2012 NISSAN ALTIMA COUPE maintenance

Mechanical key
The Intelligent Key contains the mechanical key.
To remove the mechanical key, release the lock
knob on the back of the Intelligent Key.
To install the mechanical key, firmly insert it into
the Intelligent Key until the lock knob returns to
the lock position.
Use the mechanical key to lock or unlock the
doors, trunk lid, glove box and rear seatback lock.
See “Doors” and “Trunk lid” in this section, “Stor-
age” in the “Instruments and controls” section,
“Seats” in the “Safety — Seats, seat belts and
supplemental restraint system” section, and “Up-per tether anchor/key cylinder covers” in the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.
CAUTION
Always carry the mechanical key installed
in the Intelligent Key slot.
Valet hand-off
When you have to leave a key with a valet, give
them the Intelligent Key itself and keep the me-
chanical key with you to protect your belongings.
To prevent the glove box and the trunk from being
opened during valet hand-off, follow the proce-
dures below:
1. Push the trunk cancel switch to the OFF position.
2. Remove the mechanical key from the Intelli- gent Key.
3. Lock the glove box and the rear seats with the mechanical key.
4. Hand the Intelligent Key to the valet and keep the mechanical key with you.
See “Trunk lid” in this section, “Storage” in the
“Instruments and controls” section and “Seats” in
the “Safety — seats, seat belts and supplemental
restraint system” section.
NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM KEYS
You can only drive your vehicle using the master
keys which are registered to the NISSAN Vehicle
Immobilizer System components in your vehicle.
The master key can be used for all the locks.
Never leave these keys in the vehicle.
Additional or replacement keys:
If you still have a key, the key number is not
necessary when you need extra NISSAN Vehicle
Immobilizer System keys. Your dealer can dupli-
cate your existing key. This is because the regis-
tration process will erase the memory of all key
codes previously registered into the NISSAN Ve-
hicle Immobilizer System.
Do not allow the immobilizer system key, which
contains an electrical transponder, to come into
contact with salt water. This could affect system
function.
SPA1951
Pre-driving checks and adjustments3-3

Adjusting the item:
Touch the “+” key
1or the “” key2to adjust
the settings of an item.
Touch the up arrow
3to scroll up the page one
item at a time, or touch the double up arrow
4to
scroll up an entire page.
Touch the down arrow
5to scroll down the
page one item at a time, or touch the double
down arrow
6to scroll down an entire page. Inputting characters:
Touch the letter or number key
1.
There are some options available when inputting
characters. ● Uppercase:
Shows uppercase characters.
● Lowercase:
Shows lowercase characters.
● Space:
Inserts a space. ●
Delete:
Deletes the last inputted character with one
touch. Touch and hold the “Delete” key to
delete all of the characters.
● OK:
Completes the character input.
Touch screen maintenance
If you clean the display screen, use a dry, soft
cloth. If additional cleaning is necessary, use a
small amount of neutral detergent with a soft
cloth. Never spray the screen with water or de-
tergent. Dampen the cloth first, and then wipe the
screen.
LHA1228LHA1230
4-4Monitor, climate, audio, phone and voice recognition systems

Gracenote
NOTE:● The information contained in the
Gracenote Database is not fully guaran-
teed.
● The service of the Gracenote Database on
the Internet may be stopped without prior
notice for maintenance.
End-User License Agreement
USE OF THIS PRODUCT IMPLIES ACCEP-
TANCE OF THE TERMS BELOW.
Gracenote MusicID™ Terms of Use
This device contains software from Gracenote,
Inc. of Emeryville, California (“Gracenote”) . The
software from Gracenote (the “Gracenote Soft-
ware”) enables this application to do online disc
identification and obtain music-related informa-
tion, including name, artist, track, and title infor-
mation (“Gracenote Data”) from online servers
(“Gracenote Servers”) and to perform other func-
tions. You may use Gracenote Data only by
means of the intended End-User functions of this
device. You agree that you will use Gracenote Data, the
Gracenote Software, and Gracenote Servers for
your own personal non-commercial use only. You
agree not to assign, copy, transfer or transmit the
Gracenote Software or any Gracenote Data to
any third party. YOU AGREE NOT TO USE OR
EXPLOIT GRACENOTE DATA, THE
GRACENOTE SOFTWARE, OR GRACENOTE
SERVERS, EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PERMIT-
TED HEREIN.
You agree that your non-exclusive license to use
the Gracenote Data, the Gracenote Software,
and Gracenote Servers will terminate if you vio-
late these restrictions. If your license terminates,
you agree to cease any and all use of the
Gracenote Data, the Gracenote Software, and
Gracenote Servers. Gracenote reserves all rights
in Gracenote Data, the Gracenote Software, and
the Gracenote Servers, including all ownership
rights. Under no circumstances will Gracenote
become liable for any payment to you for any
information that you provide. You agree that
Gracenote, Inc. may enforce its rights under this
Agreement against you directly in its own name.
The Gracenote MusicID Service uses a unique
identifier to track queries for statistical purposes.
The purpose of a randomly assigned numeric
identifier is to allow the Gracenote MusicID ser-
vice to count queries without knowing anything
about who you are. For more information, see theweb page for the Gracenote Privacy Policy for
the Gracenote MusicID Service.
The Gracenote Software and each item of
Gracenote Data are licensed to you “AS IS.”
Gracenote makes no representations or warran-
ties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy
of any Gracenote Data from in the Gracenote
Servers. Gracenote reserves the right to delete
data from the Gracenote Servers or to change
data categories for any cause that Gracenote
deems sufficient. No warranty is made that the
Gracenote Software or Gracenote Servers are
error-free or that functioning of Gracenote Soft-
ware or Gracenote Servers will be uninterrupted.
Gracenote is not obligated to provide you with
new enhanced or additional data types or cat-
egories that Gracenote may provide in the future
and is free to discontinue its online services at
any time.
GRACENOTE DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES
EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT
LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MER-
CHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR
PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NONINFRINGEMENT.
GRACENOTE DOES NOT WARRANT THE RE-
SULTS THAT WILL BE OBTAINED BY YOUR
USE OF THE GRACENOTE SOFTWARE OR
ANY GRACENOTE SERVER. IN NO CASE
WILL GRACENOTE BE LIABLE FOR ANY
4-92Monitor, climate, audio, phone and voice recognition systems

CAUTION
●Do not use leaded gasoline. Deposits
from leaded gasoline will seriously re-
duce the three-way catalyst’s ability to
help reduce exhaust pollutants.
● Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunc-
tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause overrich
fuel flow into the three-way catalyst,
causing it to overheat. Do not keep driv-
ing if the engine misfires, or if notice-
able loss of performance or other un-
usual operating conditions are
detected. Have the vehicle inspected
promptly by a NISSAN dealer.
● Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel
level. Running out of fuel could cause
the engine to misfire, damaging the
three-way catalyst.
● Do not race the engine while warming it
up.
● Do not push or tow your vehicle to start
the engine.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM (TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if provided) ,
should be checked monthly when cold and in-
flated to the inflation pressure recommended by
the vehicle manufacturer on the vehicle placard
or tire inflation pressure label. (If your vehicle has
tires of a different size than the size indicated on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label,
you should determine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle has been
equipped with a tire pressure monitoring system
(TPMS) that illuminates a low tire pressure telltale
when one or more of your tires is significantly
under-inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should stop and
check your tires as soon as possible, and inflate
them to the proper pressure. Driving on a signifi-
cantly under-inflated tire causes the tire to over-
heat and can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation
also reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life, and
may affect the vehicle’s handling and stopping
ability. Please note that the TPMS is not a substitute for
proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver’s
responsibility to maintain correct tire pressure,
even if under-inflation has not reached the level to
trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire pressure
telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate when the
system is not operating properly. The TPMS mal-
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi-
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal-
function exists. When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of replacement or alter-
nate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly. Always
check the TPMS malfunction telltale after replac-
ing one or more tires or wheels on your vehicle to
ensure that the replacement or alternate tires and
wheels allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Starting and driving5-3

avoid driving when tired. Never drive when under
the influence of alcohol or drugs (including pre-
scription or over-the-counter drugs which may
cause drowsiness) . Always wear your seat belt
as outlined in the “Safety – Seats, seat belts and
supplemental restraint system” section of this
manual, and also instruct your passengers to do
so.
Seat belts help reduce the risk of injury in colli-
sions and rollovers.In a rollover crash, an
unbelted or improperly belted person is
significantly more likely to be injured or
killed than a person properly wearing a
seat belt.
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
If the right side or left side wheels unintentionally
leave the road surface, maintain control of the
vehicle by following the procedure below. Please
note that this procedure is only a general guide.
The vehicle must be driven as appropriate based
on the conditions of the vehicle, road and traffic.
1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
2. Do not apply the brakes.
3. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands and try to hold a straight
course. 4. When appropriate , slowly release the accel-
erator pedal to gradually slow the vehicle.
5. If there is nothing in the way, steer the ve- hicle to follow the road while vehicle speed
is reduced. Do not attempt to drive the ve-
hicle back onto the road surface until vehicle
speed is reduced.
6. When it is safe to do so, gradually turn the steering wheel until both tires return to the
road surface. When all tires are on the road
surface, steer the vehicle to stay in the ap-
propriate driving lane.
● If you decide that it is not safe to return the
vehicle to the road surface based on vehicle,
road or traffic conditions, gradually slow the
vehicle to a stop in a safe place off the road.
RAPID AIR PRESSURE LOSS
Rapid air pressure loss or a “blow-out” can occur
if the tire is punctured or is damaged due to
hitting a curb or pothole. Rapid air pressure loss
can also be caused by driving on under-inflated
tires.
Rapid air pressure loss can affect the handling
and stability of the vehicle, especially at highway
speeds.
Help prevent rapid air pressure loss by maintain-
ing the correct air pressure and visually inspect the tires for wear and damage. See “Wheels and
tires” in the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself”
section of this manual. If a tire rapidly loses air
pressure or “blows-out” while driving, maintain
control of the vehicle by following the procedure
below. Please note that this procedure is only a
general guide. The vehicle must be driven as
appropriate based on the conditions of the ve-
hicle, road and traffic.
WARNING
The following actions can increase the
chance of losing control of the vehicle if
there is a sudden loss of tire air pressure.
Losing control of the vehicle may cause a
collision and result in personal injury.
●
The vehicle generally moves or pulls in
the direction of the flat tire.
● Do not rapidly apply the brakes.
● Do not rapidly release the accelerator
pedal.
● Do not rapidly turn the steering wheel.
1. Remain calm and do not over react.
2. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands and try to hold a straight
course.
5-6Starting and driving

NOTE:
The Intelligent Key port does not charge
the Intelligent Key battery. If you see the
low battery indicator, replace the battery as
soon as possible. See “Battery replace-
ment” in the “Maintenance and do-it-
yourself” section.
CAUTION
●Never place anything except the Intelli-
gent Key in the Intelligent Key port. Do-
ing so may cause damage to the
equipment.
● Make sure the Intelligent Key is in the
correct direction when inserting it to
the Intelligent Key port. The engine may
not start if it is in the wrong direction.
● Remove the Intelligent Key from the
Intelligent Key port after the ignition
switch is pushed to the LOCK position.
NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
The NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer system will not
allow the engine to start without the use of the
registered key.
If the engine fails to start using a registered key
(for example, when interference is caused by
another registered key, an automated toll road
device or automatic payment device on the key
ring) , restart the engine using the following pro-
cedure:
1. Leave the ignition switch in the ON position for approximately 5 seconds.
2. Place the ignition switch in the OFF or LOCK position, and wait approximately 10
seconds.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Restart the engine while holding the device (which may have caused the interference)
separate from the registered key.
If the no start condition re-occurs, NISSAN rec-
ommends placing the registered key on a sepa-
rate key ring to avoid interference from other
devices. ●
Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.
● Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool-
ant, brake fluid, and windshield-washer fluid
as frequently as possible, or at least when-
ever you refuel.
● Check that all windows and lights are clean.
● Visually inspect tires for their appearance
and condition. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
● Lock all doors.
● Position seat and adjust head restraints.
● Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
● Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to
do likewise.
● Check the operation of warning lights when
the ignition switch is pushed to the ON
position. See “Warning/indicator lights and
audible reminders” in the “Instruments and
controls” section of this manual.
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE
5-10Starting and driving

FREEING A FROZEN DOOR LOCK
To prevent a door lock from freezing, apply de-
icer through the key hole. If the lock becomes
frozen, heat the key before inserting it into the key
hole or use the remote keyless entry function on
the Intelligent Key.
ANTI-FREEZE
In the winter when it is anticipated that the tem-
perature will drop below 32°F (0°C) , check the
anti-freeze to assure proper winter protection.
For details, see “Engine cooling system” in the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.
BATTERY
If the battery is not fully charged during extremely
cold weather conditions, the battery fluid may
freeze and damage the battery. To maintain maxi-
mum efficiency, the battery should be checked
regularly. For details, see “Battery” in the “Main-
tenance and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.
DRAINING OF COOLANT WATER
If the vehicle is to be left outside without anti-
freeze, drain the cooling system, including the
engine block. Refill before operating the vehicle.
For details, see “Changing engine coolant” in the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.
TIRE EQUIPMENT
1. SUMMER tires have a tread designed toprovide superior performance on dry pave-
ment. However, the performance of these
tires will be substantially reduced in snowy
and icy conditions. If you operate your ve-
hicle on snowy or icy roads, NISSAN recom-
mends the use of MUD & SNOW or ALL
SEASON TIRES on all four wheels. Please
consult a NISSAN dealer for the tire type,
size, speed rating and availability informa-
tion.
2. For additional traction on icy roads, studded tires may be used. However, some U.S.
states and Canadian provinces prohibit their
use. Check local, state and provincial laws
before installing studded tires.
Skid and traction capabilities of studded
snow tires on wet or dry surfaces may be
poorer than that of non-studded snow tires. 3. Tire chains may be used. For details see
“Tire chains” in the “Maintenance and do-it-
yourself” section of this manual.
SPECIAL WINTER EQUIPMENT
It is recommended that the following items be
carried in the vehicle during winter:
● A scraper and stiff-bristled brush to remove
ice and snow from the windows and wiper
blades.
● A sturdy, flat board to be placed under the
jack to give it firm support.
● A shovel to dig the vehicle out of snowdrifts.
● Extra washer fluid to refill the windshield-
washer fluid reservoir.
DRIVING ON SNOW OR ICE
WARNING
● Wet ice (32°F, 0°C and freezing rain) ,
very cold snow or ice can be slick and
very hard to drive on. The vehicle will
have much less traction or “grip” under
these conditions. Try to avoid driving on
wet ice until the road is salted or
sanded.
COLD WEATHER DRIVING
5-28Starting and driving

4. Lower the vehicle slowly until the tiretouches the ground. Then, with the wheel
nut wrench, tighten the wheel nuts securely
in the sequence illustrated (
A,B,C,D,
E) . Lower the vehicle completely.
WARNING
●Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly
tightened wheel nuts can cause the
wheel to become loose or come off.
This could cause an accident.
● Do not use oil or grease on the wheel
studs or nuts. This could cause the nuts
to become loose.
● Retighten the wheel nuts when the ve-
hicle has been driven for 600 miles
(1,000 km) (also in cases of a flat tire,
etc.) .
As soon as possible, tighten the wheel nuts
to the specified torque with a torque
wrench.
Wheel nut tightening torque: 83 ft-lb (113 N·m)
The wheel nuts must be kept tightened to
specification at all times. It is recom-
mended that wheel nuts be tightened to
specifications at each lubrication interval. Adjust tire pressure to the COLD pressure.
COLD pressure: After vehicle has been
parked for three hours or more or driven
less than 1 mile (1.6 km) .
COLD tire pressures are shown on the tire
and loading information label affixed to the
driver side center pillar.
5. Securely store the flat tire and jacking equip- ment in the vehicle.
6. Place the spare tire cover and the trunk floor carpeting over the damaged tire.
7. Close the trunk.
WARNING
● Always make sure that the spare tire
and jacking equipment are properly se-
cured after use. Such items can become
dangerous projectiles in an accident or
sudden stop.
● The spare tire is designed for emer-
gency use. See specific instructions un-
der the heading “Wheels and tires” in
the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself”
section of this manual. To start your engine with a booster battery, the
instructions and precautions below must be fol-
lowed.
WARNING
●
If done incorrectly, jump starting can
lead to a battery explosion, resulting in
severe injury or death. It could also
damage your vehicle.
● Explosive hydrogen gas is always pres-
ent in the vicinity of the battery. Keep all
sparks and flames away from the
battery.
● Do not allow battery fluid to come into
contact with eyes, skin, clothing or
painted surfaces. Battery fluid is a cor-
rosive sulfuric acid solution which can
cause severe burns. If the fluid should
come into contact with anything, imme-
diately flush the contacted area with
water.
● Keep battery out of the reach of
children.
● The booster battery must be rated at 12
volts. Use of an improperly rated battery
can damage your vehicle.
JUMP STARTING
6-8In case of emergency