2012 INFINITI M Owners Manual

9-18Technical and consumer information
cargo and luggage load capacity
of your vehicle.
Before driving a loaded vehicle,
confirm that you do not exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for your vehicle. (See “Mea-
surement of weights ”later in this
section.)
Also check tires for proper inflation
pressures. See the Tire and Loading
Information label.
LOADING TIPS
.The GVW must not exceed GVWR or GAWR as specified on the F.M.V.
S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification label.
.Do not load the front and rear axleto the GAWR. Doing so will exceed
the GVWR.
WARNING
.Properly secure all cargo to help
prevent it from sliding or shifting. Do not place cargo higher than the
seatbacks. In a sudden stop or
collision, unsecured cargo could
cause personal injury.
.Do not load your vehicle any
heavier than the GVWR or the
maximum front and rear GAWRs.
If you do, parts of your vehicle can
break, tire damage could occur, or
it can change the way your vehicle
handles. This could result in loss
of control and cause personal
injury.
.Overloading could not only short-
en the life of your vehicle and the
tires, but also could lead to
hazardous vehicle handling and
long braking distance. This may
cause a premature tire malfunc-
tion, which could result in a
serious accident and personal in-
jury. Failures caused by overload-
ing are not covered by the
vehicle
’s warranty.
MEASUREMENT OF WEIGHTS
Secure loose items to prevent weight
shifts that could affect the balance of
your vehicle. When the vehicle is
loaded, drive to a scale and weigh
the front and the rear wheels sepa-
rately to determine axle loads. In-
dividual axle loads should not
exceed either of the gross axle
weight ratings (GAWR). The total of
the axle loads should not exceed the
gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR).
These ratings are given on the
vehicle certification label. If weight
ratings are exceeded, move or re-
move items to bring all weights
below the ratings.

Do not tow a trailer with your
vehicle.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational
vehicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
.Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
. Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
. DO NOT tow any automatic transmission
vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground (flat towing). Doing so WILL
DAMAGE internal transmission parts
due to lack of transmission lubrication.
. For emergency towing procedures refer
to“Towing recommended by INFINITI ”in
the “6. In case of emergency ”section of
this manual.
Automatic transmission
To tow a vehicle equipped with an auto-
matic transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dolly MUST be placed under the towed
vehicle ’s drive wheels. Alwaysfollow the
dolly manufacturer ’s recommendations
when using their product. DOT (Department Of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where applic-
able on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
TREADWEAR
The treadwear grade is a comparative
rating based on the wear rate of the tire
when tested under controlled conditions
on a specified government test course. For
example, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon actual conditions of their use, how-
ever, and may depart significantly from the
norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Technical and consumer information9-19
TOWING A TRAILER
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING

9-20Technical and consumer information
TRACTION AA, A, B AND C
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B and C. Those grades
represent the tire’s ability to stop on wet
pavement as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire is
based on straight-ahead braking traction
tests, and does not include acceleration,
cornering, hydroplaning, or peak traction
characteristics.
TEMPERATURE A, B AND C
The temperature grades A (the highest), B,
and C, representing the tire ’s resistance to
the generation of heat and its ability to
dissipate heat when tested under con-
trolled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high
temperature can cause the material of the
tire to degenerate and reduce tire life, and
excessive temperature can lead to sudden tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard No. 109.
Grades B and A represent higher levels of
performance on the laboratory test wheel
than the minimum required by law.
WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, under-inflation, or excessive loading,
either separately or in combination, can
cause heat build-up and possible tire failure.
Your INFINITI is covered by the following
emission warranties.
For US:
.
Emission Defects Warranty
. Emissions Performance Warranty (See
Warranty Information Booklet for de-
tails.)
For Canada:
Emission Control System Warranty
Details of these warranties may be found
with other vehicle warranties in your
Warranty Information Booklet (Warranty
and Roadside Assistance Information (Ca-
nada only)) that comes with your INFINITI. If
you did not receive a Warranty Information
Booklet (Warranty and Roadside Assis-
tance Information (Canada only)), or it
has become lost, you may obtain a
replacement by writing to:
. INFINITI Division
Nissan North America, Inc.
Consumer Affairs Department
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37068-5003
. Nissan Canada Inc.
5290 Orbitor Drive
Mississauga, Ontario,
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM WARRANTY

L4W 4Z5For USA
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform the Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Admin-
istration (NHTSA) in addition to
notifying INFINITI.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints,
it may open an investigation, and if it
finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a
recall and remedy campaign. How-
ever, NHTSA cannot become involved
in individual problems between you,
your retailer, or INFINITI.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the
Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at 1-
888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-
9153); go to http://www.safercar.
gov; or write to: Administrator,
NHTSA, 400 Seventh Street, SW.,
Washington DC 20590. You can also
obtain other information about motor
vehicle safety from http://www.safe-rcar. gov.
You may notify INFINITI by contacting
our Consumer Affairs Department,
toll-free, at 1-800-662-6200.
For Canada
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform Transport
Canada in addition to notifying
INFINITI.
If Transport Canada receives com-
plaints, it may open an investigation,
and if it finds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
request that INFINITI conduct a recall
campaign. However, Transport Cana-
da cannot become involved in indivi-
dual problems between you, your
retailer, or INFINITI.
You may contact Transport Canada’
s
Defect Investigations and Recalls
Division toll free at 1-800-333-0510.
You may also report safety defects
Technical and consumer information9-21
REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS

9-22Technical and consumer information
online at:
https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-
Sur/7/PCDB-BDPP/Index.aspx.
Additional information concerning
motor vehicle safety may be obtained
from Transport Canada’s Road Safety
Information Centre at 1-800- 333-
0371 or online at www.tc.gc.ca/
roadsafety (English speakers) or
www.tc.gc.ca/securiteroutiere
(French speakers).
To notify INFINITI of any safety con-
cerns please contact our Consumer
Information Centre toll free at 1-800-
361-4792.A vehicle equipped with Intelligent All-
Wheel Drive (AWD) should never be tested
using a two wheel dynamometer (such as
the dynamometers used by some states for
emissions testing), or similar equipment.
Make sure you inform test facility person-
nel that your vehicle is equipped with AWD
before it is placed on a dynamometer.
Using the wrong test equipment may result
in transmission damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could result in
serious vehicle damage or personal injury.
Due to legal requirements in some states/
areas, your vehicle may be required to be
in what is called the “ready condition ”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/mainte-
nance test readiness condition. Place the
ignition switch in the ON position without starting the engine. If the Malfunction
Indicator 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 ”.
Contact an INFINITI retailer to set the
“ ready condition ”or to prepare the vehicle
for testing.
READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST (US only)

This vehicle is equipped with an Event
Data Recorder (EDR). The main purpose of
an EDR is to record, in certain crash or
near crash-like situations, such as an air
bag deployment or hitting a road obstacle,
data that will assist in understanding how
a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR is
designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or
less. The EDR in this vehicle is designed to
record such data as:
. How various systems in your vehicle
were operating;
. Whether or not the driver and passen-
ger safety belts were buckled/fas-
tened;
. How far (if at all) the driver was
depressing the accelerator and/or
brake pedal; and,
. How fast the vehicle was traveling.
. Sounds are not recorded.
These data can help provide a better
understanding of the circumstances in
which crashes and injuries occur. NOTE:
EDR data are recorded by your vehicle only
if a nontrivial crash situation occurs; no
data are recorded by the EDR under normal
driving conditions and no personal data (e.g. name, gender, age and crash loca-
tion) are recorded. However, other parties,
such as law enforcement, could combine
the EDR data with the type of personally
identifying data routinely acquired during
a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special
equipment is required and access to the
vehicle or the EDR is needed. In addition to
the vehicle manufacturer and INFINITI
retailer, other parties, such as law en-
forcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they
have access to the vehicle or the EDR. EDR
data will only be accessed with the
consent of the vehicle owner or lessee or
as otherwise required or permitted by law.
Genuine INFINITI Service Manual for this
model and prior models can be purchased.
A genuine INFINITI Service Manual is the
best source of service and repair informa-
tion for your vehicle. This manual is the
same one used by the factory trained
technicians working at an INFINITI retailer.
Genuine INFINITI Owner
’s Manuals can also
be purchased.
In the USA:
For current pricing and availability of
genuine INFINITI Service Manuals, contact:
1-800-450-9491
www.infiniti-techinfo.com
For current pricing and availability of
genuine INFINITI Owner ’s Manuals ,con-
tact:
1-800-247-5321
In Canada:
To purchase a copy of a genuine INFINITI
Service Manual or Owner ’s Manual for this
model year and prior, contact an INFINITI
retailer. For the phone number and location
of an INFINITI retailer in your area call the
INFINITI Satisfaction Center at 1-800-361-
4792 and a bilingual INFINITI representa-
tive will assist you.
Technical and consumer information9-23
EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR) OWNER
’S MANUAL/SERVICE MANUAL
ORDER INFORMATION

9-24Technical and consumer information
IN THE EVENT OF A COLLISION
Unfortunately, accidents do occur. In this
unlikely event, there is some important
information you should know. Many insur-
ance companies routinely authorize the
use of non-genuine collision parts in order
to cut costs, among other reasons.
Insist on the use of Genuine
INFINITI Collision Parts!
If you want your vehicle to be restored
using parts made to INFINITI’s original
exacting specifications —if you want to
help it to last and hold its resale value, the
solution is simple. Tell your insurance
agent and your repair shop to only use
Genuine INFINITI Collision Parts. INFINITI
does not warrant non-INFINITI parts, nor
does INFINITI’ s warranty apply to damage
caused by a non-genuine part.
Using Genuine INFINITI Parts can help
protect your personal safety, preserve your
warranty protection and maintain the
resale value of your vehicle. And if your
vehicle was leased, using Genuine INFINITI
Parts may prevent or limit unnecessary
excess wear and tear expenses at the end
of your lease.
INFINITI designs its hoods with crumple zones to minimize the risk that the hood
will penetrate the windshield of your
vehicle in an accident. Non-genuine (imita-
tion) parts may not provide such built in
safeguards. Also, non-genuine parts often
show premature wear, rust and corrosion.
Why should you take a chance?
In over 40 states, the law says you must be
advised if non-genuine parts are used to
repair your vehicle. And some states have
enacted laws that restrict insurance com-
panies from authorizing the use of non-
genuine collision parts during the new
vehicle warranty. These laws help protect
you, so you can take action to protect
yourself.
It
’s your right!
If you should need further information visit
us at:
www.InfinitiUSA.com (for U.S. customers)
or www.infiniti.ca (for Canadian custo-
mers)

10 Index
Number
4 Wheel Active Steer (4WAS) system ............... 5-100
4 Wheel Active Steer (4WAS) warning light ....... 2-13
A
ABS (Anti-lock Braking System) ......................... 5-96
Active noise control ........................................ 5-103
Adjustable headrests .......................................... 1-8
Air bag systemFront-seat mounted side-impact supplemental
air bag system ............................................. 1-49
Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental
air bag system ............................................. 1-49
Air bag warning labels ...................................... 1-52
Air bag warning light ............................... 1-52, 2-16
Air cleaner housing filter ................................... 8-22
Air conditioner Air conditioner specification label ................ 9-13
Air conditioning system refrigerant and
lubricant recommendations ............................ 9-7
Automatic climate control ............................ 4-33
In-cabin microfilter ....................................... 4-47
Air filter In-cabin microfilter ....................................... 4-47
Alarm
How to stop alarm (see vehicle
security system) ........................................... 2-30
Alcohol, drugs and driving .................................. 5-8
Antenna ............................................................ 4-88 Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ......................... 5-96
Appearance care
Exterior appearance care................................ 7-2
Interior appearance care ................................ 7-4
Armrest ............................................................. 1-10
Ashtrays (See cigarette lighter and ashtrays) .... 2-47
Audible reminders ............................................ 2-19
Audio operation precautions ............................. 4-48
Audio system .................................................... 4-48 Steering wheel audio controls ...................... 4-87
Autolight system ............................................... 2-35
Automatic Automatic climate control .................. 4-36, 4-40
Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) ............... 8-16
Climate control ............................................ 4-33
Driving with automatic transmission ............ 5-14
Automatic door locks .......................................... 3-6
Automatic drive positioner ................................ 3-28
Automatic moonroof.......................................... 2-55
Automatic seat positioner ................................. 3-28
Average fuel consumption and speed................ 2-27
Avoiding collision and rollover ............................ 5-6
B
Battery .............................................................. 8-19
Battery replacement, Intelligent Key ............... 3-2
Battery saver system ................................... 2-36
Intelligent Key .............................................. 8-29
Variable voltage control system ................... 8-20 Before starting the engine ................................ 5-13
Belts (See drive belts) ....................................... 8-21
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) ON
indicator light ................................................... 2-17
Bluetooth
®hands-free phone system
(models with navigation system) ....................... 4-89
Bluetooth
®hands-free phone system
(models without navigation system) ................ 4-100
Bluetooth
®streaming audio ............................. 4-73
Brake Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) .................... 5-96
Brake fluid ................................................... 8-17
Brake force distribution ............................... 5-99
Brake system ............................................... 5-93
Parking brake operation ............................... 5-18
Brake warning light........................................... 2-11
Break-in schedule ............................................. 5-90
Brightness control Display ON/OFF button ................................ 4-10
Bulb check/instrument panel ............................ 2-10
Bulb replacement .............................................. 8-31
C
Cabin air filter................................................... 4-47
Capacities and recommended fuel/lubricants ...... 9-2
Car phone or CB radio ...................................... 4-89
Card holder ....................................................... 2-51
Catalytic converter
Three way catalyst ......................................... 5-3