2017 NISSAN PATHFINDER Owners Manual

Starting the vehicle
1. After starting the engine, fully depress thefoot 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
while the ready light illuminates.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed andmove 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.
● 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 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
Press the buttonAwhile depressing the
brake pedal
Press the buttonAto shift
Shift without pressingAbutton
After starting the engine, fully depress the brake
pedal, press the shift lever button and move the
shift lever from the P (Park) position to any of the
desired shift positions.
LSD2127
5-16Starting and driving

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 pressed 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.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up. Make
sure the vehicle is completely stopped before
selecting the R (Reverse) position. The brake
pedal must be depressed and the shift lever
button pressed to move the shift lever from
P (Park) , N (Neutral) or any drive position to
R (Reverse) .
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is engaged. The
engine can be started in this position. You may
shift to N (Neutral) and restart a stalled engine
while the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward driving.
L (Low)
Use this position for engine braking on steep
downhill gradients/climbing steep slopes and
whenever approaching sharp bends. Do not use
the L (Low) position in any other circumstances.
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 pressed. 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
Aus-
ing a suitable tool.
4. Push down the shift lock release
Busing a
suitable tool.
LSD2128
Starting and driving5-17

5. Press the shift lever buttonCand move the
shift lever to the N (Neutral) position
D
while holding down the shift lock release.
The vehicle may be moved to the desired
location. Replace the removed shift lock re-
lease cover after the operation. If the shift
lever cannot be moved out of the P (Park)
position, have the CVT system checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
WARNING
If the shift lever cannot be moved from the
P (Park) position while the engine is run-
ning and the brake pedal is depressed, the
stop lights may not work. Malfunctioning
stop lights could cause an accident injur-
ing yourself and others.
Overdrive (O/D) OFF switch
When the O/D OFF switch is pushed with the
shift lever in the D (Drive) position, the
light in the instrument panel illuminates. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Overdrive OFF indica-
tor light” in the “Instruments and controls” section
of this manual.
Use the overdrive OFF mode when you need
improved engine braking.
To turn off the overdrive OFF mode, push the O/D
OFF switch again. The
indicator light will
turn off. Each time the engine is started, or when the shift
lever is shifted to any position other than D
(Drive) , the overdrive OFF mode will be automati-
cally turned off.
Accelerator downshift
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the accel-
erator pedal to the floor. This shifts the transmis-
sion down into a lower gear, depending on the
vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid temperature
protection mode. If the fluid temperature be-
comes too high (for example, when climbing
steep grades in high temperatures with heavy
loads, such as when towing a trailer) , engine
power and, under some conditions, vehicle
speed will be decreased automatically to reduce
the chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed may be
limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme con-
ditions, such as excessive wheel spinning
and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe
LSD2246
5-18Starting and driving

system may be activated. The Malfunction
Indicator Light (MIL) may come on to indi-
cate the fail-safe mode is activated. For
additional information, refer to “Malfunc-
tion Indicator Light (MIL)” in the “Instru-
ments and controls” section of this manual.
This will occur even if all electrical circuits
are functioning properly. In this case, place
the ignition switch in the OFF position and
wait for 10 seconds. Then push the switch
back to the ON position. The vehicle should
return to its normal operating condition. If
it does not return to its normal operating
condition, have the transmission checked
and repaired, if necessary. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature protec-
tion mode or fail-safe operation occurs,
vehicle speed may be gradually reduced.
The reduced speed may be lower than
other traffic, which could increase the
chance of a collision. Be especially careful
when driving. If necessary, pull to the side
of the road at a safe place and allow the
transmission to return to normal opera-
tion, or have it repaired if necessary.
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.
LSD0158
PARKING BRAKE
Starting and driving5-19

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. The BSW system uses radar sensors
1in-
stalled near the rear bumper to detect other ve-
hicles in an adjacent lane. The radar sensors can detect vehicles on either
side of your vehicle within the detection zone
shown as illustrated. This detection zone starts
from the outside mirror of your vehicle and ex-
tends approximately 10 ft (3.0 m) behind the rear
bumper, and approximately 10 ft (3.0 m) side-
ways.
LSD2707
Detection zone
SSD1030
BLIND SPOT WARNING (BSW) (if so
equipped)
5-20Starting and driving

1. Side BSW/RCTA Indicator Light
2. BSW/RCTA Indicator
BSW SYSTEM OPERATION
The BSW system operates above approximately
20 mph (32km/h) .
If the radar sensors detect a vehicle in the detec-
tion zone, the side BSW/RCTA indicator light (1)
illuminates. If the turn signal is then activated, the
system chimes (twice) and the side BSW/RCTA
indicator light flashes. The side BSW/RCTA indi-
cator light continues to flash until the detected
vehicles leaves the detection zone.
The side BSW/RCTA indicator light illuminates
for a few seconds when the ignition switch is
placed in the ON position.
The brightness of the side BSW/RCTA indicator
light is adjusted automatically depending on the
brightness of the ambient light.
If a vehicle comes into the detection zone after
the driver activates the turn signal, then only the
side BSW/RCTA indicator light flashes and no
chime sounds. For additional information, refer to
“BSW driving situations” in this section.
The BSW system automatically turns on every
time the engine is started, as long as it is acti-
vated using the settings menu on the vehicle
information display.
LSD2765
Starting and driving5-21

HOW TO ENABLE/DISABLE THE
BSW SYSTEM
When the BSW system is enabled in the vehicle
information display, the system can be turned off
by pushing the warning systems switch. For ad-
ditional information, refer to “Warning systems
switch” in the “Instruments and controls” section
of this manual.
Perform the following steps to enable or disable
the BSW system.1. Press the
button until “Settings” dis-
plays in the vehicle information display and
then press ENTER. Use the
button to
select “Driver Assistance.” Then press the
ENTER button.
2. Select “Driving Aids” and press the ENTER button.
3. Select “Blind Spot” and press the ENTER button.
4. Use the ENTER button to turn the system on or off.
NOTE: ● When enabling/disabling the system,
the system will retain current settings
even if the engine is restarted.
LSD2764
5-22Starting and driving

●The RCTA system (if so equipped) is
integrated into the BSW system. There
is not a separate selection in the ve-
hicle information display for the RCTA
system. When the BSW is disabled, the
RCTA system is also disabled.
● When the BSW system is turned on, the
BSW/RCTA indicator (white) in the ve-
hicle information display illuminates.
BSW SYSTEM LIMITATIONS
WARNING
Listed below are the system limitations for
the BSW system. Failure to operate the
vehicle in accordance with these system
limitations could result in serious injury or
death.
●The BSW system cannot detect all ve-
hicles under all conditions.
● The radar sensors may not be able to
detect and activate BSW when certain
objects are present such as:
– Pedestrian, bicycles, animals.
– Vehicles such as motorcycles, low height vehicles, or high ground clear-
ance vehicles. – Oncoming vehicles.
– Vehicles remaining in the detection
zone when you accelerate from a
stop.
– A vehicle merging into an adjacent lane at a speed approximately the
same as your vehicle.
– A vehicle approaching rapidly from behind.
– A vehicle which your vehicle over- takes rapidly.
– A vehicle that passes through the de- tection zone quickly.
– When overtaking several vehicles in a row, the vehicles after the first ve-
hicle may not be detected if they are
traveling close together.
● The radar sensors’ detection zone is
designed based on a standard lane
width. When driving in a wider lane, the
radar sensors may not detect vehicles in
an adjacent lane. When driving in a nar-
row lane, the radar sensors may detect
vehicles driving two lanes away. ●
The radar sensors are designed to ig-
nore most stationary objects, however
objects such as guardrails, walls, foli-
age and parked vehicles may occasion-
ally be detected. This is a normal opera-
tion condition.
● The following conditions may reduce
the ability of the radar to detect other
vehicles:
– Severe weather
– Road spray
– Ice/frost/snow build-up on the vehicle
– Dirt build-up on the vehicle
● Do not attach stickers (including trans-
parent material) , install accessories or
apply additional paint near the radar
sensors. These conditions may reduce
the ability of the radar to detect other
vehicles.
● Excessive noise (for example, audio
system volume, open vehicle window)
will interfere with the chime sound, and
it may not be heard.
Starting and driving5-23