2008 NISSAN SENTRA Owners Manual

The Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode
allows the seat belt to extend and retract to allow
the driver and passengers some freedom of move-
ment in the seat. The ELR locks the seat belt when
the vehicle slows down rapidly of during impacts.
The Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode or
child restraint mode locks the seat belt for child
restraint installation.
When the ALR is activated, the seat belt cannot
be extended again until the seat belt tongue is
detached from the buckle and fully retracted.
After the seat belt fully retracts, the seat belt
returns to the Emergency Locking Retractor
(ELR) mode. See “Child restraints” later in this
section for more information.
The ALR mode should be used only for
child restraint installation. During normal
seat belt use by a passenger, the locking
mode should not be activated. If it is acti-
vated it may cause uncomfortable seat belt
tension.
WARNING
When fastening the seat belts, be certain
that the seatbacks are completely se-
cured in the latched position. If they are
not completely secured, passengers may
be injured in an accident or sudden stop.
Unfastening the seat belts
s1To unfasten the seat belt, press the button on
the buckle. The seat belt automatically re-
tracts.
Checking seat belt operation
Seat belt retractors are designed to lock seat belt
movement by two separate methods:
cWhen the seat belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.
cWhen the vehicle slows down rapidly.To increase your confidence in the seat belts,
check the operation as follows.
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull forward
quickly. The retractor should lock and re-
strict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this check or
if you have any questions about seat belt opera-
tion, see a NISSAN dealer.
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Center of the rear seat (except SE-R
model)
The rear seat center seat belt has a connector
tongue
s1and a seat belt tongues2. Both the
connector tongue and the seat belt tongue must
be securely latched for proper seat belt opera-
tion.
WARNING
cAlways fasten the connector tongue
and the seat belt in the order shown.
cAlways make sure both the connector
tongue and the seat belt tongue are
secured when using the seat belt or
installing a child restraint. Do not use
the seat belt or child restraint with only
the seat belt tongue attached. This
could result in serious personal injury in
case of an accident or a sudden stop.
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Stowing the rear center seat belt
When folding down the rear seat, the center seat
belt can be retracted into a stowed position as
follows:
s1Hold the connector tongue so that the seat
belt does not retract suddenly when the
tongue is released from the connector
buckle. Release the connector tongue by
inserting a suitable tool such as key into the
connector buckle
sA.
s2Retract the seat belt up to the retractor base.
s3Insert the seat belt connector buckle into the
fabric sleeve to stow.
WARNING
cDo not unfasten the rear center seat
belt connector except when folding
down the rear seat.
cWhen attaching the rear center seat
belt connector, be certain that the seat-
backs are completely secured in the
latched position and the rear center
seat belt connector is completely
secured.cIf the rear center seat belt connector
and the seatbacks are not secured in
the correct position, serious personal
injury may result in an accident or sud-
den stop.
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Attaching the rear center seat belt
Always be sure the center seat belt connector
tongue and connector buckle are attached. Dis-
connect only when folding down the rear seat.
To connect the buckle:
s1Pull out the connector buckle from fabric
sleeve.
s2Pull out the connector tongue.
s3Pull the seat belt and secure the receiver
buckle until it clicks.
The center seat belt connector tongue and re-
ceiver buckle are indicated by the > and < mark.
The center seat belt connector tongue can be
attached only into the rear center seat belt con-
nector buckle.
To fasten the seat belt, see “Fastening the seat
belt” earlier in this section.
WARNING
cDo not unfasten the rear center seat
belt connector except when folding
down the rear seat.cWhen attaching the rear center seat
belt connector, be certain that the seat-
backs are completely secured in the
latched position and the rear center
seat belt connector is completely
secured.
cIf the rear center seat belt connector
and the seatbacks are not secured in
the correct position, serious personal
injury may result in an accident or sud-
den stop.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR (SE-R rear center
seat)
WARNING
cEvery person who drives or rides in this
vehicle should use a seat belt at all
times.
cFor the most effective protection when
the vehicle is in motion, always sit well
back in the seat with both feet on the
floor and adjust the seat belt properly.
Fastening the seat belts
s1Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear and feel the latch engage.
cThe retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the seat belt to
move, and allows you some freedom of
movement in the seat.
cIf the seat belt cannot be pulled from
its fully retracted position, firmly pull
the belt and release it. Then smoothly
pull the belt out of the retractor.
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s2Position the lap belt portionlow and snug
on the hipsas shown.
s3Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack. Be sure the
shoulder belt is routed over your shoulder
and across your chest.
The rear three-point seat belts have a locking
mechanism for child restraint installation. It is
referred to as the Automatic Locking Retractor
(ALR) mode or child restraint mode.When the ALR is activated, the seat belt cannot
be extended again until the seat belt tongue is
detached from the buckle and fully retracted.
After the seat belt fully retracts, the seat belt
returns to the Emergency Locking Retractor
(ELR) mode. See “Child restraints” later in this
section for more information.
The ALR mode should be used only for
child restraint installation. During normal
seat belt use by a passenger, the locking
mode should not be activated. If it is acti-
vated it may cause uncomfortable seat belt
tension.
Unfastening the seat belts
s1To unfasten the seat belt, press the button on
the buckle. The seat belt automatically re-
tracts.
Checking seat belt operation
Seat belt retractors are designed to lock seat belt
movement by two separate methods:
cWhen the seat belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.
cWhen the vehicle slows down rapidly.
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To increase your confidence in the seat belts,
check the operation as follows.
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull forward
quickly. The retractor should lock and re-
strict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this check or
if you have any questions about seat belt opera-
tion, see a NISSAN dealer.
SHOULDER BELT HEIGHT
ADJUSTMENT (Front seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be ad-
justed to the position best for you. (See “Precau-
tions on seat belt usage” earlier in this section.)
To adjust, pull out the adjustment button
s1and
move the shoulder belt anchor to the desired
position
s2, so the belt passes over the center of
the shoulder. The belt should be away from your
face and neck, but not falling off your shoulder.
Release the adjustment button to lock the shoul-
der belt anchor into position.
WARNING
cAfter adjustment, release the adjust-
ment button and try to move the shoul-
der belt anchor up and down to make
sure it is securely fixed in position.
cThe shoulder belt anchor height should
be adjusted to the position best for you.
Failure to do so may reduce the effec-
tiveness of the entire restraint system
and increase the chance or severity of
injury in an accident.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position, it is
not possible to properly fit the lap-shoulder belt
and fasten it, an extender is available which is
compatible with the installed seat belts. The ex-
tender adds approximately 8 in (200 mm) of
length and may be used for either the driver or
front passenger seating position. See a NISSAN
dealer for assistance if an extender is required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN seat belt extenders, made
by the same company which made the
original equipment seat belts, should
be used with NISSAN seat belts.
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cAdults and children who can use the
standard seat belt should not use an
extender. Such unnecessary use could
result in serious personal injury in the
event of an accident.
cNever use seat belt extenders to install
child restraints. If the child restraint is
not secured properly, the child could be
seriously injured in a collision or a sud-
den stop.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
cTo clean the seat belt webbing,apply a
mild soap solution or any solution recom-
mended for cleaning upholstery or carpet.
Then wipe with a cloth and allow the seat
belts to dry in the shade. Do not allow the seat
belts to retract until they are completely dry.
cIf dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guideof the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoulder
belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
cPeriodically check to see that the seat
belt and the metal components,such as
buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible wires
and anchors, work properly. If loose parts,
deterioration, cuts or other damage on the
webbing is found, the entire seat belt as-
sembly should be replaced.
PRECAUTIONS ON CHILD
RESTRAINTSWARNING
cInfants and small children should al-
ways be placed in an appropriate child
restraint while riding in the vehicle.
Failure to use a child restraint can re-
sult in serious injury or death.
cInfants and small children should never
be carried on your lap. It is not possible
for even the strongest adult to resist the
forces of a severe accident. The child
could be crushed between the adult and
parts of the vehicle. Also, do not put the
same seat belt around both your child
and yourself.
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CHILD RESTRAINTS
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cEven with the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System, never install a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. An in-
flating front air bag could seriously in-
jure or kill your child. A rear-facing child
restraint must only be used in the rear
seat.
cNISSAN recommends that the child re-
straint be installed in the rear seat. Ac-
cording to accident statistics, children
are safer when properly restrained in
the rear seat than in the front seat. If
you must install a front facing child re-
straint in the front seat, see “Child re-
straint installation using the seat belts”
later in this section.
cImproper use or improper installation
of a child restraint can increase the risk
or severity of injury for both the child
and other occupants of the vehicle and
can lead to serious injury or death in an
accident.
cFollow all of the child restraint manu-
facturer’s instructions for installation
and use. When purchasing a child re-
straint, be sure to select one which will
fit your child and vehicle. It may not be
possible to properly install some types
of child restraints in your vehicle.cIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being in-
jured in a collision or a sudden stop
greatly increases.
cChild restraint anchor points are de-
signed to withstand only those loads
imposed by correctly fitted child re-
straints. Under no circumstances are
they to be used for adult seat belts or
harnesses.
cAdjustable seatbacks should be posi-
tioned to fit the child restraint, but as
upright as possible.
cAfter attaching the child restraint, test it
before you place the child in it. Push it
from side to side while holding the seat
near the LATCH attachment or by the
seat belt path. Try to tug it forward and
check to see if the belt holds the re-
straint in place. The child restraint
should not move more than 1 inch (25
mm) . If the restraint is not secure,
tighten the belt as necessary, or put the
restraint in another seat and test it
again. You may need to try a different
child restraint. Not all child restraints fit
in all types of vehicles.cWhen your child restraint is not in use,
keep it secured with the LATCH system
or a seat belt to prevent it from being
thrown around in case of a sudden stop
or accident.
CAUTION
Remember that a child restraint left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
Check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the child
restraint.
This vehicle is equipped with a universal child
restraint lower anchor system, referred to as the
Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren System
or LATCH. Some child restraints include two rigid
or webbing-mounted attachments that can be
connected to these lower anchors. For details,
see the “Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren
System (LATCH)” later in this section.
If you do not have a LATCH compatible child
restraint, the vehicle seat belts can be used. See
“Child restraint installation using the seat belts”
later in this section. In general, child restraints are
also designed to be installed with the lap portion
of a lap/shoulder seat belt.
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