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
1-42Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
SSS0903
1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag
modules
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact sup- plemental air bag modules
4. Occupant classification sensors (weight sensors) 5. Occupant detection system control
unit
6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air bags
7. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air bag
inflators 8. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
9. Satellite sensors
10. Seat belt pretensioners
INFINITI ADVANCED AIR BAG SYS-
TEM (front seats)
WARNING
To ensure proper operation of the passen-
ger’
s advanced air bag system, please
observe the following items.
. Do not allow a passenger in the rear seat
to push or pull on the seatback pocket.
. Do not place heavy loads heavier than 9
lbs. (4kg) on the seatback, head re-
straint or in the seatback pocket.
. Do not store luggage behind the seat
that can press into the seatback.
. Confirm the operating condition with the
front passenger air bag status light.
. If you notice that the front passenger air
bag status light is not operating in
accordance with the above description,
please take your vehicle to your INFINITI
retailer to check the passenger seat
advanced air bag system.
.Until you have confirmed with your
retailer that your passenger seat ad-
vanced air bag is working properly,
position the occupants in the rear
seating positions.
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 dual stage air bag inflators. The system
monitors information from the Air bag
Control Unit (ACU), seat belt buckle sen-
sors and the occupant classification sen-
sors (weight sensors). Inflator operation is
based on the severity of a collision and
seat belt usage for the driver. For the front
passenger, the occupant classification
sensors are also monitored. Based on
information 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. Additionally, the front passenger
air bag may be automatically turned OFF
under some conditions, depending on the
information provided by the occupant
classification sensors. If the front passen-
ger 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
Safety
—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43
1-44Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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.
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 on the instrument panel
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.
1-46Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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.
If a malfunction occurs in the front
passenger air bag system, the supplemen-
tal air bag warning light
, located in the
meter and gauges area will blink. Have the
system checked by an INFINITI retailer.
Other supplemental front-impact
air bag precautions
WARNING
. Do not place any objects on the steering
wheel pad or on the instrument panel.
Also, do not place any objects between
any occupant and the steering wheel or
instrument panel. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and cause
injury if the front air bags inflate.
. Do not place objects with sharp edges
on the seat. Also, do not place heavy
objects on the seat that will leave
permanent impressions in the seat. Such
objects can damage the seat or occupant
classification sensors (weight sensors).
This can affect the operation of the air
bag system and result in serious perso-
nal injury. .
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can
damage the seat or occupant classifica-
tion sensors. This can also affect the
operation of the air bag system and
result in serious personal injury.
. Immediately after inflation, several front
air bag system components will be hot.
Do not touch them; you may severely
burn yourself.
. No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This is
to prevent accidental inflation of the
supplemental air bag or damage to the
supplemental air bag system.
. Do not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle’s electrical system, suspen-
sion system or front end structure. This
could affect proper operation of the front
air bag system.
. Tampering with the air bag system may
result in serious personal injury. Tamper-
ing includes changes to the steering
wheel and the instrument panel assem-
bly by placing material over the steering
wheel pad and above the instrument
panel or by installing additional trim
1-48Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
another type of collision are similar to
those of a higher severity side impact. They
are designed to inflate on the side where
the vehicle is impacted. They may not
inflate in certain side collisions on the side
where the vehicle is impacted. Curtain air
bags are also designed to inflate in certain
types of rollover collisions or near roll-
overs.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always
an indication of proper side air bag and
curtain air bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, 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.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat
belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the chest and pelvic area of the front
occupants. Curtain air bags help to cushion
the impact force to the head of occupants
in the front and rear outboard seating
positions. They can help save lives and
reduce serious injuries. However, side air
bags and curtain air bags may cause abrasions or other injuries. Side air bags
and curtain air bags do not provide
restraint to the lower body.
The seat belts should be correctly worn
and the driver and passenger seated
upright as far as practical away from the
side air bags. Rear seat passengers should
be seated as far away as practical from the
door finishers and side roof rails. The side
air bags and curtain air bags inflate quickly
in order to help protect the occupants.
Because of this, the force of the side air
bags and curtain air bags inflating can
increase the risk of injury if the occupant is
too close to, or is against, these air bag
modules during inflation. In a rollover, the
curtain air bags on both sides are designed
to inflate. Under both side-impact and
rollover situations, the curtain air bags will
remain inflated for a short period of time.
The side air bags and curtain 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 air bag warning
light will turn off after about 7 seconds if
the systems are operational.
WARNING
.
Do not place any objects near the
seatback of the front seats. Also, do
not place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher and
the front seat. Such objects may become
dangerous projectiles and cause injury if
a side air bag inflates.
. Right after inflation, several side air bag
and curtain air bag system components
will be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
. No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain air bags.
This is to prevent damage to or acci-
dental inflation of the side air bag and
curtain air bag systems.
. Do not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle’s electrical system, suspen-
sion system or side panel. This could
affect proper operation of the side air
bag and curtain air bag systems.
. Tampering with the side air bag system
may result in serious personal injury. For
example, do not change the front seat by
placing material near the seatback or by
1-50Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
The supplemental air bag warning lightis used to indicate malfunctions in the
pretensioner system. (See “Supplemental
air bag warning light” (P.1-50) for more
details.) If the operation of the supple-
mental air bag warning light indicates
there is a malfunction, have the system
checked by an INFINITI retailer.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the preten-
sioner system and guide the buyer to the
appropriate sections in this Owner’s Man-
ual.
SSS1016
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG WARNING
LABELS
Warning labels about the supplemental
front-impact air bag system are placed in
the vehicle as shown in the illustration.
SRS air bag
The warning labels*1are located on the
surface of the sun visors.
SPA1097
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG WARNING
LIGHT
The supplemental air bag warning light,
displayingin the instrument panel,
monitors the circuits for the air bag
systems, pretensioners and all related
wiring.
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates for about 7 seconds and
then turns off. This means the system is
operational.
If any of the following conditions occur, the
air bag and/or pretensioner systems need
servicing:
.The supplemental air bag warning light
remains on after approximately 7 sec-
onds.
. The supplemental air bag warning light
flashes intermittently.
. The supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on at all.
Under these conditions, the air bags and/
or pretensioner systems may not operate
properly. They must be checked and
repaired. Take your vehicle to the nearest
INFINITI retailer.
WARNING
If the supplemental air bag warning light is
on, it could mean that the front air bag, side
air bag, curtain air bag and/or pretensioner
systems will not operate in an accident. To
help avoid injury to yourself or others, have
your vehicle checked by a retailer as soon as
possible.
REPAIR AND REPLACEMENT PROCE-
DURE
The front air bags, side air bags, curtain air
bags and pretensioners are designed to
activate on a one-time-only basis. As a
reminder, unless it is damaged, the sup-
plemental air bag warning light will remain
illuminated after inflation has occurred.
Repair and replacement of these systems
should be done only by an INFINITI retailer.
When maintenance work is required on the
vehicle, the front air bags, side air bags,
curtain air bags, pretensioners and related
parts should be pointed out to the person
conducting the maintenance. The ignition
switch should always be in the LOCK
position when working under the hood or
inside the vehicle.
WARNING
. Once a front air bag, side air bag or
curtain air bag has inflated, the air bag
module will not function again and must
be replaced. Additionally, the activated
pretensioners must also be replaced. The
air bag module and pretensioner should
be replaced by an INFINITI retailer. The air bag module and pretensioner system
cannot be repaired.
. The front air bag, side air bag, curtain air
bag and the pretensioner should be
inspected by an INFINITI retailer if there
is any damage to the front end or side
portion of the vehicle.
. If you need to dispose of a supplemental
air bag or pretensioner or scrap the
vehicle, contact an INFINITI retailer.
Correct supplemental air bag and pre-
tensioner system disposal procedures
are set forth in the appropriate INFINITI
Service Manual. Incorrect disposal pro-
cedures could cause personal injury.
Safety —Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-51