2014 NISSAN MAXIMA brakes

Trailer lights
CAUTION
When splicing into the vehicle electrical
system, a commercially available power-
type module/converter must be used to
provide power for all trailer lighting. This
unit uses the vehicle battery as a direct
power source for all trailer lights while
using the vehicle tail light, stoplight and
turn signal circuits as a signal source. The
module/converter must draw no more that
15 milliamps from the stop and tail lamp
circuits. Using a module/converter that
exceeds these power requirements may
damage the vehicle’s electrical system.
See a reputable trailer dealer to obtain the
proper equipment and to have it installed.
Trailer lights should comply with federal and/or
local regulations. For assistance in hooking up
trailer lights, contact a NISSAN dealer or repu-
table trailer dealer.
Trailer brakes
If your trailer is equipped with a braking system,
make sure it conforms to federal and/or local
regulations and that it is properly installed.
WARNING
Never connect a trailer brake system di-
rectly to the vehicle brake system.
Pre-towing tips
● Be certain your vehicle maintains a level
position when a loaded and/or unloaded
trailer is hitched. Do not drive the vehicle if it
has an abnormal nose-up or nose-down
condition; check for improper tongue load,
overload, worn suspension or other possible
causes of either condition.
● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
● Keep the cargo load as low as possible in
the trailer to keep the trailer center of gravity
low.
● Load the trailer so approximately 60% of the
trailer load is in the front half and 40% is in
the back half. Also make sure the load is
balanced side to side.
● Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, ve-
hicle tire pressure, trailer light operation, and
trailer wheel lug nuts every time you attach a
trailer to the vehicle. ●
Be certain your rearview mirrors conform to
all federal, state or local regulations. If not,
install any mirrors required for towing before
driving the vehicle.
● Determine the overall height of the vehicle
and trailer so the required clearance is
known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding of the
vehicle’s behavior, you should practice turning,
stopping and backing up in an area which is free
from traffic. Steering stability and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than under
normal driving conditions.
● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
● Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or
lock to prevent the coupler from inadver-
tently becoming unlatched.
● Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
● Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
● Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
Technical and consumer information9-21

●When backing up, hold the bottom of the
steering wheel with one hand. Move your
hand in the direction in which you want the
trailer to go. Make small corrections and
back up slowly. If possible, have someone
guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift selector to the P
(Park) position before blocking the
wheels and applying the parking brake,
transmission damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the blocks ab-
sorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Turn off the engine.
To drive away: 1. Start the vehicle. 2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are
clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks. ● While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may de-
crease overall stability. Therefore, to main-
tain adequate control, reduce your speed
and use the manual shift mode (M5) . Avoid
long or repeated use of the brakes when
descending a hill, as this reduces their effec-
tiveness and could cause overheating. Shift-
ing the manual shift mode to M5 (5th) pro-
vides “engine braking” and reduces the need
to brake as frequently.
● If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
● Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) . ●
For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h).
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
● When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway: 1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle.
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes.
9-22Technical and consumer information

2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply thebrakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section.
● Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Downshift the transmission to a lower gear
for engine braking when driving down steep
or long hills. This will help slow the vehicle
without applying the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
● Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer. ●
Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits.
● Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after
50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
● When launching a boat, don’t allow the wa-
ter level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
● Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights
before backing the trailer into the water or
the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, transmission fluid
should be changed more frequently. For
additional information, see the “Mainte-
nance and do-it-yourself” section earlier in
this manual.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.
CAUTION
● Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
● Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
● DO NOT tow any automatic transmis-
sion vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground (flat towing) . Doing so WILL
DAMAGE internal transmission parts
due to lack of transmission lubrication.
● For emergency towing procedures refer
to “Towing recommended by NISSAN”
in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
Continuously Variable Transmission
To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously
variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle’s
drive wheels. Alwaysfollow the dolly manufac-
turer’s recommendations when using their prod-
uct.
Technical and consumer information9-23

10 Index
A
Active Head Restraint ...........1-8,1-15
Air bag (See supplemental restraint
system) .....................1-43
Air bag system Front (See supplemental front impact
air bag system) ...............1-50
Airbagwarninglight...........1-57,2-14
Air cleaner housing filter ............8-19
Air conditioner Air conditioner service ...........4-36
Air conditioner specification label .....9-11
Air conditioner system refrigerant and
oil recommendations .............9-6
Heater and air conditioner
controls................4-30,4-34
Servicing air conditioner ..........4-36
Alarm system
(See vehicle security system) .........2-26
Anchor point locations .............1-29
Antenna.....................4-91
Anti-lock brake warning light ......2-10,2-11
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ........5-25
Armrests .....................1-7
Audible reminders ...............2-16
Audio system ..................4-36
Bluetooth®audio..............4-85
Compact Disc (CD) changer .......4-54
Compact disc (CD) player .....4-60,4-67
FM-AM radio with compact disc
(CD) changer ................4-51 FM/AM/SAT radio with CD/DVD player . .4-64
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc (CD)
player ....................4-57
Audio System iPod®Player.............4-79,4-82
Audio system Radio ....................4-36
Steering wheel audio control switch . . .4-89
USB interface ............4-74,4-76
Autolight switch .................2-32
Automatic Automatic drive positioner .........3-30
Automatic power window switch .....2-46
Automatic transmission position indicator
light .....................2-14
Transmission shift selector lock release . .5-17
Automatic anti-glare inside mirror .......3-26
Automatic door locks ..............3-6
AUXjack ....................4-56
B
Battery ......................8-15
Charge warning light ............2-11
Before starting the engine ...........5-11
Belt (See drive belt) ..............8-17
Block heater Engine ....................5-29
Bluetooth®audio................4-85
Bluetooth® hands-free phone
system .................4-92,4-106
Boosterseats..................1-40 Brake
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ......5-25
Brakefluid..................8-13
Brakelight(Seestoplight).........8-28
Brake system ................5-24
Brake warning light .............2-11
Brake wear indicators ........2-16,8-21
Parking brake operation ..........5-18
Self-adjusting brakes ............8-21
Brakes ......................8-21
Break-inschedule ...............5-20
Brightness/contrast button .......4-10,4-19
Brightness control Instrument panel ..............2-34
Bulb check/instrument panel ..........2-10
Bulbreplacement................8-28
C
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants ...................9-2
Cargonet....................2-43
Cargo (See vehicle loading information) . . .9-12
Car phone or CB radio .............4-91
CD care and cleaning .............4-88
CD changer (See audio system) ........
4-54
CD player (See audio system) .....4-60,4-67
Check tire pressure ...............2-25
Child restraints .......1-23,1-24,1-25,1-27
Precautions on child
restraints ........1-25,1-31,1-36,1-40
Top tether strap anchor point locations . .1-29

Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-43
Precautions when starting and driving....5-2
Push starting ...................6-10
R
Radio Car phone or CB radio ...........4-91
Compact Disc (CD) changer ........4-54
FM-AM radio with compact disc
(CD) changer ................4-51
FM/AM/SAT radio with CD/DVD player . .4-64
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc
(CD) player ..................4-57
Steering wheel audio control switch ....4-89
Readiness for inspection maintenance
(I/M) test .....................9-25
Rear power windows ..............2-45
Rearseat......................1-6
Rearsunshade .................2-50
RearViewMonitor................4-22
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch .......................2-29
Recorders Eventdata..................9-26
Refrigerant recommendation ...........9-6
Registering your vehicle in another country . . .9-9
Reporting safety defects (US only) .......9-24
S
Safety Child safety rear door lock ..........3-6 Childseatbelts.....1-25,1-31,1-36,1-40
Reporting safety defects (US only)
.....9-24
Seat adjustment Front power seat adjustment .........1-3
Seatback pockets ................2-40
Seat belt Child safety ..................1-23
Infants and small children ..........1-24
Injured Person ................1-19
Largerchildren................1-24
Precautions on seat belt usage .......1-16
Pregnant women ...............1-19
Seatbeltextenders .............1-22
Seatbeltmaintenance............1-23
Seatbelts...................1-16
Shoulder belt height adjustment ......1-22
Three-point type with retractor .......1-19
Seat belt warning light ..............2-14
Seats Adjustment ...................1-2
Automatic drive positioner ..........3-30
Frontseats...................1-2
Heatedseats.............2-35,2-37
Rearseat....................1-6
Security indicator light ..............2-16
Security system (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer
system) , engine start ........2-27,3-3,5-10
Self-adjusting brakes ..............8-21
Service manual order form ...........9-26
Servicing air conditioner .............4-36
Shifting Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) .....................5-14
Shiftlockrelease.................5-17
Shoulder belt height adjustment ........1-22
Sparkplugreplacement.............8-18 Speedometer
...................2-5
Spotlights(Seemaplight) ...........2-53
SRSwarninglabel................1-57
Starting Before starting the engine ..........5-11
Jump starting .................6-8
Precautions when starting and driving ....5-2
Push starting .................6-10
Starting the engine .............5-11
Steering Heated steering wheel ...........2-37
Power steering fluid .............8-13
Power steering system ...........5-24
Steering wheel audio control switch ......
4-89
Stoplight.....................8-28
Storage......................2-39
Sunglasses case .................2-40
Sunglasses holder ................2-40
Sunroof (see Moonroof) .............2-47
Sun visors ....................3-25
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-57, 2-14
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-50
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .......1-57
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-43
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-43
Switch Autolight switch ...............2-32
Automatic power window switch ......2-46
Fog light switch ...............2-34
Hazard warning flasher switch ........6-2
Headlightandturnsignalswitch......2-30
Headlight control switch ..........2-31
Power door lock switch ............3-5
10-5