∙ Make sure the area around the vehicle isclear.
∙ Check fluid levels such as engine oil, cool- ant, brake fluid, and windshield-washer
fluid as frequently as possible, or at least
whenever you refuel.
∙ Check that all windows and lights are clean.
∙ Visually inspect tires for their appearance and condition. Also check tires for proper
inflation.
∙ Check that all doors are closed.
∙ Position seat and adjust head restraints.
∙ Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
∙ Fasten seat belts and ask all passengers to do likewise.
∙ Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is placed in the
ON position. For additional information,
refer to “Warning lights, indicator lights
and audible reminders” in the “Instru-
ments and controls” section of this
manual. 1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shift lever to P (Park) or N
(Neutral). P (Park) is recommended.
The starter is designed not to operate if
the shift lever is in any of the driving
positions.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON posi- tion. Depress the brake pedal and push
the ignition switch to start the engine.
To start the engine immediately, push
and release the ignition switch while de-
pressing the brake pedal with the ignition
switch in any position.
∙ If the engine is very hard to start in extremely cold weather or when re-
starting, depress the accelerator pedal
a little (approximately 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 be- cause it is flooded, depress the accel-
erator pedal all the way to the floor
and hold it. Push the ignition switch to
the ON position to start cranking the
engine. After 5 or 6 seconds, stop
cranking by pushing the ignition switch
to LOCK. After cranking the engine, release the accelerator pedal. Crank
the engine with your foot off the ac-
celerator pedal by depressing the
brake pedal and pushing the push-
button ignition switch to start the en-
gine. 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 crank-
ing again, otherwise the starter could be
damaged.
4. Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least
30 seconds 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 engine running for a
minimum of2-3minutes before shut-
ting it off. Starting and stopping the en-
gine over a short period of time may
make the vehicle more difficult to start.
5. To stop the engine, place the shift lever to the P (Park) position and push the
ignition switch to the OFF position.
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE
Starting and driving5-17
∙ Keep your engine tuned up.
∙ Follow the recommended scheduledmaintenance.
∙ Keep the tires inflated to the correct pressure. Low tire pressure increases tire
wear and lowers fuel economy.
∙ Keep the front wheels in correct align- ment. Improper alignment increases tire
wear and lowers fuel economy.
∙ Use the recommended viscosity engine oil. For additional information, refer to
“Recommended SAE viscosity number” in
the “Technical and consumer informa-
tion” section of this manual.
∙ Please reset the fuel economy meter first in order to display the correct fuel
economy rate. If any malfunction occurs in the Intelligent
AWD system while the engine is running,
messages are displayed in the meter.
If the AWD error warning message is dis-
played, there may be a malfunction in the
Intelligent AWD system. Reduce vehicle
speed and have your vehicle checked as soon
as possible. It is recommended that you visit
an INFINITI retailer for this service.
LSD2082
INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY INTELLIGENT ALL-WHEEL DRIVE(AWD) (if so equipped)
Starting and driving5-133
The AWD high temperature message may be
displayed while trying to free a stuck vehicle
due to increased oil temperature. The driving
mode may change to 2-wheel drive. If this
message is displayed, stop the vehicle with
the engine idling, as soon as it is safe to do so.
Then if the message turns off, you can con-
tinue driving.The tire size message may be displayed if
there is a large difference between the diam-
eters of front and rear wheels. Pull off the
road in a safe area, with the engine idling.
Check that all tire sizes are the same, that the
tire pressure is correct and that the tires are
not excessively worn.
If any warning messages continue to be dis-
played, have your vehicle checked as soon as
possible. It is recommended that you visit an
INFINITI retailer for this service.
WARNING
∙ Do not drive beyond the performance ca-
pability of the tires. Accelerating quickly,
sharp steering maneuvers or sudden
braking may cause loss of control, even
with Intelligent 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 vehicle movement which
could result in serious personal injury or
vehicle damage.
∙ Do not attempt to test an AWD equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dynamometer (such
as the dynamometers used by some
states for emissions testing) or similar
equipment even if the other two wheels
are raised off the ground. Make sure that
you inform the test facility personnel
that your vehicle is equipped with AWD
before it is placed on a dynamometer. Us-
ing the wrong test equipment may result
in drivetrain damage or unexpected ve-
hicle movement which could result in se-
rious personal injury or vehicle damage.
LSD2083LSD2084
5-134Starting and driving
4. Remove the jack.∙ The jack is secured by a fastener
E.To
release the fastener, assemble the
jacking rod
Finto the wheel nut
wrench
Gand rotate counterclock-
wise to release.
∙ Insert the flat end of the wheel nut wrench
Ginto the slot of the fastener
E, and rotate counterclockwise to re-
lease the jack.
5. The lowering mechanism for the spare tire is located on the passenger side of
the cargo area. Remove the cover
Hto
access the lowering mechanism. 6. Attach the spare tire winch socket
Ito
the lowering mechanism nut.
7. To lower the spare tire, insert the wheel nut wrench
Ginto the jacking rodF
and insert the T-shaped end of the jack-
ing rod into the winch socket
Iand
rotate counterclockwise.
8. Once the spare tire is lowered, release it from the vehicle by guiding the lowering
cable and winch through the center of
the tire. NOTE:
Fully lower the spare tire below the vehicle
before attempting to remove the winch from
the spare tire.
9. After removing the spare tire from under the vehicle, be sure to crank the cable up
by rotating the winch socket clockwise
to stow it.
10. Securely store the flat tire, tools and jacking equipment in the vehicle.
CAUTION
∙ Make sure safety cable is coiled abovespare tire when reinstalling spare
tire/wheel.
∙ When re-installing the spare tire under the vehicle after use, be sure to secure it
with the tire stem facing down toward
the ground. If the spare tire is improperly
secured with the tire stem facing up to-
wards the bottom of the vehicle, there is
an increased risk of separating from the
vehicle in the event of a crash which may
pose a hazard in traffic or risk of injury to
others.LCE2350LCE2351
6-6In case of emergency
4. Lower the vehicle slowly until the tiretouches the ground. Then, with the
wheel nut wrench, tighten the wheel
nuts securely in the sequence illustrated
(
A,B,C,D,E). Lower the vehicle
completely.
WARNING
∙ Incorrect wheel nuts or improperly tight- ened wheel nuts can cause the wheel to
become loose or come off. This could
cause an accident.
∙ Do not use oil or grease on the wheel studs or nuts. This could cause the nuts to
become loose.
∙ Retighten the wheel nuts when the ve- hicle has been driven for 1,000 km
(621 miles) (also in cases of a flat tire,
etc.).
As soon as possible, tighten the wheel nuts
to the specified torque with a torque wrench.
Wheel nut tightening torque: 113 N·m (83 ft-lb)
The wheel nuts must be kept tightened to
specification at all times. It is recommended
that wheel nuts be tightened to specifica-
tions at each lubrication interval. Adjust tire pressure to the COLD pressure.
COLD pressure: After the vehicle has been
parked for 3 hours or more or driven less
than 1.6 km (1 mile).
COLD tire pressures are shown on the Tire
Placard affixed to the driver side center pil-
lar.
5. Securely store the flat tire, tools and jacking equipment in the vehicle.
6. Close the liftgate.
WARNING
∙ Always make sure that the spare tire and jacking equipment are properly secured
after use. Such items can become danger-
ous projectiles in an accident or sudden
stop.
∙ The spare tire is designed for emergency use. For additional information, refer to
“Wheels and tires” in the “Maintenance
and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual. ∙ When re-installing the spare tire under
the vehicle after use, be sure to secure it
with the tire stem facing down toward
the ground. If the spare tire is improperly
secured with the tire stem facing up to-
wards the bottom of the vehicle, there is
an increased risk of separating from the
vehicle in the event of crash which may
pose a hazard in traffic or risk of injury to
others.
6-10In case of emergency
CAUTION
∙ Continuously Variable Transmission(CVT) models cannot be push-started or
tow-started. Attempting to do so may
cause transmission damage.
∙ Do not push start this vehicle. The three- way catalyst may be damaged. If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by an
extremely high temperature gauge reading
and the illumination of the engine oil pressure
message), or if you feel a lack of engine
power, detect abnormal noise, etc. take the
following steps.
WARNING
To avoid the danger of being scalded, never
remove the radiator cap while the engine is
still hot. When the radiator cap is removed,
pressurized hot water will spurt out, possi-
bly causing serious injury.
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, apply the parking brake and move the
shift lever to P (Park).
Do not stop the engine.
2. Turn off the air conditioner. Open all the windows, move the heater or air condi-
tioner temperature control to maximum
hot and fan control to high speed.
3. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for steam or coolant escaping from the ra-
diator before opening the hood. (If
steam or coolant is escaping, turn off the
engine.) Do not open the hood further
until no steam or coolant can be seen. 4. Open the engine hood.
5. Visually check drive belts for damage or
looseness. Also check if the cooling fan is
running. The radiator hoses and radiator
should not leak water. If coolant is leak-
ing, the water pump belt is missing or
loose, or the cooling fan does not run,
stop the engine.WARNING
∙ Be careful not to allow your hands, hair,jewelry or clothing to come into contact
with, or get caught in, engine belts or the
engine cooling fan. The engine cooling
fan can start at any time.
∙ If coolant is leaking, or the cooling fan does not run, stop the engine.
6. After the engine cools down, check the coolant level in the engine coolant reser-
voir tank with the engine running. Add
coolant to the engine coolant reservoir
tank if necessary. Have your vehicle re-
paired. It is recommended that you visit
an INFINITI retailer for this service.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency6-13
Machine compounding or aggressive polish-
ing on a base coat/clear coat paint finish may
dull the finish or leave swirl marks.
REMOVING SPOTS
Remove tar and oil spots, industrial dust, in-
sects, and tree sap as quickly as possible from
the surface of the paint to avoid lasting dam-
age or staining. Special cleaning products are
available at an INFINITI retailer or any auto-
motive accessory store. It is recommended
that you visit an INFINITI retailer for these
products.
UNDERBODY
In areas where road salt is used in winter, it is
necessary to clean the underbody regularly in
order to prevent dirt and salt from building up
and causing the acceleration of corrosion on
the underbody and suspension. Before the
winter period and again in the spring, the
underseal must be checked and, if necessary,
re-treated.
GLASS
Use glass cleaner to remove smoke and dust
film from the glass surfaces. It is normal for
glass to become coated with a film after the
vehicle is parked in the hot sun. Glass cleaner
and a soft cloth will easily remove this film.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inside of the windows,
do not use sharp-edged tools, abrasive
cleaners or chlorine-based disinfectant
cleaners. They could damage the electrical
conductors, radio antenna elements or rear
window defogger elements.
ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS
Wash the wheels regularly with a sponge
dampened in a mild soap solution, especially
during winter months in areas where road
salt is used. If not removed, road salt can
discolor the wheels.
CAUTION
Follow the directions below to avoid stain-
ing or discoloring the wheels:
∙ Do not use a cleaner that uses strong acidor alkali contents to clean the wheels.
∙ Do not apply wheel cleaners to the wheels when they are hot. The wheel
temperature should be the same as ambi-
ent temperature.
∙ Rinse the wheel to completely remove the cleaner within 15 minutes after the
cleaner is applied.
CHROME PARTS
Clean all chrome parts regularly with a non-
abrasive chrome polish to maintain the finish.
TIRE DRESSINGS
INFINITI does not recommend the use of tire
dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a coating
to the tires to help reduce discoloration of the
rubber. If a tire dressing is applied to the tires,
it may react with the coating and form a
compound. This compound may come off the
tire while driving and stain the vehicle paint.
If you choose to use a tire dressing, take the
following precautions:
∙ Use a water-based tire dressing. The coating on the tire dissolves more easily
than with an oil-based tire dressing.
∙ Apply a light coat of tire dressing to help prevent it from entering the tire
tread/grooves (where it would be diffi-
cult to remove).
∙ Wipe off excess tire dressing using a dry towel. Make sure the tire dressing is com-
pletely removed from the tire tread/
grooves.
∙ Allow the tire dressing to dry as recom- mended by tire dressing manufacturer.
Appearance and care7-3
This vehicle has new and unique surfaces on
the center console and door pull finishers. If
cleaning is required use mild soap and water.
However if mild soap and water won’t clean
the center console and door pull finishers, use
Genuine INFINITI Vinyl and Leather Cleaner
(or equivalent).
Occasionally remove loose dust from the in-
terior trim, plastic parts and seats using a
vacuum cleaner or soft bristled brush. Wipe
the vinyl and leather surfaces with a clean,
soft cloth dampened in mild soap solution,
then wipe clean with a dry, soft cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in order
to maintain the appearance of the leather.
Before using any fabric protector, read the
manufacturer’s recommendations. Some
fabric protectors contain chemicals that may
stain or bleach the seat material.
Use a cloth dampened only with water to
clean the meter and gauge lens.WARNING
Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can dam-
age the seat or occupant classification sen-
sor. This can also affect the operation of the
air bag system and result in serious per-
sonal injury.
CAUTION
∙ Never use benzene, thinner, or any similarmaterial on the interior surfaces or sur-
face damage may occur. Such damage is
not covered under the INFINITI
warranty.
∙ Small dirt particles can be abrasive and damaging to leather surfaces and should
be removed promptly. Do not use saddle
soap, car waxes, polishes, oils, cleaning
fluids, solvents, detergents or ammonia-
based cleaners as they may damage the
leather’s natural finish.
∙ Never use fabric protectors unless rec- ommended by the manufacturer.
∙ Do not use glass or plastic cleaner on me- ter or gauge lens covers. It may damage
the lens cover.
AIR FRESHENERS
Most air fresheners use a solvent that could
affect the vehicle interior. If you use an air
freshener, take the following precautions:
∙ Hanging-type air fresheners can cause permanent discoloration when they con-
tact vehicle interior surfaces. Place the air
freshener in a location that allows it to
hang free and not contact an interior sur-
face.
∙ Liquid-type air fresheners typically clip on the vents. These products can cause im-
mediate damage and discoloration when
spilled on interior surfaces.
Carefully read and follow the manufacturer’s
instructions before using the air fresheners.
CLEANING INTERIOR
7-4Appearance and care