2015 NISSAN SENTRA engine

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 ...............................5-7
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) ................................5-9
Manual transmission (if so equipped) .............5-9
Ignition switch positions ........................ 5-10
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System .............5-10
Push-Button Ignition Switch (if so equipped) ........5-10
Operating range ............................... 5-11
Push-button ignition switch positions . . . .........5-12
Emergency engine shut off .....................5-12
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery discharge .......5-13
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System .............5-13
Before starting the engine ......................... 5-14
Starting the engine (models without NISSAN
Intelligent Key® system) ........................... 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) ............5-20
Parking brake .................................... 5-22
SPORT mode switch ............................. 5-23
ECO mode switch ................................ 5-23
Shift lever indicator (Manual transmission
only) (if so equipped) .......................... 5-24
Cruise control .................................... 5-24
Precautions on cruise control ...................5-24
Cruise control operations .......................5-25
Break-in schedule ................................ 5-26
Fuel efficient driving tips ........................... 5-26
Increasing fuel economy ........................... 5-28
Parking/parking on hills ............................ 5-28
P

ower steering ................................... 5-29
Brake system .................................... 5-30
Brake precautions ............................. 5-30
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) .................5-30
Brake assist .................................. 5-31
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system .............5-32

Brake force distribution........................ 5-33
Cold weather driving .............................. 5-34
Freeing a frozen door lock ......................5-34
Antifreeze ..................................... 5-34
Battery ....................................... 5-34Draining of coolant water
.......................5-34
Tire equipment . . .............................. 5-34
Special winter equipment .......................5-35
Driving on snow or ice ......................... 5-35
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 all four tires as soon as possible, and
inflate them 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.
Starting and driving5-3

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.
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 system.
– 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 system.
– 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 prescription or over-
the-counter drugs which may cause drowsi-
ness) . 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.
5-6Starting and driving

In order for the steering wheel to be locked, it
must be turned about 1/8 of a turn clockwise
from the straight up position.
To lock the steering wheel, turn the key to
the LOCK position. Remove the key. To
unlock the steering wheel, insert the key
and turn it gently while rotating the steer-
ing wheel slightly right and left.
IGNITION SWITCH POSITIONS
LOCK: Normal parking position (0)
OFF: (1)
The engine can be turned off without locking the
steering wheel.
ACC: (Accessories) (2)
This position activates electrical accessories
such as the radio when the engine is not running.
ON: Normal operating position (3)
This position turns on the ignition system and the
electrical accessories.
START: (4)
This position starts the engine. As soon as the
engine has started, release the key. It automati-
cally returns to the ON position.
NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
The NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System will not
allow the engine to start without the use of the
registered key.
If the engine fails to start using a registered key
(for example, when interference is caused by
another registered key, an automated toll road
device or automatic payment device on the key
ring) , restart the engine using the following pro-
cedure:1. Leave the ignition switch in the ON position for approximately 5 seconds.
2. Place the ignition switch in the OFF or LOCK position, and wait approximately
10 seconds.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Restart the engine while holding the device (which may have caused the interference)
separate from the registered key.
If the no start condition re-occurs, NISSAN rec-
ommends placing the registered key on a sepa-
rate key ring to avoid interference from other
devices.
WARNING
Do not operate the push-button ignition
switch while driving the vehicle except in
an emergency. (The engine will stop when
the ignition switch is pushed 3 consecu-
tive times in quick succession or the igni-
tion switch is pushed and held for more
than 2 seconds.) If the engine stops while
the vehicle is being driven, this could lead
to a crash and serious injury.
LSD2014
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH (if
so equipped)
5-10Starting and driving

When the ignition switch is pushed without de-
pressing the brake pedal or the clutch pedal
(MT) , the ignition switch position will illuminate as
follows:
Push center● once to change to ACC.
● two times to change to ON.
● three times to return to OFF.
The ignition switch will automatically return to the
LOCK position when any door is either opened or
closed with the switch in the OFF position.
The ignition lock is designed so that the ignition
switch position cannot be switched to OFF until
the shift lever is moved to the P (Park) position or
N (Neutral) position (MT) .
When the ignition switch cannot be pushed to-
ward the OFF position, proceed as follows: 1. Move the shift lever into the P (Park) position or N (Neutral) position (MT) .
2. Push the ignition switch. The ignition switch position will change to the ON position.
3. Push the ignition switch again to the OFF 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
moved from the LOCK position.
Some indicators and warnings for operation are
displayed in the meter. For additional information,
refer to “Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders” in the “Instruments and controls” sec-
tion of this manual.
OPERATING RANGE
The Intelligent Key functions can only be used
when the Intelligent Key is within the specified
operating range.
When the Intelligent Key battery is almost dis-
charged or strong radio waves are present near
the operating location, the Intelligent Key sys-
tem’s operating range becomes narrower and
may not function properly.
If the Intelligent Key is within the operating range,
it is possible for anyone, even someone who does
not carry the Intelligent Key, to push the ignition
switch to start the engine.
LSD2089
Starting and driving5-11

The operating range of the engine start function
is inside of the vehicle
1.
● The luggage area is not included in the op-
erating range, but the Intelligent Key may
function.
● If the Intelligent Key is placed on the instru-
ment panel, inside the glove box, storage bin
or door pocket, the Intelligent Key may not
function.
● If the Intelligent Key is placed near the door
or window outside the vehicle, the Intelligent
Key may function.
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.
The ignition switch will lock when any door is
opened or closed with the ignition switched off. ACC (Accessories):
This position activates electrical accessories,
such as the radio, when the engine is not running.
ACC has a battery saver feature that will turn the
ignition switch to the OFF position after a period
of time under the following conditions:
● all doors are closed.
● shift lever is in P (Park) .
ON (Normal operating position):
This position turns on the ignition system and
electrical accessories.
ON has a battery saver feature that will turn the
ignition switch to the OFF position, if the vehicle
is not running, after some time under the follow-
ing conditions:
The battery saver feature will be cancelled if any
of the following occur: ● any door is opened.
● shift lever is moved out of the P (Park) posi-
tion.
● ignition switch changes position.
CAUTION
Do not leave the vehicle with the ignition
switch in ACC or ON positions when the
engine is not running for an extended pe-
riod. This can discharge the battery.
OFF:
The ignition switch is in the OFF position when
the engine is turned off using the ignition switch.
No lights will illuminate on the ignition switch.
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 three consecutive times in less than 1.5 sec-
onds, or
– Push and hold the push-button ignition switch for more than 2 seconds.
5-12Starting and driving