●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.
● To avoid raising the center of gravity
excessively, do not exceed the rated
capacity of the roof rack (if so equipped)
and evenly distribute the load.
● 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. ●
Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamometers
used by some states for emissions test-
ing) , or similar equipment even if the
other two wheels are raised off the
ground. Make sure you inform test facil-
ity personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with AWD before it is placed
on a dynamometer. Using the wrong
test equipment may result in drivetrain
damage or unexpected vehicle move-
ment which could result in serious ve-
hicle damage or personal injury.
● When a wheel is off the ground due to
an unlevel surface, do not spin the
wheel excessively.
● Accelerating quickly, sharp steering
maneuvers or sudden braking may
cause loss of control.
● If at all possible, avoid sharp turning
maneuvers, particularly at high speeds.
Your NISSAN vehicle has a higher cen-
ter of gravity than a passenger car. The
vehicle is not designed for cornering at
the same speeds as passenger cars.
Starting and driving5-9
●Failure to operate this vehicle correctly
could result in loss of control and/or a
rollover accident.
● Always use tires of the same type, size,
brand, construction (bias, bias-belted,
or radial) , and tread pattern on all four
wheels. Install tire chains on the front
wheels when driving on slippery roads
and drive carefully.
● Be sure to check the brakes immedi-
ately after driving in mud or water. For
additional information, refer to “Brake
system” in this section for “Wet
brakes”.
● Avoid parking your vehicle on steep
hills. If you get out of the vehicle and it
rolls forward, backward or sideways,
you could be injured.
● Whenever you drive off-road through
sand, mud or water as deep as the
wheel hub, more frequent maintenance
may be required. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Periodic maintenance”
in the “NISSAN Service and Mainte-
nance Guide.”WARNING
● Never remove or turn the key to the
LOCK position while driving. The steer-
ing wheel will lock (for models with a
steering lock mechanism) . This may
cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle and could result in serious ve-
hicle damage or personal injury.
● Never place the ignition switch in the
LOCK position while driving. The steer-
ing wheel will lock (for models with a
steering lock mechanism) . This may
cause the driver to lose control of the
vehicle and could result in serious ve-
hicle damage or personal injury.
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION (CVT)
The ignition lock is designed so that the ignition
switch cannot be turned to the LOCK position
until the shift lever is moved to the P (Park)
position.
● When moving the ignition switch to the
LOCK position, make sure the shift lever is in
the P (Park) position.
● When removing the key from the ignition
switch, make sure the shift lever is in the P
(Park) position.
LIC2717
IGNITION SWITCH (if so equipped)
5-10Starting and driving
5. Press the shift lever button and move theshift lever to the N (Neutral) position while
holding down the shift lock release. The
vehicle may be moved to the desired loca-
tion. Replace the removed shift lock release
cover after the operation. If the shift lever
cannot be moved out of the P (Park) posi-
tion, 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 run-
ning and the brake pedal is depressed, the
stop lights may not work. Malfunctioning
stop lights could cause an accident injur-
ing yourself and others.
Overdrive (O/D) OFF switch
When the O/D OFF switch is pushed with the
shift lever in the D (Drive) position, the
light in the instrument panel illuminates. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Overdrive off indicator
light” in the “Instruments and controls” section of
this manual.
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 D (Drive) , the Overdrive OFF mode will be auto-
matically turned off.
Accelerator downshift
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the accel-
erator pedal to the floor. This shifts the transmis-
sion 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 temperatures 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 con-
ditions, such as excessive wheel spinning
and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe
system may be activated. The MIL may
come on to indicate the fail-safe mode is
LSD2178
5-20Starting and driving
1. Press thebutton until “Settings” dis-
plays in the vehicle information display. Use
the
to select “Driver Assistance”.
Then press the ENTER button.
2. Select “Driving Aids”, and press the ENTER button.
3. To set the BSW system to on or off, use the
buttons to navigate in the menu
and use the ENTER button to select or
change an item:
● Select “Blind Spot” and press the ENTER
button.
● To turn on the warning, use the ENTER
button to check box for “Warning (BSW)”
WARNING
● The camera unit may not be able to
detect when certain objects are present
such as:
– Pedestrians, bicycles, animals
– Some types of small vehicles such as motorcycles, and very short length
vehicles
– Oncoming vehicles – A vehicle approaching rapidly from
behind. For additional information,
refer to “BSW driving situations” in
this section.
– A vehicle which your vehicle over- takes rapidly. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “BSW driving situa-
tions” in this section.
– A vehicle that merges or changes lanes rapidly directly next to your
vehicle.
● The camera unit may not be able to
detect property when your vehicle trav-
els beside the middle section of a ve-
hicle with long wheelbase (e.g. trailer
truck, semi-trailer, tractor) .
● The camera detection zone is designed
based on a standard lane width. When
driving in a wider lane, the camera unit
may not detect vehicles in an adjacent
lane. When driving in a narrow lane, the
camera unit may detect vehicles driving
two lanes away. ●
The camera unit is designed to ignore
most stationary objects, however ob-
jects such as guardrails, walls, foliage
and parked vehicles may occasionally
be detected. This is a normal operating
condition.
● The camera unit may detect the re-
flected image of vehicles or roadside
objects that are not actually in the de-
tection zone, especially when the road
is wet.
BSW DRIVING SITUATIONS
Another vehicle approaching from
behind
Starting and driving5-25
Turning on or off the LDW system
The LDW system is turned on or off using the
settings menu in the vehicle information display.
SYSTEM ON:
The LDW light on the instrument panel will light
up.
SYSTEM OFF:
The LDW light on the instrument panel will go
out.
Perform the following steps to enable or disable
the LDW system:1. Press the
button until “Settings” dis-
plays in the vehicle information display. Use
the
to select “Driver Assistance”.
Then press the ENTER button.
2. Select “Driving Aids”, and press the ENTER button.
3. To set the LDW system to on or off, use the
buttons to navigate in the menu
and use the ENTER button to select or
change an item:
● Select “Lane” and press the ENTER but-
ton.
● To turn on the warning, use the ENTER
button to check box for “Warning (LDW)”
WARNING
● The camera unit may not be able to
detect properly under the following
conditions:
– On roads where there are multiple parallel lane markers; lane markers
that are faded or not painted clearly;
yellow painted lane markers; non-
standard lane markers; or lane mark-
ers covered with water, dirt, snow,
etc.
– On roads where the discontinued lane markers are still detectable.
– On roads where there are sharp curves.
– On roads where there are sharply contrasting objects, such as shad-
ows, snow, water, wheel ruts, seams
or lines remaining after road repairs.
(The LDW system could detect these
items as lane markers.)
– On roads where the traveling lane merges or separates.
– When the vehicle’s traveling direc- tion does not align with the lane
marker. – When the road surface is very dark
due to weak ambient light or im-
paired tail lamp.
– When traveling close to the vehicle in front of you, which obstructs the lane
camera unit detection range.
– When rain, snow, dirt or object ad- heres to the windshield in front of the
lane camera unit.
– When the headlights are not bright due to dirt on the lens or if the aiming
is not adjusted properly.
– When strong light enters the lane camera unit. (For example, the light
directly shines on the front of the
vehicle at sunrise or sunset) .
– When a sudden change in brightness occurs. (For example, when the ve-
hicle enters or exits a tunnel or under
a bridge) .
5-28Starting and driving
10.Keeping your Vehicle Cool
● Park your vehicle in a covered parking
area or in the shade whenever possible.
● When entering a hot vehicle, opening the
windows will help to reduce the inside
temperature faster, resulting in reduced
demand on your A/C system. ●
Keep your engine tuned up.
● Follow the recommended scheduled main-
tenance.
● Keep the tires inflated to the correct pres-
sure. Low tire pressure increases tire wear
and lowers fuel economy.
● Keep all the wheels in correct alignment.
Improper alignment increases tire wear and
lowers fuel economy.
● Use the recommended viscosity engine oil.
For additional information, refer to “Engine
oil and oil filter recommendations” in the
“Technical and consumer information” sec-
tion of this manual. If any malfunction occurs in the AWD system
while the engine is running, the master warning
light will come on.
The master warning light may illuminate while
trying to free a stuck vehicle due to high pow-
ertrain oil temperature. The driving mode may
change to 2WD. AUTO mode may change to
LOCK mode before the warning light illuminates.
If the master warning light illuminates during op-
eration, stop the vehicle with the engine idling in a
safe place immediately.
Then if the light turns off after a while, you can
continue driving.
A large difference between the diameters of the
front and rear wheels will make the warning light
illuminate. Pull off the road in a safe area and idle
the engine. Check that all tire sizes are the same,
tire pressure is correct, and the tires are not worn.
INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY
ALL-WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-37
CAUTION
●If the warning light remains on after the
above operation, have your vehicle
checked by a NISSAN dealer as soon as
possible.
● If the warning light comes on while driv-
ing, there may be a malfunction in the
AWD system.
Reduce the vehicle speed and have your
vehicle checked by a NISSAN dealer as
soon as possible.
● The powertrain may be damaged if you
continue driving with the warning light
illuminated.
● Never drive on dry, hard surface roads in
the LOCK mode, as this will overload
the powertrain and may cause a serious
malfunction.
WARNING
● 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.
● Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2–wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamometers
used by some states for emissions test-
ing) or similar equipment even if the
other two wheels are raised off the
ground. Make sure that you inform the
test facility personnel that your vehicle
is equipped with AWD before it is
placed on a dynamometer. Using the
wrong test equipment may result in
drive train damage or unexpected ve-
hicle movement which could result in
serious vehicle damage or personal
injury.
ALL-WHEEL DRIVE (AWD) LOCK
SWITCH OPERATIONS
The AWD LOCK switch is located on the lower
side of the instrument panel. This switch is used
to select the AUTO or LOCK mode depending on
the driving conditions.
LOCK mode:
The AWD LOCK indicator light will illuminate.
AUTO mode:
The AWD LOCK indicator light will turn off.
LIC2645
5-38Starting and driving
AWD mode Wheels driven AWD LOCK indicator light Use conditionsAUTO Distribution of torque to
the front and rear wheels
changes automatically,
depending on road condi-
tions encountered [100:0]
←→
[50:50]. This results
in improved driving
stability. *1 For driving on paved or
slippery roads.
LOCK All-Wheel Drive (AWD) *2,
*3
For driving on rough
roads.
*1 When the rotation difference between the front and rear wheels is large, the AWD mode may change
from AUTO to LOCK for a while, however, this is not a malfunction.
*2 The LOCK mode will change to AUTO mode automatically when the vehicle has been driven at a
high speed. The AWD LOCK indicator light turns off.
*3 LOCK mode will automatically be cancelled when the ignition switch is turned to the OFF position. ●
The AWD torque distribution between the
front and rear wheels can be displayed in the
video information display.
● If the AWD LOCK switch is operated while
accelerating or decelerating, or if the ignition
switch is turned off, you may feel a jolt. This
is normal.
● The oil temperature of the powertrain parts
will increase if the vehicle is continuously
operated under conditions where the differ-
ence in rotation between the front and rear
wheels is large (wheel slip) , such as when
driving the vehicle on rough roads, through
sand or mud, or freeing a stuck vehicle. In
these cases, the master warning light illumi-
nates and the AWD mode changes to 2WD
to protect the powertrain parts. Stop driving
with the engine idling and wait until the
warning light turns off and the AWD returns
to the AUTO mode. If the warning light re-
mains on, have your vehicle checked by a
NISSAN dealer as soon as possible.
Starting and driving5-39