2018 NISSAN MAXIMA suspension

∙ A child restraint or other object pressingagainst the rear of the seatback.
∙ A rear passenger pushing or pulling on the back of the front passenger seat.
∙ Forcing the front seat or seatback against an object on the seat or floor
behind it.
∙ An object placed under the front pas- senger seat.
∙ An object placed between the seat cushion and center console.
If the vehicle is moving, please come to a
stop when it is safe to do so. Check and
correct any of the above conditions. Re-
start the vehicle and wait 1 minute.
NOTE:
A system check will be performed during
which the front passenger air bag status
light will remain lit for about 7 seconds
initially.
If the light is still OFF af ter this, the small
adult, child or child restraint should be re-
positioned in the rear seat and the vehicle
should be checked as soon as possible. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service. 3. If the light is OFF with no front passen-
ger and no objects on the front pas-
senger seat, the vehicle should be
checked. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer as soon as pos-
sible.
Other supplemental front-impact air
bag precautions
WARNING
∙ Do not place any objects on the steer- ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steer-
ing wheel or instrument panel. Such
objects may become dangerous pro-
jectiles and cause injury if the front air
bags inflate.
∙ Immediately af ter inflation, several front air bag system components will
be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
∙ No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental air bag system. This
is to prevent accidental inflation of
the supplemental air bag or damage
to the supplemental air bag system. ∙ Do not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle’s electrical system,
suspension system or front end struc-
ture. This could affect proper opera-
tion of the front air bag system.
∙ Tampering with the front air bag sys- tem may result in serious personal in-
jury. Tampering includes changes to
the steering wheel and the instru-
ment panel assembly by placing ma-
terial over the steering wheel pad and
above the instrument panel or by in-
stalling additional trim material
around the air bag system.
∙ Removing or modif ying the front pas- senger seat may affect the function of
the air bag system and result in seri-
ous personal injury.
1-56Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

other type of collision are similar to those of
a higher severity impact. They are de-
signed to inflate on the side where the ve-
hicle is impacted. They may not inflate in
certain side collisions.
Curtain air bags are also designed to inflate
in certain types of rollover collisions or near
rollovers. As a result, certain vehicle move-
ments (for example, during severe off-
roading) may cause the curtain air bags to
inflate.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always
an indication of proper side air bag and
curtain air bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard,
followed by release of smoke. This smoke is
not harmful and does not indicate a fire.
Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it
may cause irritation and choking. Those
with a history of a breathing condition
should get fresh air promptly.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat
belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the chest of the front occupants. Curtain
air bags help to cushion the impact force to
the head of occupants in the front and rear
outboard seating positions in all rows. They
can help save lives and reduce serious in-juries. However, an inflating side air bag or
curtain air bag may cause abrasions or
other injuries. Side air bags and curtain air
bags do not provide restraint to the lower
body.
The seat belts should be correctly worn
and the driver and front passenger seated
upright as far as practical away from the
side air bag. Rear seat passengers should
be seated as far away as practical from the
door finishers and side roof rails. The side
air bags and curtain air bags inflate quickly
in order to help protect the occupants. Be-
cause of this, the force of the side air bags
and curtain air bags inflating can increase
the risk of injury if the occupant is too close
to, or is against, these air bag modules dur-
ing inflation. The side air bag will deflate
quickly af ter the collision is over.
The curtain air bag will remain inflated for a
short time.
The side air bags and curtain air bags
operate only when the ignition switch is
placed in the ON position.
Af ter placing the ignition switch in the
ON position, the supplemental air bag
warning light illuminates. The supple-
mental air bag warning light will turn off
af ter about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.
WARNING
∙ Do not place any objects near the
seatback of the front seats. Also, do
not place any objects (an umbrella,
bag, etc.) between the front door fin-
isher and the front seat. Such objects
may become dangerous projectiles
and cause injury if a side air bag
inflates.
∙ Right af ter inflation, several side air bag and curtain air bag system com-
ponents will be hot. Do not touch
them; you may severely burn yourself.
∙ No unauthorized changes should be made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain air bag
systems. This is to prevent damage to
or accidental inflation of the side air
bag and curtain air bag systems.
∙ Do not make unauthorized changes to your vehicle’s electrical system,
suspension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
curtain air bag systems.
1-58Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

When the VDC OFF switch is used to turn off
the system, the VDC system still operates
to prevent one drive wheel from slipping by
transferring power to a non-slipping drive
wheel. The
indicator flashes if this oc-
curs. All other VDC functions are off and
the
indicator will not flash.
The VDC system is automatically reset to
ON when the ignition switch is placed in the
OFF position then back to the ON position.
The computer has a built-in diagnostic fea-
ture that tests the system each time you
start the engine and move the vehicle for-
ward or in reverse at a slow speed. When
the self-test occurs, you may hear a clunk
noise and/or feel a pulsation in the brake
pedal. This is normal and is not an indica-
tion of a malfunction.
WARNING
∙ The VDC system is designed to help the driver maintain stability but does
not prevent accidents due to abrupt
steering operation at high speeds or
by careless or dangerous driving
techniques. Reduce vehicle speed and
be especially careful when driving and
cornering on slippery surfaces and al-
ways drive carefully. ∙ Do not modif y the vehicle’s suspen-
sion. If suspension parts such as
shock absorbers, struts, springs, sta-
bilizer bars, bushings and wheels are
not NISSAN recommended for your
vehicle or are extremely deteriorated,
the VDC system may not operate
properly. This could adversely affect
vehicle handling performance, and
the
indicator may flash or
the
indicator light may
illuminate.
∙ If brake related parts such as brake pads, rotors and calipers are not
NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, the VDC system
may not operate properly and both
the
andindicator lights
may illuminate.
∙ If engine control related parts are not NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, both the
and theindicator lights may
illuminate. ∙ When driving on extremely inclined
surfaces such as higher banked cor-
ners, the VDC system may not operate
properly and the
indicator may
flash or the
indicator light may
illuminate. Do not drive on these types
of roads.
∙ When driving on an unstable surface such as a turntable, ferry, elevator or
ramp, the
indicator may flash or
the
indicator light may illumi-
nate. This is not a malfunction. Re-
start the engine af ter driving onto a
stable surface.
∙ If wheels or tires other than the NISSAN recommended ones are used,
the VDC system may not operate
properly and the
indicator may
flash or the
indicator light may
illuminate.
∙ The VDC system is not a substitute for winter tires or tire chains on a snow
covered road.
5-86Starting and driving

BRAKE FORCE DISTRIBUTION
During braking while driving through turns,
the system optimizes the distribution of
force to each of the four wheels depending
on the radius of the turn.
WARNING
∙ The VDC system is designed to helpthe driver maintain stability but does
not prevent accidents due to abrupt
steering operation at high speeds or
by careless or dangerous driving
techniques. Reduce vehicle speed and
be especially careful when driving and
cornering on slippery surfaces and al-
ways drive carefully.
∙ Do not modif y the vehicle’s suspen- sion. If suspension parts such as
shock absorbers, struts, springs, sta-
bilizer bars, bushings and wheels are
not NISSAN recommended for your
vehicle or are extremely deteriorated,
the VDC system may not operate
properly. This could adversely affect
vehicle handling performance, and
the
indicator may flash or
the
indicator light may
illuminate. ∙ If brake related parts such as brake
pads, rotors and calipers are not
NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, the VDC system
may not operate properly and both
the
andindicator lights
may illuminate.
∙ If engine control related parts are not NISSAN recommended or are ex-
tremely deteriorated, both the
and theindicator lights may
illuminate.
∙ When driving on extremely inclined surfaces such as higher banked cor-
ners, the VDC system may not operate
properly and the
indicator may
flash or the
indicator light may
illuminate. Do not drive on these types
of roads.
∙ When driving on an unstable surface such as a turntable, ferry, elevator or
ramp, the
indicator may flash or
the
indicator light may illumi-
nate. This is not a malfunction. Re-
start the engine af ter driving onto a
stable surface. ∙ If wheels or tires other than the
NISSAN recommended ones are used,
the VDC system may not operate
properly and the
indicator may
flash or the
indicator light may
illuminate.
∙ The VDC system is not a substitute for winter tires or tire chains on a snow
covered road.
Starting and driving5-87

CHASSIS & BODY MAINTENANCE
Abbreviations: I = Inspect and correct or replace as necessary, R = Replace,
MAINTENANCE OPERATION
Perform at number of miles, kilometers or months, whichever comes first. miles x 1,000
(km x 1,000) Months MAINTENANCE INTERVAL
5
(8) 6 10
(16) 12 15
(24) 18 20
(32) 24 25
(40) 30 30
(48) 36 35
(56) 42 40
(64) 48 45
(72) 54 50
(80) 60 55
(88) 66 60
(96) 72
B ra ke li n es & ca b le s IIIIII
Brake pads & rotors IIIIII
Brake fluid RRR
C VT flu id See NO TE (1 )IIIIII
Steering gear and linkage, axle and suspension
parts III
Tire rotation See NOTE (2)
Front drive shaf t boots  IIIIII
Exhaust system III
In-cabin microfilter RRRR
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery IR RR
9-10Maintenance and schedules

MAINTENANCE OPERATION
Perform at number of miles, kilometers or months, whichever comes first. miles x 1,000
(km x 1,000) Months MAINTENANCE INTERVAL
65
(104) 78 70
(112) 84 75
(120) 90 80
(128) 96 85
(136) 102 90
(144) 108 95
(152) 114 100
(160) 120 105
(168) 126 110
(176) 132 115
(184) 138 120
(192) 144
B ra ke li n es an d ca b le s IIIIII
Brake pads and rotors IIIIII
Brake fluid RRR
C VT flu id See NO TE (1 )IIIIII
Steering gear and linkage, axle and suspension
parts III
Tire rotation See NOTE (2)
Front drive shaf t boots IIIIII
Exhaust system III
In-cabin microfilter RRRR
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery RRRR
NOTE:
Maintenance items with “” should be performed more frequently according to “Maintenance under severe driving conditions”.
(1) If towing a trailer, using a camper or a car-top carrier or driving on rough or muddy roads, inspect CVT fluid deterioration every
60,000 miles (96,000 km), then change CVT fluid if necessary. And if the inspection is not performed, change (not just inspect) CVT
fluid every 60,000 miles (96,000 km). It is recommended that you visit a NISSAN dealer to perform this service.
(2) For additional information on tire rotation, refer to “General maintenance” in this section.
Maintenance and schedules9-11

The maintenance intervals shown on the preceding pages are for normal operating conditions. If the vehicle is mainly operated under
severe driving conditions as shown below, more frequent maintenance must be performed on the following items as shown in the table.
SEVERE DRIVING CONDITIONS
∙ Repeated short trips of less than 5 miles(8 km).
∙ Repeated short trips of less than 10 miles (16 km) with outside tempera-
tures remaining below freezing. ∙ Operating in hot weather in stop-
and-go “rush hour” traffic.
∙ Extensive idling and/or low speed driv- ing for long distance, such as police, taxi
or door-to-door delivery use. ∙ Driving in dusty conditions.
∙ Driving on rough, muddy or salt spread
roads.
∙ Using a car-top carrier.
Maintenance operation: Inspect = Inspect and correct or replace as necessary.
Maintenance item Maintenance operation Maintenance interval
Brake fluid ReplaceEvery 10,000 miles (16,000 km) or 12 months
Brake pads & rotors InspectEvery 5,000 miles (8,000 km) or 6 months
Steering gear & linkage, axle & suspension parts InspectEvery 5,000 miles (8,000 km) or 6 months
Exhaust system InspectEvery 5,000 miles (8,000 km) or 6 months
MAINTENANCE UNDER SEVERE
OPERATING CONDITIONS
9-12Maintenance and schedules