2012 INFINITI M manual transmission

See“Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) ”
later in this section.
Automatic Transmission (AT)
position indicator light
When the ignition switch is pushed to the
ON position, the indicator shows the
automatic selector position.
In the manual shift mode, when the
transmission does not shift to the selected
gear due to a transmission protection
mode, the AT position indicator light will
blink and a chime will sound.
See “Automatic transmission ”in the “5.
Starting and driving ”section for further
details.
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI)
ON indicator light (green; if so
equipped)
The light comes on in green when the Blind
Spot Intervention (BSI) system is turned
on. The light turns off when the system is
turned off.
NOTE:
This light is common with the blind spot
warning light (orange). (See “Blind Spot
Warning (BSW)/Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) system warning light
”earlier in this
section).
For more details, see “Blind Spot Warning
(BSW) system/Blind Spot Intervention
TM
(BSI) system” in the“5. Starting and
driving ”section.
ECO drive indicator light
When the ignition switch is pushed to the
ON position, the light will come on in
orange, turn green, and then turn off.
When the drive mode select switch is
turned to the ECO mode, the ECO drive
indicator light will illuminate or change its
color depending on the accelerator pedal
operation to help assist the driver to drive
economically. For more details, see “Eco
mode ”in the “5. Starting and driving ”
section.
Front fog light indicator light
The front fog light indicator light illumi-
nates when the front fog lights are on. (See
“ Fog light switch ”later in this section.)
Front passenger air bag status
light
The front passenger air bag status light
(
) will be lit and the passenger front air bag will be OFF depending on how the front
passenger seat is being used.
For front passenger air bag status light
operation, see
“INFINITI Advanced Air Bag
System (front seats) ”in the “1. Safety —
Seats, seat belts and supplemental re-
straint system” section of this manual.
High beam indicator light
This light comes on when the headlight
high beam is on and goes out when the low
beam is selected.
Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA)
off indicator light (if so equipped)
The light illuminates when the Intelligent
Brake Assist (IBA) off switch is pushed to
OFF. This indicates that the Intelligent
Brake Assist (IBA) system is not operating.
When the IBA off indicator light illuminates
while the system is turned on (without the
warning chime sound), this light indicates
that the system control is temporarily
unavailable.
When the IBA off indicator light illuminates
with the warning chime sound while the
IBA system is turned on, this light indicates
that the system may not be functioning
properly. Park the vehicle in a safe place.
Instruments and controls2-17

5-14Starting and driving
start.
When racing the engine up to 4,000
rpm (VK56VD engine) or 4,500 rpm
(VQ37VHR engine) or more under no
load condition, the engine will enter the
fuel cut mode.
5. To stop the engine, shift the selector lever to the P (Park) position and push
the ignition switch to the OFF position.
In preparation for the next engine start,
the engine may have a slightly delayed
shutoff after pushing the ignition
switch to the OFF position, depending
on the driving conditions (VK56VD
engine models).AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The automatic transmission in your vehicle
is electronically controlled by a transmis-
sion control module to produce maximum
efficiency and smooth operation.
Shown on the following pages are the
recommended operating procedures for
this transmission. Follow these procedures
for maximum vehicle performance and
driving enjoyment.
Starting the vehicle
After starting the engine, fully depress the
foot brake pedal and push the selector
lever button before shifting the selector
lever to the R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D
(Drive) or Manual shift mode position. Be
sure the vehicle is fully stopped before
attempting to shift the selector lever.
This automatic transmission model is
designed so that the foot brake pedal
must be depressed before shifting from P
(Park) to any drive position while the
ignition switch position is ON.
The selector lever cannot be moved out of
the P (Park) position and into any of the
other gear positions if the ignition switch
is pushed to the LOCK, OFF or ACC
position. 1. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed
and push the selector lever button to
shift into a driving gear.
2. Release the parking brake and foot brake, then gradually start the vehicle
in motion.
WARNING
. Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive) or
manual shift mode. Always depress the
brake pedal until shifting is completed.
Failure to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
. Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
. Never shift to P (Park) or R (Reverse)
while vehicle is moving forward. Never
shift to P (Park) or D (Drive) while vehicle
is moving rearward. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and have
an accident.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE

CAUTION
.When stopping the vehicle on an uphill
grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
. Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. This may cause a loss of control.
. Except in an emergency, do not shift to
the N (Neutral) position while driving.
Doing so can cause a loss of engine
braking which may result in a collision,
serious personal injury or death. In
addition, coasting with the transmission
in the N (Neutral) position may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
SSD0973
Selector lever
To move the selector lever,
: Push the button while depressing the brake pedal,
: Push the button,
: Just move the selector lever.
Shifting
After starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal and shift the selector lever
from P (Park) to R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D
(Drive) or Manual shift mode position.
Push the button to shift into P (Park) or R
(Reverse). All other positions can be
selected without pushing the button.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the selector lever
is in any position while the engine is not
running. Failure to do so could cause the
vehicle to move unexpectedly or roll away
and result in serious personal injury or
property damage.
CAUTION
Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped
and the transmission is in the P (Park)
position.
P (Park) position:
Use this selector position when the vehicle
is parked or when starting the engine.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped. The brake pedal must be de-
pressed and the selector lever button
pushed in to move the selector lever from
the N (Neutral) position or any drive
position to the P (Park) position. Apply
the parking brake. When parking on a hill,
apply the parking brake first, then move
Starting and driving5-15

5-16Starting and driving
the selector lever to the P (Park) position.
CAUTION
Use this position only when the vehicle is
completely stopped.
R (Reverse):
Use this position to back up. Always be
sure the vehicle is completely stopped
before selecting the R (Reverse) position.
The brake pedal must be depressed and
the selector lever button pushed in to
move the selector lever from the P (Park)
position, the N (Neutral) position or any
drive position to the R (Reverse) position.
N (Neutral):
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shift to the N (Neutral)
position and restart a stalled engine while
the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive):
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
SSD1099
Paddle shifters (if so equipped)
Manual shift mode
When the selector lever is in the manual
shift gate, the transmission is ready for the
manual shift mode. Shift ranges can be
selected manually by moving the selector
lever up or down, or pulling the right-side
or left-side paddle shifter (if so equipped).
When shifting up, move the selector lever
to the + (up) side or pull the right-side
paddle shifter (+)
*A(if so equipped). The
transmission shifts to the higher range.
When shifting down, move the selector
lever to the −(down) side or pull the left- side paddle shifter (
−)
*B(if so equipped).
The transmission shifts to the lower range.
When canceling the manual shift mode,
return the selector lever to the D (Drive)
position. The transmission returns to the
normal driving mode.
When you pull the paddle shifter while in
the D (Drive) position, the transmission will
shift to the upper or lower range tempora-
rily. The transmission will automatically
return to the D (Drive) position after a short
period of time. If you want to return to the
D (Drive) position manually, pull and hold
the paddle shifter for about 1.5 seconds.
In the manual shift mode, the shift range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
M1 ?
/M2?
/M3?
/M4?
/M5?
/M6?
/M7
M7 (7th):
Use these positions for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) andM5 (5th):
Use this position when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving

down long slopes.
M4 (4th),M3 (3rd) andM2 (2nd):
Use these positions for hill climbing or
engine braking on downhill grades.
M1 (1st):
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep
snow, or for maximum engine braking on
steep downhill grades.
. Remember not to drive at high speeds
for extended periods of time in lower
than 7th gear. This reduces fuel econ-
omy.
. Moving the selector lever rapidly to the
same side twice will shift the ranges in
succession.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion may not shift to the selected gear.
This helps maintain driving perfor-
mance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control.
When this situation occurs, the Auto-
matic Transmission (AT) position indi-
cator light (on the dot matrix liquid
crystal display) will blink and the
chime will sound.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion automatically shifts down to 1st gear before the vehicle comes to a
stop. When accelerating again, it is
necessary to shift up to the desired
range.Accelerator downshift
—In D (Drive)
position —
For passing or hill climbing, fully depress
the accelerator pedal to the floor. This
shifts the transmission down into the lower
gear, depending on the vehicle speed.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, note
that the transmission will be locked in any
of the forward gears according to the
condition.
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel spin-
ning and subsequent hard braking, the
fail-safe system may be activated. This will
occur even if all electrical circuits are
functioning properly. In this case, push
the ignition switch to the OFF position and
wait for 3 seconds. Then push the ignition
switch back to the ON position. The vehicle
should return to its normal operating
condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have an
INFINITI retailer check the transmission and repair if necessary.
Starting and driving5-17

The engine cooling system is filled at the
factory with a pre-diluted mixture of 50%
Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Cool-
ant (blue) and 50% water to provide year-
round anti-freeze and coolant protection.
The anti-freeze solution contains rust and
corrosion inhibitors. Additional engine
cooling system additives are not neces-
sary.
WARNING
.Never remove the radiator cap when the
engine is hot. Wait until the engine and
radiator cool down. Serious burns could
be caused by high pressure fluid escap-
ing from the radiator. See precautions in
“If your vehicle overheats ”in the “6. In
case of emergency ”section of this
manual.
. The radiator is equipped with a pressure
type radiator cap. To prevent engine
damage, use only a genuine NISSAN
radiator cap.
CAUTION
.When adding or replacing coolant, be
sure to use only Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or equiva-
lent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life Anti-
freeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-diluted to
provide antifreeze protection to −348F
( −37 8C). If additional freeze protection is
needed due to weather where you
operate your vehicle, add Genuine
NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant
(blue) concentrate following the direc-
tions on the container. If an equivalent
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used,
follow the coolant manufacture ’s instruc-
tions to maintain minimum antifreeze
protection to −348F( −37 8C). The use of
other types of coolant solutions other
than Genuine NISSAN Long Life Anti-
freeze/Coolant (blue) or equivalent may
damage the engine cooling system.
. The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km)
or 7 years. Mixing any other type of
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) , including Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/
Coolant (green), or the use of non-
distilled water will reduce the life
expectancy of the factory-fill coolant.
Refer to the INFINITI Service and Main-
tenance Guide for more details.
. Never use any additives in the coolant
such as radiator sealer in the cooling
system. This may cause damage to
electrical equipment such as the motor
and inverter, and also to engine and
transmission.
Maintenance and do-it-yourself8-11
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM

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