2013 NISSAN LEAF Owners Manual

1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag modules
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-tal air bag modules
4. Occupant classification sensors (weight sensors) 5. Occupant classification system control unit
6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supple-
mental air bag inflators
7. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supple- mental air bag modules
8. Satellite sensors 9. Lap outer pretensioner (driver side only)
10. Seat belt with pretensioner
11. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
NISSAN ADVANCED AIR BAG
SYSTEM (FRONT SEATS)
WARNING
To ensure proper operation of the pas-
senger’s advanced air bag system,
please observe the following items.
Do not allow a passenger in the rear seat to push or pull on the seatback
pocket.
Do not place heavy loads heavier than 9lb (4 kg) on the seatback, head re-
straint or in the seatback pocket.
Do not store luggage behind the seat that can press into the seatback.
Confirm the operating condition with the front passenger air bag status
light.
If you notice that the front passenger air bag status light is not operating as
described later in this section, please
take your vehicle to your NISSAN cer-
tified LEAF dealer to check the occu-
pant classification system.
1-40Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Until you have confirmed with yourdealer that your passenger seat occu-
pant classification system is working
properly, position the occupants in the
rear seating positions.
This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN Ad-
vanced Air Bag System for the driver and front
passenger seats. This system is designed to
meet certification requirements under U.S. regu-
lations. It is also permitted in Canada. However,
all of the information, cautions and warn-
ings in this manual still apply and must be
followed.
The driver supplemental front-impact air bag is
located in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front-impact air bag is
mounted in the instrument panel above the glove
box. The front air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity frontal collisions, although they
may inflate if the forces in another type of collision
are similar to those of a higher severity frontal
impact. They may not inflate in certain frontal
collisions. Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not
always an indication of proper front air bag op-
eration.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System has dual
stage air bag inflators. The system monitors infor- mation from the Air bag Control Unit (ACU) , seat
belt buckle sensors and the occupant classifica-
tion sensors (weight sensors) . Inflator operation
is based on the severity of a collision and seat
belt usage for the driver. For the front passenger,
the occupant classification sensors are also
monitored. Based on information from the sen-
sors, only one front air bag may inflate in a crash,
depending on the crash severity and whether the
front occupants are belted or unbelted. Addition-
ally, the front passenger air bag may be automati-
cally turned OFF under some conditions, de-
pending on the information provided by the
occupant classification sensors. If the front pas-
senger air bag is OFF, the passenger air bag
status light will be illuminated (if the seat is unoc-
cupied, the light will not be illuminated, but the air
bag will be off) . See
Front passenger air bag and
status light for further details. One front air bag
inflating does not indicate improper performance
of the system.
If you have any questions about your air bag
system, contact NISSAN or a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer. If you are considering modification
of your vehicle due to a disability, you may also
contact NISSAN. Contact information is con-
tained in the front of this Owner’s Manual. When a front air bag inflates, a fairly loud noise
may be heard, followed by release of smoke. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a fire.
Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it may
cause irritation and choking. Those with a history
of a breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the head and
chest of the front occupants. They can help save
lives and reduce serious injuries. However, an
inflating front air bag may cause facial abrasions
or other injuries. Front air bags do not provide
restraint to the lower body.
Even with NISSAN Advanced Air Bags, seat
belts should be correctly worn and the driver and
passenger seated upright as far as practical
away from the steering wheel or instrument
panel. The front air bags inflate quickly in order to
help protect the front occupants. Because of this,
the force of the front air bag inflating can increase
the risk of injury if the occupant is too close to, or
is against, the air bag module during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly after a collision.
The front air bags operate only when the
power switch is in the ON position.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41

After the power switch is placed in the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the system is operational.
Front passenger air bag and status
light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag is designed
to automatically turn OFF under some
conditions. Read this section carefully to
learn how it operates. Proper use of the
seat, seat belt and child restraints is nec-
essary for most effective protection. Fail-
ure to follow all instructions in this
manual concerning the use of seats, seat
belts and child restraints can increase the risk or severity of injury in an acci-
dent.
Status light:
The front passenger air bag status light
is
located on the instrument panel. After the power
switch is pushed to the ON position, the front
passenger air bag status light on the instrument
panel illuminates for about 7 seconds and then
turns off or illuminates depending on the front
passenger seat status. The light operates as fol-
lows:
Unoccupied passenger seat: The
light is
OFF and the front passenger air bag is OFF and
will not inflate in a crash.
Passenger’s seat occupied by a small adult, child or child restraint as outlined in this section:
The
light illuminates to indicate that the
front passenger air bag is OFF and will not
inflate in a crash.
Occupied passenger seat and the passenger meets the conditions outlined in this section:
The
light is OFF to indicate that the front
passenger air bag is operational.
Front passenger air bag status light
1-42Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Front passenger air bag:
The front passenger air bag is designed to auto-
matically turn OFF when the vehicle is operated
under some conditions as described below as
permitted by U.S. regulations. If the front passen-
ger air bag is OFF, it will not inflate in a crash. The
driver air bag and other air bags in your vehicle
are not part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help reduce
the risk of injury or death from an inflating air bag
to certain front passenger seat occupants, such
as children, by requiring the air bag to be auto-
matically turned OFF.
The occupant classification sensors (weight sen-
sors) are on the seat cushion frame under the
front passenger seat and are designed to detect
an occupant and objects on the seat. For ex-
ample, if a child is in the front passenger seat, the
Advanced Air Bag System is designed to turn the
passenger air bag OFF in accordance with the
regulations. Also, if a child restraint of the type
specified in the regulations is on the seat, the
occupant classification sensors can detect it and
cause the air bag to turn OFF.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who are
properly seated and using the seat belt as out-
lined in this manual should not cause the passen-ger air bag to be automatically turned OFF. For
small adults it may be turned OFF, however, if the
occupant does not sit in the seat properly (for
example, by not sitting upright, by sitting on an
edge of the seat, or by otherwise being out of
position) , this could cause the sensors to turn the
air bag OFF. Always be sure to be seated and
wearing the seat belt properly for the most effec-
tive protection by the seat belt and supplemental
air bag.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and chil-
dren be properly restrained in a rear seat.
NISSAN also recommends that appropriate child
restraints and booster seats be properly installed
in a rear seat. If this is not possible, the occupant
classification sensors are designed to operate as
described above to turn the front passenger air
bag OFF for specified child restraints. Failing to
properly secure child restraints and to use the
Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR) mode (child
restraint mode) may allow the restraint to tip or
move in an accident or sudden stop. This can
also result in the passenger air bag inflating in a
crash instead of being OFF. See
Child re-
straints for proper use and installation.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
passenger air bag is designed not to inflate in a crash. However, heavy objects placed on the
seat could result in air bag inflation, because of
the object being detected by the occupant clas-
sification sensors. Other conditions could also
result in air bag inflation, such as if a child is
standing on the seat, or if two children are on the
seat, contrary to the instructions in this manual.
Always be sure that you and all vehicle occupants
are seated and restrained properly.
Using the passenger air bag status light, you can
monitor when the front passenger air bag is au-
tomatically turned OFF with the seat occupied.
The light will not illuminate when the front pas-
senger seat is unoccupied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the passen-
ger air bag status light is illuminated (indicating
that the air bag is OFF) , it could be that the
person is a small adult, or is not sitting on the seat
properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front seat,
the passenger air bag status light may or may not
be illuminated, depending on the size of the child
and the type of child restraint being used. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated (indicating that
the air bag might inflate in a crash) , it could be
that the child restraint or seat belt is not being
used properly. Make sure that the child restraint is
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43

installed properly, the seat belt is used properly
and the occupant is positioned properly. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
If the passenger air bag status light will not illu-
minate 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, repo-
sition 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
, located in the meter and gauges area,
will blink. Have the system checked by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer.
Other supplemental front-impact air
bag precautions
WARNING
Do not place any objects on the steer- ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steer-
ing wheel or instrument panel. Such
objects may become dangerous pro-
jectiles and cause injury if the front air
bags inflate.
Do not place objects with sharp edges on the seat. Also, do not place heavy
objects on the seat that will leave per-
manent impressions in the seat. Such
objects can damage the seat or occu-
pant classification sensors (weight
sensors) . This can affect the operation
of the air bag system and result in
serious personal injury.
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot steam cleaners) on the seat. This
can damage the seat or occupant clas-
sification sensors. This can also affect
the operation of the air bag system
and result in serious personal injury. Immediately after inflation, several
front air bag system components will
be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This
is to prevent accidental inflation of the
supplemental air bag or damage to the
supplemental air bag system.
Do not make unauthorized changes to your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or front end structure.
This could affect proper operation of
the front air bag system.
Tampering with the front air bag sys- tem may result in serious personal in-
jury. Tampering includes changes to
the steering wheel and the instrument
panel assembly by placing material
over the steering wheel pad and above
the instrument panel or by installing
additional trim material around the air
bag system.
Removing or modifying the front pas- senger seat may affect the function of
the air bag system and result in serious
personal injury.
1-44Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Modifying or tampering with the frontpassenger seat may result in serious
personal injury. For example, do not
change the front seats by placing ma-
terial on the seat cushion or by install-
ing additional trim material, such as
seat covers, on the seat that is not
specifically designed to assure proper
air bag operation. Additionally, do not
stow any objects under the front pas-
senger seat or the seat cushion and
seatback. Such objects may interfere
with the proper operation of the occu-
pant classification sensors.
No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the seat belt system. This may affect
the front air bag system. Tampering
with the seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury. Work on and around the front air bag
system should be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. Installation of
electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. The Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) wiring harnesses*
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the air bag sys-
tem.
A cracked windshield should be re- placed immediately by a qualified re-
pair facility. A cracked windshield
could affect the function of the supple-
mental air bag system.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the front air bag system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.
FRONT SEAT-MOUNTED
SIDE-IMPACT SUPPLEMENTAL AIR
BAG AND ROOF-MOUNTED
CURTAIN SIDE-IMPACT
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG SYSTEMS
The side air bags are located in the outside of the
seatback of the front seats. The curtain air bags
are located in the side roof rails. These systems
are designed to meet voluntary guidelines to help
reduce the risk of injury to out-of-position occu-
pants. However, all of the information, cau-
tions and warnings in this manual still ap-
ply and must be followed. The side air bags
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-45

and curtain air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity side collisions, although they may
inflate if the forces in another type of collision are
similar to those of a higher severity side impact.
They are designed to inflate on the side where the
vehicle is impacted. They may not inflate in cer-
tain side collisions on the side where the vehicle
is impacted.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper side air bag and curtain air
bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard, followed
by release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be taken
not to inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing con-
dition should get fresh air promptly.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the chest and
pelvic area of the front occupants. Curtain air
bags help to cushion the impact force to the head
of occupants in the front and rear outboard seat-
ing positions. They can help save lives and re-
duce serious injuries. However, side air bags and
curtain air bags may cause abrasions or otherinjuries. Side air bags and curtain air bags do not
provide restraint to the lower body.
The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the side air bags. Rear seat
passengers should be seated as far away as
practical from the door finishers and side roof
rails. The side air bags and curtain air bags inflate
quickly in order to help protect the occupants in
the outboard seating positions. Because of this,
the force of the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflating can increase the risk of injury if the oc-
cupant is too close to, or is against, these air bag
modules during inflation. The side air bags and
curtain air bags will deflate quickly after the colli-
sion is over.
The side air bags and curtain air bags op-
erate only when the power switch is in the
ON position.
After turning the power switch to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the systems are operational.
WARNING
Do not place any objects near the seat- back of the front seats. Also, do not
place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher
and the front seat. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if a side air bag inflates.
Right after inflation, several side air bag and curtain air bag system compo-
nents will be hot. Do not touch them;
you may severely burn yourself.
No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain air bag
systems. This is to prevent damage to
or accidental inflation of the side air
bag and curtain air bag systems.
Do not make unauthorized changes to your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
side air bag and curtain air bag sys-
tems.
1-46Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Tampering with the side air bag systemmay result in serious personal injury.
For example, do not change the front
seats by placing material near the
seatbacks or by installing additional
trim material, such as seat covers,
around the side air bag.
Work around and on the side air bag and curtain air bag systems should be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. The Supplemen-
tal Restraint System (SRS) wiring har-
nesses* should not be modified or dis-
connected. Unauthorized electrical
test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the side air bag
and curtain supplemental air bag sys-
tems.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the side air bag and
curtain air bag systems and guide the buyer to
the appropriate sections in this Owner’s Manual.SEAT BELTS WITH
PRETENSIONERS (FRONT SEATS)
WARNING
The pretensioners cannot be reused after activation. They must be replaced
together with the retractor and buckle
as a unit.
If the vehicle becomes involved in a collision but a pretensioner is not ac-
tivated, be sure to have the preten-
sioner system checked and, if neces-
sary, replaced by a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer.
No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the pretensioner system. This is to pre-
vent damage to or accidental activa-
tion of the pretensioners. Tampering
with the pretensioner system may re-
sult in serious personal injury. Work around and on the pretensioner
system should be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. Installation of
electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the preten-
sioner system.
If you need to dispose of a preten- sioner or scrap the vehicle, contact a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. Correct
pretensioner disposal procedures are
set forth in the appropriate NISSAN
Service Manual. Incorrect disposal
procedures could cause personal in-
jury.
The pretensioner system may activate with the
supplemental air bag system in certain types of
collisions. Working with the seat belt retractor, it
helps tighten the seat belt when the vehicle be-
comes involved in certain types of collisions,
helping to restrain front seat occupants.
The pretensioner is encased with the seat belt
retractor for both front seating positions. The
driver’s seat belt also has a pretensioner at the
outer floor anchor. These seat belts are used the
same way as conventional seat belts.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-47