2014 INFINITI QX50 ECO mode

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving ................. 5-3Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ....................... 5-3
Three-way catalyst........................................... 5-3
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS).......... 5-4
Avoiding collision and rollover......................... 5-6
On-pavement and off-road
driving precautions.......................................... 5-7
Off-road recovery............................................. 5-7
Rapid air pressure loss ................................... 5-7
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ................. 5-8
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) driving safety precautions
(for AWD models) ........................................... 5-9
Push-button ignition switch ................................. 5-9
Operating range for engine start function ...... 5-10
Push-button ignition switch operation ........... 5-10
Push-button ignition switch positions ............ 5-11
Emergency engine shut off ............................ 5-11
Intelligent Key battery discharge ................... 5-12
Before starting the engine ................................. 5-12
Starting the engine ............................................ 5-13
Driving the vehicle ............................................. 5-14 Automatic transmission ................................. 5-14
Parking brake .................................................... 5-18 Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system/Lane
Departure Prevention (LDP) system (if
so equipped)..................................................... 5-19
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system......... 5-20
Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system ...... 5-22
Lane camera unit maintenance .................... 5-27
Blind Spot Warning (BSW) system (if
so equipped)..................................................... 5-27 BSW system operation ................................. 5-29
BSW driving situations................................. 5-30
BSW malfunction ......................................... 5-33
System maintenance.................................... 5-34
Cruise control.................................................... 5-34
Precautions on cruise control....................... 5-34
Cruise control operations ............................. 5-35
Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system
(FULL SPEED RANGE) (if so equipped) ................ 5-36 Selecting the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode ............................................... 5-38
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode...... 5-38
Precautions on vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode ............................................... 5-38
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control
mode operation ........................................... 5-40

Conventional (fixed speed) cruise
control mode ................................................. 5-55
Preview function (for Intelligent Cruise Control
system equipped models) ............................. 5-58
Distance Control Assist (DCA) system (if
so equipped) ..................................................... 5-59 Precautions on Distance Control
Assist system ................................................ 5-59
Distance Control Assist operation .................. 5-61
Forward Collision Warning (FCW) system (if
so equipped) ..................................................... 5-71
Precautions on FCW system ........................... 5-72
Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) system (if
so equipped) ..................................................... 5-74
Precautions on IBA system ............................ 5-75
Break-in schedule .............................................. 5-78
Fuel Efficient Driving Tips................................... 5-78
Increasing fuel economy .................................... 5-80
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) (if so equipped) .............. 5-80
Parking/parking on hills .................................... 5-82 Power steering .................................................. 5-83
Brake system .................................................... 5-83
Braking precautions ..................................... 5-83
Parking brake break-in................................. 5-83
Brake assist ...................................................... 5-84 Brake assist................................................. 5-84
Preview function (Intelligent Cruise Control
system equipped models) ............................ 5-84
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) .................... 5-86
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system .............. 5-88
Cold weather driving ......................................... 5-89
Freeing a frozen door lock ........................... 5-89
Antifreeze .................................................... 5-89
Battery......................................................... 5-89
Draining of coolant water............................. 5-89
Tire equipment ............................................ 5-90
Special winter equipment ............................ 5-90
Driving on snow or ice ................................. 5-90
Engine block heater (if so equipped)............ 5-91

ALL-WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) DRIVING
SAFETY PRECAUTIONS (for AWD
models)
WARNING
.Do not drive beyond the performance
capability of the tires, even with 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 offroad
(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 engine 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 unex-
pected 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 engine 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 engine
stops 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.
Starting and driving5-9
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH

1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) or N(Neutral) position. (P is recommended.)
The starter is designed not to operate
unless the shift lever is in either of the
above positions.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position. Depress the brake pedal and
push the ignition switch to start the
engine.
To start the engine immediately, push
and release the ignition switch while
depressing the brake pedal with the
ignition switch in any position.
.If the engine is very hard to start inextremely cold weather or when
restarting, depress the accelerator
pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to
the floor) and while holding, crank
the engine. Release the accelerator
pedal when the engine starts.
.If the engine is very hard to startbecause it is flooded, depress the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and hold it. Push the ignition
switch to the ON position to start
cranking the engine. After 5 or 6
seconds, stop cranking by pushing
the ignition switch to OFF. After cranking the engine, release the
accelerator pedal. Crank the engine
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal
by depressing the brake pedal
and pushing the push-button igni-
tion switch to start the engine. If the
engine starts, but fails to run, repeat
the above procedure.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more than 15
seconds at a time. If the engine does not
start, push the ignition switch to OFF and
wait 10 seconds before cranking again,
otherwise the starter could be damaged.
4. Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for a
minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start. 5. To stop the engine, shift the shift lever
to the P (Park) position and push the
ignition switch to the OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start conditions
such as:
1. Installation or extended use of electro-
nic accessories that consume battery
power when the engine is not running
(Phone chargers, GPS, DVD players,
etc.)
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/or
only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to be
charged to maintain battery health.
Starting and driving5-13
STARTING THE ENGINE

5-14Starting and driving
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
7 speed automatic transmission
The automatic transmission in your vehicle
is electronically controlled by a transmis-
sion control module to produce maximum
efficiency and smooth operation.
Shown on the following pages are the
recommended operating procedures for
this transmission. Follow these procedures
for maximum vehicle performance and
driving enjoyment.
Starting the vehicle
After starting the engine, fully depress the
foot brake pedal and push the shift lever
button before shifting the shift lever to the
R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive), DS (Drive
Sport) or Manual shift mode position. Be
sure the vehicle is fully stopped before
attempting to shift the shift lever.
This automatic transmission model is
designed so that the foot brake pedal
must be depressed before shifting from P
(Park) to any drive position while the
ignition switch position is ON.The shift lever cannot be moved out of the
P (Park) position and into any of the other
gear positions if the ignition switch is
pushed to the LOCK, OFF or ACC position.
1. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed
and push the shift lever button to shift
into a driving gear.
2. Release the parking brake and foot brake, then gradually start the vehicle
in motion.
WARNING
. Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), DS
(Drive Sport) or manual shift mode.
Always depress the brake pedal until
shifting is completed. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and have
an accident.
. Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
. Never shift to P (Park) or R (Reverse)
while vehicle is moving forward. Never
shift to P (Park), D (Drive) or DS (Drive Sport) while vehicle is moving rearward.
Failure to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
CAUTION
.
Except in an emergency, do not shift to
the N (Neutral) position while driving.
Coasting with the transmission in the N
(Neutral) position may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
. When stopping the vehicle on an uphill
grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
. Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. This may cause a loss of control.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE

5-16Starting and driving
DS (Drive Sport) mode
Move the shift lever from D (Drive) to the
left into the manual shift gate. The
transmission position indicator in the
meter shows“DS”.
In the DS (Drive Sport) mode, the transmis-
sion changes to the “sporty”driving shift
operation, creating a more aggressive
acceleration feeling than the D (Drive)
mode and providing a gear change sensa-
tion when the driver accelerates quickly.
When the driver selects the manual shift
mode using the shift lever during the DS
(Drive Sport) mode operation, the driver
must move the shift lever from DS (Drive
Sport) to D (Drive) and back again to re-
select the DS (Drive Sport) mode.
Manual shift mode
When the shift lever is in the DS (Drive
Sport) position, the transmission is ready
for the manual shift mode. Shift ranges can
be selected manually by moving the shift
lever up or down.
When shifting up, move the shift lever to
the + (up) side. The transmission shifts to
the higher range.
When shifting down, move the shift lever to the
−(down) side. The transmission shifts
to the lower range.
When canceling the manual shift mode,
return the shift lever to the D (Drive)
position. The transmission returns to the
normal driving mode.
In the manual shift mode, the shift range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
M1 ?M2?M3?M4?M5?M6?M7
///// /
M7 (7th):
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) andM5 (5th):
Use these positions when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
M4 (4th),M3 (3rd) andM2 (2nd):
Use these positions for hill climbing or
engine braking on downhill grades.
M1 (1st):
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow, or for maximum engine braking on
steep downhill grades.
.
Remember not to drive at high speeds
for extended periods of time in lower
than 7th gear. This reduces fuel econ-
omy.
. Moving the shift lever rapidly to the
same side twice will shift the ranges in
succession. However, if this motion is
done rapidly, the second shifting may
not be completed properly.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion may not shift to the selected gear
or may automatically shift to the other
gear depending on conditions. This
helps maintain driving performance
and reduces the chance of vehicle
damage or loss of control.
. When the transmission does not shift
to the selected gear, the Automatic
Transmission (AT) position indicator
light (on the dot matrix liquid crystal
display) will blink and the buzzer will
sound.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion automatically shifts down to 1st
gear before the vehicle comes to a
stop. When accelerating again, it is
necessary to shift up to the desired

.When traveling close to the vehicle in
front of you, which obstructs the lane
camera unit detection range.
. When rain, snow or dirt adheres to the
windshield in front of the lane camera
unit.
. When the headlights are not bright due
to dirt on the lens or if the aiming is not
adjusted properly.
. When strong light enters the lane
camera unit. (For example, the light
directly shines on the front of the
vehicle at sunrise or sunset.)
. When a sudden change in brightness
occurs. (For example, when the vehicle
enters or exits a tunnel or under a
bridge.)
SSD0672
Lane departure warning light (orange)
SSD1156
Warning systems switch
LDW system operation
The LDW system provides a lane departure
warning function when the vehicle is driven
at speeds of approximately 45 MPH (70
km/h) and above. When the vehicle
approaches either the left or the right side
of the traveling lane, a warning chime will
sound and the lane departure warning light
(orange) on the instrument panel will blink
to alert the driver.
The warning function will stop when the
vehicle returns inside of the lane markers.
When you operate the lane change signal
and change traveling lanes in the direction
of the signal, the LDW system temporarily
suspends operation. It will become oper-
able again approximately 2 seconds after
the lane change signal is turned off.
When the vehicle speed lowers to less than
approximately 45 MPH (70 km/h), the LDW
system will not provide a warning.
The LDW system has an automatic setting
mode and a manual setting mode. The
setting mode can be changed. In the
automatic setting mode, the LDW system
is automatically turned on when the igni-
tion switch is pushed to the ON position.
When the LDW system is on, the warning
Starting and driving5-21

5-22Starting and driving
systems ON indicator*1on the warning
systems switch illuminates. To cancel the
LDW system, push the warning systems
switch. The warning systems ON indicator
will turn off. To turn on the system, push
the warning systems switch again. This
switch will turn on and off the LDW, BSW
and FCW systems at the same time.
In the manual setting mode, you need to
push the warning systems switch to turn
on the system after the ignition switch is
pushed to the ON position.
The setting mode can be changed using
the warning systems switch. To change the
setting mode, push and hold the warning
systems switch for more than 4 seconds
when the warning systems ON indicator is
off. When the mode is changed, a chime
sounds and the lane departure warning
light (orange) flashes.
Temporary disabled status at high
temperature
If the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight
under high temperature conditions (over
approximately 1048 F (408C) and then
started, the LDW system may be deacti-
vated automatically. The lane departure
warning light (orange) on the switch will flash.
When the interior temperature is reduced,
the LDW system will resume operating
automatically and the warning systems
ON indicator will stop flashing.
LANE DEPARTURE PREVENTION
(LDP) SYSTEM
Precautions on LDP system
WARNING
.
The LDP system will not steer the vehicle
or prevent loss of control. It is the
driver’s responsibility to stay alert, drive
safely, keep the vehicle in the traveling
lane, and be in control of vehicle at all
times.
. The LDP system is primarily intended for
use on well-developed freeways or high-
ways. It may not detect the lane markers
in certain roads, weather or driving
conditions.
. Using the LDP system under some
conditions of road, lane marker or
weather, or when you change lanes
without using the lane change signal
could lead to an unexpected system operation. In such conditions, you need
to correct the vehicle’s direction with
your steering operation to avoid acci-
dents.
. When the LDP system is operating, avoid
excessive or sudden steering maneu-
vers. Otherwise, you could lose control
of the vehicle.
. The LDP system will not operate at
speeds below approximately 45 MPH
(70 km/h) or if it cannot detect lane
markers.
. The LDP system may not function
properly under the following conditions,
and do not use the LDP system:
—During bad weather (rain, fog, snow,
wind, etc.).
—When driving on slippery roads,
such as on ice or snow, etc.
—When driving on winding or uneven roads.
—When there is a lane closure due to
road repairs.
—When driving in a makeshift lane.
—When driving on roads where thelane width is too narrow.