2008 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

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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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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WARNING
Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bags and roof-mounted curtain
side-impact supplemental air bags (if so
equipped):
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.cThe front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact supple-
mental air bags ordinarily will not in-
flate in the event of a frontal impact,
rear impact, rollover or lower severity
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.
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. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag modules
2. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bags
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag modules
4. Airbag Control Unit (ACU)
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. Pre-tensioner retractor
11. Side satellite sensor
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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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 Airbag Con-
trol Unit (ACU) , 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.
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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 bag
to 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.
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