2018 NISSAN ALTIMA tow

∙ Wax your vehicle only af ter a thoroughwashing. Follow the instructions sup-
plied with the wax.
∙ Do not use a wax containing any abra- sives, cutting compounds or cleaners
that may damage the vehicle finish.
Machine compounding or aggressive pol-
ishing on a base coat/clear coat paint fin-
ish may dull the finish or leave swirl marks.
REMOVING SPOTS
Remove tar and oil spots, industrial dust,
insects, and tree sap as quickly as possible
from the surface of the paint to avoid last-
ing damage or staining. Special cleaning
products are available at a NISSAN dealer
or any automotive accessory store. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for these products.
UNDERBODY
In areas where road salt is used in winter, it
is necessary to clean the underbody regu-
larly in order to prevent dirt and salt from
building up and causing the acceleration of
corrosion on the underbody and suspen-
sion. Before the winter period and again in
the spring, the underseal must be checked
and, if necessary, re-treated.
GLASS
When cleaning the rear window, it may be
easier to clean if the inside high-mounted
stop light (if so equipped) is removed first.
Be careful when removing the high-
mounted stop light to reduce the risk of
damaging the high-mounted stop light
wires.
To remove the high-mounted stop light:
1Push toward rear of vehicle.
2Lif t to remove. The high-mounted stop light must be
properly reinstalled before driving your ve-
hicle.
Use glass cleaner to remove smoke and
dust film from the glass surfaces. It is nor-
mal for glass to become coated with a film
af ter the vehicle is parked in the hot sun.
Glass cleaner and a sof t cloth will easily
remove this film.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inside of the win-
dows, do not use sharp-edged tools,
abrasive cleaners or chlorine-based
disinfectant cleaners. They could dam-
age the electrical conductors, radio an-
tenna elements or rear window de-
froster elements.
ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS (if so
equipped)
Wash the wheels regularly with a sponge
dampened in a mild soap solution, espe-
cially during winter months in areas where
road salt is used. If not removed, road salt
can discolor the wheels.
WAI0005
Appearance and care7-3

CAUTION
Follow the directions below to avoid
staining or discoloring the wheels:
∙ Do not use a cleaner that uses strongacid or 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
ambient temperature.
∙ Rinse the wheel to completely remove the cleaner within 15 minutes af ter
the cleaner is applied.
CHROME PARTS
Clean all chrome parts regularly with a
non-abrasive chrome polish to maintain
the finish.
TIRE DRESSINGS
NISSAN does not recommend the use of
tire dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a
coating to the tires to help reduce discolor-
ation of the rubber. If a tire dressing is ap-
plied to the tires, it may react with the coat-
ing 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
completely removed from the tire
tread/grooves.
∙ Allow the tire dressing to dry as recom- mended by the tire dressing manufac-
turer. Occasionally remove loose dust from the
interior trim, plastic parts and seats using a
vacuum cleaner or sof t bristled brush. Wipe
the vinyl and leather (if so equipped) sur-
faces with a clean, sof t cloth dampened in
mild soap solution, then wipe clean with a
dry, sof t cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in
order to maintain the appearance of the
leather (if so equipped).
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
damage the seat or occupant classifi-
cation sensor. This can also affect the
operation of the air bag system and re-
sult in serious personal injury.
CLEANING INTERIOR
7-4Appearance and care

∙ Tire tread of the TEMPORARY USEONLY spare tire will wear at a faster
rate than the standard tire. Replace
the spare tire as soon as the tread
wear indicators appear.
∙ Do not use the spare tire on other vehicles.
∙ Do not use more than one spare tire at the same time.
∙ Do not tow a trailer when the TEMPO- RARY USE ONLY spare tire is installed.
CAUTION
∙ Do not use tire chains on a TEMPO-RARY USE ONLY spare tire. Tire chains
will not fit properly and may cause
damage to the vehicle.
∙ Because the TEMPORARY USE ONLY spare tire is smaller than the original
tire, ground clearance is reduced. To
avoid damage to the vehicle, do not
drive over obstacles. Also, do not drive
the vehicle through an automatic car
wash since it may get caught.
8-44Do-it-yourself

10 Technical and consumer information
Recommended fluids/lubricants and
capacities...................................... 10-2
Fuel recommendation ....................... 10-3
Engine oil and oil filter
recommendations .......................... 10-6
Air conditioner system refrigerant and
oil recommendations ....................... 10-7
Specifications .................................. 10-8
Engine ...................................... 10-8
Wheels and tires ............................. 10-9
Dimensions and weights ....................10-9
When traveling or registering in another
country ........................................ 10-10
Vehicle identification .......................... 10-10
Vehicle Identification Number (VIN)
plate ....................................... 10-10
Vehicle identification number
(chassis number) ........................... 10-10
Engine serial number ........................ 10-11
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification label .........10-11 Emission control information label
.........10-12
Tire and Loading Information label .........10-12
Air conditioner specification label ...........10-12
Installing front license plate ....................10-13
Vehicle loading information ...................10-13
Terms ...................................... 10-13
Vehicle load capacity ....................... 10-14
Loading tips ................................ 10-16
Measurement of weights ...................10-16
Towing a trailer ................................ 10-17
Flat towing ................................. 10-17
Uniform tire quality grading ....................10-17
Emission control system warranty .............10-18
Reporting safety defects ......................10-19
Readiness for Inspection/Maintenance (I/M)
test ............................................ 10-20
Event Data Recorders (EDR) ....................10-20
Owner’s Manual/Service Manual order
information ................................... 10-21

∙ U.S. government regulations requireethanol dispensing pumps to be iden-
tified by a small, square, orange and
black label with the common abbre-
viation or the appropriate percentage
for that region.
Gasoline specifications
NISSAN recommends using gasoline that
meets the World-Wide Fuel Charter (WWFC)
specifications where it is available. Many of
the automobile manufacturers developed
this specification to improve emission con-
trol system and vehicle performance. Ask
your service station manager if the gaso-
line meets the WWFC specifications.
Reformulated gasoline
Some fuel suppliers are now producing re-
formulated gasolines. These gasolines are
specially designed to reduce vehicle emis-
sions. NISSAN supports efforts towards
cleaner air and suggests that you use re-
formulated gasoline when available.
Gasoline containing oxygenates
Some fuel suppliers sell gasoline contain-
ing oxygenates such as ethanol, Methyl
Tert-butyl Ether (MTBE) and methanol with
or without advertising their presence. NISSAN does not recommend the use of
fuels of which the oxygenate content and
the fuel compatibility for your NISSAN can-
not be readily determined. If in doubt, ask
your service station manager.
If you use oxygenate-blend gasoline, please
take the following precautions as the usage of
such fuels may cause vehicle performance
problems and/or fuel system damage.
∙
The fuel should be unleaded and have
an octane rating no lower than that
recommended for unleaded gasoline.
∙ If an oxygenate-blend other than
methanol blend is used, it should
contain no more than 15% oxygenate.
∙ If a methanol blend is used, it should
contain no more than 5% methanol
(methyl alcohol, wood alcohol). It
should also contain a suitable
amount of appropriate cosolvents
and corrosion inhibitors. If not prop-
erly formulated with appropriate co-
solvents and corrosion inhibitors,
such methanol blends may cause fuel
system damage and/or vehicle per-
formance problems. At this time, suf-
ficient data is not available to ensure
that all methanol blends are suitable
for use in NISSAN vehicles. If any driveability problems such as engine
stalling and difficult hot-starting are expe-
rienced af ter using oxygenate-blend fuels,
immediately change to a non-oxygenate
fuel or a fuel with a low blend of MTBE.
Take care not to spill gasoline during re-
fueling. Gasoline containing oxygenates
can cause paint damage.E–15 fuel
E-15 fuel is a mixture of approximately 15%
fuel ethanol and 85% unleaded gasoline.
E-15 can only be used in vehicles designed
to run on E-15 fuel. U.S. government regula-
tions require fuel ethanol dispensing
pumps to be identified with small, square,
orange and black label with the common
abbreviation or the appropriate percent-
age for that region.
E–85 fuel
E-85 fuel is a mixture of approximately 85%
fuel ethanol and 15% unleaded gasoline.
E-85 can only be used in a Flexible Fuel
Vehicle (FFV). Do not use E-85 in your ve-
hicle. U.S. government regulations require
fuel ethanol dispensing pumps to be iden-
tified by a small, square, orange and black
label with the common abbreviation or the
appropriate percentage for that region.
10-4Technical and consumer information

∙ Vehicle Capacity Weight, Loadlimit, Total load capacity - maxi-
mum total weight limit specified
of the load (passengers and
cargo) for the vehicle. This is the
maximum combined weight of
occupants and cargo that can be
loaded into the vehicle. If the ve-
hicle is used to tow a trailer, the
trailer tongue weight must be in-
cluded as part of the cargo load.
This information is located on the
Tire and Loading Information la-
bel.
∙ Cargo capacity - permissible weight of cargo, the subtracted
weight of occupants from the
load limit.VEHICLE LOAD CAPACITY
Do not exceed the load limit of your
vehicle shown as “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo” on
the Tire and Loading Information la-
bel. Do not exceed the number of
occupants shown as “Seating Ca-
pacity” on the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation label.
To get “the combined weight of oc-
cupants and cargo”, add the weight
of all occupants, then add the total
luggage weight. Examples are
shown in the following illustration.
10-14
Technical and consumer information

Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
∙ Failure to follow these guidelines canresult in severe transmission damage.
∙ Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al- ways tow forward, never backward.
∙ Never tow your front wheel drive ve- hicle with the front tires on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious
and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
∙ DO NOT tow any continuously variable transmission vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground (flat towing).
Doing so WILL DAMAGE internal trans-
mission parts due to lack of transmis-
sion lubrication. ∙ For emergency towing procedures re-
fer to “Towing recommended by
NISSAN” in the “In case of emergency ”
section of this manual.
Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT)
To tow a vehicle equipped with a CVT, an
appropriate vehicle dolly MUSTbe placed
under the towed vehicle’s drive wheels. Al-
ways follow the dolly manufacturer’s rec-
ommendations when using their product. DOT (Department of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature
A
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
TOWING A TRAILER
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
Technical and consumer information10-17

Armrests ...................1-7
Frontseats..................1-2
Manual front seat adjustment ......1-3
Rearseat.................. .1-6
Security indicator light ............2-17
Security system (NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer
System), engine start ..........2-32,5-12
Security systems Vehicle security system ..........2-31
Self-adjustingbrakes.............8-21
Service manual order form .........10-21
Servicing air conditioner ...........4-24
Shif ting Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) .....................5-16
Shiftleverlockrelease............5-19
Shoulder belt height adjustment ......1-19
Siri® Eyes-Free .................4-50
Spark plug replacement ...........8-17
Spark plugs ...................8-17
Specifications .................10-8
Speedometer ..................2-4
Speedometer and odometer ........2-4
Spotlights(Seemaplight)..........2-55
SRS warning label ...............1-61
Stability control ................5-83
Standard maintenance ............9-7
Starting Before starting the engine ........5-12
Jumpstarting............6-10,8-15
Precautions when starting and
driving .....................5-2
Push starting ................6-12
Starting the engine ............5-13
Starting the engine ..............5-13 Steering
Powersteeringfluid............8-11
Powersteeringsystem .........5-80
Steering wheel .................3-28
Stoplight....................8-28
Storage.....................2-45
Sunglasses case ................2-47
Sunglasses holder ...............2-47
Sunroof (see Moonroof ) ...........2-52
Sunvisors....................3-29
Supplemental air bag warning
light.................... .1-62, 2-15
Supplemental front impact air bag
system ..................... .1-51
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .....1-61
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ................... .1-44
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .......1-44
Switch Autolightswitch..............2-36
Automatic power window switch . . .2-51
Foglightswitch..............2-40
Hazard warning flasher switch ......6-2
Headlight and turn signal switch ....2-35
Headlightcontrolswitch.........2-35
Instrument brightness control .....2-39
Power door lock switch ........3-5,3-6
Rear window and outside mirror
defrosterswitch..............2-35
Turn signal switch .............2-39 T
Tachometer ...................2-5
Temperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge . .2-5
Thef t (NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System),
engine start ...............2-32,5-12
Three-waycatalyst...............5-2
Tilt Telescopicsteering............3-29
Tire F
lattire..................6-3,6-4
Spare tire ................6-5,8-43
Tire and Loading Information label . .10-12
Tire chains .................8-39
Tire pressure ................8-31
Tirerotation ................8-40
Types of tires ................8-38
Uniform tire quality grading .......10-17
Wheels and tires ..............8-31
Wheel/tire size ...............10-9
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .....2-12
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)....................5-3,6-3
Towing 4-wheel drive models ...........6-14
Flattowing.................10-17
Trailertowing ...............10-17
Towingatrailer................10-17
Towingyourvehicle..............6-13
Transceiver HomeLink® Universal
Transceiver ..........2-56,2-58,2-59
11-6