, although they may in-
flate if the forces in another type of collision are
similar to those of a higher severity frontal impact.
They may not inflate in certain frontal collisions.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper supplemental front air bag
system operation.
The NISSAN advanced air bag system has dual
stage air bag inflators. It also monitors informa-
tion from the crash zone sensor, the diagnosis
sensor unit, seat belt buckle sensors and the
occupant classification sensor (pattern sensor) .
Inflator operation is based on the severity of a
collision and seat belt usage for the driver. For the
front passenger, the occupant classification sen-
sor is also monitored. Based on information from
the sensors, only one front air bag may inflate in a
crash, depending on the crash severity and
whether the front occupants are belted or un-
belted. Additionally, the front passenger air bag
may be automatically turned OFF under some
conditions, depending on the information pro-
vided by the occupant classification sensor. If the
front passenger air bag is OFF, the passenger air
bag status light will be illuminated (if the seat isunoccupied, the light will not be illuminated, but
the air bag will be off) . See “Front passenger air
bag and status light” later in this section for
further details. One front air bag inflating does not
indicate improper performance of the system.
If you have any questions about your air bag
system, please contact NISSAN or your NISSAN
dealer. If you are considering modification of your
vehicle due to a disability, you may also contact
NISSAN. Contact information is contained in the
front of this Owner’s Manual.
When a 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.
Even with NISSAN advanced air bags, seat belts
should be correctly worn and the driver and pas-
senger seated upright as far as practical away
from the steering wheel or instrument panel. Thesupplemental front air bags inflate 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
position.
After pushing the ignition switch 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.
1-42Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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Front passenger air bag and status light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag is designed to
automatically turn OFF under some con-
ditions. Read this section carefully to
learn how it operates. Proper use of the
seat, seat belt and child restraints is nec-
essary for most effective protection. Fail-
ure to follow all instructions in this
manual concerning the use of seats, seat
belts and child restraints can increase the
risk or severity of injury in an accident.Status light
The front passenger air bag status light
is
located on the instrument panel above the radio
controls. The light operates as follows:
cUnoccupied passenger’s seat: The
is
OFF and the front passenger air bag is OFF
and will not inflate in a crash.
cPassenger’s seat occupied by a small adult,
child or child restraint as outlined in this
section: The
illuminates to indicate
that the front passenger air bag is OFF and
will not inflate in a crash.
cOccupied passenger seat and the passen-
ger meets the conditions outlined in this
section: The light
is OFF to indicate
that the front passenger air bag is opera-
tional.
Front passenger air bag
The front passenger air bag is designed to auto-
matically turn OFF when the vehicle is operated
under some conditions as described below in
accordance with U.S. regulations. If the front
passenger air bag is OFF, it will not inflate in a
crash. The driver air bag and other air bags in your
vehicle are not part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help reduce
the risk of injury or death from an inflating air bagto certain front passenger seat occupants, such
as children, by requiring the air bag to be auto-
matically turned OFF.
The occupant classification sensor (pattern sen-
sor) is in the front passenger seat cushion and is
designed to detect an occupant and objects on
the seat. For example, if a child is in the front
passenger seat, the advanced air bag system is
designed to turn the passenger air bag OFF in
accordance with the regulations. Also, if a child
restraint of the type specified in the regulations is
on the seat, the occupant classification sensor
can detect it and cause the air bag to turn OFF.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who are
properly seated and using the seat belt as out-
lined in this manual should not cause the passen-
ger air bag to be automatically turned OFF. For
small adults it may be turned OFF, however if the
occupant does not sit in the seat properly (for
example, by not sitting upright, by sitting on an
edge of the seat, or by otherwise being out of
position) , this could cause the sensor to turn the
air bag OFF. Always be sure to be seated and
wearing the seat belt properly for the most effec-
tive protection by the seat belt and supplemental
air bag.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and chil-
dren be properly restrained in a rear seat.
NISSAN also recommends that appropriate child
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restraints and booster seats be properly installed
in a rear seat. If this is not possible, the occupant
classification sensor is designed to operate as
described above to turn the front passenger air
bag OFF for specified child restraints as required
by the regulations. Failing to properly secure
child restraints and to use the automatic locking
mode (child restraint mode) may allow the re-
straint to tip or move in an accident or sudden
stop. This can also result in the passenger air bag
inflating in a crash instead of being OFF. See
“Child restraints” earlier in this section for proper
use and installation.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied the
passenger air bag is designed not to inflate in a
crash. However, heavy objects placed on the
seat could result in air bag inflation, because of
the object being detected by the occupant clas-
sification sensor. Other conditions could also
result in air bag inflation, such as if a child is
standing on the seat, or if two children are on the
seat, contrary to the instructions in this manual.
Always be sure that you and all vehicle occupants
are seated and restrained properly.
Using the passenger air bag status light, you can
monitor when the front passenger air bag is au-
tomatically turned OFF with the seat occupied.
The light will not illuminate when the front pas-
senger seat is unoccupied.If an adult occupant is in the seat but the passen-
ger air bag status light is illuminated (indicating
that the air bag is OFF) , it could be that the
person is a small adult, or is not sitting on the seat
properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front seat,
the passenger air bag status light may or may not
be illuminated, depending on the size of the child
and the type of child restraint being used. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated (indicating that
the air bag might inflate in a crash) , it could be
that the child restraint or seat belt is not being
used properly. Make sure that the child restraint is
installed properly, the seat belt is used properly
and the occupant is positioned properly. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
If the passenger air bag status light will not illu-
minate even though you believe that the child
restraint, the seat belts and the occupant are
properly positioned, the system may be sensing
an unoccupied seat (in which case the air bag is
OFF) . Your NISSAN dealer can check that the
system is OFF by using a special tool. However,
until you have confirmed with your dealer that
your air bag is working properly, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.The air bag system and passenger air bag status
light will take a few seconds to register a change
in the passenger seat status. However, if the seat
becomes unoccupied, the air bag status light will
remain off.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light
, located in the meter and gauges area
in the center of the instrument panel, will blink.
Have the system checked by a NISSAN dealer.
Other supplemental front air bag precau-
tions
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.
1-44Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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