2011 NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID Owners Manual

Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supple-
mental air bag system:This system can help
cushion the impact force to the head of occu-
pants in front and rear outboard seating positions
in certain side-impact collisions. The curtain
side-impact air bags are designed to inflate on
the side where the vehicle is impacted.
These supplemental restraint systems are de-
signed to supplement the crash protection pro-
vided by the driver and front passenger seat belts
and are not a substitute for them. Seat belts
should always be correctly worn and the occu-
pant seated a suitable distance away from the
steering wheel, instrument panel and door finish-
ers. (See “Seat belts” earlier in this section for
instructions and precautions on seat belt usage.)
The supplemental air bags operate only
when the ignition switch is placed in the
ON position.
After placing the ignition switch in 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
● The front air bags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a side impact, rear
impact, rollover, or lower severity fron-
tal collision. Always wear your seat
belts to help reduce the risk or severity
of injury in various kinds of accidents.
● The front passenger air bag will not
inflate if the passenger air bag status
light is lit or if the front passenger seat
is unoccupied. See “Front passenger air
bag and status light” later in this
section. ●
The seat belts and the front air bags are
most effective when you are sitting well
back and upright in the seat. The front
air bags inflate with great force. Even
with the NISSAN Advanced Air Bag Sys-
tem, if you are unrestrained, leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi-
tion in any way, you are at greater risk of
injury or death in a crash. You may also
receive serious or fatal injuries from the
front air bag if you are up against it
when it inflates. Always sit back against
the seatback and as far away as practi-
cal from the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel. Always use the seat belts.
WRS0031
1-36Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

●The driver and front passenger seat belt
buckles are equipped with sensors that
detect if the seat belts are fastened. The
Advanced Air Bag System monitors the
severity of a collision and seat belt us-
age then inflates the air bags as
needed. Failure to properly wear seat
belts can increase the risk or severity of
injury in an accident.
● The front passenger seat is equipped
with an occupant classification sensor
(pattern sensor) that turns the front
passenger air bag OFF under some
conditions. This sensor is only used in
this seat. Failure to be properly seated
and wearing the seat belt can increase
the risk or severity of injury in an acci-
dent. See “Front passenger air bag and
status light” later in this section.
● Keep hands on the outside of the steer-
ing wheel. Placing them inside the
steering wheel rim could increase the
risk that they are injured when the front
air bag inflates.
ARS1133
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-37

WARNING
●Never 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.
ARS1041ARS1042ARS1043
1-38Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

WARNING
●Children may be severely injured or
killed when the front air bags, side air
bags or curtain air bags inflate if they
are not properly restrained. Pre-teens
and children should be properly re-
strained in the rear seat, if possible.
● Even 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. See “Child re-
straints” earlier in this section for
details.
ARS1044ARS1045ARS1046
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-39

WARNING
Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bags and roof-mounted curtain
side-impact supplemental air bags:
●The side air bags and curtain air bags
ordinarily will not inflate 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
● The seat belts, the side air bags and
curtain 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 air bag inflate
with great force. Do not allow anyone to
place their hand, leg or face near the
side air bag on the side of the seatback
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
● When 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.
● Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with side
air bag inflation.
SSS0101WRS0032
1-40Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

SSS0159SSS0162
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41

1. Roof-mounted curtain side-impactsupplemental air bag inflators
2. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bags
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag modules
4. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
5. Side-impact air bag pressure sensor
(driver’s side shown; passenger’s side
similar)
6. Supplemental front-impact air bag mod-
ules
7. Crash zone sensor
8. Seat belt buckle switches on driver’s
and passenger’s side
9. Occupant classification sensor
(pattern sensor)
10. Occupant classification system control
unit
11. Seat belt with pretensioner
12. Side satellite sensor
LRS2024
1-42Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

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.
The driver supplemental front-impact air bag is
located in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front-impact air bag is
mounted in the dashboard above the glove box.
The 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 front air bag system opera-
tion.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System has dual
stage air bag inflators. It also monitors informa-
tion from the crash zone sensor, the Air bag
Control Unit (ACU) , seat belt buckle sensors and
the occupant classification sensor (pattern sen-
sor) . Inflator operation is based on the severity of
a collision and seat belt usage for the driver. For the front passenger, the occupant classification
sensor 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
unbelted. Additionally, the front passenger air
bag may be automatically turned OFF under
some conditions, depending on the information
provided 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 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 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 choking. Those with a history
of a breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.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. The
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 front air bags operate only when the
ignition switch is placed in the ON position.
After placing the ignition switch in 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.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43