2013 INFINITI M-HEV brake light

5-68Starting and driving
JVS0078X
Warning light
Action to take:
If the warning light comes on, park the
vehicle in a safe place. Turn the hybrid
system off, restart the hybrid system,
resume driving and then perform the
setting again.
PREVIEW FUNCTION (for Intelligent
Cruise Control system equipped
models)
The ICC system with the preview function
identifies the need to apply emergency
braking by sensing the vehicle ahead inthe same lane and the distance to the
vehicle ahead and relative speed from it, it
applies the brake pre-pressure before the
driver depresses the brake pedal and helps
improve brake response by reducing pedal
free play.
For more details, see
“Preview function (for
Intelligent Cruise Control system equipped
models)” later in this section. The Distance Control Assist (DCA) system
brakes and moves the accelerator pedal
upward according to the distance from and
the relative speed of the vehicle ahead to
help assist the driver to maintain a
following distance.
WARNING
.
Always drive carefully and attentively
when using the Distance Control Assist
system. Read and understand the Own-
er’s Manual thoroughly before using the
DCA system. To avoid serious injury or
death, do not rely on the system to
prevent accidents or to control the
vehicle’s speed in emergency situations.
Do not use the Distance Control Assist
system except in appropriate road and
traffic conditions.
. If the vehicle ahead comes to a stop, the
vehicle decelerates to a standstill within
the limitations of the system. The
system will cancel once it judges that
the vehicle has come to a standstill with
a warning chime. To prevent the vehicle
from moving, the driver must depress
the brake pedal.
DISTANCE CONTROL ASSIST (DCA) SYSTEM
(if so equipped)

5-70Starting and driving
WARNING
.As there is a performance limit to the
distance control function, never rely
solely on the Distance Control Assist
system. This system does not correct
careless, inattentive or absent-minded
driving, or overcome poor visibility in
rain, fog, or other bad weather. Decele-
rate the vehicle speed by depressing the
brake pedal, depending on the distance
to the vehicle ahead and the surround-
ing circumstances in order to maintain a
safe distance between vehicles.
. The system may not detect the vehicle in
front of you in certain road or weather
conditions. To avoid accidents, never use
the Distance Control Assist system
under the following conditions:
—On roads with sharp curves
—On slippery road surfaces such as
on ice or snow, etc.
—During bad weather (rain, fog, snow,etc.)
—When strong light (for example, atsunrise or sunset) is directly shining
on the front of the vehicle
—When rain, snow or dirt adhere tothe system sensor
—On steep downhill roads (frequentbraking may result in overheating
the brakes)
—On repeated uphill and downhill
roads
. In some road or traffic conditions, a
vehicle or object can unexpectedly come
into the sensor detection zone and cause
automatic braking. You may need to
control the distance from other vehicles
using the accelerator pedal. Always stay
alert and avoid using the DCA system
when it is not recommended in this
section.
JVS0069X
DISTANCE CONTROL ASSIST OP-
ERATION
Always pay attention to the operation of
the vehicle and be ready to manually
decelerate to maintain the proper following
distance. The Distance Control Assist (DCA)
system may not be able to decelerate the
vehicle under some circumstances.
The DCA system uses a sensor
*Alocated
on the front of the vehicle to detect
vehicles traveling ahead. The sensor gen-
erally detects the signals returned from the
reflectors on a vehicle ahead. Therefore, if
the sensor cannot detect the reflector on

SSD0997
1. System set display with vehicle ahead
2. System set display without vehicleahead
System operation
WARNING
The Distance Control Assist system auto-
matically decelerates your vehicle to help
assist the driver to maintain a following
distance from the vehicle ahead. Manually
brake when deceleration is required to
maintain a safe distance upon sudden
braking by the vehicle ahead or when a vehicle suddenly appears in front of you.
Always stay alert when using the DCA
system.
The Distance Control Assist (DCA) system
helps assist the driver to keep a following
distance to the vehicle ahead by braking
and moving the accelerator pedal upward
in the normal driving condition.
When a vehicle is detected ahead:
The vehicle ahead detection indicator
comes on.When vehicle approaches a vehicle ahead:
. If the driver’ s foot is not on the
accelerator pedal, the system activates
the brakes to decelerate smoothly as
necessary. If the vehicle ahead comes
to a stop, the vehicle decelerates to a
standstill within the limitations of the
system.
. If the driver’s foot is on the accelerator
pedal, the system moves the accelera-
tor pedal upward to assist the driver to
release the accelerator pedal.
When brake operation by driver is re-
quired:
The system alerts the driver by a warning
chime and blinking the vehicle ahead
detection indicator. If the driver’s foot is
on the accelerator pedal after the warning,
the system moves the accelerator pedal
upward to assist the driver to switch to the
brake pedal.
The stoplights of the vehicle come on and
when braking is performed by the DCA
system.
When the brake operates, a noise may be
heard. This is not a malfunction.
Starting and driving5-77

5-78Starting and driving
WARNING
.When the vehicle ahead detection in-
dicator light is not illuminated, system
will not control or warn the driver.
. Depending on the position of the accel-
erator pedal, the system may not be able
to assist the driver to release the
accelerator pedal appropriately.
. If the vehicle ahead comes to a stand-
still, the vehicle decelerates to a stand-
still within the limitations of the system.
The system will release brake control
with a warning chime once it judges the
vehicle is at a standstill. To prevent the
vehicle from moving, the driver must
depress the brake pedal. (The system
will resume control automatically once
the system reaches 3 MPH (5 km/h)).
Overriding the system:
The following driver’s operation overrides
the system operation.
. When the driver depresses the accel-
erator pedal even further while the
system is moving the accelerator pedal
upward, the DCA system control of the accelerator pedal is canceled.
. When the driver’s foot is on the accel-
erator pedal, the brake control by the
system is not operated.
. When the driver’s foot is on the brake
pedal, neither the brake control nor the
alert by the system operates.
. When the Intelligent Cruise Control
system is set, the DCA system will be
cancelled.
Approach warning
If your vehicle comes closer to the vehicle
ahead due to rapid deceleration of that
vehicle or if another vehicle cuts in, the
system warns the driver with the chime
and DCA system display. Decelerate by
depressing the brake pedal to maintain a
safe vehicle distance if:
. The chime sounds.
. The vehicle ahead detection indicator
blinks.
The warning chime may not sound in some
cases when there is a short distance
between vehicles. Some examples are:
. When the vehicles are traveling at the
same speed and the distance between
vehicles is not changing .
When the vehicle ahead is traveling
faster and the distance between vehi-
cles is increasing
. When a vehicle cuts in near your vehicle
The warning chime will not sound when
your vehicle approaches vehicles that are
parked or moving slowly.

.The system may not function in offset
conditions.
. The system may not function when the
distance to the vehicle ahead is extre-
mely close.
. The system is designed to automatically
check the sensor’s functionality. If the
sensor is covered with ice, a transparent
or translucent plastic bag, etc., the
system may not detect them. In these
instances the system may not be able to
warn the driver properly. Be sure to
check and clean the sensor regularly.
. Excessive noise will interfere with the
warning chime sound, and the chime
may not be heard.
. A sudden appearance of a vehicle in
front (for example, it abruptly cuts in)
may not be detected and the system may
not warn the driver soon enough.
. The system will be cancelled automati-
cally with a beep sound and the IBA OFF
indicator light will illuminate under the
following conditions:
—When the sensor window is dirty
—When the system malfunctions
SSD1000
If the IBA OFF indicator light*Ailluminates
with a beep sound, pull off the road to a
safe location, stop the vehicle and turn the
hybrid system off. Check to see if the
sensor window is dirty. If the sensor
window is dirty, clean it with a soft cloth
and restart the hybrid system. If the sensor
window is not dirty, restart the hybrid
system. If the IBA OFF indicator light
continues to illuminate even if the IBA
system is turned on with the IBA OFF
switch
*B, have the system checked by an
INFINITI retailer.
To turn on the IBA system, see “Intelligent
Brake Assist (IBA) system” later in thissection.
Starting and driving5-83

How to enable/disable the FCW
system using the settings menu
Perform the following steps to enable or
disable the FCW system.
1. Push the SETTING
*1button and high-
light the “Driver Assistance” key on the
display using the INFINITI controller.
Then push the ENTER
*2button.
2. Highlight the “Driver Assistance Warn-
ings” key, and push the ENTER
*2
button.
JVS0080X
3. Highlight the “Forward Collision Warn-
ing” key, select ON (enabled) or OFF
(disabled) and push the ENTER
*2
button.
For the sensor maintenance, see “Intelli-
gent Cruise Control (ICC) system” earlier in
this section. The Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) system
warns the driver by a warning light and
chime when there is a risk of a collision
with the vehicle ahead in the traveling lane
and the driver must take avoidance action
immediately. The system helps reduce the
rear-end collision speed by applying the
brakes when the system judges that the
collision cannot be prevented.
The IBA system will function when your
vehicle is driven at speeds of approxi-
mately 10 MPH (15 km/h) and above, and
when your vehicle is driven at speeds
approximately 10 MPH (15 km/h) faster
than the vehicle ahead.
Starting and driving5-85
INTELLIGENT BRAKE ASSIST (IBA) SYSTEM
(if so equipped)

5-94Starting and driving
BRAKING PRECAUTIONS
This vehicle is equipped with two braking
systems.
.Hydraulic brake system
. Regenerative brake system
Hydraulic brake system
The brake system has two separate hy-
draulic circuits. If one circuit malfunctions,
you will still have braking at two wheels.
Regenerative brake system
Refer to the “Regenerative brake” in the
“Hybrid System. Hybrid System Overview”
section.
Wet brakes
When the vehicle is washed or driven
through water, the brakes may get wet.
As a result, your braking distance will be
longer and the vehicle may pull to one side
during braking.
To dry brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe
speed while lightly tapping the brake pedal
to heat-up the brakes. Do this until the
brakes return to normal. Avoid driving the
vehicle at high speeds until the brakes
function correctly.
PARKING BRAKE BREAK-IN
Break in the parking brake shoes whenever
the stopping effect of the parking brake is
weakened or whenever the parking brake
shoes and/or drums/rotors are replaced,
in order to assure the best braking
performance.
This procedure is described in the vehicle
service manual and can be performed by
an INFINITI retailer.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal
while driving. This will cause overheating
of the brakes, wearing out the brake and
pads faster and reduce gas mileage.
To help save the brakes and to prevent the
brakes from overheating, reduce speed
and downshift to a lower gear before going
down a slope or long grade. Overheated
brakes may reduce braking performance
and could result in loss of vehicle control.
WARNING
. While driving on a slippery surface, be
careful when braking, accelerating or
downshifting. Abrupt braking or accel- erating could cause the wheels to skid
and result in an accident.
. If the hybrid system is not running or is
turned off while driving, the power
assist for the brakes will not work.
Braking will be harder.
CAUTION
You may hear a operational noise when the
brake pedal is depressed. This is not
malfunction.
BRAKE SYSTEM

BRAKE ASSIST
When the force applied to the brake pedal
exceeds a certain level, the Brake Assist is
activated generating greater braking force
than a regenerative brake booster even
with light pedal force.
WARNING
The Brake Assist is only an aid to assist
braking operation and is not a collision
warning or avoidance device. It is the
driver’s responsibility to stay alert, drive
safely and be in control of the vehicle at all
times.
PREVIEW FUNCTION (Intelligent
Cruise Control system equipped
models)
When the Preview Function identifies the
need to apply emergency braking by
sensing a vehicle ahead in the same lane
and the distance and relative speed from
it, it applies the brake pre-pressure before
the driver depresses the brake pedal and
helps improve brake response by reducing
pedal free play..
This system will not operate when the
vehicle is moving at approximately 20
MPH (32 km/h) or less.
. The pre-pressure function ceases when
the following conditions are met:
1) When the driver depresses the
accelerator pedal or the brake
pedal.
2) If the driver does not operate the accelerator or brake pedal within
approximately 1 second.
SSD0338
.The sensor will not detect:
1) Pedestrians or objects in the road- way
2) Oncoming vehicles in the same lane
3) Motorcycles traveling offset in the travel lane as illustrated
WARNING
. This system is only an aid to assist
braking operation and is not a collision
warning or avoidance device. It is the
driver’s responsibility to stay alert, drive
safely and be in control of the vehicle at
Starting and driving5-95
BRAKE ASSIST