2014 NISSAN SENTRA Owners Manual

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving................5-2
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ..................5-2
Three-way catalyst ..............................5-2
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ..........5-3
Avoiding collision and rollover ....................5-6
Off-road recovery ...............................5-6
Rapid air pressure loss ..........................5-7
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ................5-8
Ignition switch (if so equipped) ......................5-8
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
(if so equipped) ................................5-8
Manual transmission (if so equipped) .............5-9
Key positions ..................................5-9
NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system .............5-10
Push-Button Ignition Switch (if so equipped) ........5-10
Operating range ............................... 5-11
Push-button ignition switch positions ............5-11
Emergency engine shut off .....................5-12
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery discharge .......5-12
NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system .............5-13
Before starting the engine ......................... 5-13
Starting the engine ............................... 5-14Starting the engine (models with NISSAN
Intelligent Key® system)
........................... 5-15
Driving the vehicle ................................ 5-16
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
(if so equipped) ............................... 5-16
Manual transmission (if so equipped) ............5-19
Parking brake .................................... 5-21
SPORT mode switch ............................. 5-22
ECO mode switch ................................ 5-22
Gear shift indicator (Manual transmission
only) (if so equipped) .......................... 5-23
Cruise control (if so equipped) .....................5-24
Precautions on cruise control ...................5-24
Cruise control operations .......................5-24
Break-in schedule ................................ 5-25
Fuel efficient driving tips ........................... 5-26
Increasing fuel economy ........................... 5-27
Parking/parking on hills ............................ 5-28
Power steering ................................... 5-29
Brake

system .................................... 5-30
Brake precautions ............................. 5-30
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) .................5-30

Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system.............5-32
Cold weather driving .............................. 5-33
Freeing a frozen door lock ......................5-33
Anti-freeze .................................... 5-33
Battery ....................................... 5-33Draining of coolant water
.......................5-34
Tire equipment ................................ 5-34
Special winter equipment .......................5-34
Driving on snow or ice ......................... 5-34
Engine block heater (if so equipped) .............5-35

WARNING
●Do not leave children or adults who
would normally require the assistance
of others alone in your vehicle. Pets
should also not be left alone. 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.
● Closely supervise children when they
are around cars to prevent them from
playing and becoming locked in the
trunk where they could be seriously in-
jured. Keep the car locked, with the rear
seatback and trunk lid securely latched
when not in use, and prevent children’s
access to car keys.
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 win-
dows 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 rear vent windows, lift gates,
doors and trunk lids (if so equipped)
closed while driving, otherwise exhaust
gases could be drawn into the passen-
ger compartment. If you must drive with
one of these open, follow these
precautions:
1. Open all the windows.
2. Set the
air recirculation but-
ton to off and the fan control dial to
high to circulate the air.
● If electrical wiring or other cable con-
nections must pass to a trailer through
the seal on the trunk lid or the body,
follow the manufacturer’s recommen-
dation to prevent carbon monoxide en-
try into the vehicle. ●
The exhaust system and body should be
inspected by a qualified mechanic
whenever:
a. The vehicle is raised for service.
b. You suspect that exhaust fumes are entering into the passenger
compartment.
c. You notice a change in the sound of the exhaust system.
d. You have had an accident involving damage to the exhaust system, un-
derbody, 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 sys-
tem are very hot. Keep people, animals
or flammable materials away from the
exhaust system components.
PRECAUTIONS WHEN STARTING
AND DRIVING
5-2Starting and driving

●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.
CAUTION
● Do not use leaded gasoline. Deposits
from leaded gasoline will seriously re-
duce the three-way catalyst’s ability to
help reduce exhaust pollutants.
● Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunc-
tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause overrich
fuel flow into the three-way catalyst,
causing it to overheat. Do not keep driv-
ing if the engine misfires, or if notice-
able loss of performance or other un-
usual operating conditions are
detected. Have the vehicle inspected
promptly by a NISSAN dealer.
● 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
SYSTEM (TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if provided) ,
should be checked monthly when cold and in-
flated to the inflation pressure recommended 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
all your tires 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 mal-
function indicator is combined with the low tire
pressure telltale. When the system detects a
malfunction, the telltale will flash for approxi-
mately one minute and then remain continuously
illuminated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as the mal-
function exists. When the malfunction indicator is
illuminated, the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of reasons,
including the installation of replacement or alter-
nate tires or wheels on the vehicle that prevent
the TPMS from functioning properly. Always
check the TPMS malfunction telltale after replac-
ing 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.
Additional information:
● The TPMS does not monitor the tire
pressure of the spare tire.
Starting and driving5-3

●The TPMS will activate only when the vehicle
is driven at speeds above 16 MPH
(25 km/h). Also, this system may not detect a
sudden drop in tire pressure (for example a
flat tire while driving) .
● The low tire pressure warning light does not
automatically turn off when the tire pressure
of all your tires are adjusted. After the tires
are inflated to the recommended pressure,
the vehicle must be driven at speeds above
16 MPH (25 km/h) to activate the TPMS and
turn off the low tire pressure warning light.
Use a tire pressure gauge to check the tire
pressure.
● The CHECK TIRE PRESSURE warning
message is displayed in the odometer when
the low tire pressure warning light is illumi-
nated and low tire pressure is detected. The
CHECK TIRE PRESSURE warning mes-
sage turns off when the low tire pressure
warning light turns off. The low tire pressure
warning light remains illuminated until the
tires are inflated to the recommended COLD
tire pressure. The CHECK TIRE PRES-
SURE warning message is displayed each
time the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position as long as the low tire pressure
warning light remains illuminated. See
“Check tire pressure warning message” in
the “Instruments and controls” section. ●
The CHECK TIRE PRESSURE warning is
not displayed if the low tire pressure warning
light illuminates to indicate a TPMS malfunc-
tion.
● Tire pressure rises and falls depending on
the heat caused by the vehicle’s operation
and the outside temperature. Low outside
temperature can lower the temperature of
the air inside the tire which can cause a
lower tire inflation pressure. This may cause
the low tire pressure warning light to illumi-
nate. If the warning light illuminates, check
the tire pressure for all four tires.
● The Tire and Loading Information label (also
referred to as the vehicle placard or tire
inflation pressure label) is located in the
driver’s door opening.
For additional information, see “Low tire pressure
warning light” in the “Instruments and controls”
section and “Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)” in the “In case of emergency” section.WARNING
● Radio waves could adversely affect
electric medical equipment. Those who
use a pacemaker should contact the
electric medical equipment manufac-
turer for the possible influences before
use.
● If the low tire pressure warning light
illuminates while driving, avoid sudden
steering maneuvers or abrupt braking,
reduce vehicle speed, pull off the road
to a safe location and stop the vehicle
as soon as possible. Driving with under-
inflated tires may permanently damage
the tires and increase the likelihood of
tire failure. Serious vehicle damage
could occur and may lead to an accident
and could result in serious personal in-
jury. Check the tire pressure for all four
tires. Adjust the tire pressure to the
recommended COLD tire pressure
shown on the Tire and Loading Informa-
tion label to turn the low tire pressure
warning light OFF. If you have a flat tire,
replace it with a spare tire as soon as
possible. (See “Flat tire” in the “In case
of emergency” section for changing a
flat tire.)
5-4Starting and driving

●When a spare tire is mounted or a wheel
is replaced, the TPMS will not function
and the low tire pressure warning light
will flash for approximately 1 minute.
The light will remain on after 1 minute.
Contact your NISSAN dealer as soon as
possible for tire replacement and/or
system resetting.
● Replacing tires with those not originally
specified by NISSAN could affect the
proper operation of the TPMS.
● Do not inject any tire liquid or aerosol
tire sealant into the tires, as this may
cause a malfunction of the tire pressure
sensors.
CAUTION
Do not place metalized film or any metal
parts (antenna, etc.) on the windows. This
may cause poor reception of the signals
from the tire pressure sensors, and the
TPMS will not function properly.
Some devices and transmitters may temporarily
interfere with the operation of the TPMS and
cause the low tire pressure warning light to illu-
minate. Some examples are:
– Facilities or electric devices using similar radio
frequencies are near the vehicle.
– If a transmitter set to similar frequencies is being used in or near the vehicle.
– If a computer (or similar equipment) or a DC/AC converter is being used in or near the
vehicle.
FCC Notice:
For USA:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions: (1) This device may
not cause harmful interference, and (2) this
device must accept any interference re-
ceived, including interference that may
cause undesired operation.
NOTE:
Changes or modification not expressly ap-
proved by the party responsible for compli-
ance could void the user’s authority to op-
erate the equipment. For Canada:
This device complies with RSS-210 of In-
dustry Canada. Operation is subject to the
following two conditions: (1) this device
may not cause harmful interference, and (2)
this device must accept any interference
received, including interference that may
cause undesired operation of the device.
TPMS with Easy Fill Tire Alert (if so
equipped)
When adding air to an under-inflated tire, the
TPMS with Easy Fill Tire Alert provides visual and
audible signals outside the vehicle to help you
inflate the tires to the recommended COLD tire
pressure.
Vehicle set-up:
1. Park the vehicle in a safe and level place.
2. Apply the parking brake and place the shift lever into the P (Park) position (if so
equipped) .
3. Place the ignition switch to the ON position. Do not start the engine.
Starting and driving5-5

Operation:1. Add air to the tire.
2. After a few seconds, the hazard indicators will start flashing.
3. When the designated pressure is reached, the horn beeps once and the hazard indica-
tors stop flashing.
4. Perform the above steps for each tire. ●If the tire is over-inflated more than ap-
proximately 4 psi (30 kPa) , the horn
beeps and the hazard indicators flash 3
times. To correct the pressure, push the
core of the valve stem on the tire briefly to
release pressure. When the pressure
reaches the designated pressure, the
horn beeps once.
● If the hazard indicator does not flash
within approximately 15 seconds after
starting to inflate the tire, it indicates that
the Easy Fill Tire Alert is not operating.
● The TPMS will not activate the Easy Fill
Tire Alert under the following conditions:
– If there is interference from an external device or transmitter.
– The air pressure from the inflation device is not sufficient to inflate the tire. – There is a malfunction in the TPMS sys-
tem.
– There is a malfunction in the horn or haz- ard indicators.
– The identification code of the tires pres- sure sensor is not registered to the sys-
tem.
– The battery of the tire pressure sensor is low.
● If the Easy Fill Tire Alert does not operate
due to TPMS interference, move the ve-
hicle about 3 ft (1 m) backward or forward
and try again.
If the Easy Fill Tire Alert is not working, use a tire
pressure gauge.
AVOIDING COLLISION AND
ROLLOVER
WARNING
Failure to operate this vehicle in a safe
and prudent manner may result in loss of
control or an accident.
Be alert and drive defensively at all times. Obey
all traffic regulations. Avoid excessive speed,
high speed cornering, or sudden steering ma-
neuvers, because these driving practices could cause you to lose control of your vehicle.
As with
any vehicle, loss of control could result in a
collision with other vehicles or objects or
cause the vehicle to roll over, particularly if
the loss of control causes the vehicle to
slide sideways. Be attentive at all times, and
avoid driving when tired. Never drive when under
the influence of alcohol or drugs (including pre-
scription or over-the-counter drugs which may
cause drowsiness) . Always wear your seat belt
as outlined in the “Safety – Seats, seat belts and
supplemental restraint system” section of this
manual, and also instruct your passengers to do
so.
Seat belts help reduce the risk of injury in colli-
sions and rollovers. In a rollover crash, an
unbelted or improperly belted person is
significantly more likely to be injured or
killed than a person properly wearing a
seat belt.
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
If the right side or left side wheels unintentionally
leave the road surface, maintain control of the
vehicle by following the procedure below. Please
note that this procedure is only a general guide.
The vehicle must be driven as appropriate based
on the conditions of the vehicle, road and traffic.
1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
5-6Starting and driving

2. Do not apply the brakes.
3. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheelwith both hands and try to hold a straight
course.
4. When appropriate, slowly release the accel- erator pedal to gradually slow the vehicle.
5. If there is nothing in the way, steer the ve- hicle to follow the road while vehicle speed
is reduced. Do not attempt to drive the ve-
hicle back onto the road surface until vehicle
speed is reduced.
6. When it is safe to do so, gradually turn the steering wheel until both tires return to the
road surface. When all tires are on the road
surface, steer the vehicle to stay in the ap-
propriate driving lane.
● If you decide that it is not safe to return the
vehicle to the road surface based on vehicle,
road or traffic conditions, gradually slow the
vehicle to a stop in a safe place off the road.
RAPID AIR PRESSURE LOSS
Rapid air pressure loss or a “blow-out” can occur
if the tire is punctured or is damaged due to
hitting a curb or pothole. Rapid air pressure loss
can also be caused by driving on under-inflated
tires. Rapid air pressure loss can affect the handling
and stability of the vehicle, especially at highway
speeds.
Help prevent rapid air pressure loss by maintain-
ing the correct air pressure and visually inspect
the tires for wear and damage. See “Wheels and
tires” in the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself”
section of this manual. If a tire rapidly loses air
pressure or “blows-out” while driving, maintain
control of the vehicle by following the procedure
below. Please note that this procedure is only a
general guide. The vehicle must be driven as
appropriate based on the conditions of the ve-
hicle, road and traffic.
WARNING
The following actions can increase the
chance of losing control of the vehicle if
there is a sudden loss of tire air pressure.
Losing control of the vehicle may cause a
collision and result in personal injury.
●
The vehicle generally moves or pulls in
the direction of the flat tire.
● Do not rapidly apply the brakes.
● Do not rapidly release the accelerator
pedal.
● Do not rapidly turn the steering wheel. 1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
2. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel
with both hands and try to hold a straight
course.
3. When appropriate, slowly release the accel- erator pedal to gradually slow the vehicle.
4. Gradually steer the vehicle to a safe location off the road and away from traffic if possible.
5. Lightly apply the brake pedal to gradually stop the vehicle.
6. Turn on the hazard warning flashers and either contact a roadside emergency service
to change the tire or see “Changing a flat
tire” in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
Starting and driving5-7