2014 INFINITI QX50 engine

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

WARNING
.Do not leave children or adults who
would normally require the support of
others alone in your vehicle. Pets should
not be left alone either. They could
accidentally injure themselves or others
through inadvertent operation of the
vehicle. Also, on hot, sunny days,
temperatures in a closed vehicle could
quickly become high enough to cause
severe or possibly fatal injuries to
people or animals.
. Properly secure all cargo to help prevent
it from sliding or shifting. Do not place
cargo higher than the seatbacks. In a
sudden stop or collision, unsecured
cargo could cause personal injury.
EXHAUST GAS (carbon monoxide)
WARNING
.Do not breathe exhaust gases; they
contain colorless and odorless carbon
monoxide. Carbon monoxide is danger-
ous. It can cause unconsciousness or death.
. If you suspect that exhaust fumes are
entering the vehicle, drive with all
windows fully open, and have the
vehicle inspected immediately.
. Do not run the engine in closed spaces
such as a garage.
. Do not park the vehicle with the engine
running for any extended length of time.
. Keep the lift gate closed while driving,
otherwise exhaust gases could be drawn
into the passenger compartment. If you
must drive with the lift gate open, follow
these precautions:
—Open all the windows.
—Set theair recirculation to off
and the fan control to high to
circulate the air.
. If electrical wiring or other cable con-
nections must pass to a trailer through
the seal on the lift gate or the body,
follow the manufacturer’s recommenda-
tion to prevent carbon monoxide entry
into the vehicle.
. The exhaust system and body should be
inspected by a qualified mechanic when-
ever:
—The vehicle is raised for service.
—You suspect that exhaust fumes are
entering into the passenger compart-
ment.
—You notice a change in the sound ofthe exhaust system.
—You have had an accident involvingdamage to the exhaust system,
underbody, or rear of the vehicle.
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
Starting and driving5-3
PRECAUTIONS WHEN STARTING AND
DRIVING

5-4Starting and driving
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 engine.
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.
Please note that the TPMS is not a
substitute for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driver’
s responsibility to
maintain correct tire pressure, even if
under-inflation has not reached the level
to trigger illumination of the TPMS low tire
pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
the telltale will flash for approximately one
minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue
upon subsequent vehicle start-ups as long
as the malfunction exists. When the mal-
function indicator is illuminated, the sys-
tem may not be able to detect or signal low
tire pressure as intended. TPMS malfunc-
tions may occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of replacement or
alternate tires or wheels on the vehicle that
prevent the TPMS from functioning prop-
erly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale after replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.

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

5-10Starting and driving
SSD0436
OPERATING RANGE FOR ENGINE
START FUNCTION
The Intelligent Key can only be used for
starting the engine when the Intelligent
Key is within the specified operating range
*1.
When the Intelligent Key battery is almost
discharged or strong radio waves are
present near the operating location, the
Intelligent Key system’s operating range
becomes narrower and may not function
properly.
If the Intelligent Key is within the operating
range, it is possible for anyone, even someone who does not carry the Intelligent
Key, to push the ignition switch to start the
engine.
.
The cargo area is not included in the
operating range but the Intelligent Key
may function.
. If the Intelligent Key is on the instru-
ment panel, cargo area, inside the
glove box or door pocket, or the corner
of interior compartment, it may not be
possible to start the engine.
. If the Intelligent Key is near the door or
door glass outside the vehicle, it may
be possible to start the engine.
SSD1021
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
OPERATION
When the ignition switch is pushed without
depressing the brake pedal, the ignition
switch position will change as follows:
. Push center once to change to ACC.
. Push center two times to change to ON.
. Push center three times to change to
OFF. (No position illuminates.)
. Push center four times to return to ACC.
. Open or close any door to return to
LOCK during the OFF position.
The ignition lock is designed so that the
ignition switch position cannot be switched

to LOCK until the shift lever is moved to the
P (Park) position.
When the ignition switch cannot be
switched toward the LOCK position, pro-
ceed as follows:
1. Move the shift lever into the P (Park)position.
2. Push the ignition switch to the OFF position. The ignition switch position
indicator will not illuminate.
3. Open the door. The ignition switch will change to the LOCK position.
The shift lever can be moved from the P
(Park) position if the ignition switch is in
the ON position and the brake pedal is
depressed.
If the battery of the vehicle is discharged,
the push-button ignition switch cannot be
turned from the LOCK position.
Some indicators and warnings for opera-
tion are displayed on the dot matrix liquid
crystal display between the speedometer
and tachometer. (See “Dot matrix liquid
crystal display” (P.2-19).)PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
POSITIONS
LOCK (Normal parking position)
The ignition switch can only be locked in
this position.
The ignition switch will be unlocked when
it is pushed to the ACC position while
carrying the Intelligent Key or with the
Intelligent Key inserted in the port.
ACC (Accessories)
This position activates electrical acces-
sories such as the radio, when the engine
is not running.
ON (Normal operating position)
This position turns on the ignition system
and electrical accessories.
OFF
The engine can be turned off in this
position.
The ignition lock is designed so that the
ignition switch cannot be switched to the
LOCK position until the shift lever is moved
to the P (Park) position.
CAUTION
Do not leave the vehicle with the push-
button ignition switch in ACC or ON posi-
tions when the engine is not running for an
extended period. This can discharge the
battery.
EMERGENCY ENGINE SHUT OFF
To shut off the engine in an emergency
situation while driving perform the follow-
ing procedure:
.Rapidly push the push-button ignition
switch 3 consecutive times in less than
1.5 seconds, or
. Push and hold the push button ignition
switch for more than 2 seconds.
Starting and driving5-11

5-12Starting and driving
SSD0785
INTELLIGENT KEY BATTERY DIS-
CHARGE
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is
almost discharged, the guide light
*Bof
the Intelligent Key port
*Ablinks and the
indicator appears on the dot matrix liquid
crystal display. (See “Dot matrix liquid
crystal display” (P.2-19).)
In this case, inserting the Intelligent Key
into the port
*1allows you to start the
engine. Make sure that the key ring side
faces backward as illustrated. Insert the
Intelligent Key in the port until it is latched
and secured. To remove the Intelligent Key from the port,
push the ignition switch to the OFF position
and pull the Intelligent Key out of the port.
NOTE:
The Intelligent Key port does not charge
the Intelligent Key battery. If you see the
low battery indicator in the dot matrix
liquid crystal display, replace the battery
as soon as possible. (See
“Intelligent Key
battery replacement” (P.8-24).)
CAUTION
.Never place anything except the Intelli-
gent Key in the Intelligent Key port.
Doing so may cause damage to the
equipment.
. Make sure the Intelligent Key is in the
correct direction when inserting it to the
Intelligent Key port. The engine may not
start if it is in the incorrect direction.
. Remove the Intelligent Key from the
Intelligent Key port after the ignition
switch is pushed to the OFF position.
.Make sure the area around the vehicle
is clear.
. Check fluid levels such as engine oil,
coolant, brake fluid and window
washer fluid as frequently as possible,
or at least whenever you refuel.
. Check that all windows and lights are
clean.
. Visually inspect tires for their appear-
ance and condition. Also check tires for
proper inflation.
. Lock all doors.
. Position seat and adjust head re-
straints.
. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
. Fasten seat belts and ask all passen-
gers to do likewise.
. Check the operation of warning lights
when the ignition switch is pushed to
the ON position. (See “Warning/indica-
tor lights and audible reminders” (P.2-
10).)
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE