1-16Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0294A
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(front seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
“Precautions on seat belt usage ”(P.1-10).)
To adjust, push the button
*A, and then
move the shoulder belt anchor to the
desired position, so that the belt passes
over the center of the shoulder. The belt
should be away from your face and neck,
but not falling off of your shoulder. Release
the adjustment button to lock the shoulder
belt anchor into position.
WARNING
. After adjustment, release the adjustment
button and try to move the shoulder belt
anchor up and down to make sure it is
securely fixed in position.
. The shoulder belt anchor height should
be adjusted to the position best for you.
Failure to do so may reduce the effec-
tiveness of the entire restraint system
and increase the chance or severity of
injury in an accident.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fit the lap-
shoulder belt and fasten it, an extender
that is compatible with the installed seat
belts is available that can be purchased.
The extender adds approximately 8 in (200
mm) of length and may be used for either
the driver or front passenger seating
position. See an INFINITI retailer for assis-
tance with purchasing an extender if an
extender is required.
WARNING
.Only INFINITI seat belt extenders, made
by the same company which made the
original equipment seat belts, should be
used with the INFINITI seat belts.
. Adults and children who can use the
standard seat belt should not use an
extender. Such unnecessary use could
result in serious personal injury in the
event of an accident.
. Never use seat belt extenders to install
child restraints. If the child restraint is
not secured properly, the child could be
seriously injured in a collision or a
sudden stop.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
.To clean the seat belt webbing, apply a
mild soap solution or any solution
recommended for cleaning upholstery
or carpets. Then, wipe with a cloth and
allow the seat belts to dry in the shade.
Do not allow the seat belts to retract
until they are completely dry.
. If dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guide of the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the
shoulder belt guide with a clean, dry
cloth.
. Periodically check to see that the seat
belt and the metal components such as
buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible
wires and anchors work properly. If
loose parts, deterioration, cuts or other
damage on the webbing is found, the
entire seat belt assembly should be
replaced.WARNING
Do not allow children to play with the seat
belts. Most seating positions are equipped
with Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode seat belts. If the seat belt becomes
wrapped around a child’s neck with the ALR
mode activated, the child can be seriously
injured or killed if the seat belt retracts and
becomes tight. This can occur even if the
vehicle is parked. Unbuckle the seat belt to
release the child. If the seat belt can not be
unbuckled or is already unbuckled, release
the child by cutting the seat belt with a
suitable tool (such as a knife or scissors) to
release the seat belt.
Children need adults to help protect them.
They need to be properly restrained.
In addition to the general information in
this manual, child safety information is
available from many other sources, includ-
ing doctors, teachers, government traffic
safety offices, and community organiza-
tions. Every child is different, so be sure to
learn the best way to transport your child.
There are three basic types of child
restraint systems: .
Rear-facing child restraint
. Forward-facing child restraint
. Booster seat
The proper restraint depends on the child’s
size. Generally, infants up to about 1 year
and less than 20 lbs (9 kg) should be
placed in rear-facing child restraints. For-
ward-facing child restraints are available
for children who outgrow rear-facing child
restraints and are at least 1 year old.
Booster seats are used to help position a
vehicle lap/shoulder belt on a child who
can no longer use a forward-facing child
restraint.
WARNING
Infants and children need special protection.
The vehicle’s seat belts may not fit them
properly. The shoulder belt may come too
close to the face or neck. The lap belt may
not fit over their small hip bones. In an
accident, an improperly fitting seat belt
could cause serious or fatal injury. Always
use appropriate child restraints.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces or
territories require the use of approved
child restraints for infants and small
Safety —Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-17
CHILD SAFETY
.Be sure to install the specified size of
tires to the four wheels correctly.
Master warning light
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the master warning light illumi-
nates if any of the following warnings
appear in the vehicle information display:
.NO KEY warning
. PUSH warning
. Key ID Incorrect warning
. Low washer fluid warning
. Door/trunk open warning
. Loose Fuel Cap warning
. Tire Pressure Low - Add Air warning
. Flat Tire - Visit dealer warning
. All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning (if so
equipped)
. Headlight warning
. Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS)
warning (if so equipped)
. Intelligent Key system warning
. Chassis control warning
See “Vehicle information display” (P.2-21).
If the driver assist system warnings appear
in the vehicle information display, the master warning light also illuminates. See
“Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system/
Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system”
(P.5-30),
“Blind Spot Warning/Blind Spot
Intervention
TM/Back-up Collision Interven-
tion systems” (P.5-37),“Distance Control
Assist (DCA) system” (P.5-79),“Forward
emergency braking system” (P.5-89) and
“Predictive forward collision warning sys-
tem” (P.5-94).
Power steering warning light
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the power steering warning light
illuminates. After starting the hybrid sys-
tem, the power steering warning light turns
off. This indicates that the direct adaptive
steering system is operational.
If the power steering warning light illumi-
nates while the hybrid system is running, it
may indicate the direct adaptive steering
system is not functioning properly and may
need servicing. Have the direct adaptive
steering system checked by an INFINITI
retailer. (See “Power steering” (P.5-104).)
Seat belt warning light and
chime
The light and chime remind you to fasten
seat belts. The light illuminates whenever the ignition switch is pushed to the ON
position, and will remain illuminated until
the driver’s seat belt is fastened. At the
same time, the chime will sound for about
6 seconds unless the driver’s seat belt is
securely fastened.
The seat belt warning light for the front
passenger will illuminate if the seat belt is
not fastened when the front passenger’s
seat is occupied.
See
“Seat belts” (P.1-10) for precautions
on seat belt usage.
Supplemental air bag warning
light
After pushing the ignition switch to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light will illuminate. The supplemental air
bag warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the supplemental front air bag
and supplemental side air bag, curtain
side-impact air bag systems and/or pre-
tensioner seat belt are operational.
If any of the following conditions occur, the
supplemental front air bag, supplemental
side air bag, supplemental curtain side-
impact air bag and pretensioner seat belt
needs servicing and your vehicle must be
taken to your nearest INFINITI retailer.
Instruments and controls2-17
5-4Starting and driving
THREE-WAY CATALYST
The three-way catalyst is an emission
control device installed in the exhaust
system. Exhaust gases in the three-way
catalyst are burned at high temperatures to
help reduce pollutants.
WARNING
.The exhaust gas and the exhaust system
are very hot. Keep people, animals or
flammable materials away from the
exhaust system components.
. Do not stop or park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry grass,
waste paper or rags. They may ignite and
cause a fire.
CAUTION
.Do not use leaded gasoline. Deposits
from leaded gasoline seriously reduce
the three-way catalyst’s ability to help
reduce exhaust pollutants.
. Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunctions
in the ignition, fuel injection, or elec-
trical systems can cause overrich fuel flow into the three-way catalyst, causing
it to overheat. Do not keep driving if the
engine misfires, or if noticeable loss of
performance or other unusual operating
conditions are detected. Have the vehicle
inspected promptly by an INFINITI retai-
ler.
. Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel
level. Running out of fuel could cause
the engine to misfire, damaging the
three-way catalyst.
. Do not race the engine while warming it
up.
. Do not push or tow your vehicle to start
the hybrid system.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING SYS-
TEM (TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on the
vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure
label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the vehicle
placard or tire inflation pressure label, you
should determine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.) As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as
possible, and inflate them to the proper
pressure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
If the vehicle is being driven with one or
more flat tires, the low tire pressure
warning light will illuminate continuously
and a chime will sound for 10 seconds. The
“Flat Tire - Visit dealer”
warning will also
appear in the vehicle information display.
The chime will only sound at the first
indication of a flat tire, and the warning
light will illuminate continuously. When the
flat tire warning is activated, have the
system reset and the tire checked and
replaced if necessary by an INFINITI retai-
ler. Even if the tire is inflated to the
specified COLD tire pressure, the warning
5-10Starting and driving
INTELLIGENT ALL-WHEEL DRIVE
(AWD) DRIVING SAFETY PRECAU-
TIONS (AWD models)
WARNING
.Do not drive beyond the performance
capability of the tires, even with Intelli-
gent AWD engaged. Accelerating quickly,
sharp steering maneuvers or sudden
braking may cause loss of control.
. Always use tires of the same type, size,
brand, construction (bias, bias-belted or
radial), and tread pattern on all four
wheels. Install tire chains on the rear
wheels when driving on slippery roads
and drive carefully.
. This vehicle is not designed for off-road
(rough road) use. Do not drive on sandy
or muddy roads that tires may get stuck
in.
. For AWD equipped vehicles, do not
attempt to raise two wheels off the
ground and shift the transmission to
any D (Drive) or R (Reverse) position with
the hybrid system running. Doing so
may result in drivetrain damage or
unexpected vehicle movement which could result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. Do not attempt to test an AWD equipped
vehicle on a 2-wheel dynamometer (such
as the dynamometers used by some
states for emissions testing), or similar
equipment even if the other two wheels
are raised off the ground. Make sure you
inform test facility personnel that your
vehicle is equipped with AWD before it is
placed on a dynamometer. Using the
wrong test equipment may result in
drivetrain damage or unexpected vehicle
movement which could result in serious
vehicle damage or personal injury.
. When a wheel is off the ground due to an
unlevel surface, do not spin the wheel
excessively.
WARNING
Do not operate the push-button ignition
switch while driving the vehicle except in an
emergency. (The INFINITI Direct Response
Hybrid
®System will stop when the ignition
switch is pushed 3 consecutive times or the
ignition switch is pushed and held for more
than 2 seconds.) If the hybrid system turns
off while the vehicle is being driven, this
could lead to a crash and serious injury.
Before operating the push-button ignition
switch, be sure to move the shift lever to
the P (Park) position.
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
If any malfunction occurs in the Intelligent
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) system while the
INFINITI Direct Response Hybrid
®System is
running, warning messages appear in the
vehicle information display.
JVS0228M
If the “AWD Error” warning*1appears,
there may be a malfunction in the Intelli-
gent AWD system. Reduce vehicle speed
and have your vehicle checked by an
INFINITI retailer as soon as possible.
The “AWD High Temp.” (high temperature)
warning
*2may appear while trying to free a stuck vehicle due to increased oil
temperature. The driving mode may change
to Two-Wheel Drive (2WD). If this warning
is displayed, stop the vehicle with the
hybrid system idling, as soon as it is safe
to do so. Then if the warning turns off, you
can continue driving.
The
“Tire Size Incorrect” warning
*3may
appear if there is a large difference
between the diameters of front and rear
wheels. Pull off the road in a safe area,
with the hybrid system idling. Check that
all tire sizes are the same, that the tire
pressure is correct and that the tires are
not excessively worn.
If any warning message continues to be
displayed, have your vehicle checked by an
INFINITI retailer as soon as possible.
WARNING
. For AWD equipped vehicles, do not
attempt to raise two wheels off the
ground and shift the transmission to
any drive or reverse position with the
hybrid system running. Doing so may
result in drivetrain damage or unex-
pected vehicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage or
Starting and driving5-101
INTELLIGENT ALL-WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (if so
equipped)
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 conventional 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.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS)
WARNING
.The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is a
sophisticated device, but it cannot pre-
vent accidents resulting from careless or
dangerous driving techniques. It can
help maintain vehicle control during
braking on slippery surfaces. Remember
that stopping distances on slippery
surfaces will be longer than on normal surfaces even with ABS. Stopping dis-
tances may also be longer on rough,
gravel or snow covered roads, or if you
are using tire chains. Always maintain a
safe distance from the vehicle in front of
you. Ultimately, the driver is responsible
for safety.
. Tire type and condition may also affect
braking effectiveness.
—When replacing tires, install the
specified size of tires on all four
wheels.
—For detailed information, see“Wheels and tires” (P.8-30) of this
manual.
The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) con-
trols the brakes so the wheels do not lock
during hard braking or when braking on
slippery surfaces. The system detects the
rotation speed at each wheel and varies
the brake fluid pressure to prevent each
wheel from locking and sliding. By pre-
venting each wheel from locking, the
system helps the driver maintain steering
control and helps to minimize swerving
and spinning on slippery surfaces.
Using the system
Depress the brake pedal and hold it down.
Depress the brake pedal with firm steady
pressure, but do not pump the brakes. The
ABS will operate to prevent the wheels
from locking up. Steer the vehicle to avoid
obstacles.
WARNING
Do not pump the brake pedal. Doing so may
result in increased stopping distances.
Self-test feature
The ABS includes electronic sensors, elec-
tric pumps, hydraulic solenoids and a
computer. The computer has a built-in
diagnostic feature that tests the system
each time you start the hybrid system and
move the vehicle at a low speed in forward
or reverse. When the self-test occurs, you
may hear a “clunk”noise and/or feel a
pulsation in the brake pedal. This is normal
and does not indicate a malfunction. If the
computer senses a malfunction, it switches
the ABS off and illuminates the ABS
warning light on the instrument panel.
The brake system then operates normally,
Starting and driving5-107
BRAKE ASSIST
FREEING A FROZEN DOOR LOCK
To prevent a door lock from freezing, apply
deicer through the key hole. If the lock
becomes frozen, heat the key before
inserting it into the key hole or use the
Intelligent Key system.
ANTIFREEZE
In the winter when it is anticipated that the
outside temperature will drop below 328F
(08C), check antifreeze to assure proper
winter protection. For additional informa-
tion, see“Engine cooling system” (P.8-9).
12-VOLT BATTERY
If the 12-volt battery is not fully charged
during extremely cold weather conditions,
the battery fluid may freeze and damage
the 12-volt battery. To maintain maximum
efficiency, the 12-volt battery should be
checked regularly. For additional informa-
tion, see“12-volt battery” (P.8-17).
DRAINING OF COOLANT WATER
If the vehicle is to be left outside without
antifreeze, drain the cooling system, in-
cluding the engine block. Refill before
operating the vehicle. For details, see
“Engine cooling system” (P.8-9) and“In-
verter cooling system” (P.8-11).
TIRE EQUIPMENT
SUMMER tires have a tread designed to
provide superior performance on dry pave-
ment. However, the performance of these
tires will be substantially reduced in snowy
and icy conditions. If you operate your
vehicle on snowy or icy roads, INFINITI
recommends the use of MUD & SNOW or
ALL SEASON tires on all four wheels.
Consult an INFINITI retailer for the tire
type, size, speed rating and availability
information.
For additional traction on icy roads,
studded tires may be used. However, some
U.S. states and Canadian provinces prohi-
bit their use. Check local, state and
provincial laws before installing studded
tires.
Skid and traction capabilities of studded
snow tires, on wet or dry surfaces, may be
poorer than that of non-studded snow
tires.
Tire chains may be used. For details, see
“Tire chains”(P.8-37) of this manual.
Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (AWD)
models
If you install snow tires, they must also be
the same size, brand, construction and tread pattern on all four wheels.
SPECIAL WINTER EQUIPMENT
It is recommended that the following items
be carried in the vehicle during winter:
.
A scraper and stiff-bristled brush to
remove ice and snow from the windows
and wiper blades.
. A sturdy, flat board to be placed under
the jack to give it firm support.
. A shovel to dig the vehicle out of
snowdrifts.
. Extra window washer fluid to refill the
reservoir tank.
DRIVING ON SNOW OR ICE
WARNING
. Wet ice (328F, 0 8C and freezing rain),
very cold snow or ice can be slick and
very hard to drive on. The vehicle will
have much less traction or “grip”under
these conditions. Try to avoid driving on
wet ice until the road is salted or
sanded.
. Whatever the condition, drive with cau-
tion. Accelerate and slow down with
care. If accelerating or downshifting too
Starting and driving5-113
COLD WEATHER DRIVING