2011 INFINITI QX ignition

4. Indicates your vehicle
5. Set vehicle speed indicator:
Indicates the set vehicle speed.
For Canadian models, the speed is displayed
in km/h.
6. Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) systemwarning light (orange):
The light comes on if there is a malfunction
in the ICC system.
When the ignition switch is pushed to the ON
position, the indicators come on as illustrated
to check for a burned-out bulb, and it turns off
when the engine is started.
Operating vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode
To turn on the cruise control,quickly push and
release the MAIN switch
Aon. The MAIN
switch indicator, set distance indicator and set
vehicle speed indicator come on and in a
standby state for setting.
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5-48Starting and driving

Operating conventional (fixed speed)
cruise control mode
To turn on the conventional (fixed speed) cruise
control mode,push and hold the MAIN switch
Afor longer than about 1.5 seconds.
When pushing the MAIN switch on, the Intelli-
gent Cruise Control (ICC) system display and the
main switch indicator are displayed on the dot
matrix liquid crystal display. After you hold the
MAIN switch on for longer than about 1.5 sec-
onds, the ICC system display turns off. The main
switch indicator stays lit. You can now set your
desired cruising speed. Pushing the MAIN
switch again will turn the system completely
off. When the Distance Control Assist (DCA) system
is on, the conventional (fixed speed) cruise
control mode cannot be turned on even though
the MAIN switch is pushed and held.
To turn on the conventional (fixed speed) cruise
control mode, turn off the DCA system. See
“DISTANCE CONTROL ASSIST (DCA) SYSTEM”
later in this section.
When the ignition switch is pushed to the OFF
position, the system is also automatically
turned off. To use the ICC system again, quickly
push and release the MAIN switch (vehicle-to-
vehicle distance control mode) or push and hold
it (conventional cruise control mode) again to
turn it on.
CAUTION
To avoid accidentally engaging cruise control,
make sure to turn the MAIN switch off when not
using the ICC system.
To set cruising speed,
accelerate your vehicle to
the desired speed, push the SET/COAST switch
and release it. (The SET indicator will come on in
the display.) Take your foot off the accelerator
pedal. Your vehicle will maintain the set speed.
● To pass another vehicle, depress the accel-
erator pedal. When you release the pedal,
the vehicle will return to the previously set
speed.
● The vehicle may not maintain the set speed
when going up or down steep hills. If this
happens, manually maintain vehicle speed.
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CAUTION
●Do not spin the tires excessively. Tires will
sink deep into the mud, making it difficult to
free the vehicle.
● Avoid shifting gears with the engine running
at high speeds as this may cause
malfunction.
4WD SHIFT SWITCH
● Shift the 4WD shift switch to either the
AUTO, 4H or 4L position, depending on
driving conditions.
● With the switch set to the AUTO position,
distribution of torque to the front and rear
wheels changes automatically, depending
on road conditions encountered [ratio; 0 :
100 (2WD) →50 : 50 (4WD)]. This results in
improved driving stability. ●
If the 4WD shift switch is operated while mak-
ing a turn, accelerating or decelerating or if
the ignition switch is placed in the OFF posi-
tion while in the AUTO, 4H or 4L, you may feel
a jolt. This is not abnormal.
● When the vehicle is stopped after making a
turn, you may feel a slight jolt after the selec-
tor lever is shifted to N (Neutral) or P (Park)
position. This occurs because the transfer
clutch is released and not because of a mal-
function.
CAUTION
● When driving straight, shift the 4WD shift
switch to the AUTO or 4H position. Do not
move the 4WD shift switch when making a
turn or reversing.
● Do not shift the 4WD shift switch while driv-
ing on steep downhill grades. Use the en-
gine brake and low automatic transmission
gears for engine braking.
● Do not operate the 4WD shift switch with the
rear wheels spinning.
● Before placing the 4WD shift switch in the 4H
position from AUTO, ensure the vehicle
speed is less than 62 MPH (100 km/h). Fail-
ure to do so can damage the 4WD system.
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5-88Starting and driving

●Never shift the 4WD shift switch between 4L
and 4H while driving.
● Engine idling speed is high while warming
up the engine. Be especially careful when
starting or driving on slippery surfaces with
the 4WD shift switch in AUTO.
4WD SHIFT INDICATOR
The 4WD shift indicator is displayed in the
vehicle information display.
The indicator should turn off within 1 second
after placing the ignition switch in the ON
position.
While the engine is running, the 4WD shift
indicator will illuminate the position selected by
the 4WD shift switch. (See the 4WD shift proce-
dure list shown in the “INFINITI ALL-MODE
4WD SYSTEM” earlier in this section.) ●
The 4WD shift indicator may blink while shift-
ing from one drive mode to the other. When
the shifting is completed, the 4WD shift indi-
cator will come on. If the indicator does not
come on immediately, make sure the area
around the vehicle is safe, and drive the ve-
hicle straight, accelerate or decelerate or
move the vehicle in reverse, then shift the
4WD shift switch.
● If the 4WD warning light comes on, the 4WD
shift indicator turns off.
4WD WARNING LIGHT
Warning light Comes on or
blinks when:
Illuminates There is a mal-
function in the 4WD system
Blinks
rapidly The transfer
case oil tem-
perature is ab- normally high
Blinks
slowly The difference in
wheel rotation is large
The 4WD warning light is located in the meter.
4WD shift indicator
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Starting and driving5-89

The 4WD warning light comes on when the
ignition switch is placed in the ON position. It
turns off soon after the engine is started.
If any malfunction occurs in the 4WD system
when the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position, the 4WD warning light will either
remain illuminated or blink.
If the 4WD warning light comes on, the 4WD
shift indicator turns off.
High-temperature transfer case oil makes the
4WD warning light blink rapidly (about twice per
second). If the warning light blinks rapidly
during operation, stop the vehicle in a safe
place immediately. Then if the light turns off
after a while, you can continue driving.
A large difference between the diameters of
front and rear wheels will make the 4WD warn-
ing light blink slowly (about once per two
seconds). Change the 4WD shift switch to AUTO
and do not drive fast.CAUTION
●If the 4WD warning light comes on or blinks
slowly during operation or rapidly after stop-
ping the vehicle for a while, have your ve-
hicle checked by an INFINITI retailer as soon
as possible.
● Shifting between 4HI and 4LO is not recom-
mended when the 4WD warning light turns
on.
● When the 4WD warning light comes on, the
2WD mode may be engaged even if the 4WD
shift switch is in AUTO or 4H. Be especially
careful when driving. If corresponding parts
are malfunctioning, the 4WD mode will not
be engaged even if the 4WD shift switch is
shifted.
● Do not drive the vehicle in the 4HI or 4LO
position on dry hard surface roads. Driving
on dry, hard surfaces in 4HI or 4LO may
cause unnecessary noise, tire wear and in-
creased fuel consumption.
If the 4WD warning light turns on when driv-
ing on dry hard surface roads:
– in the AUTO or 4HI position, shift the 4WD shift switch to AUTO. – in the 4LO position, stop the vehicle and
shift the transmission selector lever to
the N (Neutral) position and shift the 4WD
shift switch to AUTO.
● If the 4WD warning light is still on after the
above operation, have your vehicle checked
by an INFINITI retailer as soon as possible.
● The transfer case may be damaged if you
continue driving with the warning light
blinking.
5-90Starting and driving

WARNING
●Do not stop or park the vehicle over flam-
mable materials such as dry grass, waste
paper or rags. They may ignite and cause a
fire.
● Never leave the engine running while the
vehicle is unattended.
● Do not leave children unattended inside the
vehicle. They could unknowingly activate
switches or controls. Unattended children
could become involved in serious accidents. ●
Safe parking procedures require that both
the parking brake be applied and the trans-
mission be placed in the P (Park) position.
Failure to do so could cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly or roll away and result in
an accident.
● Make sure the automatic transmission se-
lector lever has been pushed as far forward
as it can go and cannot be moved without
depressing the foot brake pedal.
1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Move the selector lever to the P (Park)
position. 3. To help prevent the vehicle from rolling
into the street when parked on a sloping
drive way, it is a good practice to turn the
wheels as illustrated.
●HEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB:1
Turn the wheels into the curb and move the
vehicle forward until the curb side wheel
gently touches the curb.
●HEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:
2
Turn the wheels away from the curb and
move the vehicle back until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
●HEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO CURB:
3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the road
so the vehicle will move away from the
center of the road if it moves.
4. Push the ignition switch to the OFF posi-
tion.
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PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS
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The TOW MODE should be used when pulling a
heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load. Driving
the vehicle in the TOW MODE with no
trailer/load or light trailer/light load will not
cause any damage. However, fuel economy may
be reduced, and the transmission/engine driv-
ing characteristics may feel unusual.Push the TOW MODE switch to activate TOW
MODE. The indicator light on the TOW MODE
switch illuminates when the TOW MODE is
selected. Push the TOW MODE switch again to
turn the TOW MODE OFF.
TOW MODE is automatically canceled when the
ignition switch is placed in the OFF position.
For driving or starting the vehicle on snowy
roads or slippery areas, turn the SNOW mode
on.
To turn the SNOW mode on, push the SNOW
mode switch. The SNOW mode indicator light on
the meter panel will illuminate. When the SNOW
mode is activated, engine output is controlled
to avoid wheel spin.
To turn the SNOW mode off, push the switch
and the indicator on the meter panel will turn
off. Turn the SNOW mode off for normal driving
and fuel economy.
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TOW MODE SNOW MODE
Starting and driving5-93

When the VDC system operates, the VDC warn-
ing lightin the instrument panel flashes
so note the following:
● The road may be slippery or the system may
determine some action is required to help
keep the vehicle on the steered path.
● You may feel a pulsation in the brake pedal
and hear a noise or vibration from under the
hood. This is normal and indicates that the
VDC system is working properly.
● Adjust your speed and driving to the road
conditions.
If a malfunction occurs in the system, the VDC
warning light
illuminates in the instru-
ment panel. The VDC system automatically
turns off.
The VDC OFF switch is used to turn off the VDC
system. The VDC off indicator
illuminates
to indicate the VDC system is off. When the VDC
switch is used to turn off the system, the VDC
system still operates to prevent one drive wheel
from slipping by transferring power to a non
slipping drive wheel. The VDC warning light
flashes if this occurs. All other VDC
functions are off, and the VDC warning light
will not flash. The VDC system is auto-
matically reset to on when the ignition switch is
placed in the off position then back to the on
position. When the 4L position is selected with the 4WD
shift switch, the VDC system is disabled and the
VDC off indicator light illuminates.
See “Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) warning
light” in the “2. Instruments and controls”
section and “Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) off
indicator light” in the “2. Instruments and con-
trols” section.
The computer has a built-in diagnostic feature
that tests the system each time you start the
engine and move the vehicle forward or in
reverse at a slow speed. When the self-test
occurs, you may hear a “clunk” noise and/or
feel a pulsation in the brake pedal. This is
normal and is not an indication of a malfunc-
tion.
WARNING
●
The VDC system is designed to help improve
driving stability but does not prevent acci-
dents due to abrupt steering operation at
high speeds or by careless or dangerous
driving techniques. Reduce vehicle speed
and be especially careful when driving and
cornering on slippery surfaces and always
drive carefully. ●
Do not modify the vehicle’s suspension. If
suspension parts such as shock absorbers,
struts, springs, stabilizer bars, bushings
and wheels are not INFINITI recommended
for your vehicle or are extremely deterio-
rated, the VDC system may not operate prop-
erly. This could adversely affect vehicle han-
dling performance, and the VDC warning
light
may illuminate.
● If brake related parts such as brake pads,
rotors and calipers are not INFINITI recom-
mended or are extremely deteriorated, the
VDC system may not operate properly and
the VDC warning light
may illuminate.
● If engine control related parts are not
INFINITI recommended or are extremely de-
teriorated, the VDC warning light
may
illuminate.
● When driving on extremely inclined surfaces
such as higher banked corners, the VDC sys-
tem may not operate properly and the VDC
warning light
may illuminate. Do not
drive on these types of roads.
● When driving on an unstable surface such as
a turntable, ferry, elevator or ramp, the VDC
warning light
may illuminate. This is
not a malfunction. Restart the engine after
driving onto a stable surface.
Starting and driving5-99