
5-10Starting and driving
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 pushed
toward the LOCK position, proceed 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 operation are
displayed on the dot matrix liquid crystal display
between the speedometer and tachometer. (See
“Dot matrix liquid crystal display” (P.2-18) .)
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.
ACC (Accessories)
This position activates electrical accessories
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
positions when the engine is not run-
ning 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 following procedure:
.Rapidly push the push-button ignition switch
3 consecutive times in less that 1.5 sec-
onds, or
. Push and hold the push-button ignition
switch for more than 2 seconds.
SSD0944
INTELLIGENT KEY BATTERY DIS-
CHARGE
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is discharged,
or environmental conditions interfere with the
Intelligent Key operation, start the engine
according to the following procedure:
1. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position.
2. Firmly apply the foot brake.
3. Touch the ignition switch with the Intelligent
Key as illustrated. (A chime will sound.)
4. Push the ignition switch while depressing the brake pedal within 10 seconds after the
chime sounds. The engine will start.
After step 3 is performed, when the ignition switch is pushed without depressing the brake
pedal, the ignition switch position will change to
ACC.
NOTE:
.
When the ignition switch is pushed to
the ACC or ON position or the engine is
started by the above procedures, the
Intelligent Key battery discharge indi-
cator appears on the dot matrix liquid
crystal display even if the Intelligent
Key is inside the vehicle. This is not a
malfunction. To turn off the Intelligent
Key battery discharge indicator, touch
the ignition switch with the Intelligent
Key again.
. If the Intelligent Key battery discharge
indicator appears, replace the battery
as soon as possible. (See “Intelligent
Key battery replacement” (P.8-23) .)
Starting and driving5-11

5-12Starting and driving
.Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.
. Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool-
ant, 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 appearance
and condition. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
. Lock all doors.
. Position seats and adjust head restraints/
headrests.
. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
. Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to
do likewise.
. Check the operation of warning lights when
the ignition switch is pushed to the ON
position. (See “Warning/indicator lights and
audible reminders” (P.2-11) .) 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 restart-
ing, 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 start becauseit 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 accel-
erator pedal. Crank the engine with your
foot off the accelerator pedal bydepressing the brake pedal and pushing
the push-button ignition 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.
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE

NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery discharge
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.CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANS-
MISSION (CVT)
The Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
in your vehicle is electronically controlled to
produce maximum power and smooth operation.
The recommended operating procedures for this
transmission are shown on the following pages.
Follow these procedures for maximum vehicle
performance and driving enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.
Starting the vehicle
1. After starting the engine, fully depress the foot brake pedal before moving the shift
lever out of the P (Park) position.
This CVT is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed before
shifting from P (Park) to any driving
position while the ignition switch is in
the ON position.
The shift lever cannot be moved out of
the P (Park) position and into any of
the other positions if the ignition
switch is pushed to the LOCK, OFF or
ACC position. 2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and
move the shift lever to a driving position.
3. Release the parking brake and foot brake pedal, and 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) or L (Low) position. Always
depress the brake pedal until shift-
ing 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 (Re-
verse) while vehicle is moving. Fail-
ure to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
Starting and driving5-13
DRIVING THE VEHICLE

R (Reverse):
Use this position to back up. Make sure the
vehicle is completely stopped before selecting
the R (Reverse) position.The brake pedal
must be depressed and the shift lever
button pushed in to move the shift lever
from P (Park) , N (Neutral) or any driving
position to R (Reverse) .
N (Neutral):
Neither forward nor reverse gear is engaged.
The engine can be started in this position. You
may shift to N (Neutral) and restart a stalled
engine while the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive):
Use this position for all normal forward driving.
L (Low):
Use this position for maximum engine braking on
steep downhill gradients/climbing steep slopes
and whenever approaching sharp bends. Do not
use the L position in any other circumstances.
SSD1176
Overdrive (O/D) OFF switch
When the O/D OFF switch is pushed with the
shift lever in the D (Drive) position, the
indicator light in the instrument panel illuminates.
Use the overdrive off mode when you need
improved engine braking.
To turn off the overdrive off mode, push the O/D
OFF switch again. The
indicator light will
turn off.
Each time the engine is started, or when the shift
lever is shifted to any position other than the D
(Drive) position, the overdrive off mode will be
automatically turned off.
Accelerator downshift — In D position —
For passing or hill climbing, fully depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shifts the
transmission down into a lower gear, depending
on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection mode
This transmission has a high fluid temperature
protection mode. If the fluid temperature be-
comes too high (for example, when climbing
steep grades in high temperature with heavy
loads, such as when towing a trailer), engine
power and, under some conditions, vehicle
speed will be decreased automatically to reduce
the chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed may be
limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel spin-
ning and subsequent hard braking, the
fail-safe system may be activated. This will
occur even if all electrical circuits are
functioning properly. In this case, place
the ignition switch in the OFF position and
wait for 10 seconds. Then place the igni-
tion switch back in the ON position. The
vehicle should return to its normal operat-
Starting and driving5-15

5-16Starting and driving
ing condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have a
NISSAN dealer check the transmission
and repair if necessary.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation
occurs, vehicle speed may be gradually
reduced. The reduced speed may be
lower than other traffic, which could
increase the chance of a collision. Be
especially careful when driving. If ne-
cessary, pull to the side of the road at a
safe place and allow the transmission
to return to normal operation, or have it
repaired if necessary.
SSD1177
Shift lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged, the
shift lever may not be moved from the P (Park)
position even with the brake pedal depressed
and the shift lever button pushed.
To move the shift lever, perform the following
procedure:
1. Push the ignition switch to the OFF or LOCKposition.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Remove the shift lock release cover
*Ausing a suitable tool. 4. Push down the shift lock release
*Busing a
suitable tool.
5. Push the shift lever button
*Cand move the
shift lever to the N (Neutral) position
*Dwhile holding down the shift lock release.
The vehicle may be moved to the desired
location.
Replace the removed shift lock release cover
after the operation.
If the shift lever cannot be moved out of the P
(Park) position, have a NISSAN dealer check the
CVT system as soon as possible.
WARNING
If the shift lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position while the engine is
running and the brake pedal is de-
pressed, the stop lights may not work.
Malfunctioning stop lights could cause
an accident injuring yourself and
others.

SSD1184BSW indicator light
SSD1029BSW system warning light
SSD1179BSW switch
BSW SYSTEM OPERATION
If the radar sensors detect a vehicle in the
detection zone, the BSW indicator light in the
outside mirror will illuminate in the direction of
the detected vehicle. If the turn signal is then
activated, the BSW indicator light flashes and a
chime sounds twice. The indicator light con-
tinues to flash until the detected vehicle leaves
the detection zone.
The BSW indicator lights illuminate for a few
seconds when the ignition switch is pushed to
the ON position.
The brightness of the BSW indicator lights is
adjusted automatically depending on the bright-ness of the ambient light.
A chime sounds if the radar sensors have
already detected vehicles when the driver
activates the turn signal. If a vehicle comes into
the detection zone after the driver activates the
turn signal, then only the BSW indicator light
flashes and no chime sounds. (See “BSW
driving situations” (P.5-20).)
The BSW system is automatically turned on
when the engine is started and the BSW ON
indicator light
*1illuminates on the switch. You
can turn the BSW system off by pushing the
BSW switch on the instrumental panel.
NOTE:
If you continue to push the BSW switch
from off to on for over 4 seconds, a chime
will sound. This will change the default
status of the BSW system to OFF so that
this system will not automatically turn on
when the engine is started. If this proce-
dure is repeated, the default status will
return to ON.
WARNING
. Do not use the BSW system when
towing a trailer because the system
may not function properly.
Starting and driving5-19

5-28Starting and driving
SSD0488
WARNING
.Do not stop or park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags. They
may ignite and cause a fire.
. Safe parking procedures require
that both the parking brake be set
and the transmission placed into P
(Park) . Failure to do so could cause
the vehicle to move unexpectedly or
roll away and result in an accident.
Make sure the shift lever has been
pushed as far forward as it can go and cannot be moved without de-
pressing the foot brake pedal.
. Never leave the engine running
while the vehicle is unattended.
. Do not leave children unattended
inside the vehicle. They could un-
knowingly activate switches or con-
trols. Unattended children could
become involved in serious acci-
dents.
1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position. 3. To help prevent the vehicle from rolling into
traffic when parked on an incline, it is a good
practice to turn the wheels as illustrated.
.HEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB:*1
Turn the wheels into the curb and move
the vehicle forward until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
.HEADED UPHILL WITH CURB:*2
Turn the wheels away from the curb and
move the vehicle back until the curb side
wheel gently touches the curb.
.HEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NOCURB:
*3
Turn the wheels toward the side of the
road so the vehicle will move away from
the center of the road if it moves.
4. Push the ignition switch to the LOCK position.
PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS