2009 NISSAN MAXIMA stop start

The air cleaner filter should not be cleaned and
reused. Replace it according to the maintenance
log shown in the “NISSAN Service and Mainte-
nance Guide.” When replacing the filter, wipe the
inside of the air cleaner filter housing and the
cover with a damp cloth.
To remove the air cleaner filter, push the tabs in
the direction indicated and pull the unit upwards.
WARNING
●Operating the engine with the air
cleaner removed can cause you or oth-
ers to be burned. The air cleaner not
only cleans the air, it stops the flame if
the engine backfires. If it isn’t there, and
the engine backfires, you could be
burned. Do not drive with the air cleaner
removed, and be careful when working
on the engine with the air cleaner
removed.
●Never pour fuel into the throttle body or
attempt to start the engine with the air
cleaner removed. Doing so could result
in serious injury.
IN-CABIN MICROFILTER
The in-cabin microfilter restricts the entry of air-
borne dust and pollen particles and reduces
some objectionable outside odors. The filter is
located behind the glove box. Refer to the
“NISSAN Service and Maintenance Guide” for
change intervals.
If replacement is required, see your NISSAN
dealer.
WDI0665
AIR CLEANER
Maintenance and do-it-yourself8-17
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


●Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, ve-
hicle tire pressure, trailer light operation, and
trailer wheel lug nuts every time you attach a
trailer to the vehicle.
●Be certain your rearview mirrors conform to
all federal, state or local regulations. If not,
install any mirrors required for towing before
driving the vehicle.
●Determine the overall height of the vehicle
and trailer so the required clearance is
known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding of the
vehicle’s behavior, you should practice turning,
stopping and backing up in an area which is free
from traffic. Steering stability and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than under
normal driving conditions.
●Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
●Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or
lock to prevent the coupler from inadvert-
ently becoming unlatched.
●Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
●Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.●Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
●When backing up, hold the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand. Move your
hand in the direction in which you want the
trailer to go. Make small corrections and
back up slowly. If possible, have someone
guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift selector lever to the P
(Park) position before blocking the
wheels and applying the parking brake,
transmission damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill
side of the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly
release the brake pedal until the blocks ab-
sorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Turn off the engine.To drive away:
1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are
clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks.
●While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may de-
crease overall stability. Therefore, to main-
tain adequate control, reduce your speed
and use the manual shift mode (M5) . Avoid
long or repeated use of the brakes when
descending a hill, as this reduces their effec-
tiveness and could cause overheating. Shift-
ing the manual shift mode to M5 (5th) pro-
vides “engine braking” and reduces the need
to brake as frequently.
●If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
●Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
9-22Technical and consumer information
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


Due to legal requirements in some states and
Canadian Provinces, your vehicle may be re-
quired to be in what is called the “ready condi-
tion” for an Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of
the emission control system.
The vehicle is set to the “ready condition” when it
is driven through certain driving patterns. Usually,
the ready condition can be obtained by ordinary
usage of the vehicle.
If a powertrain system component is repaired or the
battery is disconnected, the vehicle may be reset to
a “not ready” condition. Before taking the I/M test,
check the vehicle’s inspection/maintenance test
readiness condition. Turn the ignition switch ON
without starting the engine. If the Malfunction Indi-
cator Light (MIL) comes on steady for 20 seconds
and then blinks for 10 seconds , the I/M test
condition is “not ready”. If the MIL does not blink
after 20 seconds, the I/M test condition is “ready”.
If the MIL indicates the vehicle is in a “not ready”
condition, drive the vehicle through the following
pattern to set the vehicle to the ready condition. If
you cannot or do not want to perform the driving
pattern, a NISSAN dealer can conduct it for you.
WARNING
Always drive the vehicle in a safe and
prudent manner according to traffic con-
ditions and obey all traffic laws.
1. Start the engine when the engine coolant
temperature gauge needle points to C. Al-
low the engine to idle until the gauge needle
points between the C and H (normal oper-
ating temperature) .
2. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88
km/h) , then quickly release the accelerator
pedal completely and keep it released for at
least 10 seconds.
3. Quickly depress the accelerator pedal for a
moment, then drive the vehicle at a speed of
53 - 60 MPH (86 - 96 km/h) for at least 9
minutes.
4. Stop the vehicle.
5. Accelerate the vehicle to 35 MPH (55 km/h)
and maintain the speed for 20 seconds.
6. Repeat steps 4 through 5 at least 10 times.
7. Accelerate the vehicle to 55 MPH (88 km/h)
and maintain the speed for at least 3 min-
utes.
8. Stop the vehicle. Place the shift selector in
the P (Park) or N (Neutral) position.9. Turn the engine off.
10. Repeat steps1-8atleast one more time.
If steps 1 through 7 are interrupted, repeat the
preceding step. Any safe driving mode is accept-
able between steps. Do not stop the engine until
step 7 is completed.
READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST
9-26Technical and consumer information
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


10 Index
A
Active Head Restraint..............1-8
Air bag (See supplemental restraint
system) .....................1-35
Air bag system
Front (See supplemental front impact
air bag system)...............1-42
Airbagwarninglight...........1-50,2-13
Air cleaner housing filter............8-17
Air conditioner
Air conditioner service...........4-43
Air conditioner specification label.....9-11
Air conditioner system refrigerant and
oil recommendations.............9-6
Heater and air conditioner
controls................4-37,4-40
Rear seat air conditioner..........4-42
Servicing air conditioner..........4-43
Alarm system
(See vehicle security system).........2-23
Anchorpointlocations.............1-21
Antenna.....................4-87
Anti-lock brake warning light..........2-10
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)........5-23
Armrests .....................1-7
Audible reminders................2-16
Audio system..................4-43
Compact Disc (CD) changer....4-53,4-60
Compact disc (CD) player.........4-68Audio System
CompactFlash (CF) player.........4-70
Audio system
FM-AM radio with compact disc
(CD)changer................4-51
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc
(CD)changer.............4-57,4-65
Audio System
iPodPlayer.................4-73
Music Box hard-disk drive audio
system....................4-74
Audio system
Radio ....................4-43
Rearaudiocontrols.............4-86
Audio System
Settings................4-57,4-65
Audio system
Steering wheel audio control switch....4-84
Autolight switch.................2-29
Automatic
Automatic drive positioner.........3-28
Automatic power window switch.....2-43
Transmission selector lever lock
release....................5-16
Automatic anti-glare inside mirror.......3-25
Automatic door locks...............3-6
AUX jack.....................4-55B
Battery......................8-13
Charge warning light............2-11
Before starting the engine...........5-10
Belt (See drive belt)..............8-15
Block heater
Engine....................5-27
Bluetoothhands-free phone
system..................4-88,4-103
Booster seats..................1-31
Brake
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)......5-23
Brake fluid..................8-12
Brake light (See stop light).........8-26
Brake system................5-22
Brake warning light.............2-11
Brake wear indicators........2-16,8-19
Parking brake operation..........5-17
Self-adjusting brakes............8-19
Brakes
......................8-19
Break-in schedule................5-19
Brightness control
Instrument panel..............2-31
Brightness/contrast button.......4-14,4-28
Bulb check/instrument panel..........2-10
Bulb replacement................8-26
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
11/03/08—debbie


SRSwarninglabel...............1-49
Starting
Before starting the engine.........5-10
Jump starting.................6-8
Precautions when starting and driving . . .5-2
Push starting................6-10
Starting the engine.............5-11
Startupscreen .................4-17
Steering
Heated steering wheel...........2-34
Power steering fluid.............8-11
Power steering system...........5-22
Steering wheel audio control switch......4-84
Stoplight ....................8-26
Storage.....................2-36
Sun visors....................3-24
Sunglassescase................2-37
Sunroof (see Moonroof)............2-44
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-50, 2-13
Supplemental front impact air bag system . .1-42
Supplemental restraint system
Information and warning labels.......1-49
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system....................1-35
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system).........1-35
Switch
Autolightswitch...............2-29
Automatic power window switch.....2-43
Foglightswitch...............2-31
Hazard warning flasher switch.......2-32
Headlight and turn signal switch......2-27
Headlightcontrolswitch..........2-28
Power door lock switch...........3-5
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch....................2-26Turnsignalswitch..............2-31
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch....................2-35
Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-25
T
Tachometer....................2-5
Temperature gauge
Engine coolant temperature gauge.....2-5
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start.............2-24,3-3,5-10
Three-way catalyst................5-2
Tire
Flat tire....................6-2
Spare tire................6-3,8-41
Tire and Loading Information label.....9-11
Tire chains..................8-38
Tireplacard.................9-11
Tire pressure................8-30
Tirerotation.................8-38
Types of tires................8-37
Uniform tire quality grading.........9-24
Wheels and tires..............8-30
Wheel/tire size................9-8
Tire pressure
Low tire pressure warning light......2-12
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . .5-3
Top tether strap child restraint.........1-20
Towing
Flattowing..................9-23
Towtrucktowing..............6-11
Towing load/specification.........9-19
Trailer towing................9-16Transceiver
HomeLinkUniversal Transceiver.....2-51
Transmission
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid.....................8-11
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT).............5-11
Selectorleverlockrelease.........5-16
Travel (See registering your vehicle in another
country)......................9-9
Tripodometer...................2-4
Trunk access through the rear seat....1-5,1-6
Trunk lid lock opener lever...........3-19
Trunklight....................2-51
Turn signal switch................2-31
U
Uniform tire quality grading...........9-24
V
Vanity mirror...................3-25
Variable voltage control system........8-15
Vehicle dimensions and weights........9-8
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off switch. . .2-35
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) system....5-24
Vehicle electronic system........4-11,4-25
Vehicle identification...............9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number).................9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN) plate....9-9
Vehicle loading information...........9-12
Vehicle recovery.................6-13
10-6
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
11/03/08—debbie