2016 NISSAN LEAF Owners Manual

Front passenger air bag status light
Status light
The front passenger seat is equipped with an
occupant classification sensor (weight sensor)
that turns the front passenger air bag on or off
depending on the weight applied to the front
passenger seat. The status of the front passen-
ger air bag (ON or OFF) is indicated by the front
passenger air bag status light
which is
located on the instrument panel. After the power switch is placed in the “ON”
position, the front passenger air bag status light
on the instrument panel illuminates for about 7
seconds and then turns off or remains illuminated
depending on the front passenger seat occupied
status. The light operates as follows:
• Unoccupied front passenger’s seat: The
light is OFF and the front passenger air bag is
OFF and will not inflate in a crash.
• Front passenger seat occupied by a small adult, child or child restraint as outlined in this section:
The
light illuminates to indicate that the
front passenger air bag is OFF and will not
inflate in a crash.
• Occupied front passenger seat and the pas- senger meet the conditions as outlined in this
section: The
light is OFF to indicate that
the front passenger air bag is operational.
In addition to the above, certain objects placed
on the front passenger seat may also cause the
light to operate as described above depending
on their weight.
For additional information related to the normal
operation and troubleshooting of this occupant
classification sensor system, please refer to
“Normal operation” and “Troubleshooting” in this
section. Front passenger air bag
The front passenger air bag is designed to auto-
matically turn OFF when the vehicle is operated
under some conditions as described below in
accordance with U.S. regulations. If the front
passenger air bag is OFF, it will not inflate in a
crash. The driver air bag and other air bags in your
vehicle are not part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help reduce
the risk of injury or death from an inflating air bag
to certain front passenger seat occupants, such
as children, by requiring the air bag to be auto-
matically turned OFF. Certain sensors are used to
meet the requirements.
The occupant classification sensor in this vehicle
is a weight sensor. It is designed to detect an
occupant and objects on the seat by weight. For
example, if a child is in the front passenger seat,
the NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System is de-
signed to turn the front passenger air bag OFF in
accordance with the regulations. Also, if a child
restraint of the type specified in the regulations is
on the seat, its weight and the child’s weight can
be detected and cause the air bag to turn OFF.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who are
properly seated and using the seat belt as out-
lined in this manual should not cause the front
1-46Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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passenger air bag to be automatically turned
OFF. For small adults it may be turned OFF,
however if the occupant takes his/her weight off
the seat cushion (for example, by not sitting up-
right, by sitting on an edge of the seat, or by
otherwise being out of position) , this could cause
the sensors to turn the air bag OFF. Always be
sure to be seated and wearing the seat belt
properly for the most effective protection by the
seat belt and supplemental air bag.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and chil-
dren be properly restrained in a rear seat.
NISSAN also recommends that appropriate child
restraints and booster seats be properly installed
in a rear seat. If this is not possible, the occupant
classification sensor is designed to operate as
described above to turn the front passenger air
bag OFF for specified child restraints as required
by regulations. Failing to properly secure child
restraints and to use the ALR mode may allow the
restraint to tip or move in a collision or sudden
stop. This can also result in the front passenger
air bag inflating in a crash instead of being OFF.
For additional information about proper use and
installation, refer to “Child restraints” in this sec-
tion.If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
front passenger air bag is designed not to inflate
in a crash. However, heavy objects placed on the
seat could result in air bag inflation, because of
the object’s weight being detected by the occu-
pant classification sensor. Other conditions
could also result in air bag inflation, such as if a
child is standing on the seat, or if two children are
on the seat, contrary to the instructions in this
manual. Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated and restrained properly.
Using the front passenger air bag status light, you
can monitor when the front passenger air bag is
automatically turned OFF with the seat occupied.
The light will not illuminate when the front pas-
senger seat is unoccupied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the front
passenger air bag status light is illuminated (indi-
cating that the air bag is OFF) , it could be that the
person is a small adult, or is not sitting on the seat
properly or not using the seat belt properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front seat,
the front passenger air bag status light may or
may not be illuminated, depending on the size of
the child and the type of child restraint being
used. If the front passenger air bag status light is
not illuminated (indicating that the air bag mightinflate in a crash) , it could be that the child
restraint or seat belt is not being used properly.
Make sure that the child restraint is installed
properly, the seat belt is used properly and the
occupant is positioned properly. If the front pas-
senger air bag status light is still not illuminated,
reposition the occupant or child restraint in a rear
seat.
If the front passenger air bag status light will not
illuminate even though you believe that the child
restraint, the seat belts and the occupant are
properly positioned, the system may be sensing
an unoccupied seat (in which case the air bag is
OFF) . A NISSAN certified LEAF dealer can
check that the system is OFF by using a special
tool. However, until you have confirmed with a
dealer that your air bag is working properly, repo-
sition the occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System and front
passenger air bag status light will take a few
seconds to register a change in the front passen-
ger seat status. For example, if a large adult who
is sitting the front passenger seat exits the ve-
hicle, the front 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.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-47
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If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light
, located in the meter and gauges area
of the instrument panel, will blink. Have the sys-
tem checked by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
Normal operation
In order for the occupant classification sensor
system to classify the front passenger based on
weight, please follow the precautions and steps
outlined below:
Precautions
• Make sure that there are no objects weighing over 2.2 lbs (1kg) hanging on the seat or placed
in the seatback pocket.
• Make sure that a child restraint or other object is not pressing against the rear of the seatback.
• Make sure that the rear passenger is not push- ing or pulling on the back of the front passenger
seat.
• Make sure that the front passenger seat or seatback is not forced back against an object
on the seat or floor behind it.
• Make sure that there is no object placed under the front passenger seat. Steps
1. Adjust the seat as outlined in the “Seats”
section of this manual. Sit upright, leaning
against the seatback, and centered on the
seat cushion with your feet comfortably ex-
tended to the floor.
2. Make sure there are no objects on your lap.
3. Fasten the seat belt as outlined in the “Seat belts” section of this manual.
4. Remain in this position for 30 seconds allow- ing the system to classify the front passenger
before the vehicle is put into motion.
5. Ensure proper classification by checking the front passenger air bag status light.
NOTE:
This vehicle’s occupant classification sen-
sor system locks the classification during
driving so it is important that you confirm
that the front passenger is properly classi-
fied prior to driving. Also, the occupant
classification sensor system may recalcu-
late the weight of the occupant when the
vehicle comes to a stop (i.e. stop light, stop
sign, etc.) , so front passenger seat occu-
pants should continue to remain seated as
outlined above.
Troubleshooting
If you think the front passenger air bag status light
is incorrect:
1. If the light is ON with no front passenger andno objects on the front passenger seat:
This may be due to the following conditions that
may be interfering with the weight sensors:
• An object weighing over 2.2 lbs (1kg) hang-ing on the seat or placed in the seatback
pocket.
• A child restraint or other object pressing against the rear of the seatback.
• A rear passenger pushing or pulling on the back of the front passenger seat.
• Forcing the front seat or seatback against an object on the seat or floor behind it.
• An object placed under the front passenger seat.
• An object placed between the seat cushion and center console or between the seat
cushion and the door.
If the vehicle is moving, please come to a stop
when it is safe to do so. Check and correct any
of the above conditions. Restart the vehicle
and wait 1 minute.
1-48Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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NOTE:
A system check will be performed during
which the front passenger air bag status
light will remain lit for about 7 seconds
initially.
If the light is ON after this, the vehicle should
be checked by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer as soon as possible.
2. If the light is ON with an adult occupying the front passenger seat:
• Occupant is a small adult — the air bag light is functioning as intended. The front passen-
ger air bag is suppressed.
However, if the occupant is not a small adult,
then this may be due to the following condi-
tions that may be interfering with the weight
sensors:
• Occupant is not sitting upright, leaning against the seatback, and centered on the
seat cushion with his/her feet comfortably
extended to the floor.
• A child restraint or other object pressing against the rear of the seatback.
• A rear passenger pushing or pulling on the back of the front passenger seat. • Forcing the front seat or seatback against an
object on the seat or floor behind it.
• An object placed under the front passenger seat.
• An object placed between the seat cushion and center console or between the seat
cushion and the door.
If the vehicle is moving, please come to a stop
when it is safe to do so. Check and correct any
of the above conditions. Restart the vehicle
and wait 1 minute.
NOTE:
A system check will be performed during
which the front passenger air bag status
light will remain lit for about 7 seconds
initially.
If the light is still ON after this, the person
should be advised not to ride in the front
passenger seat and the vehicle should be
checked by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer
as soon as possible
3. If the light is OFF with a small adult, child or child restraint occupying the front passenger
seat. This may be due to the following conditions
that may be interfering with the weight sen-
sors:
• Small adult or child is not sitting upright,
leaning against the seatback, and centered
on the seat cushion with his/her feet comfort-
ably extended to the floor.
• The child restraint is not properly installed, as outlined in the “Child restraints” section of
this manual.
• An object weighting over 2.2 lbs (1kg) hang- ing on the seat or placed in the seatback
pocket.
• A child restraint or other object pressing against the rear or the seatback.
• A rear passenger pushing or pulling on the seatback of the front passenger seat.
• Forcing the front seat or seatback against an object on the seat or floor behind it.
• An object placed under the front passenger seat.
• An object placed between the seat cushion and center console.
If the vehicle is moving, please come to a stop
when it is safe to do so. Check and correct any of
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-49
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the above conditions. Restart the vehicle and
wait 1 minute.
NOTE:
A system check will be performed during
which the front passenger air bag status
light will remain lit for about 7 seconds
initially.
If the light is still OFF after this, the small adult,
child or child restraint should be repositioned in
the rear seat and the vehicle should be checked
by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer as soon as
possible.
Other supplemental front-impact air
bag precautions
WARNING
• Do not place any objects on the steer- ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steer-
ing wheel or instrument panel. Such
objects may become dangerous pro-
jectiles and cause injury if the front air
bags inflate. • Do not place objects with sharp edges
on the seat. Also, do not place heavy
objects on the seat that will leave per-
manent impressions in the seat. Such
objects can damage the seat or occu-
pant classification sensor (weight sen-
sor) . 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 clas-
sification sensor. This can also affect
the operation of the air bag system
and result in serious personal injury.
• Immediately after inflation, several front air bag system components will
be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
• No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This
is to prevent accidental inflation of the
supplemental air bag or damage to the
supplemental air bag system.
• Do not make unauthorized changes to your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or front end structure.
This could affect proper operation of
the front air bag system. • Tampering with the front air bag sys-
tem may result in serious personal in-
jury. Tampering includes changes to
the steering wheel and the instrument
panel assembly by placing material
over the steering wheel pad and above
the instrument panel or by installing
additional trim material around the air
bag system.
• Removing or modifying the front pas- senger seat may affect the function 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 ma-
terial on the seat cushion or by install-
ing additional trim material, such as
seat covers, on the seat that is not
specifically designed to assure proper
air bag operation. Additionally, do not
stow any objects under the front pas-
senger seat or the seat cushion and
seatback. Such objects may interfere
with the proper operation of the occu-
pant classification sensor (weight sen-
sor) .
1-50Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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• No unauthorized changes should bemade to any components or wiring of
the seat belt system. This may affect
the front air bag system. Tampering
with the seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury.
• Work on and around the front air bag system should be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. Installation of
electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. The Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) wiring harnesses*
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices should
not be used on the air bag system.
• A cracked windshield should be re- placed immediately by a qualified re-
pair facility. A cracked windshield
could affect the function of the supple-
mental air bag system.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the front air bag system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.
FRONT SEAT-MOUNTED
SIDE-IMPACT SUPPLEMENTAL AIR
BAG AND ROOF-MOUNTED
CURTAIN SIDE-IMPACT
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG SYSTEMS
The side air bags are located in the outside of the
seatback of the front seats. The curtain air bags
are located in the side roof rails. All of the
information, cautions, and warnings in this
manual apply and must be followed. The
side air bags and curtain air bags are designed to
inflate in higher severity side collisions, although
they may inflate if the forces in another type of collision are similar to those of a higher severity
side impact. They are designed to inflate on the
side where the vehicle is impacted. They may not
inflate in certain side collisions on the side where
the vehicle is impacted.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper side air bag and curtain air
bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard, followed
by release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be taken
not to inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing con-
dition should get fresh air promptly.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the chest and
pelvic area of the front occupants. Curtain air
bags help to cushion the impact force to the head
of occupants in the front and rear outboard seat-
ing positions. They can help save lives and re-
duce serious injuries. However, side air bags and
curtain air bags may cause abrasions or other
injuries. Side air bags and curtain air bags do not
provide restraint to the lower body.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-51
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The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the side air bags. Rear seat
passengers should be seated as far away as
practical from the door finishers and side roof
rails. The side air bags and curtain air bags inflate
quickly in order to help protect the occupants in
the outboard seating positions. Because of this,
the force of the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflating can increase the risk of injury if the oc-
cupant is too close to, or is against, these air bag
modules during inflation. The side air bags and
curtain air bags will deflate quickly after the colli-
sion is over.
The side air bags and curtain air bags op-
erate only when the power switch is in the
ON position.
After turning the power switch to the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7
seconds if the systems are operational.
WARNING
• Do not place any objects near the seat- back of the front seats. Also, do not
place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher
and the front seat. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if a side air bag inflates.
• Right after inflation, several side air bag and curtain air bag system compo-
nents will be hot. Do not touch them;
you may severely burn yourself.
• No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain air bag
systems. This is to prevent damage to
or accidental inflation of the side air
bag and curtain air bag systems.
• Do not make unauthorized changes to your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
side air bag and curtain air bag sys-
tems. • Tampering with the side air bag system
may result in serious personal injury.
For example, do not change the front
seats by placing material near the
seatbacks or by installing additional
trim material, such as seat covers,
around the side air bag.
• Work around and on the side air bag and curtain air bag systems should be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. The Supplemen-
tal Restraint System (SRS) wiring har-
nesses* should not be modified or dis-
connected. Unauthorized electrical
test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the side air bag
and curtain supplemental air bag sys-
tems.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the side air bag and
curtain air bag systems and guide the buyer to
the appropriate sections in this Owner’s Manual.
1-52Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

SEAT BELT WITH
PRETENSIONER(S) (FRONT SEATS)
WARNING
• The pretensioner(s) cannot be reused after activation. They must be replaced
together with the retractor and buckle
as a unit.
• If the vehicle becomes involved in a collision but pretensioner(s) are not
activated, be sure to have the preten-
sioner system checked and, if neces-
sary, replaced by a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer.
• No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the pretensioner system. This is to pre-
vent damage to or accidental activa-
tion of the pretensioner(s) . Tampering
with the pretensioner system may re-
sult in serious personal injury. • Work around and on the pretensioner
system should be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. Installation of
electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices should
not be used on the pretensioner sys-
tem.
• If you need to dispose of the preten- sioner(s) or scrap the vehicle, contact a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. Incor-
rect disposal procedures could cause
personal injury.
The pretensioner system may activate with the
supplemental air bag system in certain types of
collisions. Working with the seat belt retractor,
the pretensioner(s) help tighten the seat belt
when the vehicle becomes involved in certain
types of collisions, helping to restrain front seat
occupants.
The pretensioner(s) are encased with the seat
belt retractor and to the seat belt anchor affixed
to the floor of the vehicle. These seat belts are
used the same way as conventional seat belts. When pretensioner(s) activate, smoke is re-
leased and a loud noise may be heard. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a fire.
Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it may
cause irritation and choking. Those with a history
of a breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
After the pretensioner(s’) activation, load limiters
allow the seat belt to release webbing (if neces-
sary) to reduce forces against the chest.
The supplemental air bag warning light
is
used to indicate malfunctions in the pretensioner
system. For additional information, refer to
“Supplemental air bag warning light” in this sec-
tion. If the operation of the supplemental air bag
warning light indicates there is a malfunction,
have the system checked by a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the pretensioner system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-53