Page 2014 of 2472

ment even if the other two wheels
are raised off the ground. Make sure
you inform test facility personnel
that your vehicle is equipped with
4WD before it is placed on a dy-
namometer. Using the wrong test
equipment may result in drivetrain
damage or unexpected vehicle
movement which could result in
serious vehicle damage or personal
injury (4WD models) .
. 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 vehicle has a higher
center of gravity than a conventional
passenger car. The vehicle is not
designed for cornering at the same
speeds as conventional 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 rear wheels when driving on
slippery roads and drive carefully.
. Be sure to check the brakes imme-
diately after driving in mud or water.
See “Brake system” (P.5-136) 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. See
the maintenance schedule shown in
the "9. Maintenance and schedules"
section.
. Spinning the rear wheels on slip-
pery surfaces may cause the 4WD
warning light to flash. The 4WD
system may also automatically
switch from the 4WD mode to the
2WD mode. This could reduce trac-
tion. Be especially careful when
towing a trailer (4WD models) .
Page 2019 of 2472

1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is on you.
2. Depress the brake pedal.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the ONposition.
For additional information about the remote
engine start function, see “Remote engine start”
(P.3-19) .ENGINE PROTECTION MODE
The engine has an engine protection mode to
reduce the chance of damage if the coolant
temperature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high temperature
with heavy loads, such as when towing a trailer) .
When the engine temperature reaches a certain
level:
. The engine coolant temperature gauge will
move toward the H position.
. Engine power may be reduced.
. The air conditioning cooling function may be
automatically turned OFF for a short time
(the blower will continue to operate) .
Engine power and, under some conditions,
vehicle speed will decrease. Vehicle speed can
be controlled with the accelerator pedal, but the
vehicle may not accelerate at the desired speed.
The transmission will downshift or upshift as it
reaches prescribed shift points. You can also
shift manually.
As driving conditions change and engine cool-
ant temperature is reduced, vehicle speed can
be increased using the accelerator pedal, and
air conditioning cooling function will automati-
cally be turned back ON. If:
1. The engine coolant temperature is not
reduced.
2. The air conditioning cooling function does not turn back ON.
3. The engine oil pressure warning light
Page 2025 of 2472

WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and
instructions for proper use of the LDW
and LDP systems could result in serious
personal injury or death.
.The LDW and LDP systems will not
prevent loss of control. It is the
driver’s responsibility to stay alert,
drive safely, keep the vehicle in the
traveling lane, and be in control of
the vehicle at all times.
. The LDP system may activate if you
change lanes without first activating
your turn signal or, for example, if a
construction zone directs traffic to
cross an existing lane marker. If this
occurs, you may need to apply
corrective steering to complete your
lane change.
. Because the LDP system may not
activate under the road, weather,
and lane marker conditions de-
scribed in this section, it may not
activate every time your vehicle
begins to leave its lane and you will
need to apply corrective steering. .
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system
— warns the driver with a warning light and
chime that the vehicle is beginning to
leave the driving lane.
. Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system
— warns the driver with a warning light and
chime, and helps assist the driver to
return the vehicle to the center of the
traveling lane by applying the brakes to
the left or right wheels individually (for a
short period of time) .
Page 2132 of 2472

WARNING
.Never rely solely on the hill start
assist system to prevent the vehicle
from moving backward on a hill.
Always drive carefully and atten-
tively. Depress the brake pedal
when the vehicle is stopped on a
steep hill. Be especially careful
when stopped on a hill on frozen
or muddy roads. Failure to prevent
the vehicle from rolling backwards
may result in a loss of control of the
vehicle and possible serious injury
or death.
. The hill start assist system is not
designed to hold the vehicle at a
standstill on a hill. Depress the
brake pedal when the vehicle is
stopped on a steep hill. Failure to
do so may cause the vehicle to roll
backwards and may result in a
collision or serious personal injury.
. The hill start assist system may not
prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards on a hill under all load
or road conditions. Always be pre-
pared to depress the brake pedal to prevent the vehicle from rolling
backwards. Failure to do so may
result in a collision or serious per-
sonal injury.
The hill start assist system automatically keeps
the brakes applied to help prevent the vehicle
from rolling backwards in the time it takes the
driver to release the brake pedal and apply the
accelerator when the vehicle is stopped on a hill.
The hill start assist system will operate auto-
matically under the following conditions:
. The transmission is shifted to a forward or
reverse gear.
. The vehicle is stopped completely on a hill
by applying the brake.
The maximum holding time is 2 seconds. After 2
seconds the vehicle will begin to roll back and
the hill start assist system will stop operating
completely.
The hill start assist system will not operate when
the transmission is shifted to the N (Neutral) or P
(Park) position or on a flat and level road.
When the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
warning light illuminates in the meter, the hill
start assist system will not operate. (See
“Warning lights, indicator lights and audible
reminders” (P.2-10).)
HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM
Page 2138 of 2472

BRAKING PRECAUTIONS
The brake system has two separate hydraulic
circuits. If one circuit malfunctions, you will still
have braking ability at two wheels.
You may feel a small click and hear a sound
when the brake pedal is fully depressed slowly.
This is not a malfunction and indicates that the
brake assist mechanism is operating properly.
Hydraulically-assisted brakes
The hydraulically-assisted brake system is de-
signed to use a hydraulic pump driven electri-
cally, to assist braking. If the engine stops, you
can stop the vehicle by depressing the foot
brake pedal. However, greater foot pressure on
the foot brake pedal will be required to stop the
vehicle. The stopping distance will be longer.
Wet brakes
When the vehicle is washed or driven through
water, the brakes may get wet. As a result, your
braking distance will be longer and the vehicle
may pull to one side during braking.
To dry brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe speed
while lightly tapping the brake pedal to heat-up
the brakes. Do this until the brakes return to
normal. Avoid driving the vehicle at high speeds
until the brakes function correctly.
PARKING BRAKE BREAK-IN
Break in the parking brake shoes whenever the
stopping effect of the parking brake is weakened
or whenever the parking brake shoes and/or
drums/rotors are replaced, in order to assure the
best braking performance.
This procedure is described in the vehicle
service manual. It is recommended you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal while
driving. This will cause overheating of the
brakes, wearing out the brake and pads faster
and reduce gas mileage.
To help save the brakes and to prevent the
brakes from overheating, reduce speed and
downshift to a lower gear before going down a
slope or long grade. Overheated brakes may
reduce braking performance and could result in
loss of vehicle control.
Page 2139 of 2472
BRAKE ASSIST
When the force applied to the brake pedal
exceeds a certain level, the Brake Assist is
activated generating greater braking force than a
conventional brake booster even with light pedal
force.
Page 2186 of 2472
SDI2513
Check the fluid level in the reservoir. If the fluid is
below the MIN line
*1or the brake warning
light comes on, add Genuine NISSAN Super
Heavy Duty Brake Fluid or equivalent DOT 3
fluid up to the MAX line
*2.
To add brake fluid:
1. Be sure the ignition switch is in the OFF or LOCK position.
2. Depress and release the foot brake pedal more than 40 times.
3. Open the reservoir filler cap and add brake fluid up to the MAX line
*2. (See “Capa-
cities and recommended fluids/lubricants”
(P.10-2) for the recommended types of brake fluid.)
NOTE:
When the ignition switch is placed in the
ON position after adding brake fluid up to
the MAX line
*2in the reservoir, the
brake fluid decreases below the MAX line
*2. This is normal.
If fluid must be added frequently, the system
should be checked. It is recommended you visit
a NISSAN dealer for this service.
Page 2215 of 2472

tires on the rear axle. Placing new
tires on the front axle may cause
loss of vehicle control in some
driving conditions and cause an
accident and personal injury.
. If the wheels are changed for any
reason, always replace with wheels
which have the same off-set dimen-
sion. Wheels of a different off-set
could cause premature tire wear,
degrade vehicle handling character-
istics and/or interference with the
brake discs/drums. Such interfer-
ence can lead to decreased braking
efficiency and/or early brake pad/
shoe wear. See “Wheels and tires”
(P.10-9) for wheel off-set dimen-
sions.
. Since the spare tire is not equipped
with the TPMS, when a spare tire is
mounted or a wheel is replaced, the
TPMS will not function and the low
tire pressure warning light will flash
for approximately 1 minute. The
light will remain on after 1 minute.
Have your tires replaced and/or
TPMS system reset as soon as
possible. It is recommended you
visit a NISSAN dealer for these services.
. Replacing tires with those not ori-
ginally specified by NISSAN could
affect the proper operation of the
TPMS.
. The TPMS sensor may be damaged
if it is not handled correctly. Be
careful when handling the TPMS
sensor.
. When replacing the TPMS sensor,
the ID registration may be required.
It is recommended you visit a
NISSAN dealer for ID registration.
. Do not use a valve stem cap that is
not specified by NISSAN. The valve
stem cap may become stuck.
. Be sure that the valve stem caps are
correctly fitted. Otherwise the valve
may be clogged up with dirt and
cause a malfunction or loss of
pressure.
. Do not install a damaged or de-
formed wheel or tire even if it has
been repaired. Such wheels or tires
could have structural damage and
could fail without warning.
. The use of retread tire is not re-
commended. .
For additional information regard-
ing tires, refer to “Important Tire
Safety Information” (US) or“Tire
Safety Information” (Canada) in the
Warranty Information Booklet.
Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models