2008 NISSAN PATHFINDER Owners Manual

1. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and
rollover supplemental air bag modules
(if so equipped)
2. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and
rollover supplemental air bags (if so
equipped)
3. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
4. Supplemental front air bag modules
5. Crash zone sensor
6. Occupant classification system control
unit
7. Occupant classification sensor (pres-
sure sensor)
8. Satellite sensors
9. Seat belt buckle switches
10. Pretensioner retractor
11. Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag modules (if so
equipped)
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,
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all of the information, cautions and warn-
ings in this manual still apply and must be
followed.
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 inflators. It also monitors information from
the crash zone sensor, the Air bag Control Unit
(ACU) , seat belt buckle sensors, occupant clas-
sification sensor (pressure sensor) and passen-
ger seat belt tension sensor. Inflator operation is
based on the severity of a collision and seat belt
usage for the driver. For the front passenger, it
additionally monitors the weight of an occupant
or object on the seat and seat belt tension. 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 unbelted. Additionally, the front
passenger air bag may be automatically turnedOFF under some conditions, depending on the
weight detected on the passenger seat and how
the seat belt is used. If the front passenger air bag
is OFF, the passenger air bag status light will be
illuminated (if the seat is unoccupied, 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 causefacial 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. The
supplemental 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
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.
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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 near the climate controls. The light oper-
ates 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 meet the conditions outlined in this sec-
tion: The light
is OFF to indicate that
the front passenger air bag is operational.
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, suchas children, by requiring the air bag to be auto-
matically turned OFF. Certain sensors are used
to meet the requirements.
One sensor used is the occupant classification
sensor (pressure sensor) . It is in the bottom of the
front passenger seat cushion and is designed to
detect an occupant and objects on the seat by
weight. It works together with seat belt sensors
described later. For example, if a child is in the
front passenger seat, the advanced air bag sys-
tem 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 regula-
tions is on the seat, its weight and the child’s
weight can be detected and cause the air bag to
turn OFF. Occupant classification sensor opera-
tion can vary depending on the front passenger
seat belt sensors.
The front passenger seat belt sensors are de-
signed to detect if the seat belt is buckled and the
amount of tension on the seat belt, such as when
it is in the Automatic Locking Retractor mode
(child restraint mode) . Based on the weight on
the seat detected by the occupant classification
sensor and the belt tension detected on the seat
belt, the Advanced Air Bag System determines
whether the front passenger air bag should be
automatically turned OFF as required by the
regulations.
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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 takes his/her weight off the seat cush-
ion (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. In addition, if the occupant
improperly uses the seat belt in the Automatic
Locking Retractor mode (child restraint mode) ,
this could cause the air bag to be turned OFF.
Always be sure to be seated and wearing the seat
belt properly for the most effective 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
restraints and booster seats be properly installed
in a rear seat. If this is not possible, the occupant
classification sensor and seat belt sensors are
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 Retractor mode (child
restraint mode) may allow the restraint to tip or
move in an accident or sudden stop. This can
also result in the passenger air bag inflating in acrash instead of being OFF. See “Child re-
straints” 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’s weight detected by the occupant
classification 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 or not using the seat belt 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 thatthe 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. For example, if a
large adult who is sitting in the front passenger
seat exits the vehicle, the passenger air bag
status light will go from OFF to ON for a few
seconds and then to OFF. This is normal system
operation and does not indicate a malfunction.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light
, located in the meter and gauges area
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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.
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.
cModifying or tampering with the front
passenger seat may result in serious
personal injury. For example, do not
change the front seats by placing mate-
rial on the seat cushion or by installing
additional trim material, such as seat
covers, on the seat that are not specifi-
cally designed to assure proper air bag
operation. Additionally, do not stow any
objects under the front passenger seat
or the seat cushion and seatback. Such
objects may interfere with the proper
operation of the occupant classifica-
tion sensor (pressure sensor) .cNo unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the seat belt system. This may affect the
supplemental front air bag system.
Tampering with the seat belt system
may result in serious personal injury.
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 the function 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.
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Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags (if so equipped)
and roof-mounted curtain side-impact
and rollover supplemental air bag (if so
equipped) system
The front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags are located in the outside of the
seatback of the front seats. The roof-mounted
curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air
bags are located in the side roof rails in all 3 rows.
These systems are designed to meet voluntary
guidelines to help reduce the risk of injury to
out-of-position occupants.However, all of the
information, cautions and warnings in thismanual still apply and must be followed.
The front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags and roof-mounted curtain side-
impact and rollover supplemental air bags are
designed to inflate in higher severity side colli-
sions, although they may inflate if the forces in
another type of collision are similar to 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. As
a result, certain vehicle movements (for example,
during severe off roading) may cause the airbags
to inflate.
Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover
supplemental air bags are also designed to inflate
in certain types of rollover collisions or near roll-
overs. As a result, certain vehicle movements (for
example, during severe off roading) may cause
the airbags to inflate.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper supplemental side air bag
and curtain side-impact and rollover air bag op-
eration.
When the front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-mounted curtain
side-impact and rollover supplemental 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 takennot to inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing con-
dition should get fresh air promptly.
Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental
air bags, along with the use of seat belts, help to
cushion the impact force on the chest of the front
occupants. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
and rollover supplemental air bags help to cush-
ion the impact force to the head of occupants in
the front and rear outboard seating positions in all
rows. They can help save lives and reduce seri-
ous injuries. However, an inflating side air bag, or
curtain air bag may cause abrasions or other
injuries. Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bags and roof-mounted curtain side-
impact and rollover supplemental 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
practical away from the supplemental side air
bag. Rear seat passengers should be seated as
far away as practical from the door finishers and
side roof rails. The front seat-mounted side-
impact supplemental air bags and roof-mounted
curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air
bags inflate quickly in order to help protect the
occupants. Because of this, the force of the front
seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bags
and roof-mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental air bags inflating can increase
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the risk of injury if the occupant is too close to, or
is against, these air bag modules during inflation.
The front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags will deflate quickly after the collision is
over.
The front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags and roof-mounted curtain side-
impact and rollover supplemental air bags will
remain inflated for a short time.
The front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-mounted
curtain side-impact and rollover supple-
mental air bags operate only when the ig-
nition switch is in the ON or START posi-
tions.
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 near the seat-
back of the front seats. Also, do not
place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher
and the front seat. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if the supplemental side air
bag inflates.
cRight after inflation, several front seat-
mounted side-impact supplemental air
bag and curtain side-impact and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental air bag system com-
ponents 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 front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental air bag system. This
is to prevent accidental inflation of the
front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental air bags or damage
to the front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental 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 air bag system.
cTampering with the front seat-mounted
side-impact supplemental air bags may
result in serious personal injury. For
example, do not change the front seats
by placing material near the seatbacks
or by installing additional trim material,
such as seat covers, around the front
seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags.
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cWork around and on the roof-mounted
curtain side-impact and rollover
supplemental air bags 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 front seat-mounted
side-impact supplemental air bags or
roof-mounted curtain side-impact and
rollover supplemental air bag system.
* The SRS wiring harness or connectors are
yellow or orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the supplemental side air
bag and curtain air bag system and guide the
buyer to the appropriate sections in this Owner’s
Manual.Seat belts with pretensioners (Front
seats)
WARNING
cThe seat belts with pretensioners can-
not be reused after activation. It must
be replaced together with the retractor
and buckle as a unit.
cIf the vehicle becomes involved in a
frontal collision but the pretensioner 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 seat belts with pretensioners. This
is to prevent accidental activation of
the seat belts with pretensioners or
damage to the seat belts with preten-
sioners operation. Tampering with the
seat belts with pretensioners may result
in serious personal injury.cWork around and on the seat belts with
pretensioners should be done by a
NISSAN dealer. Installation of electrical
equipment should also be done by a
NISSAN dealer. Unauthorized electrical
test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the seat belts
with pretensioners.
cIf you need to dispose of the preten-
sioner or scrap the vehicle, contact a
NISSAN dealer. Correct pretensioner
disposal procedures are set forth in the
appropriate NISSAN Service Manual.
Incorrect disposal procedures could
cause personal injury.
The front seat belts with pretensioners activates
in conjunction with the front supplemental air bag
systems. Working with the seat belt retractor, it
helps tighten the seat belt when the vehicle be-
comes involved in certain types of collisions,
helping to restrain front seat occupants.
The pretensioner is encased with the seat belt’s
retractor. These seat belts are used the same as
conventional seat belts.
When the pretensioner activates, smoke is re-
leased and a loud noise may be heard. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a fire.
Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it may
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