2012 NISSAN LEAF child restraint

1 Safety—Seats, seat belts and supple-mental restraint system
Seats ........................................................................................... 1-2
Front seats ........................................................................... 1-3
Rear seats ........................................................................... 1-4
Head restraints ................................................................... 1-4
Adjustable headrests ......................................................... 1-7
Seat belts ................................................................................ 1-10
Precautions on seat belt usage ................................... 1-10
Pregnant women ............................................................. 1-12
Injured persons ................................................................ 1-12
Three-point type seat belt with retractor .................. 1-12
Seat belt extenders ......................................................... 1-16
Seat belt maintenance ................................................... 1-16
Child safety ............................................................................. 1-17
Infants ................................................................................. 1-17
Small children ................................................................... 1-18
Larger children ................................................................. 1-18
Child restraints ....................................................................... 1-19 Precautions on child restraints .................................... 1-19
Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren System
(LATCH) ........................................................................... 1-20
Rear-facing child restraint installation using latch ... 1-23 Rear-facing child restraint installation using the
seat belts ......................................................................... 1-25
Forward-facing child restraint installation
using latch ...................................................................... 1-27
Forward-facing child restraint installation using the
seat belts ......................................................................... 1-29
Installing top tether strap ............................................ 1-32
Booster seats ........................................................................ 1-33 Precautions on booster seats .................................... 1-33
Booster seat installation .............................................. 1-34
Supplemental restraint system .......................................... 1-36 Precautions on supplemental restraint system ...... 1-36
NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats) .................................................................... 1-42
Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental
air bag and roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag systems ................................... 1-47
Seat belts with pretensioners (front seats) ............ 1-49
Supplemental air bag warning labels ...................... 1-50
Supplemental air bag warning light ......................... 1-50
Repair and replacement procedure ......................... 1-51

WARNING
.Every person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times. Children should be prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat and,
if appropriate, in a child restraint.
. The seat belt should be properly
adjusted to a snug fit. Failure to do
so may reduce the effectiveness of
the entire restraint system and in-
crease the chance or severity of
injury in an accident. Serious injury
or death can occur if the seat belt is
not worn properly.
. Always route the shoulder belt over
your shoulder and across your
chest. Never put the belt behind
your back, under your arm or across
your neck. The belt should be away
from your face and neck, but not
falling off your shoulder.
. Position the lap belt as low and
snug as possible AROUND THE
HIPS, NOT THE WAIST. A lap belt
worn too high could increase the
risk of internal injuries in an acci-
dent. .
Be sure the seat belt tongue is
securely fastened to the proper
buckle.
. Do not wear the seat belt inside out
or twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
. Do not allow more than one person
to use the same seat belt.
. Never carry more people in the
vehicle than there are seat belts.
. If the seat belt warning light glows
continuously while the power switch
is turned ON with all doors closed
and all seat belts fastened, it may
indicate a malfunction in the sys-
tem. Have the system checked by a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
. No changes should be made to the
seat belt system. For example, do
not modify the seat belt, add mate-
rial, or install devices that may
change the seat belt routing or
tension. Doing so may affect the
operation of the seat belt system.
Modifying or tampering with the
seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-11

.Once a seat belt pretensioner has
activated, it cannot be reused and
must be replaced together with the
retractor. See a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer.
. Removal and installation of the
pretensioner system components
should be done by a NISSAN certi-
fied LEAF dealer.
. All seat belt assemblies, including
retractors and attaching hardware,
should be inspected after any colli-
sion by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. NISSAN recommends that
all seat belt assemblies in use
during a collision be replaced un-
less the collision was minor and the
belts show no damage and continue
to operate properly. Seat belt as-
semblies not in use during a colli-
sion should also be inspected and
replaced if either damage or impro-
per operation is noted.
. All child restraints and attaching
hardware should be inspected after
any collision. Always follow the
restraint manufacturer’s inspection
instructions and replacement re- commendations. The child restraints
should be replaced if they are
damaged.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women use
seat belts. The seat belt should be worn snug,
and always position the lap belt as low as
possible around the hips, not the waist. Place
the shoulder belt over your shoulder and across
your chest. Never put the lap/shoulder belt over
your abdominal area. Contact your doctor for
specific recommendations.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons use
seat belts, depending on the injury. Check with
your doctor for specific recommendations.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR

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 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. For additional
information, see “Child restraints” later in this
section.
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 tension.

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 posi-
tions are shown in the illustrations.
. 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 restrained in the rear seat,
if possible.
. Even with the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System, never install a rear-
facing child restraint on the front
seat. An inflating front air bag could
seriously injure or kill your child.
See “Child restraints” earlier in this
section for details.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-39

.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. 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 dan-
gerous riding positions are shown
in the previous illustrations.
. 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 espe-
cially careful with children, who
should always be properly re-
strained. Some examples of danger-
ous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
. Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
side air bag inflation.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41

If the passenger air bag status light will not
illuminate even though you believe that the child
restraint, the seat belts and the occupant are
properly positioned, the system may be sensing
an unoccupied seat (in which case the air bag is
OFF). Your NISSAN certified LEAF dealer can
check that the system is OFF by using a special
tool. However, until you have confirmed with
your dealer that your air bag is working properly,
reposition the occupant or child restraint in a
rear seat.
The air bag system and passenger air bag status
light will take a few seconds to register a change
in the passenger seat status. However, if the
seat becomes unoccupied, the air bag status
light will remain off.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light

WARNING
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION
REMINDERS FOR SAFETY!
Follow these important driving rules to
help ensure a safe and comfortable trip
for you and your passengers!
.NEVER drive under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.
. ALWAYS observe posted speed lim-
its and never drive too fast for
conditions.
. ALWAYS give your full attention to
driving and avoid using vehicle
features or taking other actions that could distract you.
. ALWAYS use your seat belts and
appropriate child restraint systems.
Pre-teen children should be seated
in the rear seat.
. ALWAYS provide information about
the proper use of vehicle safety
features to all occupants of the
vehicle.
. ALWAYS review this Owner’s Man-
ual for important safety information.
MODIFICATION OF YOUR VEHICLE
This vehicle should not be modified. Mod-
ification could affect its performance,
safety or durability, and may even violate
governmental regulations. In addition, da-
mage or performance problems resulting
from modification may not be covered
under NISSAN warranties.
WHEN READING THE MANUAL
This manual includes information for all
options available on this model. Therefore,
you may find some information that does
not apply to your vehicle.
FOREWORD