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
6-12In case of emergency
CAUTION
.Do not continue to drive if your vehicle
overheats. Doing so could cause engine
damage or a vehicle fire.
. To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator cap while the
engine is still hot. When the radiator cap
is removed, pressurized hot water will
spurt out, possibly causing serious
injury.
. Do not open the hood if steam is coming
out.
If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by
an extremely high temperature gauge
reading), or if you feel a lack of engine
power, detect abnormal noise, etc., take
the following steps:
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road,
apply the parking brake and move the
selector lever to the P (Park) position.
Do not turn the INFINITI Direct Re-
sponse Hybrid
TMSystem off.
2. Turn off the climate control. Open all the windows, move the heater or air
conditioner temperature control to maximum hot and fan control to high
speed.
3. If engine overheating is caused by climbing a long hill on a hot day, run
the engine at a fast idle (approximately
1,500 rpm) until the temperature gauge
indication returns to normal.
4. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for steam or coolant escaping from the
radiator before opening the hood. (If
steam or coolant is escaping, turn off
the hybrid system.) Do not open the
hood further until no steam or coolant
can be seen.
5. Open the engine hood.
WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the engine,
stand clear to prevent getting burned.
6. Also check if the cooling fan is running. The radiator hoses and radiator should
not leak water. If coolant is leaking or
the cooling fan does not run, stop the
hybrid system.
WARNING
Be careful not to allow your hands, hair,
jewelry or clothing to come into contact
with, or get caught in, engine belts or the
engine cooling fan. The engine cooling fan
can start at any time.
7. After the engine cools down, check thecoolant level in the reservoir tank with
the engine running. Add coolant to the
reservoir tank if necessary. Have your
vehicle repaired at the nearest INFINITI
retailer.
If needed, Roadside Assistance is avail-
able. Please see your Warranty Information
Booklet or Roadside Assistance I.D. Card
for the toll-free number to call (U.S.) or
Warranty & Roadside Assistance Informa-
tion Booklet (Canada).
IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
CAUTION
.Never use benzine, thinner, or any
similar material.
. Small dirt particles can be abrasive and
damaging to the leather surfaces and
should be removed promptly. Do not use
saddle soap, car waxes, polishes, oils,
cleaning fluids, solvents, detergents or
ammonia-based cleaners as they may
damage the leather’s natural finish.
. Do not clean the interior or trunk using
water. If water contacts the Lithium-ion
(Li-ion) battery, it may cause a short
circuit and damage the battery.
. Only use fabric protectors approved by
INFINITI.
. Do not use glass or plastic cleaner on
meter or gauge lens covers. It may
damage the lens cover.
JVO0019X
LITHIUM-ION (Li-ion) BATTERY AIR
VENT
CAUTION
.Do not place objects over or into the air
vent. The Li-ion battery may overheat
and be damaged.
. Do not allow any liquid to get on or in
the air vent. It may cause a short circuit
and damage the Li-ion battery.
. Clean the air vent regularly to prevent
the Li-ion battery from overheating.
Regularly clean the air vent*Awith a dry
cloth to prevent the vent from being
blocked.
AIR FRESHENERS
Most air fresheners use a solvent that
could affect the vehicle interior. If you use
an air freshener, take the following pre-
cautions:
. Hanging-type air fresheners can cause
permanent discoloration when they
contact vehicle interior surfaces. Place
the air freshener in a location that
allows it to hang free and not contact
an interior surface.
. Liquid-type air fresheners typically clip
on the vents. These products can cause
immediate damage and discoloration
when spilled on interior surfaces.
Carefully read and follow the manufac-
turer’s instructions before using air fresh-
eners.
Appearance and care7-5
8-12Maintenance and do-it-yourself
JVM0038X
CHECKING INVERTER COOLANT LE-
VEL
Check the coolant level in the reservoir
when the engine and inverter are cold. If
the coolant level is below the MIN level
*B,
add coolant to the MAX level
*A.
If the inverter cooling system frequently
requires coolant, have it checked by an
INFINITI retailer.
CHANGING INVERTER COOLANT
An INFINITI ratailer can change the inverter
coolant. The service procedure can be
found in the INFINITI Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in inverter
overheating.
WARNING
. To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
inverter is hot.
. Never remove the cap when the inverter
is hot. Serious burns could be caused by
high pressure fluid escaping from the
inverter coolant reservoir.
. Avoid direct skin contact with used
coolant. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand cleaner as
soon as possible.
. Keep coolant out of the reach of children
and pets.
Inverter coolant must be disposed of
properly. Check your local regulations.
SDI2045
VQ35HR engine
CHECKING ENGINE OIL LEVEL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface and
apply the parking brake.
2. Run the engine until it reaches operat- ing temperature.
3. Turn off the engine. Wait more than 15
minutes for the oil to drain back into
the oil pan.
4. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it all the way.
5. Remove the dipstick again and check the oil level. It should be within the
range
*1. If the oil level is below*2,
ENGINE OIL
15%.)
. E-15 fuel contains more than 10%
oxygenate. E-15 fuel will adversely
affect the emission control devices
and systems of the vehicle and should
not be used. Damage caused by such
fuel is not covered by the INFINITI New
Vehicle Limited Warranty.
. If a methanol blend is used, it should
contain no more than 5% methanol
(methyl alcohol, wood alcohol). It
should also contain a suitable amount
of appropriate cosolvents and corro-
sion inhibitors. If not properly formu-
lated with appropriate cosolvents and
corrosion inhibitors, such methanol
blends may cause fuel system damage
and/or vehicle performance problems.
At this time, sufficient data is not
available to ensure that all methanol
blends are suitable for use in INFINITI
vehicles.
If any undesirable driveability problems
such as engine stalling or hard hot starting
are experienced after using oxygenate-
blend fuels, immediately change to a
non-oxygenate fuel or a fuel with a low
blend of MTBE. Take care not to spill gasoline during
refueling. Gasoline containing oxygenates
can cause paint damage.
E-15 fuel
E-15 fuel is a mixture of approximately
15% fuel ethanol and 85% unleaded
gasoline. E-15 can only be used in vehicles
designed to run on E-15 fuel. Do not use E-
15 in your vehicle. U.S. government
regulations require fuel ethanol dispensing
pumps to be identified with small, square,
orange and black label with the common
abbreviation or the appropriate percentage
for that region.
E-85 fuel
E-85 fuel is a mixture of approximately
85% fuel ethanol and 15% unleaded
gasoline. E-85 can only be used in a
Flexible Fuel Vehicle (FFV). Do not use E-
85 fuel in your vehicle. U.S. government
regulations require fuel ethanol dispensing
pumps to be identified by a small, square,
orange and black label with the common
abbreviation or the appropriate percentage
for that region.
Aftermarket fuel additives
INFINITI does not recommend the use of
any aftermarket fuel additives (Example:
fuel injector cleaner, octane booster, intake
valve deposit removers, etc.) which are
sold commercially. Many of these additives
intended for gum, varnish or deposit
removal may contain active solvent or
similar ingredients that can be harmful to
the fuel system and engine.
Octane rating tips
Using unleaded gasoline with an octane
rating lower than recommended above can
cause persistent, heavy spark knock.
(Spark knock is a metallic rapping noise.)
If severe, this can lead to engine damage.
If you detect a persistent heavy spark
knock even when using gasoline of the
stated octane rating, or if you hear steady
spark knock while holding a steady speed
on level roads, have an INFINITI retailer
correct the condition. Failure to correct the
condition is misuse of the vehicle, for
which INFINITI is not responsible.
Incorrect ignition timing will result in
knocking, after-run or overheating. This in
turn may cause excessive fuel consumption
or damage to the engine. If any of the
Technical and consumer information9-5