• Do not use the vehicle tie-downs totow or free a stuck vehicle.
• Only use devices specifically designed for vehicle recovery and follow manu-
facturer’s instructions
• Always pull the recovery device straight out from the vehicle. Never
pull on the vehicle at an angle.
• Route recovery devices so they do not touch any part of the vehicle except the
attachment point.
If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud, etc.,
use a tow strap or other device designed specifi-
cally for vehicle recovery. Always follow the
manufacturer’s instructions for the recovery de-
vice.
Rocking a stuck vehicle
If the vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud, etc., try
to free it by following the procedure below.
1. Turn off the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system.
2. Make sure the area in front and behind the vehicle is clear of obstructions.
3. Turn the steering wheel left and right to clear an area around the front tires. 4. Slowly rock the vehicle forward and
backward.
• Shift back and forth between the R (Reverse) and D (Drive) positions.
• Apply the accelerator as little as possible to maintain the rocking motion.
• Release the accelerator pedal before shifting between R (Reverse) and D (Drive) .
• Do not spin the tires above 35 mph (55 km/h) .
5. If the vehicle cannot be freed after a few tries, contact a professional towing service to re-
move the vehicle.
In case of emergency6-15
CAUTION
Follow the directions below to avoid
staining or discoloring the wheels:
• Do not use a cleaner that uses strong acid or alkali contents to clean the
wheels.
• Do not apply wheel cleaners to the wheels when they are hot. The wheel
temperature should be the same as
ambient temperature.
• Rinse the wheel to completely remove the cleaner within 15 minutes after the
cleaner is applied.
CHROME PARTS
Clean chrome parts regularly with a non- abrasive
chrome polish to maintain the finish.
TIRE DRESSING
NISSAN does not recommend the use of tire
dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a coating to
the tires to help reduce discoloration of the rub-
ber. If a tire dressing is applied to the tires, it may
react with the coating and form a compound. This
compound may come off the tire while driving and
stain the vehicle paint. If you choose to use a tire dressing, take the
following precautions:
• Use a water-based tire dressing. The coating on
the tire dissolves more easily with an oil-based
tire dressing.
• Apply a light coat of tire dressing to help prevent it from entering the tire tread/grooves (where it
would be difficult to remove) .
• Wipe off excess tire dressing using a dry towel. Make sure the tire dressing is completely re-
moved from the tire tread/grooves.
• Allow the tire dressing to dry as recommended by the tire dressing manufacturer. Occasionally remove loose dust from the interior
trim, plastic parts and seats using a vacuum
cleaner or soft bristled brush. Wipe the vinyl and
leather surfaces with a clean, soft cloth damp-
ened in mild soap solution, then wipe clean with a
dry soft cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in order to
maintain the appearance of the leather.
Before using any fabric protector, read the manu-
facturer’s recommendations. Some fabric pro-
tectors contain chemicals that may stain or
bleach the seat material.
Use a cloth dampened only with water to clean
the meter and gauge lens.
WARNING
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can
damage the seat or occupant classifica-
tion sensor (weight sensor) . This can also
affect the operation of the air bag system
and result in serious personal injury.
CLEANING INTERIOR
7-4Appearance and care
8 Maintenance and do-it yourself
Maintenance requirement................. .8-2
Scheduled maintenance ................ .8-2
General maintenance .................. .8-2
Where to go for service ................ .8-2
General maintenance .................... .8-2
Explanation of maintenance items ...........8-2
Maintenance precautions ................. .8-5
Motor compartment check locations ............8-7
Cooling system ....................... .8-8
Checking coolant level ................. .8-9
Changing coolant .................... .8-9
Reduction gear fluid .................... .8-10
Brake fluid ......................... .8-10
Windshield-washer fluid ................. .8-11
12-volt battery ....................... .8-12
Jump starting ...................... .8-13
Windshield wiper blades ................. .8-13
Cleaning ........................ .8-13
Replacing ........................ .8-14Rear window wiper blade
...............8-16
Brakes ........................... .8-16
Brake pad wear warning ................8-16
Fuses ............................ .8-17
Motor compartment .................. .8-17
Passenger compartment ................8-19
Nissan Intelligent Key® battery replacement ......8-20
Lights ............................ .8-22
Headlights ....................... .8-23
Exterior and interior lights ...............8-24
Wheels and tires ..................... .8-27
Tire pressure ...................... .8-27
Tire labeling ...................... .8-30
Types of tires ...................... .8-33
Tire chains .......................
.8-34
Changing
wheels and tires .............. .8-34
Emergency tire puncture repair kit ..........8-37
keeps the motor hood from opening when the
primary latch is released.
When driving in areas using road salt or other
corrosive materials, check lubrication frequently.
Lights*:Clean the headlights on a regular basis.
Make sure that the headlights, stop lights, tail
lights, turn signal lights and other lights are all
operating properly and installed securely. Also
check the aim of the headlights.
Road wheel nuts (lug nuts)*: When checking
the tires, make sure that no wheel nuts are miss-
ing, and check for any loose wheel nuts. Tighten
if necessary.
Tire rotation*: Tires should be rotated every
5,000 miles (8,000 km) .
Tires*: Check the pressure with a gauge often
and always prior to long distance trips. If neces-
sary, adjust the pressure in all tires to the pres-
sure specified. Check carefully for damage, cuts
or excessive wear.
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
transmitter components: Replace the TPMS
transmitter grommet seal, valve core and cap
when the tires are replaced due to wear or age. Wheel alignment and balance:
If the vehicle
pulls to either side while driving on a straight and
level road, or if you detect uneven or abnormal tire
wear, there may be a need for wheel alignment.
If the steering wheel or seat vibrates at normal
highway speeds, wheel balancing may be
needed.
For additional information regarding tires, refer to
“Important Tire Safety Information” (US) or “Tire
Safety Information” (Canada) in the Warranty In-
formation Booklet.
Windshield: Clean the windshield on a regular
basis. Check the windshield at least every six
months for cracks or other damage. Have a dam-
aged windshield repaired by a qualified repair
facility.
Wiper blades*: Check for cracks or wear if they
do not wipe properly.
Inside vehicle
The maintenance items listed here should be
checked on a regular basis, such as when per-
forming scheduled maintenance, cleaning the ve-
hicle, etc.
Accelerator pedal: Check the pedal for smooth
operation and make sure that the pedal does not catch or require uneven effort. Keep the floor mat
away from the pedal.
Brake pedal:
Check the pedal for smooth op-
eration. If the brake pedal suddenly goes down
further than normal, the pedal feels spongy or the
vehicle seems to take longer to stop, see a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer immediately. Keep
the floor mat away from the pedal.
Brakes: Check that the brakes do not pull the
vehicle to one side when applied.
Electric shift P (Park) position mechanism:
On a steep hill, check that the vehicle is held
securely while the vehicle is in the P (Park) posi-
tion without applying the brakes.
Parking brake: Check the parking brake opera-
tion regularly. The vehicle should be securely held
on a steep hill with only the parking brake applied.
If the parking brake cannot keep a vehicle posi-
tion contact a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
Seat: Check seat position controls such as the
seat adjusters, seatback recliners, etc. to ensure
that they operate smoothly and that all latches
lock securely in every position. Check that the
head restraints/headrests move up and down
smoothly and that the locks (if so equipped) hold
securely in all latched positions.
Maintenance and do-it yourself8-3
If you have a flat tire, refer to “Flat tire” in
the “In case of emergency” section.
TIRE PRESSURE
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)
This vehicle is equipped with the Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . It
monitors tire pressure of all tires. When
the low tire pressure warning light is lit,
and the CHECK TIRE PRESSURE warn-
ing appears on the vehicle information
display, one or more of your tires is signifi-
cantly under-inflated.
The TPMS will activate only when the
vehicle is driven at speeds above 16 mph
(25 km/h) . Also, this system may not de-
tect a sudden drop in tire pressure (for
example a flat tire while driving) .
For additional information, refer to “Low
tire pressure warning light” in the “Instru-
ments and controls” section, “Tire Pres-
sure Monitoring System (TPMS)” in the
“Starting and driving” section and “TirePressure Monitoring System (TPMS)” in
the “In case of emergency” section of this
manual.
Tire inflation pressure
Check the pressure of the tires often and
always prior to long distance trips. The
recommended tire pressure specifica-
tions are shown on the F.M.V.S.S/
C.M.V.S.S certification label or Tire and
Loading Information label under the “Cold
Tire Pressure” heading. The Tire and
Loading Information label is affixed to the
driver side center pillar. Tire pressures
should be checked regularly because:
• Most tires naturally lose air over time.
• Tires can lose air suddenly when driven
over potholes or other objects or if the
vehicle strikes a curb while parking.
The tire pressures should be checked
when the tires are cold. The tires are con-
sidered COLD after the vehicle has been
parked for 3 or more hours, or driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km) at moderate speeds.
Cargo light
WHEELS AND TIRES
Maintenance and do-it yourself8-27
The TPMS with Easy Fill Tire Alert also
provides visual and audible signals out-
side the vehicle for inflating the tires to the
recommended COLD tire pressure. For
additional information, refer to “TPMS
with Easy Fill Tire Alert” in the “Starting
and driving” section of this manual.
Incorrect tire pressure, including un-
der inflation, may adversely affect
tire life and vehicle handling.
WARNING
•
Improperly inflated tires can fail
suddenly and cause an accident.
•The Gross Vehicle Weight rating
(GVWR) is located on the
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S certifica-
tion label. The vehicle weight ca-
pacity is indicated on the Tire
and Loading Information label.
Do not load your vehicle beyond
this capacity. Overloading your
vehicle may result in reduced tire
life, unsafe operating conditions
due to premature tire failure, or
unfavorable handling character-
istics and could also lead to a
serious accident. Loading be-
yond the specified capacity may
also result in failure of other ve-
hicle components.
•Before taking a long trip, or
whenever you heavily load your
vehicle, use a tire pressure
gauge to ensure that the tire
pressures are at the specified
level.
•For additional information re-
garding tires, refer to “Important
Tire Safety Information” (US) or
“Tire Safety Information”
(Canada) in the Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet.
8-28
Maintenance and do-it yourself
Tire and loading information label
1Seating capacity: The maximum
number of occupants that can be
seated in the vehicle.
2Original size: The size of the tires
originally installed on the vehicle at
the factory.
3Cold tire pressure: Inflate the tires to
this pressure when the tires are
cold. Tires are considered COLD
after the vehicle has been parked for
3 or more hours, or driven less than
1 mile (1.6 km) at moderate speeds. The recommended cold tire inflation
is set by the manufacturer to provide
the best balance of tire wear, vehicle
handling, driveability, tire noise, etc.,
up to the vehicle’s GVWR.
4Tire size — refer to “Tire labeling” in
this section.
5Spare tire size or compact spare tire
size (if so equipped)
6Vehicle load limit: For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Vehicle loading infor-
mation” in the “Technical and consumer
information” section of this manual.
Checking tire pressure
1. Remove the valve stem cap from the tire.
2. Press the pressure gauge securely onto the valve stem. Do not press too
hard or force the valve stem sideways,
otherwise air will escape. If the hissing
sound of air escaping from the tire is
heard while checking the pressure, re-
position the gauge to eliminate this
leakage.
3. Remove the gauge.
Maintenance and do-it yourself8-29
4. Read the tire pressure on the gaugestem and compare it to the specifica-
tion shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label.
5. Add air to the tire as necessary. If too much air is added, press the core of
the valve stem briefly with the tip of the
gauge stem to release pressure. Re-
check the pressure and add or release
air as necessary.
6. Install the valve stem cap.
7. Check the pressure of all of the tires.
SIZE COLD TIRE
INFLATION
PRESSURE
FRONT
ORIGI-
NAL TIRE P205/55R16
89H 250 kPa,
36 PSI
FRONT
ORIGI-
NAL TIRE P215/50R17
90V 250 kPa,
36 PSI
REAR
ORIGI-
NAL TIRE P205/55R16
89H 250 kPa,
36 PSI
REAR
ORIGI-
NAL TIRE P215/50R17
90V 250 kPa,
36 PSI
TIRE LABELING
Federal law requires tire manufacturers to
place standardized information on the
sidewall of all tires. This information iden-
tifies and describes the fundamental
characteristics of the tire and also pro-
vides the tire identification number (TIN)
for safety standard certification. The TIN
can be used to identify the tire in case of a
recall.
Example
8-30Maintenance and do-it yourself