●Do not drive across steep slopes. In-
stead drive either straight up or straight
down the slopes. Off-road vehicles can
tip over sideways much more easily
than they can forward or backward.
● Many hills are too steep for any vehicle.
If you drive up them, you may stall. If
you drive down them, you may not be
able to control your speed. If you drive
across them, you may roll over.
● Do not shift gears while driving on
downhill grades as this could cause
loss of control of the vehicle.
● Stay alert when driving to the top of a
hill. At the top there could be a drop-off
or other hazard that could cause an
accident.
● If your engine stalls or you cannot make
it to the top of a steep hill, never at-
tempt to turn around. Your vehicle could
tip or roll over. Always back straight
down in R (Reverse) gear and apply
brakes to control your speed.
● Heavy braking going down a hill could
cause your brakes to overheat and fade,
resulting in loss of control and an acci-
dent. Apply brakes lightly and use a low
gear to control your speed. ●
Unsecured cargo can be thrown around
when driving over rough terrain. Prop-
erly secure all cargo so it will not be
thrown forward and cause injury to you
or your passengers.
● Exceeding the roof rack capacity can
raise the center of gravity excessively
and affect the handling and stability of
the vehicle.
● Secure heavy loads in the cargo area as
far forward and as low as possible. Do
not equip the vehicle with tires larger
than specified in this manual. This could
cause your vehicle to roll over.
● Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel when driving off-road.
The steering wheel could move sud-
denly and injure your hands. Instead
drive with your fingers and thumbs on
the outside of the rim.
● Before operating the vehicle, ensure
that the driver and all passengers have
their seat belts fastened.
● Always drive with the floor mats in place
as the floor may become hot. ●
Lower your speed when encountering
strong crosswinds. With a higher center
of gravity, your NISSAN is more affected
by strong side winds. Slower speeds
ensure better vehicle control.
● Do not drive beyond the performance
capability of the tires, even with AWD
engaged.
● For AWD equipped vehicles, do not at-
tempt to raise two wheels off the
ground and shift the transmission to
any drive or reverse position with the
engine running. Doing so may result in
drivetrain damage or unexpected ve-
hicle movement which could result in
serious vehicle damage or personal
injury.
Starting and driving5-9
WARNING
●If the engine is not running or is turned
off while driving, the power assist for
the steering will not work. Steering will
be harder to operate.
● When the power steering warning light
illuminates with the engine running,
there will be no power assist for the
steering. You will still have control of
the vehicle, but the steering will be
much harder to operate. Have the power
steering system checked by a NISSAN
dealer.
The power steering system is designed to pro-
vide power assistance while driving to operate
the steering wheel with light force.
When the steering wheel is operated repeatedly
or continuously while parking or driving at a very
low speed, the power assist for the steering
wheel will be reduced. This is to prevent over-
heating of the power steering system and protect
it from getting damaged. While the power assist
is reduced, steering wheel operation will become
heavy. If the steering wheel operation is still per-
formed, the power steering may stop and the
power steering warning light will illuminate. In a
safe location, stop the engine and push the igni-
tion switch to the OFF position. The temperature of the power steering system will go down after a
period of time and the power assist level will
return to normal after starting the engine. The
power steering warning light will go off. Avoid
repeating such steering wheel operations that
could cause the power steering system to over-
heat.
You may hear a noise from the front of the vehicle
when the steering wheel is operated. This is a
normal operational noise and is not a malfunction.
If the power steering warning light illuminates
while the engine is running, it may indicate the
power steering system is not functioning properly
and may need servicing. Have the power steering
system checked by a NISSAN dealer.
When the power steering warning light illumi-
nates with the engine running, the power assist
for the steering will cease operation but you will
still have control of the vehicle. At this time,
greater steering efforts are required to operate
the steering wheel, especially in sharp turns and
at low speeds.
The brake system has two separate hydraulic
circuits. If one circuit malfunctions, you will still
have braking at two wheels.
BRAKE PRECAUTIONS
Vacuum assisted brakes
The brake booster aids braking by using engine
vacuum. If the engine stops, you can stop the
vehicle by depressing the brake pedal. However,
greater foot pressure on the brake pedal will be
required to stop the vehicle and stopping dis-
tance will be longer.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This will overheat the brakes, wear out the
brake pads faster, and reduce gas mileage.
To help reduce brake wear and to prevent the
brakes from overheating, reduce speed and
downshift to a lower gear before going down a
slope or long grade. Overheated brakes may
reduce braking performance and could result in
loss of vehicle control.
POWER STEERING
BRAKE SYSTEM
5-68Starting and driving
●The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km) or
7 years. Mixing any other type of cool-
ant other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) , includ-
ing Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (green) , or the use
of non-distilled water will reduce the
life expectancy of the factory-fill cool-
ant. For additional information, refer to
the NISSAN Service and Maintenance
Guide.
CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant level in the reservoir when
the engine is cold. If the coolant level is below
the MIN level, add coolant to the MAX level. If the
reservoir is empty, check the coolant level in the
radiator when the engine is cold. If there is
insufficient coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and also add
it to the reservoir up to the MAX level.
This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) . The life expectancy of
the factory-fill coolant is 105,000 miles
(168,000 km) or 7 years. Mixing any other type of coolant or the use of non-distilled water will re-
duce the life expectancy of the factory-fill coolant.
For additional information, refer to the NISSAN
Service and Maintenance Guide.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, have it checked by a NISSAN
dealer.
For additional information on the location of the
engine coolant reservoir, refer to “Engine com-
partment check locations” in this section.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
A NISSAN dealer can change the engine coolant.
The service procedure can be found in the
NISSAN Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine overheat-
ing.
Temperature conditions can also affect towing.
For example, towing a heavy trailer in high outside
temperatures on graded roads can affect engine
performance and cause overheating. The engine
protection mode, which helps reduce the chance
of engine damage, could activate and automati-
cally decrease engine power. Vehicle speed may
decrease under high load. Plan your trip carefully
to account for trailer and vehicle load, weather
and road conditions.
Outside mirrors.................3-34
Overheat Ifyourvehicleoverheats...........6-12
Owner’s manual order form ...........9-29
Owner’s manual/service manual order
information ....................9-29
P
Parking Parking brake operation ...........5-20
Parking/parking on hills ...........5-67
Personallights..................2-51
Power Front seat adjustment .............1-4
Power door locks ............3-5,3-6
Power outlet .................2-39
Power rear windows .............2-47
Power steering fluid .............8-13
Power steering system ...........5-68
Rear power windows ............2-47
Power outlet ...................2-39
Power steering ..................5-68
Power steering fluid ...............8-13
Precautions Maintenance precautions ...........8-5
On-pavement and off-road driving
precautions ..................5-6
Precautions on booster
seats...........1-25,1-32,1-39,1-43
Precautions on child
restraints .........1-25,1-32,1-39,1-43
Precautionsonseatbeltusage.......1-13
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-46 Precautions when starting and
driving
...................5-2,5-8
Pre-tensioner seat belt system .........1-64
Push starting ...................6-12
R
Radio Car phone or CB radio ...........4-50
FM/AM/SAT radio with compact disc (CD)
player .....................4-38
Readiness for inspection maintenance (I/M)
test........................9-28
Rear center seat belt ..............1-19
Rear power windows ..............2-47
Rearseat......................1-6
RearView Monitor ..............4-2,4-7
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch .......................2-30
Rear window wiper and washer switches . . .2-29
Recorders Eventdata..................9-29
Refrigerant recommendation ...........9-7
Registering your vehicle in another country . .9-10
Remote Start ...............3-19,5-15
Reporting safety defects (US only) .......9-27
Roof rack .....................2-44
S
Safety Child safety rear door lock ..........3-7
Child seat belts .....1-25,1-32,1-39,1-43
Reporting safety defects (US only) .....9-27Seat adjustment
Front manual seat adjustment ........1-3
Front power seat adjustment .........1-4
Seatbackpockets................2-40
Seat belt Child safety ..................1-23
Infants and small children ..........1-24
Injured Person ................1-16
Largerchildren................1-24
Precautions on seat belt usage .......1-13
Pregnant women ...............1-16
Pre-tensioner seat belt system .......1-64
Rear center seat belt ............1-19
Seatbeltextenders .............1-22
Seatbeltmaintenance............1-23
S
eatbelts................1-13,7-5
Shoulder belt height adjustment ......1-22
Three-point type with retractor .......1-16
Seat belt extenders ...............1-22
Seatbeltwarninglight..........1-16,2-11
Seats Adjustment ...................1-2
Armrests....................1-7
Automatic drive positioner. . .3-35, 3-36, 3-37
Frontseats...................1-2
Heatedseats..........2-35, 2-36, 2-37
Manualfrontseatadjustment.........1-3
Rearseat....................1-6
Security indicator light ..............2-13
Security system (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer
system) , engine start ...........2-26,5-14
Security systems Vehicle security system ...........2-25
Self-adjusting brakes ..............8-21
Service manual order form ...........9-29
Servicing air conditioner .............4-29
10-5