Page 2343 of 2472
cargo higher than the seatbacks. In
a sudden stop or collision, unse-
cured cargo could cause personal
injury.
. The child restraint top tether strap
may be damaged by contact with
items in the cargo area. Secure any
items in the cargo area. Your child
could be seriously injured or killed
in a collision if the top tether strap is
damaged.
. Do not load your vehicle any heavier
than the GVWR or the maximum
front and rear GAWRs. If you do,
parts of your vehicle can break, tire
damage could occur, or it can
change the way your vehicle han-
dles. This could result in loss of
control and cause personal injury.
LOADING TIPS
.The GVW must not exceed GVWR or
GAWR as specified on the F.M.V.S.
S./C.M.V.S.S. certification label.
.Do not load the front and rear axle to
the GAWR. Doing so will exceed the
GVWR.
Page 2410 of 2472
when using a booster seat with the seat
belts.
Refer to all Warnings and Cautions in the “Child
safety”, “Child restraints” and “Booster seats”
sections earlier in this section before installing a
child restraint.
Follow these steps to install a booster seat in the
rear seat or in the front passenger seat:
Page 2417 of 2472

.The curtain air bags ordinarily will
not inflate in the event of a front
impact, rear impact, or lower sever-
ity side collision. Always wear your
seat belts to help reduce the risk or
severity of injury in various kinds of
accidents.
. The seat belts, the side air bags and
curtain air bags are most effective
when you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat. The side air bags
and curtain air bags inflate with
great force. Do not allow anyone to
place their hand, leg or face near the
side air bags on the side of the
seatback of the front seat or near
the side roof rails. Do not allow
anyone sitting in the front seats or
rear outboard seats to extend their
hand out of the window or lean
against the door. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are
shown in the previous illustrations.
. When sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front
seat. If the side air bag inflates, you
may be seriously injured. Be espe-
cially careful with children, who
should always be properly re- strained. Some examples of danger-
ous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
. Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
side air bags inflation.
Safety — seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-57
Page 2419 of 2472

.If a forward facing child restraint is
installed in the front passenger
seat, do not position the front
passenger seat so the child restraint
contacts the instrument panel. If the
child restraint does contact the in-
strument panel, the system may
determine the seat is occupied and
the passenger air bag may deploy in
a collision. Also the front passenger
air bag status light may not illumi-
nate. See “Child restraints” (P.1-31)
for information about installing and
using child restraints.
. Confirm the operating condition
with the front passenger air bag
status light.
. If you notice that the front passen-
ger air bag status light is not
operating as described in this sec-
tion, it is recommended you visit a
NISSAN dealer to check the passen-
ger seat Advanced Air Bag System.
. Until you have confirmed with your
dealer that your passenger seat
advanced air bag is working prop-
erly, position the occupants in the
rear seating positions. This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN
Advanced Air Bag System for the driver and
front passenger seats. This system is designed
to meet certification requirements under U.S.
regulations. It is also permitted in Canada.
All of
the information, cautions and warnings in
this manual apply and must be followed.
The driver supplemental front-impact air bag is
located in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front-impact air bag is
mounted in the instrument panel above the glove
box. The front air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity frontal collisions, although they
may inflate if the forces in another type of
collision are similar to those of a higher severity
frontal impact. They may not inflate in certain
frontal collisions. Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is
not always an indication of proper front air bag
operation.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System moni-
tors information from the Air bag Control Unit
(ACU) , seat belt buckle sensors and the
occupant classification sensors (weight sen-
sors) . Inflator operation is based on the severity
of a collision and seat belt usage for the driver.
For the front passenger, the occupant classifi-
cation sensors are also monitored. Based on
information from the sensors, only one front air
bag may inflate in a crash, depending on the
crash severity and whether the front occupants are belted or unbelted. Additionally, the front
passenger air bag may be automatically turned
OFF under some conditions, depending on the
information provided by the occupant classifica-
tion sensors. If the front passenger air bag is
OFF, the front passenger air bag status light will
be illuminated (if the seat is unoccupied, the
light will not be illuminated, but the air bag will
be off) . (See “Front passenger air bag and
status light” (P.1-60) for further details.) One
front air bag inflating does not indicate improper
performance of the system.
If you have any questions about your air bag
system, it is recommended you visit a NISSAN
dealer to obtain information about the system. If
you are considering modification of your vehicle
due to a disability, you may also contact
NISSAN. Contact information is contained in
the front of this Owner’s Manual.
When a front air bag inflates, 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 condition should get fresh
air promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the head
and chest of the front occupants. They can help
Safety — seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-59
Page 2424 of 2472
.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.
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 OFF after this, the small adult,
child or child restraint should be repositioned in
the rear seat and it is recommended that the
vehicle be checked by a NISSAN dealer as soon
as possible.Other supplemental front-impact air bag
precautions
Page 2440 of 2472

.Be sure the seat belt tongue is
securely fastened to the proper
buckle.
. Do not wear the seat belt inside out
or twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
. Do not allow more than one person
to use the same seat belt.
. Never carry more people in the
vehicle than there are seat belts.
. If the seat belt warning light glows
continuously while the ignition is
turned ON with all doors closed and
all seat belts fastened, it may in-
dicate a malfunction in the system.
Have the system checked. It is
recommended you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
. No changes should be made to the
seat belt system. For example, do
not modify the seat belt, add mate-
rial or install devices that may
change the seat belt routing or
tension. Doing so may affect the
operation of the seat belt system.
Modifying or tampering with the
seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury. .
Once a seat belt pretensioner has
activated, it cannot be reused and
must be replaced together with the
retractor. It is recommended you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this ser-
vice.
. All seat belt assemblies, including
retractors and attaching hardware,
should be inspected after any colli-
sion. It is recommended you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
NISSAN recommends that all seat
belt assemblies in use during a
collision be replaced unless the
collision was minor and the belts
show no damage and continue to
operate properly. Seat belt assem-
blies not in use during a collision
should also be inspected and re-
placed if either damage or improper
operation is noted.
. All child restraints and attaching
hardware should be inspected after
any collision. Always follow the
restraint manufacturer’s inspection
instructions and replacement re-
commendations. The child restraints
should be replaced if they are
damaged.
Page 2442 of 2472
tor tongue*1may also be released.
Release the connector tongue by in-
serting a suitable tool (such as a key)
into the connector buckle
*A. If the
seat belt cannot be unbuckled or is
already unbuckled, release the child by
cutting the seat belt with a suitable tool
(such as a knife or scissors) to release
the seat belt.
Page 2447 of 2472
WARNING
.Do not ride in a moving vehicle
when the seatback is reclined. This
can be dangerous. The shoulder belt
will not be against your body. In an
accident, you could be thrown into it
and receive neck or other serious
injuries. You could also slide under
the lap belt and receive serious
internal injuries.
. For the most effective protection
when the vehicle is in motion, the
seat should be upright. Always sit
well back and upright in the seat
with both feet on the floor and
adjust the seat belt properly. See
“Precautions on child restraints”
(P.1-31) .
. After adjustment, check to be sure
the seat is securely locked.