2018 NISSAN MAXIMA Owner´s Manual

4. Stop the vehicle completely beforeshif ting 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 pushed to
the LOCK position.
WARNING
∙ Do not depress the accelerator pedal while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), or M
(Manual shif t mode). Always depress
the brake pedal until shif ting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause
you to lose control and have an acci-
dent. It can also damage the vehicle.
∙ Cold engine idle speed is high, so use caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up. ∙ Do not downshif t abruptly on slippery
roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
∙ Never shif t 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
∙ Except in an emergency, do not shif tto the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission in
the N (Neutral) position may cause se-
rious damage to the transmission.
∙ To avoid possible damage to your ve- hicle, when stopping the vehicle on an
uphill grade, do no hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose. To move the shif t lever:
Press the button while depressing the
brake pedal
Press the button to shif t
Shif t without pressing the button
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.
LSD2358
Starting and driving5-17

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) position only when the ve-
hicle 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 depressed 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. 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 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.
Manual shif t mode
The transmission enters the manual shif t
mode by moving the shif t lever to the lef t
side in the “D” range. You can select the
manual shif t range either by moving the
shif t lever up or down, or by pulling the
right-side or lef t-side paddle shif ter (if so
equipped). To cancel the manual shif t
mode, return the shif t lever to the right D
(Drive) position. The transmission returns
to automatic driving mode.
When the shif t lever is shif ted from D (Drive)
to the manual shif t gate
Awith the vehicle
stopped or while driving, the transmission
LSD2359
5-18Starting and driving

enters the manual shif t mode. Shif t ranges
can be selected manually. Shif t ranges can
also be selected using the paddle shif ters
(if so equipped) on the steering wheel
B
andC. When you pull the paddle shif ter
while in the D (Drive) position, the transmis-
sion will shif t to the upper or lower range
temporarily. If the paddle shif ters are not
used for about 5–10 seconds, the transmis-
sion will automatically return to the D
(Drive) position. If you want to return to the
D (Drive) position manually, pull and hold
either 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. When shif ting the shif t lever to the
manual shif t gate, the position indicator
displays 1 (1st) up to 7 (7th) depending on
vehicle speed.
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 6 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.
∙ The transmission will automatically downshif t the gears. (For example, if you
select the 3rd range, the transmission
will shif t down between the 3rd and 1st
gears.)
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.
LSD2635
Starting and driving5-19

∙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.
∙ When this situation occurs, the Con-
tinuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
position indicator light will blink and
the chime will sound.
∙ 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.
∙ 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.
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.
It is recommended that you visit 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 small (1/8 inch or 3 mm) flat-head
screwdriver, remove the shif t lock re-
lease cover.
∙ If available, a plastic trim tool can also be used.
4. Insert the car key into the shif t lock release slot and press straight down. A
small screwdriver or small trim tool
may also be used.
∙ For additional information, refer to “NISSAN Intelligent Key®” in the “Pre-
driving checks and adjustments”
section of this manual.
5. Move the shif t lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding down the shif t
lock release.
6. Push the ignition switch to the ON po- sition to unlock the steering wheel.
Now the vehicle may be moved to the
desired location.
LSD2360
5-20Starting and driving

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.
CAUTION
Make sure to take extra care during the
removal of the shif t lock cap as this part
is easily damaged.
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.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position and manual
shif t mode
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into lower range,
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 place the igni-tion switch back in the ON position. The
vehicle should return to its normal oper-
ating condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have the
transmission checked and repaired, if
necessary. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation oc-
curs, vehicle speed may be gradually re-
duced. 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 operation, or have it repaired if
necessary.
Starting and driving5-21

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 shif t 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
assistance of others or pets unat-
tended in your vehicle. Additionally,
the temperature inside a closed ve-
hicle on a warm day can quickly be-
come high enough to cause a signifi-
cant 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 shif t lever to the P (Park) po- sition.
3. Firmly depress the parking brake pedal and it will release.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake warn- ing light goes out. Two driving modes can be selected by us-
ing the Drive Mode Selector switches: NOR-
MAL and SPORT.
NOTE:
∙ When the Drive Mode Selector switch
selects a mode, the mode may not
switch quickly. This is not a malfunc-
tion.
∙ Select the NORMAL mode for normal
driving.
LSD2176
Drive Mode Selector switches
LSD2361
PARKING BRAKE DRIVE MODE SELECTOR
5-22Starting and driving

NORMAL MODE
NORMAL mode is recommended for nor-
mal driving. Press the NORMAL mode but-
ton to select this mode.
SPORT MODE
The SPORT mode adjusts the engine,
transmission, and steering to enhance
performance. Press the SPORT mode but-
ton to select this driving mode. The SPORT
mode indicator will appear in the vehicle
information display.
NOTE:
In the SPORT mode, fuel economy may
be reduced.
WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and in-
structions for proper use of the BSW
system could result in serious injury or
death.
∙ The BSW system is not a replacementfor proper driving procedures and is
not designed to prevent contact with
vehicles or objects. When changing
lanes, always use the side and rear
mirrors and turn and look in the direc-
tion 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
1
installed near the rear bumper to detect
other vehicles in an adjacent lane.
LSD2362
BLIND SPOT WARNING (BSW) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-23

The radar sensors can detect vehicles on
either side of your vehicle within the detec-
tion zone shown as illustrated. This detec-
tion zone starts from the outside mirror of
your vehicle and extends approximately
10 f t (3.0 m) behind the rear bumper, and
approximately 10 f t (3.0 m) sideways.
Detection zone
SSD1030
LSD2417
5-24Starting and driving