2012 NISSAN XTERRA Owners Manual

●Pre-mix washer fluid concentrates with
water to the manufacturer’s recom-
mended levels before pouring the fluid
into the windshield-washer fluid reser-
voir. Do not use the windshield-washer
fluid reservoir to mix the washer fluid
concentrate and water.
The rear window wiper and washer operate when
the ignition switch is in the ON position.
Turn the switch clockwise from the OFF position
to operate the wiper.
1Intermittent (INT) – intermittent operation
(not adjustable)
2ON – continuous low speed operation
Push the switch forward
3to operate the
washer. The wiper will also operate several times.
WARNING
In freezing temperatures the washer solu-
tion may freeze on the window and ob-
scure your vision. Warm the rear window
with the defroster before you wash the
rear window.
CAUTION
● Do not operate the washer continu-
ously for more than 30 seconds.
● Do not operate the washer if the
windshield-washer fluid reservoir is
empty.
● Do not fill the windshield-washer fluid
reservoir with washer fluid concen-
trates at full strength.
● Pre-mix washer fluid concentrates with
water to the manufacturer’s recom-
mended levels before pouring the fluid
into the windshield-washer fluid reser-
voir. Do not use the windshield-washer
fluid reservoir to mix the washer fluid
concentrate and water.
WIC0844
REAR WINDOW WIPER AND
WASHER SWITCH
2-26Instruments and controls

To defrost the rear window glass and outside
mirrors (if so equipped) , start the engine and
push the rear window defroster switch on. The
rear window defroster indicator light comes on.
Push the switch again to turn the defroster off.
The rear window defroster automatically turns off
after approximately 15 minutes.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inner side of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or dam-
age the rear window defroster.
HEADLIGHT CONTROL SWITCH
Lighting
1When turning the switch to theposi-
tion, the front parking, tail, license plate and
instrument panel lights come on.
2When turning the switch to theposi-
tion, the headlights come on and all the other
lights remain on.
Type A
LIC0783
Type B
LIC1419
Type A
LIC0706
REAR WINDOW AND OUTSIDE
MIRROR (if so equipped)
DEFROSTER SWITCH HEADLIGHT AND TURN SIGNAL
SWITCH
Instruments and controls2-27

CAUTION
Use the headlights with the engine run-
ning to avoid discharging the vehicle
battery.
Headlight beam select
1To select the high beam function, push the
lever forward. The high beam lights come on
and the
light illuminates.
2Pull the lever back to select the low beam.
3Pulling and releasing the lever flashes the
headlight high beams on and off.
Battery saver system
If the ignition switch is placed in the OFF position
while the headlight switch is in the
orposition, the headlights will turn off after
a period of time. After the headlights automatically turn off with the
headlight switch in the
orposition,
the headlights will illuminate again if the headlight
switch is moved to the OFF position and then
turned to the
orposition.
CAUTION
Even though the battery saver feature au-
tomatically turns off the headlights after a
period of time, you should turn the head-
light switch to the OFF position when the
engine is not running to avoid discharging
the vehicle battery.
DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SYSTEM
(Canada only)
The headlights automatically illuminate at a re-
duced intensity when the engine is started with
the parking brake released. The daytime running
lights operate with the headlight switch in the
OFF position or in the
position. Turn the
headlight switch to the
position for full
illumination when driving at night.
If the parking brake is applied before the engine is
started, the daytime running lights do not illumi-
nate. The daytime running lights illuminate when
the parking brake is released. The daytime run-
Type B
LIC0688WIC0859
2-28Instruments and controls

ning lights will remain on until the ignition switch
is placed in the OFF position.
WARNING
When the daytime running light system is
active, tail lights on your vehicle are not
on. It is necessary at dusk to turn on your
headlights. Failure to do so could cause
an accident injuring yourself and others.
INSTRUMENT BRIGHTNESS
CONTROL
The instrument brightness control operates when
the headlight control switch is in the
,
or
position.
Turn the control
Ato adjust the brightness of
instrument panel lights when driving at night.
TURN SIGNAL SWITCH
Turn signal
1Move the lever up or down to signal the
turning direction. When the turn is com-
pleted, the turn signals cancel automatically.
Lane change signal
2To signal a lane change, move the lever up or
down to the point where the indicator light
begins to flash, but the lever does not latch.
WIC0917WIC0860
Instruments and controls2-29

FOG LIGHT SWITCH (if so equipped)
To turn the fog lights on, turn the headlight switch
to the
position, then turn the fog light
switch to the
position.
To turn the fog lights off, turn the fog light switch
to the OFF position.
The headlights must be on and the low beams
selected for the fog lights to operate. The fog
lights automatically turn off when the high beam
headlights are selected.
OFF ROAD LAMPS SWITCH (if so
equipped)
The off road lights are designed to increase vis-
ibility when driving during off road conditions. To
turn on the off road lights: ● The covers must be removed from the off
road lights.
● The headlights must be set to the high beam
function.
● Press the off road lamps switch. To turn the off road lights off, press the off road
lamps switch again. If the high beam function of
the headlights is turned off at any time, the off
road lights will turn off as well. If the high beam
function is turned back on, the off road lamps
switch needs to be pressed again with the covers
still removed in order to turn on the off road lights.
The covers should remain on the off road lights
when the lights are not in use.
WIC0861LIC1448
2-30Instruments and controls

Push the switch on to warn other drivers when
you must stop or park under emergency condi-
tions. All turn signal lights flash.
WARNING
●If stopping for an emergency, be sure to
move the vehicle well off the road.
● Do not use the hazard warning flashers
while moving on the highway unless
unusual circumstances force you to
drive so slowly that your vehicle might
become a hazard to other traffic.
● Turn signals do not work when the haz-
ard warning flasher lights are on. The flashers will operate with the ignition switch
placed in any position.
Some state laws may prohibit the use of
the hazard warning flasher switch while
driving.
To sound the horn, push the area between the
horn icons on the steering wheel.
WARNING
Do not disassemble the horn. Doing so
could affect proper operation of the
supplemental front air bag system. Tam-
pering with the supplemental front air bag
system may result in serious personal
injury.
LIC0394WIC1449
HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
SWITCH HORN
Instruments and controls2-31

The vehicle should be driven with the Vehicle
Dynamic Control (VDC) system on for most driv-
ing conditions.
If the vehicle is stuck in mud or snow, the VDC
system reduces the engine output to reduce
wheel spin. The engine speed will be reduced
even if the accelerator is depressed to the floor. If
maximum engine power is needed to free a stuck
vehicle, turn the VDC system off.
To turn off the VDC system, push the VDC OFF
switch. The
indicator will come on.
Push the VDC OFF switch again or restart the
engine to turn on the system. See “Vehicle Dy-
namic Control (VDC) system” in the “Starting and
driving” section.
WARNING
● Never rely solely on the hill descent
control system to control vehicle speed
when driving on steep downhill grades.
Always drive carefully when using the
hill descent control system and decel-
erate the vehicle speed by depressing
the brake pedal if necessary. Be espe-
cially careful when driving on frozen,
muddy or extremely steep downhill
roads. Failure to control vehicle speed
may result in a loss of control of the
vehicle and possible serious injury or
death. ●
The hill descent control may not control
the vehicle speed on a hill under all load
or road conditions. Always be prepared
to depress the brake pedal to control
vehicle speed. Failure to do so may re-
sult in a collision or serious personal
injury.
CAUTION
When the hill descent control system op-
erates continuously for a long time, the
temperature of the brake pads may in-
crease and the hill descent control system
may be temporarily disabled (the indicator
light will blink) . If the indicator light does
not come on continuously after blinking,
stop using the system.
The hill descent control system is designed to
reduce driver workload when going down steep
hills. The hill descent control system helps to
control vehicle speed so the driver can concen-
trate on steering the vehicle.
To activate the hill descent control system: ● the 4WD switch must be in the 4L position
and the vehicle speed must be under 15
MPH (25 km/h) or
LIC1548LIC0743
VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL (VDC)
OFF SWITCH HILL DESCENT CONTROL SWITCH (if
so equipped)
2-32Instruments and controls

●the 4WD switch must be in the 4H position
and the vehicle speed must be under 21
MPH (35 km/h) , and
● the hill descent control system switch must
be ON.
The hill descent control system on indicator light
will come on when the system is activated. Also,
the stop/tail lights illuminate while the hill descent
control system applies the brakes to control ve-
hicle speed.
If the accelerator or brake pedal is depressed
while the hill descent control system is on, the
system will stop operating temporarily. As soon
as the accelerator or brake pedal is released, the
hill descent control system begins to function
again if the hill descent control operating condi-
tions are fulfilled.
The hill descent control system on indicator light
blinks if the switch is on and all conditions for
system activation are not met or if the system
becomes disengaged for any reason.
To turn off the hill descent control system, push
the switch to the OFF position.
For additional information, see “Hill descent con-
trol system on indicator light” earlier in this sec-
tion and “Hill descent control system” in the
“Starting and driving” section of this manual. The Electronic Locking Rear Differential (E-Lock)
system can help provide added traction if the
vehicle is stuck or becoming stuck.
To activate the E-Lock system:
● the 4WD switch must be in the 4LO position
(4-wheel drive vehicles) ,
● the vehicle must be stopped or moving at 4
MPH (7 km/h) or less, and
● the E-Lock system switch must be turned
ON. When the E-Lock switch is turned ON, the indi-
cator light will flash until the system engages.
However, if all operation conditions listed above
are not met or the system becomes disengaged,
the indicator light will continue to flash.
The Anti-Lock Brake (ABS) system is disabled
and the ABS light illuminates when the E-Lock
system is ON. Also, the Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system is disabled and the VDC light
illuminates when the E-Lock system is ON.
See “Electronic locking rear differential (E-Lock)
system” in the “Starting and Driving” section for
further explanation and system limitations.
WARNING
●
Never leave the E-Lock system ON
when driving on paved or hard-surfaced
roads. Turning the vehicle may result in
the rear wheels slipping and result in an
accident and personal injury. After us-
ing the E-Lock system to free the ve-
hicle, turn the system OFF.
LIC0729
ELECTRONIC LOCKING REAR
DIFFERENTIAL (E-Lock) SYSTEM
SWITCH (if so equipped)
Instruments and controls2-33