Page 57 of 498

1-38Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0131
SSS0132
WARNING
. The front air bags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a side impact, rear
impact, rollover, or lower severity frontal
collision. Always wear your seat belts to
help reduce the risk or severity of injury
in various kinds of accidents.
. The front passenger air bag will not
inflate if the passenger air bag status
light is lit or if the front passenger seat
is unoccupied. See “Front passenger air
bag and status light” (P.1-44).
. The seat belts and the front air bags are
most effective when you are sitting well
back and upright in the seat. The front
air bags inflate with great force. Even
with the INFINITI Advanced Air Bag
System, if you are unrestrained, leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of
position in any way, you are at greater
risk of injury or death in a crash. You
may also receive serious or fatal injuries
from the front air bag if you are up
against it when it inflates. Always sit
back against the seatback and as far-
away as practical from the steering
wheel or instrument panel. Always use
Page 58 of 498

the seat belts.
. The driver and front passenger seat belt
buckles are equipped with sensors that
detect if the seat belts are fastened. The
Advanced Air Bag System monitors the
severity of a collision and seat belt
usage then inflates the air bags as
needed. Failure to properly wear seat
belts can increase the risk or severity of
injury in an accident.
. The front passenger seat is equipped
with an occupant classification sensor
(pattern sensor) that turns the front
passenger air bag OFF under some
conditions. This sensor is only used in
this seat. Failure to be properly seated
and wearing the seat belt can increase
the risk or severity of injury in an
accident. See “Front passenger air bag
and status light” (P.1-44).
. Keep hands on the outside of the
steering wheel. Placing them inside the
steering wheel rim could increase the
risk of injury if the supplemental front
air bag inflates.
SSS0007
SSS0006
SSS0008
SSS0009
Safety —Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-39
Page 59 of 498
1-40Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0099
SSS0100
WARNING
. Never let children ride unrestrained or
extend their hands or face out of the
window. Do not attempt to hold them in
your lap or arms. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
. Children may be severely injured or
killed when the front air bags, side air
bags or curtain air bags inflate if they
are not properly restrained. Pre-teens
and children should be properly re-
strained in the rear seat, if possible.
. Even with the INFINITI Advanced Air Bag
System, never install a rear facing child
restraint in the front seat. An inflating
front air bag could seriously injure or kill
your child. See “Child restraints” (P.1-
19) for details.
SSS0832
SSS0833
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SSS0140
SSS0162
SSS0159
WARNING
Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemen-
tal air bags and roof-mounted curtain side-
impact supplemental air bags:
.The side air bags and curtain air bags
ordinarily will not inflate in the event of
a frontal impact, rear impact, rollover or
lower severity side collision. Always
wear your seat belts to help reduce the
risk or severity of injury in various kinds
of accidents.
. The seat belts, the side air bags and curtain air bags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright in
the seat. The side air bags and curtain
air bags inflate with great force. Do not
allow anyone to place their hand, leg or
face near the side air bags on the side of
the seatback of the front seat or near the
side roof rails. Do not allow anyone
sitting in the front seats or rear outboard
seats to extend their hand out of the
window or lean against the door. Some
examples of dangerous riding positions
are shown in the previous illustrations.
. When sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front seat.
If the side air bags inflates, you may be
seriously injured. Be especially careful
with children, who should always be
properly restrained. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
. Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with side
air bags inflation.
Safety —Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41
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1-42Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0854
1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag
modules (INFINITI Advanced Air Bags)
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact sup- plemental air bag modules
4. Occupant classification sensor (pat- tern sensor) 5. Occupant classification system con-
trol unit
6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bags
7. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bag inflators 8. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
9. Satellite sensors
10. Seat belt pretensioner
INFINITI ADVANCED AIR BAG SYS-
TEM (front seats)
This vehicle is equipped with the INFINITI
Advanced Air Bag System for the driver and
front passenger seats. This system is
designed to meet certification require-
ments under U.S. regulations. It is also
permitted in Canada.
However, all of the
information, cautions and warnings 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 instru-
ment 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 opera-
tion.
The INFINITI Advanced Air Bag System has
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dual stage air bag inflators. The system
monitors information from the crash zone
sensor, the Air bag Control Unit (ACU), the
diagnosis sensor unit, seat belt buckle
sensors and the occupant classification
sensor (pattern sensor). Inflator operation
is based on the severity of a collision and
seat belt usage for the driver. For the front
passenger, the occupant classification
sensor is also monitored. Based on in-
formation from the sensors, only one front
air bag may inflate in a crash, depending
on the crash severity and whether the front
occupants are belted or unbelted. Addi-
tionally, the front passenger air bag may
be automatically turned OFF under some
conditions, depending on the information
provided by the occupant classification
sensor. If the front passenger air bag is
OFF, the passenger air bag status light will
be illuminated (if the seat is unoccupied,
the light will not be illuminated, but the air
bag will be off). (See“Front passenger air
bag and status light” (P.1-44) 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 INFINITI or an INFINITI retailer. If you are considering modification
of your vehicle due to a disability, you may
also contact INFINITI. Contact information
is contained 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 INFINITI 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
ignition switch is in the ON position.
After pushing the ignition switch to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warn-
ing light illuminates. The supplemental air
bag warning light will turn off after about
7 seconds if the system is operational.
Safety
—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43
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1-44Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0676
Front passenger air bag status light
Front passenger air bag and status
light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag is designed to
automatically turn OFF under some condi-
tions. Read this section carefully to learn
how it operates. Proper use of the seat, seat
belt and child restraints is necessary for
most effective protection. Failure 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 accident.
Status light:
The front passenger air bag status light
is located under the climate controls.
After the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position, the front passenger air bag status
light illuminates for about 7 seconds and
then turns off or illuminates depending on
the front passenger seat occupied status.
The light operates as follows:
. Unoccupied passenger seat: The
light is OFF and the front passenger air
bag is OFF and will not inflate in a
crash.
. Passenger seat occupied by a small
adult, child or child restraint as out-
lined 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 pas-
senger 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:
The front passenger air bag is designed to
automatically turn OFF when the vehicle is
operated under some conditions as de-
scribed below as permitted by U.S. regula-
tions. If the front passenger 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 automatically
turned OFF.
The occupant classification sensor (pattern
sensor) is in the front passenger seat
cushion and is designed to detect an
occupant and objects on the seat. For
example, 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 sensor 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
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as outlined in this manual should not
cause the passenger air bag to be auto-
matically 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 sensor to turn the air bag OFF.
Always be sure to be seated and wearing
the seat belt properly for the most effective
protection by the seat belt and supple-
mental air bag.
INFINITI recommends that pre-teens and
children be properly restrained in a rear
seat. INFINITI also recommends that appro-
priate child restraints and booster seats be
properly installed in a rear seat. If this is
not possible, the occupant classification
sensor is designed to operate as described
above to turn the front passenger air bag
OFF for specified child restraints. Failing to
properly secure child restrains and to use
the 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
restraints” (P.1-19) 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 classification
sensor. 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 automatically turned OFF with the
seat occupied. The light will not illuminate
when the front passenger seat is unoccu-
pied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the
passenger air bag status light is illumi-
nated (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 passenger
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 installed properly, the seat belt is used
properly and the occupant is positioned
properly. If the passenger air bag status
light is still not illuminated, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
If the passenger air bag status light will not
illuminate 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
INFINITI retailer can check that the system
is OFF by using a special tool. However,
until you have confirmed with your retailer
that your air bag is working properly,
reposition the occupant or child restraint
in a rear seat.
The INFINITI Advanced 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.
Safety
—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-45