2013 NISSAN PATHFINDER brake

Trailer brakes
When towing a trailer load of 3,500 lbs.
(1,587 kg) or more, trailers with a brake
system MUST be used.However, most states
require a separate braking system on trailers with
a loaded weight above a specific amount. Make
sure the trailer meets the local regulations and
the regulations where you plan to tow.
Several types of braking systems are available.
Surge Brakes -The surge brake actuator is
mounted on the trailer tongue with a hydraulic line
running to each trailer wheel. Surge brakes are
activated by the trailer pushing against the hitch
ball when the tow vehicle is braking. Hydraulic
surge brakes are common on rental trailers and
some boat trailers. In this type of system, there is
no hydraulic or electric connection for brake op-
eration between the tow vehicle and the trailer.
Electric Trailer Brakes -Electric braking sys-
tems are activated by an electronic signal sent
from a trailer brake controller (special brake-
sensing module) . If electric trailer brakes are
used, see “Electric trailer brake controller” in this
section.
Have a professional supplier of towing equip-
ment make sure the trailer brakes are properly
installed and demonstrate proper brake function
testing.
WARNING
Never connect a trailer brake system di-
rectly to the vehicle brake system.
Electric trailer brake controller
Trailers equipped with electric brakes may re-
quire the installation of an aftermarket trailer
brake controller.
Your vehicle is equipped with a connector and
jumper harness that is specifically designed to be
used when installing an aftermarket brake controller.
To install the electric trailer brake controller jumper
harness, perform the following procedure:
1. Open the driver door. Move the seat to the rearmost position.
example
LTI0117
9-24Technical and consumer information

2. Locate the jumper harness connector underthe lower portion of the instrument panel.
The connector is taped to the wiring harness
1as indicated.
● The connector is marked with a white tag
with “elec brake conn”. Wire color designation for electric trailer brake
controller jumper harness.
WIRE COLOR
NOTE
WHITE Vehicle stop lamp switch
to trailer brake controller.
BLACK Brake controller ground
(-) .
WHITE Trailer brake controller
switched output.
GREEN Fused trailer brake con-
troller battery feed (B+) .
3. Peel off the tape and connect the jumper harness to the connector .
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Install the aftermarket electric trailer brake controller according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Pre-towing tips
●Be certain your vehicle maintains a level
position when a loaded and/or unloaded
trailer is hitched. Do not drive the vehicle if it
has an abnormal nose-up or nose-down
condition; check for improper tongue load,
overload, worn suspension or other possible
causes of either condition.
● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
LTI2045LTI2046
Technical and consumer information9-25

●Keep the cargo load as low as possible in
the trailer to keep the trailer center of gravity
low.
● Load the trailer so approximately 60% of the
trailer load is in the front half and 40% is in
the back half. Also make sure the load is
balanced side to side.
● Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, ve-
hicle tire pressure, trailer light operation, and
trailer wheel lug nuts every time you attach a
trailer to the vehicle.
● Be certain your rearview mirrors conform to
all federal, state or local regulations. If not,
install any mirrors required for towing before
driving the vehicle.
● Determine the overall height of the vehicle
and trailer so the required clearance is
known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding of the
vehicle’s behavior, you should practice turning,
stopping and backing up in an area which is free
from traffic. Steering stability and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than under
normal driving conditions.
● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving. ●
Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or
lock to prevent the coupler from inadver-
tently becoming unlatched.
● Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
● Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
● Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
● When backing up, hold the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand. Move your
hand in the direction in which you want the
trailer to go. Make small corrections and
back up slowly. If possible, have someone
guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift selector to the P
(Park) position before blocking the
wheels and applying the parking brake,
transmission damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the vehicle and trailer wheels. 3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly
release the brake pedal until the blocks ab-
sorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Turn off the engine.
To drive away: 1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks.
9-26Technical and consumer information

●While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may de-
crease overall stability. Therefore, to main-
tain adequate control, reduce your speed
and shift to a lower gear. Avoid long or
repeated use of the brakes when descend-
ing a hill, as this reduces their effectiveness
and could cause overheating. Shifting to a
lower gear instead provides “engine brak-
ing” and reduces the need to brake as fre-
quently.
● If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
● Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
● For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h).
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”. ●
When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway: 1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes.
2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section. ●
Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
● Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.
● Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits.
● Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after
50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
Technical and consumer information9-27

This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data Re-
corder (EDR) . The main purpose of an EDR is to
record, in certain crash or near crash-like situa-
tions, such as an air bag deployment or hitting a
road obstacle, data that will assist in understand-
ing how a vehicle’s systems performed. The EDR
is designed to record data related to vehicle
dynamics and safety systems for a short period of
time, typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:● How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
● Whether or not the driver and passenger
safety belts were buckled/fastened;
● How far (if at all) the driver was depressing
the accelerator and/or brake pedal; and,
● How fast the vehicle was traveling.
● Sounds are not recorded.
These data can help provide a better understand-
ing of the circumstances in which crashes and
injuries occur. NOTE: EDR data are recorded by
your vehicle only if a nontrivial crash situation
occurs; no data are recorded by the EDR under
normal driving conditions and no personal data
(e.g. name, gender, age and crash location) are
recorded. However, other parties, such as law
enforcement, could combine the EDR data with the type of personally identifying data routinely
acquired during a crash investigation.
To read data recorded by an EDR, special equip-
ment is required and access to the vehicle or the
EDR is needed. In addition to the vehicle manu-
facturer and NISSAN dealer, other parties, such
as law enforcement, that have the special equip-
ment, can read the information if they have ac-
cess to the vehicle or the EDR. EDR data will only
be accessed with the consent of the vehicle
owner or lessee or as otherwise required or per-
mitted by law.
Genuine NISSAN Service Manuals for this model
year and prior can be purchased. A genuine
NISSAN Service Manual is the best source of
service and repair information for your vehicle.
This manual is the same one used by the factory-
trained technicians working at NISSAN dealer-
ships. Genuine NISSAN Owner’s Manuals can
also be purchased.
For USA
For current pricing and availability of genuine
NISSAN Service Manuals, contact:
1-800-450-9491
www.nissan-techinfo.com
For current pricing and availability of genuine
NISSAN Owner’s Manuals, contact:
1-800-247-5321
For Canada
To purchase a copy of a genuine NISSAN Ser-
vice Manual or Owner’s Manual, for this model
year and prior, please contact your nearest
NISSAN dealer. For the phone number and loca-
tion of a NISSAN dealer in your area, call the
NISSAN Information Center at 1-800-387-0122
and a bilingual NISSAN representative will assist
you.
EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR)
OWNER’S MANUAL/SERVICE
MANUAL ORDER INFORMATION
9-32Technical and consumer information

10 Index
A
Air bag (See supplemental restraint
system) .....................1-49
Air bag system Front (See supplemental front impact
air bag system) ...............1-56
Airbagwarninglabels.............1-64
Airbagwarninglight...........1-64,2-14
Air cleaner housing filter ............8-18
Air conditioner Air conditioner service ...........4-58
Air conditioner specification label .....9-11
Air conditioner system refrigerant and
oil recommendations .............9-6
Heater and air conditioner
controls................4-50,4-55
Rear seat air conditioner ..........4-52
Servicing air conditioner ..........4-58
Alarm system
(See vehicle security system) .........2-27
Anchor point locations .............1-34
Antenna....................4-114
Anti-lock brake warning light ......2-10,2-11
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ........5-27
Audible reminders ...............2-17
Audio system ..................4-59
Bluetooth®audio.............4-108
Compact Disc (CD) changer .......4-77
Compact disc (CD) player .....4-83,4-91
FM-AM radio with compact disc
(CD) changer ................4-75 FM/AM/SAT radio with CD/DVD player . .4-87
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc (CD)
player ....................4-80
Audio System iPod®Player...........4- 103, 4-105
Audio system Radio ....................4-59
Audio System Settings ...............4-81,4-87
Audio system Steering wheel audio control switch . . .4-112
USB interface ............4-98,4-99
Autolight switch .................2-33
Automatic Automatic drive positioner .........3-35
Automatic power window switch .....2-53
Automatic anti-glare inside mirror .......3-32
Automatic door locks ..............3-6
AUXjack ....................4-79
B
Battery ......................8-14
Chargewarninglight............2-11
Before starting the engine ...........5-13
Belt (See drive belt) ..............8-16
Block heater Engine ....................5-33
Bluetooth®audio...............4-108
Bluetooth® hands-free phone
system .................4- 127, 4-141
Boosterseats..................1-46 Brake
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ......5-27
Brakefluid..................8-12
Brakelight(Seestoplight).........8-27
Brake system ................5-27
Brake warning light .............2-11
Brake wear indicators ........2-17,8-20
Parking brake operation ..........5-18
Self-adjusting brakes ............8-20
Brakes ......................8-20
Break-inschedule ...............5-20
Brightness/contrast button .......4-15,4-30
Brightness control Instrument panel ..............2-35
Bulb check/instrument panel ..........2-10
Bulbreplacement................8-27
C
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants ...................9-2
C

argolight ...................2-58
Cargo (See vehicle loading information) . . .9-13
CarphoneorCBradio............4-127
CDcareandcleaning.............4-111
CD changer (See audio system) .......4-77
CD player (See audio system) .....4-83,4-91
Check tire pressure ...............2-26
Child restraints .......1-28,1-29,1-30,1-32
Precautions on child
restraints ........1-30,1-37,1-41,1-46
Top tether strap anchor point locations . .1-34

Child restraint with top tether strap.......1-34
Child safety rear door lock ............3-7
Chimes, audible reminders ...........2-17
Cleaningexteriorandinterior...........7-2
Clock (models with navigation system) . . .4-11, 4-26
Clockset .................4-11,4-26
C.M.V.S.S. certification label ..........9-10
Cold weather driving ..............5-32
Compact disc (CD) player ........4-83,4-91
Console box ...................2-48
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT). . .5-14 Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) fluid ..................8-11
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-14
Controlpanelbuttons..............4-16 Brightness/contrast button ......4-15,4-30
Enterbutton...............4-4,4-16
Setting button .............4-9,4-23
Without navigation system ..........4-4
Controls Audiocontrols(steeringwheel)......4-112
Heater and air conditioner controls .4-50, 4-55
Rear seat air conditioner ..........4-52
Coolant Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Changing engine coolant ...........8-8
Checking engine coolant level ........8-8
Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Corrosionprotection ...............7-6
Cruise control ..................5-19
Cupholders...................2-46 D
Daytime running light system (Canada only) . .2-34
Defroster switch Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch.....................2-31
Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) player .......4-95
Dimensionsandweights.............9-8
Dimmer switch for instrument panel ......2-35
Display controls
(seecontrolpanelbuttons) ........4-4,4-16
Distance to empty .............4-7,4-20
Door locks .....................3-5
Drive belt .....................8-16
Drive positioner, Automatic ...........3-35
Driving Cold weather driving ............5-32
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-14
Precautions when starting and driving ....5-2
E
Economy - fuel ..................5-22
Emission control information label .......9-10
Emission control system warranty .......9-30
Engine Before starting the engine ..........5-13
Block heater .................5-33
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Changing engine coolant ...........8-8
Changing engine oil .............8-10
Changing engine oil filter ..........8-11 Checking engine coolant level
........8-8
Checking engine oil level ...........8-9
Engine compartment check locations ....8-6
Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Engine cooling system ............8-7
Engine oil ...................8-9
Engine oil and oil filter recommendation . . .9-5
Engine oil viscosity ..............9-5
Engine serial number ............
9-10
Engine specifications .............9-7
Starting the engine .............5-13
Enterbutton.................4-4,4-16
Eventdatarecorders ..............9-32
Exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .........5-2
Extended storage switch ............8-24
Eyeglass case ..................2-45
F
Flashers (See hazard warning flasher switch) . .6-2
Flat tire .......................6-3
Floor mat positioning aid .............7-5
Fluid Brake fluid ..................8-12
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT)fluid..................8-11
Engine coolant .................8-7
Engine oil ...................8-9
Power steering fluid .............8-12
Windshield-washer fluid ...........8-13
F.M.V.S.S. certification label ...........9-10
Foglightswitch .................2-36
10-2

Emission control information label.....9-10
Engine serial number ............9-10
F.M.V.S.S. certification label .........9-10
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-11
Vehicle identification number (VIN) plate . .9-9
Warning labels (for SRS) ..........1-64
LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren)
System ......................1-32
License plate Installing the license plate ..........9-12
Liftgate......................3-22
Liftgaterelease.................3-26
Light Airbagwarninglight.........1-64,2-14
Brakelight(Seestoplight).........8-27
Bulb check/instrument panel ........2-10
Bulb replacement ..............8-27
Chargewarninglight ............2-11
Foglightswitch ...............2-36
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-32
Headlightcontrolswitch ..........2-32
Headlights..................8-26
Interiorlight..................2-57
Lightbulbs..................8-26
Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Low windshield-washer fluid warning
light......................2-25
Passenger air bag and status light .....1-58
Security indicator light ............2-16
Spotlights (See map light) .........2-58
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders ...................2-10
Lights Maplights ..................2-58
Lock Child safety rear door lock ..........3-7 Door locks
...................3-5
Gloveboxlock................2-48
Liftgaterelease...............3-26
Power door locks ...............3-6
Loose fuel cap warning ..........2-26,3-28
Lowfuelwarninglight ..........2-13,2-25
Low tire pressure warning light .........2-12
Low windshield-washer fluid warning light . . .2-25
Luggage hook ..................2-49
Luggage rack (see roof rack) ..........2-50
Luggage (See vehicle loading information) . .9-13
Luggage storage
(see vehicle loading information) ........2-50
M
Maintenance Changing the maintenance interval . .4-8, 4-22
Displaying the maintenance notice
reminder .................4-8,4-22
Generalmaintenance.............8-2
Insidethevehicle...............8-3
Maintenance precautions ...........8-5
Outside the vehicle ..............8-2
Resetting the maintenance interval . .4-8, 4-22
Seatbeltmaintenance............1-28
Setting .................4-8,4-21
Underthehoodandvehicle .........8-4
Malfunction indicator light ............2-15
Manual front seat adjustment ...........1-2
Maplights ....................2-58
Map pocket ....................2-44
Meters and gauges ................2-3
Instrument brightness control ........2-35Mirror
Automatic anti-glare inside mirror ......3-32
Inside mirror .................3-32
Outside mirror control ............3-34
Outside mirrors ...............3-34
Vanity mirror .................3-32
Moonroof.....................2-53
N
NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system . . .2-28, 3-4, 5-13
NISSAN voice recognition system ......4-152
O
Octane rating (See fuel octane rating) ......9-4
Odometer .....................2-4
Oil Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants .................9-2
Changingengineoil.............8-10
Changing engine oil filter ..........8-11
Checking engine oil level ...........8-9
Engine

oil ...................8-9
Engine oil and oil filter recommendation . . .9-5
Engine oil viscosity ..............9-5
Outside mirror control ..............3-34
Outside mirrors .................3-34
Overheat If your vehicle overheats ...........6-11
Owner’s manual order form ...........9-32
Owner’s manual/service manual order
information ....................9-32
10-4