2018 NISSAN MAXIMA engine

one who does not carry the Intelligent Key,
to push the ignition switch to start the en-
gine.
The operating range of the engine start
function is inside of the vehicle
1.
∙ The luggage area is not included in the operating range, but the Intelligent Key
may function.
∙ If the Intelligent Key is placed on the instrument panel, inside the glove box,
storage bin or door pocket, the Intelli-
gent Key may not function.
∙ If the Intelligent Key is placed near the door or window outside the vehicle, the
Intelligent Key may function.
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
POSITIONS
LOCK (Normal parking position)
The ignition switch can only be locked in
this position.
The ignition switch will be unlocked when it
is pushed to the ACC position while carry-
ing the Intelligent Key.
The ignition switch will lock when any door
is opened or closed with the ignition
switched off. ACC (Accessories)
This position activates electrical accesso-
ries, such as the radio, when the engine is
not running.
ACC has a battery saver feature that will
place the ignition switch in the OFF position
af ter a period of time under the following
conditions:
∙ All doors are closed.
∙ The shif t lever is in P (Park).
∙ The hazard lamps are off.
∙ The turn signals are off.
The battery saver feature will be canceled if
any of the following occur: ∙ Any door is opened.
∙ The shif t lever is moved out of P (Park).
∙ The ignition switch changes position.
∙ The hazard lamps are turned on.
ON (Normal operating position)
This position turns on the ignition system
and electrical accessories. ON has a battery saver feature that will
place the ignition switch in the OFF posi-
tion, if the vehicle is not running, af ter some
time under the following conditions:
∙ All doors are closed.
∙ The shif t lever is in P (Park).
∙ The hazard lamps are off.
∙ The turn signals are off.
The battery saver feature will be canceled if
any of the following occur: ∙ Any door is opened.
∙ The shif t lever is moved out of the P (Park) position.
∙ The ignition switch changes position.
∙ The hazard lamps are turned on.
∙ The turn signals are turned on.
CAUTION
Do not leave the vehicle with the igni-
tion switch in the ACC or ON position
when the engine is not running for an
extended period. This can discharge the
battery.
5-12Starting and driving

OFF
The ignition switch is in the OFF position
when the engine is turned off using the
ignition switch. The ignition switch heart
beat function (pulsed illumination) may ac-
tivate for a period of time when any door is
unlocked and when the door
opened/closed status changes in the OFF
and ACC positions.
EMERGENCY ENGINE SHUT OFF
To shut off the engine in an emergency
situation while driving, perform the follow-
ing procedure:∙ Rapidly push the ignition switch three consecutive times in less than 1.5 sec-
onds, or
∙ Push and hold the ignition switch for more than 2 seconds.
NISSAN INTELLIGENT KEY®
BATTERY DISCHARGE
If the battery of the NISSAN Intelligent Key®
is discharged, or environmental conditions
interfere with the Intelligent Key operation,
start the engine according to the following
procedure:
1. Place the shif t lever in the P (Park) posi- tion.
2. Firmly apply the foot brake.
3. Touch the ignition switch with the Intel- ligent Key as illustrated. (A chime will
sound.) (Af ter step 3 is performed, when the
ignition switch is pushed without de-
pressing the brake pedal, the ignition
switch position will change to ON.)
4. Push the ignition switch while depress- ing the brake pedal within 10 seconds
af ter the chime sounds. The engine will
start.
NOTE: ∙ When the ignition switch is pushed to
the ON position or the engine is
started by the above procedure, the
Intelligent Key battery discharge in-
dicator appears in the vehicle infor-
mation display even when the Intelli-
gent Key is inside the vehicle. This is
not a malfunction. To turn off the In-
telligent Key battery discharge indi-
cator, touch the ignition switch with
the Intelligent Key again.
∙ If the Intelligent Key battery dis-
charge indicator appears, replace the
battery as soon as possible. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Battery
replacement” in the “Do-it-yourself ”
section of this manual.
SSD0860
Starting and driving5-13

NISSAN VEHICLE IMMOBILIZER
SYSTEM
The NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System
will not allow the engine to start without
the use of the registered key.
If the engine fails to start using a registered
key (for example, when interference is
caused by another registered key, an auto-
mated toll road device or automatic pay-
ment device on the key ring), restart the
engine using the following procedure:1. Leave the ignition switch in the ON po- sition for approximately 5 seconds.
2. Place the ignition switch in the OFF or LOCK position, and wait approximately
10 seconds.
3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Restart the engine while holding the device (which may have caused the in-
terference) separate from the regis-
tered key.
If the no start condition re-occurs, NISSAN
recommends placing the registered key on
a separate key ring to avoid interference
from other devices. ∙ Make sure the area around the vehicle is
clear.
∙ Check fluid levels such as engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, and window 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 appear- ance and condition. Also check tires for
proper inflation.
∙ Lock all doors.
∙ Position seat and adjust head restraints/headrests.
∙ Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
∙ Fasten seat belts and ask all passen- gers to do likewise.
∙ Check the operation of warning lights when the ignition switch is pushed to
the ON position. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “Warning lights, indicator
lights and audible reminders” in the “In-
struments and controls” section of this
manual. 1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shif t lever to P (Park) or N
(Neutral). P (Park) is recommended.
The starter is designed not to oper-
ate if the shif t lever is in any of the
driving positions.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON po- sition. 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
depressing 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 en-
gine. 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. Af ter 5 or 6 seconds, stop
cranking by pushing the ignition
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE
5-14Starting and driving

switch to the LOCK position. Af ter
cranking the engine, release the ac-
celerator pedal. Crank the engine
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal by depressing the brake pedal
and pushing the ignition switch to
start the engine. If the engine starts,
but fails to run, repeat the above pro-
cedure.
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 cranking again, otherwise the
starter could be damaged.4. Warm-up:
Allow the engine to idle for at least
30 seconds af ter starting. Do not race
the engine while warming it up. Drive at
a moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for a
minimum of 2 to 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start. 5. To stop the engine, move the shif t lever
to the P (Park) position and push the
ignition switch to the OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start conditions
such as: 1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume bat-
tery power when the engine is not
running (phone chargers, GPS, DVD
players, etc.).
2. The vehicle is not driven regularly
and/or only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to
be charged to maintain battery health.
REMOTE ENGINE START
Vehicles started with the Remote Engine
Start require the ignition switch to be
placed in the ON position before the shif t
lever can be moved from the P (Park) posi-
tion. To place the ignition switch in the ON
position, follow these steps: 1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is on you.
2. Apply the brake.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the ON position.
For additional information, refer to “NISSAN
Intelligent Key®” in the “Pre-driving checks
and adjustments” section of this manual.
Starting and driving5-15

CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION (CVT)
WARNING
∙ Do not depress the accelerator pedalwhile 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 not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose. The CVT in your vehicle is electronically
controlled to produce maximum power
and smooth operation.
The recommended operating procedures
for this transmission are shown on the fol-
lowing pages. Follow these procedures for
maximum vehicle performance and driv-
ing enjoyment.
NOTE:
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.Starting the vehicle
1. Af ter starting the engine, fully depress
the foot brake pedal before moving the
shif t lever out of the P (Park) position.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shif t lever into a driving
gear.
3. Release the parking brake and the foot brake pedal, then gradually start the
vehicle in motion.
LSD2354
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-16Starting and driving

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