●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.●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.”
5-10Starting and driving
1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) . P (Park) is recommended.
The starter is designed not to operate
unless the shift lever is in either P
(Park) or N (Neutral) .
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position.
Depress the brake pedal and push the igni-
tion switch to start the engine.
To start the engine immediately, push and
release the ignition switch while depressing
the brake pedal with the ignition switch in
any position.
●If the engine is very hard to start in ex-
tremely cold weather or when restarting,
depress the accelerator pedal a little (ap-
proximately 1/3 to the floor) and while
holding, crank the engine. Release the
accelerator pedal when the engine starts.
●If the engine is very hard to start because
it is flooded, depress the accelerator
pedal all the way to the floor and hold it.
Push the ignition switch to the ON posi-
tion to start cranking the engine. After five
or six seconds, stop cranking by pushing
the ignition switch to LOCK. After crank-
ing the engine, release the accelerator
pedal. Crank the engine with your foot offthe accelerator pedal by depressing the
brake pedal and pushing the push-button
ignition switch to start the engine. If the
engine starts, but fails to run, repeat the
above procedure.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more than
15 seconds at a time. If the engine does
not start, push the ignition switch to the
OFF position and wait 10 seconds before
cranking again, otherwise the starter
could be damaged.
4.Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30 sec-
onds after starting. Do not race the engine
while warming it up. Drive at moderate
speed for a short distance first, especially in
cold weather. In cold weather, keep the en-
gine running for a minimum of two to three
minutes before shutting it off. Starting and
stopping the engine over a short period of
time may make the vehicle more difficult to
start.
5. To stop the engine, shift the shift lever into
the P (Park) position and push the ignition
switch to the OFF position.NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery discharge
and potential no-start conditions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of electronic
accessories that consume battery power
when the engine is not running (Phone char-
gers, GPS, DVD players, etc.)
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/or only
driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to be
charged to maintain battery health.
REMOTE START (if so equipped)
Vehicles started with the remote start require the
ignition switch to be placed in the ON position
before the shift lever can be moved from the P
(Park) position. To place the ignition switch to the
ON position, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is on you.
2. Apply the brake.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the ON
position.
For additional information, refer to “NISSAN In-
telligent Key®” in the “Pre-driving checks and
adjustments” section of this manual.
STARTING THE ENGINE
Starting and driving5-15
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION (CVT)
WARNING
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse) , D (Drive) , or (M)
Manual shift mode. Always depress the
brake pedal until shifting is completed.
Failure to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
●Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
●Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. this may cause a loss of control.
●Never shift to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is re-
versing. This could cause an accident or
damage the transmission.
CAUTION
To avoid possible damage to your vehicle
when stopping the vehicle on an uphill
grade, do not hold the vehicle by depress-
ing the accelerator pedal. The foot brake
should be used for this purpose.
The CVT in your vehicle is electronically con-
trolled to produce maximum power and smooth
operation.
The recommended operating procedures for this
transmission are shown on the following pages.
Follow these procedures for maximum vehicle
performance and driving enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.
Starting the vehicle
1. After starting the engine, fully depress the
foot brake pedal before moving the shift
lever out of the P (Park) position.
This CVT is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed before
shifting from P (Park) to any driving
position while the ignition switch is in
the ON position.The shift lever cannot be moved out of
the P (Park) position and into any of
the other positions if the ignition
switch is placed in the LOCK, OFF or
ACC position.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and
move the shift lever to a driving position.
3. Release the parking brake and foot brake
pedal, and then gradually start the vehicle in
motion.
WARNING
●Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse) or D (Drive) position.
Always depress the brake pedal until
shifting is completed. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and
have an accident.
●Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-16Starting and driving
●Never shift to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is re-
versing. This could cause an accident or
damage the transmission.
●Do not downshift abruptly on slippery
roads. This may cause a loss of control.
CAUTION
●To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle when stopping the vehicle on an
uphill grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
●Except in an emergency, do not shift to
the N (Neutral) position while driving.
Coasting with the transmission in the N
(Neutral) position may cause serious
damage to the transmission.
Shifting
After starting the engine, fully depress the brake
pedal, push the shift lever button and move the
shift lever from the P (Park) position to any of the
desired shift positions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shift lever is
in any position while the engine is not
running. Failure to do so could cause the
vehicle to move unexpectedly or roll away
and result in serious personal injury or
property damage.
CAUTION
Use the P (Park) or R (Reverse) position
only when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use the
P (Park) position only when the vehicle is
completely stopped
Use the P (Park) shift lever position when the
vehicle is parked or when starting the engine.
Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped.
The brake pedal must be depressed and
the shift lever button pushed in to move the
shift lever from N (Neutral) or any drive
position to P (Park) .Apply the parking brake.
When parking on a hill, apply the parking brake
first, then move the shift lever into the P (Park)
position.
R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use the
R (Reverse) position only when the vehicle
is completely stopped.
LSD2222
Starting and driving5-17
When shifting up
Move the shift lever to the + (up) side. (Shifts to
higher range.)
When shifting down
Move the shift lever to the(down) side. (Shifts
to lower range.)
●The transmission will automatically down-
shift the gears. (For example, if you select the
3rd range, the transmission will shift down
between the 3rd and 1st gears.)
●Moving the shift lever rapidly to the same
side twice will shift the ranges in succession.
When canceling the manual shift mode
Return the shift lever to the D (Drive) position to
return the transmission to the normal driving
mode.
●In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion may not shift to the selected gear.
This helps maintain driving perfor-
mance and reduces the chance of ve-
hicle damage or loss of control.
●When this situation occurs, the CVT
position indicator light will blink and
the chime will sound.●In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion may shift up automatically to a
higher range than selected if the en-
gine speed is too high. When the ve-
hicle speed decreases, the transmis-
sion automatically shifts down and
shifts to 1st gear before the vehicle
comes to a stop.
●CVT operation is limited to automatic drive
mode when CVT fluid temperature is ex-
tremely low even if manual shift mode is
selected. This is not a malfunction. When
CVT fluid warms up, manual mode can be
selected.
●When the CVT fluid temperature is high, the
shift range may upshift in lower rpm than
usual. This is not a malfunction.
Shift lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged, the
shift lever may not be moved from the P (Park)
position even with the brake pedal depressed
and the shift lever button pushed. To move the
shift lever, perform the following procedure:
1. Place the ignition switch in the OFF or
LOCK position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Remove the shift lock release cover using a
suitable tool.
4. Push down the shift lock release using a
suitable tool.
LSD2274
Starting and driving5-19
WARNING
●Be sure the parking brake is fully re-
leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to an
accident.
●Do not release the parking brake from
outside the vehicle.
●Do not use the shift lever in place of the
parking brake. When parking, be sure
the parking brake is fully engaged.
●To help avoid risk of injury or death
through unintended operation of the
vehicle and/or its systems, do not leave
children, people who require the assis-
tance of others or pets unattended in
your vehicle. Additionally, the tempera-
ture inside a closed vehicle on a warm
day can quickly become high enough to
cause a significant risk of injury or
death to people and pets.To engage:
Firmly depress the parking brake.
To release:
1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position.
3. Firmly depress the parking brake pedal and it
will release.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake warning
light goes out.
WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and instruc-
tions for proper use of the BSW system
could result in serious injury or death.
●The BSW system is not a replacement
for proper driving procedures and is not
designed to prevent contact with ve-
hicles or objects. When changing lanes,
always use the side and rear mirrors
and turn and look in the direction your
vehicle will move to ensure it is safe to
change lanes. Never rely solely on the
BSW system.
The BSW system helps alert the driver of other
vehicles in adjacent lanes when changing lanes.
LSD0158
PARKING BRAKE BLIND SPOT WARNING (BSW) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-21
●When the shift lever is not in the D (Drive) or
Manual mode
●When the parking brake is applied
●When the brakes are operated by the driver
When the SET/– switch is pushed under the
following conditions, the system cannot be set.
A warning chime will sound and a message will
pop up:
●When the VDC system is off (To use the ICC
system, turn on the VDC system. Push the
CRUISE ON/OFF switch to turn off the ICC
system and reset the ICC switch by pushing
the CRUISE ON/OFF switch again.)
For additional information about the VDC
sytem, refer to “Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system” in this section.
●When ABS or VDC (including the TCS) is
operating
●When a wheel is slipping (To use the ICC
system, make sure the wheels are no longer
slipping. Push the CRUISE ON/OFF switch
to turn off the ICC system, and reset the ICC
system by pushing the CRUISE ON/OFF
switch again.)
1System set display with vehicle ahead
2System set display without vehicle ahead
Vehicle detected ahead
When a vehicle is detected in the lane ahead, the
ICC system decelerates the vehicle by control-
ling the throttle and applying the brakes to match
the speed of a slower vehicle ahead. The system
then controls the vehicle speed based on the
speed of the vehicle ahead to maintain the driver
selected distance.NOTE:
●The stoplights of the vehicle come on
when braking is performed by the ICC
system.
●When the brake operates, a noise may
be heard. This is not a malfunction.
When a vehicle ahead is detected, the vehicle
ahead detection indicator comes on. The ICC
system will also display the set speed and se-
lected distance.
Vehicle ahead not detected
When a vehicle is no longer detected ahead, the
ICC system gradually accelerates your vehicle to
resume the previously set vehicle speed. The ICC
system then maintains the set speed.
When a vehicle is no longer detected, the vehicle
ahead detection indicator turns off.
If a vehicle ahead appears during acceleration to
the set vehicle speed or any time the ICC system
is in operation, the system controls the distance
to that vehicle.
When a vehicle is no longer detected under
approximately 15 mph (24 km/h), the system will
be canceled.
LSD2288
5-46Starting and driving
SYSTEM TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE
The following are conditions in which the ICC
system may be temporarily unavailable. In these
instances, the ICC system may cancel and may
not be able to maintain the selected following
distance from the vehicle ahead.
Condition A
Under the following conditions, the ICC system is
automatically canceled. A chime will sound and
the system will not be able to be set:
●When the VDC system is turned off
●When ABS or VDC (including the TCS) is
operating
●When a vehicle ahead is not detected and
your vehicle is traveling below the speed of
15 mph (24 km/h)
●When the system judges the vehicle is at a
standstill
●When the shift lever is not in the D (Drive) or
Manual mode
●When the parking brake is applied
●When a wheel slips
LSD2522
Starting and driving5-53