
2015 INFINITI  Consumer Safety &  Air Bag Information Guide                                            3 
 
 
EFFECTIVE USE OF SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS  
 
 
 
Seat belts and supplemental air bags are most effective when vehicle occupants are sitting 
upright and well back in the seat with both feet on the floor.  Keep in mind that air bags inflate 
with great fo rce. Being unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways, or being out of position in 
any way puts you at a greater risk of injury or death in a crash. You may also receive serious or 
fatal injuries from the air bag system if you are up against it when i t inflates. Always sit back 
against the seatback  with both feet on the floor and as far away as practical from the steering 
wheel or instrument panel  and always wear your seat belt. Please see the 
SEAT BELT SAFETY 
section of this guide and the vehicle owner’s manual for more information.  
 
HOW THE OCCUPANT CLASSIFICATION SYSTEM  WORK S 
 
The front passenger seat is equipped with an Occupant Classification  Sensor that turns the front 
passenger  air bag OFF under some conditions.    The occupant classification sensor  detects an 
occupant and objects on the seat by weight.   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  U.S. regulations.  In addition, if a child restraint of the type specified in the regulations is on  

2015 INFINITI  Consumer Safety &  Air Bag Information Guide                                            5 
The INFINITI  Advanced Air Bag System and passenger air bag status light will take a few seconds 
to register a chang e in the passenger seat status.  For example, if a large adult who is sitting in 
the passenger seat exits the vehicle, the passenger air bag status light will go from OFF to ON for 
a few seconds and then to OFF.  This is normal system operation and does not indicate a 
malfunction.   The passenger air bag status light will not illuminate when the front passenger seat 
is unoccupied.   
HOW AND WHEN FRONT AIR BAGS WORK  
While the inner workings of a supplemental  front air bag system are complicated, understanding  
what makes the  front  air bag s deploy is rather easy:  
the vehicle’s front  air bag sensor system is  
designed to detect rapid deceleration usually associated with moderate to  severe  frontal 
collisions within a limited range of angles
. The vehicle’s deceleration rate is  related to various 
factors, such as speed of the vehicles involved, the weight and  stiffness of the vehicles/objects 
involved, contact locations, and the angle of impact,  to name a few. Once the sensor system is 
activated, the front  air bags inflate  with a harmless gas a lmost instantly.   
The  front air bag s will not usually activate in side -impact  collisions,  rear-end collisions, rollover s, 
while  driving on rough roads , or during  hard braking. However, deceleration rates in some 
situations can be similar to those  found in frontal impacts and may result in  front air bag 
activation.  
 
WHEN THE  FRONT AIR BAG S INFLATE  
Please remember, for the supplemental  front air bags to be most effective, you must always 
buckle up and sit a t a suitable distance back to allow room for the air  bags to inflate. For the 
front air bags to do their job, they must inflate with great force. As mentioned earlier in this 
g uide, this may cause serious or even fatal injury if, for example, you a re unrestrained, out of 
position in any way, sitting or leaning too close to the steering wheel or  dashboard during 
inflation. Even when seated properly, there is a possibility of injury from an inflating f ront air bag. 
This usually consists of minor skin abrasions or burns, but may be more serious. Overall, these 
injuries are minimal compared to the injuries the front air bags are designed to prevent. When a 
front air bag inflates, a fairly load noise may b e heard, followed by the release of smoke.  This 
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a fire. C are should be taken  not to inhale it, as it  may 
cause  temporary  irritation  and choking .  Those with a history of a breathing condition should get 
fresh air  promptly.  
 
REPLACING  THE AIR BAG S 
Air bags are not reusable. After a  collision in which your ai r bags have activated, have the 
respective  air bag system inspected and replaced by your  INFINITI retailer  as soon as possible.   

2015 INFINITI  Consumer Safety &  Air Bag Information Guide                                            6 
The National Highway Traffic Saf ety Administration (NHTSA) has expressed concern regarding 
reports of counterfeit replacement air bags installed in vehicles.   Visit  www.nhtsa.gov
 for more 
information.  INFINITI recom mends  the replacement of air bags by your INFINITI  retailer  to ensure 
that you receive new original equipment replacement parts.   Counterfeit replacement air bags 
may not be made to the standards of quality, reliability and durability of Genuine INFINITI  
p arts.   The  use of counterfeit replacement air bags or used or salvaged air bags is  a potential 
serious safety problem and may not provide the same level of protection in a crash.  
 
 
OTHER SPECIFICS ABOUT AIR BAGS 
  
Do not position the front passenger seat so  it contacts the rear seat.  If the front passenger 
seat does contact the rear seat, the air bag system may determine a sensor malfunction has 
occurred and the front passenger air bag status light may illuminate and the supplemental air 
bag warning light ma y flash. 
 If the  supplemental  air bag warning light  in the instrument panel continues to remain ON  or 
flashes after you start the  vehicle, see your INFINITI  retailer  as soon as possible.  
 After inflation, air bag components are hot, so avoid contact. 
 Do no t place objects on or near the steering wheel or instrument panel  where the air  bag s 
inflate . 
  Never install  a rear- facing child re straint in the front pa ssenger seat of a vehicle.  
 Do not place objects with sharp edges on the seat. Also, do not place heavy ob jects on the     
seat that will leave permanent impressions in the seat. Such objects can damage the seat or 
the occupant classification  sensor .  This can affect the operation of  the air bag system and 
result in serious  personal injury.  
 Do not use water or  acidic cleaners (hot  steam cleaners) on the seat. This can  damage the 
seat or occupant classification  sensors. This can also affect the  operation of the air bag 
system and result in serious personal injury.  
 Modifying or tampering with the front passenger  seat may result in serious personal injury. 
For example, do not change the front seats by placing material on the seat cushion or by 
installing additional trim material, such as seat covers, on the seat that are not specifically 
designed to assure proper air bag operation. Additionally, do not stow any objects under the 
front passenger seat , or  on  the seat cushion , or store luggage behind the seat that may 
contact  the seatback , or hang heavy objects  from the seatback, or the seatback pocket . Such 
objects may interfere with the proper operation of the occupant classification sensor.    
 See the vehicle owner’s manual for other important information  on safety , seats, seat belts, 
and the supplemental restraint system. 
WELL BACK AND UPRIGHT