2017 NISSAN ARMADA Owners Manual

5-92Starting and driving
.The DCA system automatically de-
celerates your vehicle to help assist
the driver to maintain a following
distance from the vehicle ahead.
Manually brake when deceleration
is required to maintain a safe dis-
tance upon sudden braking by the
vehicle ahead or when a vehicle
suddenly appears in front of you.
Always stay alert when using the
DCA system.
. If the vehicle ahead comes to a stop,
the vehicle decelerates to a stand-
still within the limitations of the
system. The system will cancel with
a warning chime once it judges that
the vehicle has come to a standstill.
To prevent the vehicle from moving,
the driver must depress the brake
pedal.
JVS0913X
The system is intended to assist the driver to
keep a following distance from the vehicle ahead
traveling in the same lane and direction.
If the radar sensor
*Adetects a slower moving
vehicle ahead, the system will reduce the vehicle
speed to help assist the driver to maintain a
following distance.
The system automatically controls the throttle
and applies the brakes (up to approximately
40% of vehicle braking power) if necessary.
The detection range of the sensor is approxi-
mately 650 ft (200 m) ahead.

JVS0890X
*1Indicators (on the vehicle information display)
*2Center display
*3Dynamic driver assistance switch
*4Center multi-function control panel
DCA SYSTEM OPERATION
WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and
instructions for proper use of the DCA
system could result in serious personal
injury or death.
.When the vehicle ahead detection
indicator light is not illuminated,
system will not control the vehicle
or warn the driver.
. Never place your foot under the
brake pedal. Your foot may be
caught when the system controls
the brake.
. Depending on the position of the
accelerator pedal, the system may
not be able to assist the driver to
release the accelerator pedal appro-
priately.
The DCA system brakes and moves the accel-
erator pedal upward according to the distance
from and the relative speed of the vehicle ahead
to help assist the driver in maintaining a
following distance. The system will decelerate
as necessary and if the vehicle ahead comes to
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5-94Starting and driving
a stop, the vehicle decelerates to a standstill.
However, the DCA system can only apply up to
approximately 40% of the vehicle’s total braking
power. If a vehicle moves into the traveling lane
ahead or if a vehicle traveling ahead rapidly
decelerates, the distance between vehicles may
become closer because the DCA system cannot
decelerate the vehicle quickly enough. If this
occurs, the DCA system will sound a warning
chime and blink the system display to notify the
driver to take necessary action.
See “Approach warning” (P.5-95).
SSD0997
*1System set display with a vehicle ahead
*2System set display without a vehicle ahead
The DCA system helps assist the driver to keep
a following distance to the vehicle ahead by
braking and moving the accelerator pedal
upward in the normal driving condition.
When a vehicle ahead is detected:
The vehicle ahead detection indicator comes on.
When the vehicle approaches a vehicle
ahead:
.If the driver’s foot is not on the accelerator
pedal, the system activates the brakes to
decelerate smoothly as necessary. If the
vehicle ahead comes to a stop, the vehicle decelerates to a standstill within the limita-
tions of the system.
. If the driver’s foot is on the accelerator
pedal, the system moves the accelerator
pedal upward to assist the driver to release
the accelerator pedal.
When brake operation by the driver is
required:
The system alerts the driver by a warning chime
and blinking the vehicle ahead detection indi-
cator. If the driver’s foot is on the accelerator
pedal after the warning, the system moves the
accelerator pedal upward to assist the driver to
switch to the brake pedal.

NOTE:
.The stop lights of the vehicle come on
when braking is performed by the DCA
system.
. When the brake operates, a noise may
be heard and/or vibration may be felt.
This is not a malfunction.
Overriding the system:
The following driver’s operation overrides the
system operation.
. When the driver depresses the accelerator
pedal even further while the system is
moving the accelerator pedal upward, the
DCA system control of the accelerator pedal
is canceled.
. When the driver’s foot is on the accelerator
pedal, the brake control by the system is not
operated.
. When the driver’s foot is on the brake pedal,
neither the brake control nor the alert by the
system operates.
. When the Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
system is set, the DCA system will be
inactive.Approach warning
If your vehicle comes closer to the vehicle ahead
due to rapid deceleration of that vehicle or if
another vehicle cuts in, the system warns the
driver with the chime and DCA system display.
Decelerate by depressing the brake pedal to
maintain a safe vehicle distance if:
.The chime sounds.
. The vehicle ahead detection indicator blinks.
The warning chime may not sound in some
cases when there is a short distance between
vehicles. Some examples are:
. When the vehicles are traveling at the same
speed and the distance between vehicles is
not changing
. When the vehicle ahead is traveling faster
and the distance between vehicles is
increasing
. When a vehicle cuts in near your vehicle
The warning chime will not sound when your
vehicle approaches vehicles that are parked or
moving slowly.
NOTE:
The approach warning chime may sound
and the system display may blink when the
radar sensor detects objects on the side of
the vehicle or on the side of the road. This
may cause the DCA system to decelerate or accelerate the vehicle. The radar sensor
may detect these objects when the vehicle
is driven on winding roads, narrow roads,
hilly roads or when entering or exiting a
curve. In these cases you will have to
manually control the proper distance
ahead of your vehicle.
Also, the sensor sensitivity can be affected by
vehicle operation (steering maneuver or driving
position in the lane) or traffic or vehicle condition
(for example, if a vehicle is being driven with
some damage) .
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5-96Starting and driving
JVS0891X
*1DCA system switch indicator (on the vehicle
information display)
*2Center display
*3Dynamic driver assistance switch
*4Center multi-function control panel
TURNING THE DCA SYSTEM ON/OFF
To turn on the DCA system, push the dynamic
driver assistance switch
*3on the steering
wheel after starting the engine. The DCA system
switch indicator
*1in the vehicle information
display will appear. Push the dynamic driver
assistance switch
*3again to turn off the DCA
system. The DCA system switch indicator
*1will turn off.
The system will start to operate after the vehicle
speed is above approximately 3 MPH (5 km/h) .
The dynamic driver assistance switch
*3is
used for the DCA, LDP (if so equipped) and BSI
(if so equipped) systems. When the dynamic
driver assistance switch
*3is pushed, the LDP
and BSI systems will also turn on or off
simultaneously. The DCA system can be indivi-
dually set to on or off on the center display
*2and using the center multi-function control panel
*4. If the system is set to off, the system will not
turn on even if the dynamic driver assistance
switch
*3is pushed to on. To set the system to
on or off on the display, see “How to enable/
disable the DCA system” (P.5-97) .
When the conventional (fixed speed) cruise
control mode is operating, the DCA system will
not operate. (To use the DCA system, turn the
Conventional (fixed speed) cruise control mode
off, then push the dynamic driver assistance

switch*3.)
For details about the conventional (fixed speed)
cruise control mode, see “Intelligent Cruise
Control (ICC)” (P.5-69) .
When the engine is turned off, the system is
automatically turned off.
SSD0959
SSD1102
HOW TO ENABLE/DISABLE THE DCA
SYSTEM
Perform the following steps to enable or disable
the DCA system.
1. Push the SETTING button
*1and highlight
the “Driver Assistance” key on the display
using the multi-function controller. Then
push the ENTER button
*2.
2. Highlight the “Dynamic Assistance Settings” key, and push the ENTER button
*2.
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5-98Starting and driving
SSD1002
3. Highlight the “Distance Control Assist” key,select ON (enabled) or OFF (disabled) and
push the ENTER button
*2.
SSD0994
DCA SYSTEM DISPLAY AND INDICA-
TORS
The display is located between the speedometer
and tachometer.
1. DCA system switch indicator:
Indicates that the dynamic driver assistance
switch is ON.
2. Vehicle ahead detection indicator: Indicates whether it detects a vehicle in front
of you.
3. DCA system warning light (orange): The light comes on if there is a malfunction
in the DCA system.
DCA SYSTEM LIMITATIONS
WARNING
Listed below are the system limitations
of the DCA system. Failure to operate
the vehicle in accordance with these
system limitations could result in ser-
ious injury or death.
.This system will not adapt automa-
tically to road conditions. Do not
use the system on roads with sharp
curves, or on icy roads, in heavy rain
or in fog.
. The DCA system will not apply brake
control while the driver’s foot is on
the accelerator pedal.
. As there is a performance limit to
the distance control function, never
rely solely on the DCA system. This
system does not correct careless,
inattentive or absent-minded driv-
ing, or overcome poor visibility in
rain, fog, or other bad weather.
Decelerate the vehicle speed by
depressing the brake pedal, de-
pending on the distance to the
vehicle ahead and the surrounding
circumstances in order to maintain a

safe distance between vehicles.
. The system may not detect the
vehicle in front of you in certain
road or weather conditions. To avoid
accidents, never use the DCA sys-
tem under the following conditions:
— On roads with sharp curves
— On slippery road surfaces such
as on ice or snow, etc.
— On off-road surfaces such as on sand or rock, etc.
— During bad weather (rain, fog, snow, etc.)
— When rain, snow or dirt adhere to the system sensor
— On steep downhill roads (fre- quent braking may result in
overheating the brakes)
— On repeated uphill and downhill roads
— When towing a trailer or other vehicle
. In some road or traffic conditions, a
vehicle or object can unexpectedly
come into the sensor detection
zone and cause automatic braking. You may need to control the dis-
tance from other vehicles using the
accelerator pedal. Always stay alert
and avoid using the DCA system
when it is not recommended in this
section.
The radar sensor will not detect the following
objects:
. Stationary and slow moving vehicles
. Pedestrians or objects in the roadway
. Oncoming vehicles in the same lane
. Motorcycles traveling offset in the travel lane
The following are some conditions in which the
sensor cannot detect the signals:
. When the snow or road spray from traveling
vehicles reduces the sensor’s visibility
. When excessively heavy baggage is loaded
in the rear seat or the luggage room of your
vehicle
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