2012 NISSAN Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 2
THE NISSAN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM
All 2012 NISSAN vehicles (except for the 2012 NV lineup*) are equipped with the NISSAN
Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) for the driver and front passenger seats. Typically, this
system, which has dual-stage inflators,** monitors information from various crash sensors,
the front seat belt buckle sensors, and the occupant classification sensor.
The front passenger air bag may be automatically turned off under some conditions,
depending on the pressure or weight detected by sensors in the passenger seat. See the
vehicle owner’s manual for more information. If the front passenger air bag is off, the front
passenger air bag status light will be illuminated.***
The front passenger air bag status light does not indicate a malfunction of the front
passenger air bag. If the front passenger air bag status light is illuminated while the seat is
occupied by an adult, the occupant may need to shift his or her seating position so the
system can turn on the front passenger air bag and turn off the status light.
Remember, all air bags are supplemental restraint systems. You must always use seat belts
and child restraints properly, as explained in the vehicle owner’s manual and your child
restraint manufacturer’s instructions.
THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF AN AIR BAG: YOUR SEAT BELT
Your chances of surviving a collision will improve greatly if one simple piece of advice is
followed: always wear your seat belt. Do not count on just the air bags for occupant
protection; they are merely a supplemental restraint system.
Seat belts help to protect the occupants of your vehicle during collisions in which the air
bags are not designed to activate. Moreover, in situations where the air bags are activated,
seat belts enhance their effectiveness and can help reduce the risk of injury from an
inflating air bag. Seat belts will also help protect the occupants of your vehicle during
multiple-impact collisions, while the air bags work only one time if a collision is severe
enough to activate them. Please see the SEAT BELT SAFETY and CHILD SAFETY
sections of this guide and the vehicle owner’s manual for more information.
*
The NV lineup is equipped with dual-stage front air bags and seat belt buckle sensors, but they do
not have an occupant classification sensor (and the associated front passenger air bag status light).
**
Dual-stage inflators vary the inflation rate based on the severity of the collision (for example, less
forceful inflation for moderate impacts and a high force of inflation for more severe impacts). In
addition, based on information from the seat belt buckle sensors that detect whether the seat belts
are fastened, the deployment of the front air bags is adjusted. Only one front air bag may inflate in a
crash, depending on the crash severity, and whether the front occupants are belted or unbelted.
***When the system detects that the seat is unoccupied, the passenger air bag status light will not
illuminate even though the front passenger air bag is OFF.
