2011 NISSAN XTERRA Owners Manual

2Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear and feel the latch engage.● The retractor is designed to lock dur-
ing 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.
● If 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 re-
tractor.3Position the lap belt portion low and snug
on the hips as shown.
4Pull 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 front passenger seat and the rear seating
positions three-point seat belts have two modes
of operation: ● Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
● Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) The Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR) mode
allows the seat belt to extend and retract to allow
the driver and passengers some freedom of
movement in the seat. The ELR locks the seat belt
when the vehicle slows down rapidly or during
certain impacts.
The Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode
(child restraint mode) locks the seat belt for child
restraint installation.
When the ALR mode is activated, the seat belt
cannot be extended again until the seat belt
tongue is detached from the buckle and fully
retracted. The seat belt returns to the ELR mode
after the seat belt fully retracts. See “Child re-
straints” later in this section for more information.
The ALR mode should be used only for
child restraint installation. During normal
seat belt use by an occupant, the ALR mode
should not be activated. If it is activated, it
may cause uncomfortable seat belt ten-
sion. It can also change the operation of
the front passenger air bag. See “Front
passenger air bag and status light” later in
this section.
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1-16Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

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
1To 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:● When the seat belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.
● When the vehicle slows down rapidly. To increase your confidence in the seat belts,
check the operation as follows:
● Grasp 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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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-17

Center of the rear bench seat
The center seat belt has a connector tongue1
and a seat belt tongue2. Both the connector
tongue and the seat belt tongue must be securely
latched for proper seat belt operation.
WARNING
● Always fasten the connector tongue
and the seat belt in the order shown.
● Always 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.
SSS0240SSS0241
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1-18Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Stowing the center seat belt
When folding down the rear seat, the rear center
seat belt can be retracted into a stowed position
as follows:1. Hold the connector tongue
1so that the
seat belt does not retract suddenly when the
tongue is released from the connector
buckle.
2. Insert a suitable tool such as a key
Ainto
the connector buckle and release the con-
nector tongue
1.
3. Fold the connector as illustrated
2.
4. Then secure the connector tongue into the retractor base
3in the ceiling.
WARNING
●Do not unfasten the rear center seat
belt connector except when folding
down the rear seat.
● When 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. ●
If 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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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-19

Attaching the 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:
1Pull out the seat belt tongue from the retrac-
tor base.
2Pull out the connector tongue from the
molded retractor base.
3Pull 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
belts” earlier in this section.
WARNING
● Do not unfasten the rear center seat
belt connector except when folding
down the rear seat.
● When 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.
● If 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.
2nd row center seat belt comfort
guide
When using the 2nd row center seat belt it may
be necessary to use the comfort guide to adjust
the shoulder belt height for occupants of different
sizes for added comfort and to help obtain proper
seat belt fit.
1. Raise the head restraint on the 2nd row driver’s side seating position. Remove the
comfort guide from the stowed position by
pulling the cord from the channel.
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1-20Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

2. Insert the shoulder belt into the back of thecomfort guide so that the seat belt lays flat in
the guide. Be sure that the comfort guide
routes the seat belt properly over the center
of your shoulder and across your chest. The
belt should be away from your face and
neck, but not falling off of your shoulder. 3. To return the seat belt comfort guide to the
stowed position, route the comfort guide
strap in the channel under the 2nd row driv-
er’s side seating position head restraint and
attach the guide in the clip.
Shoulder belt height adjustment (front
and 2nd row outboard 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
1the adjustment button and
move the shoulder belt anchor
2to the desired
position, 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. Re-
lease the adjustment button to lock the shoulder
belt anchor into position.
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Front and 2nd row outboard seats
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-21

WARNING
●After 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.
● The 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 hook
When the seat belt is not in use and when folding
down the rear seats, hook the rear seat belts on
the seat belt hooks.
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 that is compatible with
the installed seat belts is available that can be
purchased. The extender 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 with pur-
chasing an extender if an extender is required.
WARNING
●Only NISSAN seat belt extenders, made
by the same company which made the
original equipment seat belts, should
be used with NISSAN seat belts.
● Adults 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.
● Never 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
● To 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.
● If dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guide of the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoulder
belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
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1-22Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

●Periodically 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. Children need adults to help protect them.
They need to be properly restrained.
In addition to the general information in this
manual, child safety information is available from
many other sources, including doctors, teachers,
government traffic safety offices, and community
organizations. Every child is different, so be sure
to learn the best way to transport your child.
There are three basic types of child restraint
systems:
● Rear-facing child restraint
● Forward-facing child restraint
● Booster seat
The proper restraint depends on the child’s size.
Generally, infants up to about 1 year and less
than 20 lbs (9 kg) should be placed in rear-facing
child restraints. Forward-facing child restraints
are available for children who outgrow rear-
facing child restraints and are at least 1 year old.
Booster seats are used to help position a vehicle
lap/shoulder belt on a child who can no longer
use a forward-facing child restraint.WARNING
Infants and children need special protec-
tion. The vehicle’s seat belts may not fit
them properly. The shoulder belt may
come too close to the face or neck. The
lap belt may not fit over their small hip
bones. In an accident, an improperly fit-
ting seat belt could cause serious or fatal
injury. Always use appropriate child
restraints.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces or terri-
tories require the use of approved child restraints
for infants and small children. See “Child re-
straints” later in this section.
A child restraint may be secured in the vehicle by
using either the LATCH (Lower Anchor and Teth-
ers for CHildren) system or with the vehicle seat
belt. See the “Child restraints” section for more
information.
NISSAN recommends that all pre-teens
and children be restrained in the rear seat.
Studies show that children are safer when
properly restrained in the rear seat than in
the front seat.
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