2018 NISSAN ALTIMA engine

3. Release the foot brake, then graduallystart the vehicle in motion.
4. Stop the vehicle completely before moving the shif t lever to the P (Park)
position.
The Continuously Variable Transmission
is designed so the foot brake pedal MUST
be depressed before shif ting from P
(Park) to any drive position while the ig-
nition switch is in the ON position.
The shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park) and into any of the other gear po-
sitions if the ignition switch is placed in
the LOCK position. To move the shif t lever:
Press the buttonAwhile depressing
the brake pedal
Press the buttonAto shif t
Shif t without pressing the buttonA
Shif ting
Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal and move the shif t lever from P
(Park) to any of the desired shif t positions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shif t 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 in-
jury or property damage.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) or R (Reverse) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
Use the P (Park) shif t lever position when
the vehicle is parked or when starting the
engine. Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped. The brake pedal should be de-
pressed to move the shif t 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 shif t lever into the P (Park) position.
LSD2085
5-16Starting and driving

R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) or 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 de-
pressed to move the shif t lever from P
(Park), N (Neutral) or any drive position to
R (Reverse).
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shif t to N (Neutral) and
restart a stalled engine while the vehicle is
moving.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving. Ds (Drive Sport)
When the shif t lever is moved from the D
(Drive) to Ds (Drive Sport) position, the
transmission enters the DS (Drive Sport)
mode. Moving the shif t lever to the Ds
(Drive Sport) position allows you to enjoy
“sporty” driving shif t operation on a wind-
ing road and feel smooth acceleration or
deceleration on a hilly road by moving in a
lower gear automatically. When canceling
the DS mode, return the shif t lever to the D
(Drive) position. The transmission returns
to the normal driving mode.
Manual shif t mode (if so
equipped)
When the shif t lever is in the Ds (Drive Sport)
position, the transmission is ready for the
manual shif t mode. Shif t ranges can be
selected manually by pulling the right-side
or lef t-side paddle shif ter.
When shif ting up, pull the right side paddle
shif ter (+)
C. The transmission shif ts to the
higher range.
When shif ting down, pull the lef t side
paddle shif ter ()
B. The transmission
shif ts to the lower range.
LSD2086
Starting and driving5-17

When canceling the manual shif t mode, re-
turn the shif t lever to the D (Drive) position.
The transmission returns to the normal
driving mode. When you pull the paddle
shif ter while in the D (Drive) position, the
transmission will shif t to the upper or lower
range temporarily. The transmission will
automatically return to the D (Drive) posi-
tion af ter a short period of time. If you want
to return to the D (Drive) position manually,
pull and hold the paddle shif ter for about
1.5 seconds.
In the manual shif t mode, the shif t range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter.
Shif t ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
1⇔2⇔ 3⇔ 4⇔ 5⇔ 6⇔ 7
M7 (7th)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) and M5 (5th)
Use this position when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes. M4 (4th), M3 (3rd) and M2 (2nd)
Use for hill climbing or engine braking on
downhill grades.
M1 (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow,
sand or mud, or for maximum engine brak-
ing on steep downhill grades.
∙ Remember not to drive at high speeds for extended periods of time in lower
than 7 range. This reduces fuel
economy.
When shif ting up
Move the shif t lever to the + (up) side. (Shif ts
to higher range.)
When shif ting down
Move the shif t lever to the (down) side.
(Shif ts to lower range.)
∙ Moving the shif t lever rapidly to the same side twice will shif t the ranges in
succession.
When canceling the manual shif t mode
Return the shif t lever to the D (Drive) posi-
tion to return the transmission to the nor-
mal driving mode. ∙
In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may not shif t to the selected
gear. This helps maintain driving per-
formance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control.
∙ In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may shif t up automatically to
a higher range than selected if the
engine speed is too high. When the
vehicle speed decreases, the trans-
mission automatically shif ts down
and shif ts to 1st gear before the ve-
hicle comes to a stop.
∙ Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) operation is limited to automatic
drive mode when CVT fluid tempera-
ture is extremely low even if manual
shif t mode is selected. This is not a mal-
function. When CVT fluid warms up,
manual mode can be selected.
∙ When the CVT fluid temperature is high, the shif t range may upshif t in lower
rpm than usual. This is not a malfunc-
tion.
5-18Starting and driving

Shif t lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged,
the shif t lever may not be moved from the
P (Park) position even with the brake pedal
depressed and the shif t lever button
pressed.
It will be necessary to jump start or have
your battery charged. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Jump starting” in the “In
case of emergency” section of this manual.
Contact a NISSAN dealer or a professional
towing service.To move the shif t lever, complete the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Push the ignition switch to the LOCK position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Using a protective cloth on the tip of a 3 mm screwdriver, remove the shif t
lock release cover.
∙ If available, a plastic trim tool can also be used.
4. Insert the small screwdriver in the shif t lock release slot and push down.
5. Move the shif t lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding down the shif t
lock release.
If the shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have the transmission checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
WARNING
If the shif t lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position while the engine is
running and the brake pedal is de-
pressed, the stop lights may not work.
Malfunctioning stop lights could cause
an accident injuring yourself and
others.
LSD2087
Starting and driving5-19

Overdrive (O/D) OFF mode switch
(if so equipped)
When the O/D OFF mode switch is pushed
with the shif t lever in the D (Drive) position,
the
light in the instrument panel illu-
minates. For additional information, refer
to “Overdrive OFF indicator light” in the “In-
struments 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 mode switch again. The
indicator light will turn off.
Each time the engine is started, or when
the shif t lever is shif ted to any position
other than D (Drive) and Ds (Drive Sport), the
overdrive OFF mode will automatically turn
off.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into a lower gear,
depending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tem-
perature protection mode. If the fluid tem-
perature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high tem-
peratures with heavy loads, such as when
towing a trailer), engine power and, under
some conditions, vehicle speed will be de-
creased automatically to reduce the
chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelera-
tor pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed
may be limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel
spinning and subsequent hard braking,
the fail-safe system may be activated.
The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
may come on to indicate the fail-safe
mode is activated. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL)” in the “Instruments and con-
trols” section of this manual. This will oc-
cur even if all electrical circuits are func-
tioning 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 ve-
hicle should return to its normal operat-
ing condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have the
transmission checked. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
Overdrive OFF mode
LSD2090
5-20Starting and driving

The BSW system automatically turns on
every time the engine is started, as long as
it is activated using the settings menu on
the vehicle information display.
LSD2477
5-24Starting and driving

HOW TO ENABLE/DISABLE THE
BSW SYSTEM
Perform the following steps to enable or
disable the BSW system.1. Press the
button until “Settings”
displays in the vehicle information dis-
play. Use the
button to select
“Driver Assistance.” Then press the EN-
TER button.
2. Select “Driving Aids” and press the EN- TER button.
3. Select “Blind Spot” and press the ENTER button.
4. Use the ENTER button to turn the sys- tem on or off.
NOTE: ∙ When enabling/disabling the system,
the system will retain current set-
tings even if the engine is restarted.
∙ The RCTA system (if so equipped) is
integrated into the BSW system.
There is not a separate selection in
the vehicle information display for
the RCTA system. When the BSW is
disabled, the RCTA system is also dis-
abled. ∙
When the BSW system is turned on,
the BSW/RCTA indicator (white) in the
vehicle information display illumi-
nates.
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 seri-
ous 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
clearance vehicles.
– Oncoming vehicles.
– Vehicles remaining in the detec- tion 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 detection zone quickly.
– When overtaking several vehicles in a row, the vehicles af ter the first
vehicle 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 ve-
hicles in an adjacent lane. When driv-
ing in a narrow lane, the radar sensors
may detect vehicles driving two lanes
away.
∙ The radar sensors are designed to ig- nore most stationary objects, how-
ever objects such as guardrails, walls,
foliage and parked vehicles may oc-
casionally be detected. This is a nor-
mal operation condition.
Starting and driving5-25

Malfunction
If the BSW system malfunctions, it will turn
off automatically. The system malfunction
warning message with the BSW/RCTA indi-
cator (orange) will appear in the vehicle in-
formation display.
NOTE:
If the BSW system stops working, the
RCTA system (if so equipped) will also
stop working.
Action to take:
Stop the vehicle in a safe location, place the
vehicle in the P (Park) position, turn the en-
gine off and restart the engine. If the mes-
sage continues to appear, have the system
checked. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
The two radar sensors1for the BSW and
RCTA systems are located near the rear
bumper. Always keep the area near the ra-
dar sensors clean.
The radar sensors may be blocked by tem-
porary ambient conditions such as splash-
ing water, mist or fog.
The blocked condition may also be caused
by objects such as ice, frost or dirt ob-
structing the radar sensors.
Check for and remove objects obstructing
the area around the radar sensors. Do not attach stickers (including transpar-
ent material), install accessories or apply
additional paint near the radar sensors.
Do not strike or damage the area around
the radar sensors. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer if the area around
the radar sensors is damaged due to a
collision.
Radio frequency statement
For USA
FCC ID: OAYSRR2B or OAYSRR3B
This device complies with part 15 of the FCC
Rules.
Operation is subject to the following two
conditions:
1. This device may not cause harmful in- terference, and
2. This device must accept any interfer- ence received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
FCC Warning
Changes or modifications not expressly
approved by the party responsible for
compliance could void the user’s authority
to operate the equipment.
LSD2475
Starting and driving5-31