It is recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving if the generator
belt is loose, broken or missing.
Door open warning light
This light comes on when any of the doors
are not closed securely while the ignition
switch is placed in the ON position.
Engine oil pressurewarning light
This light warns of low engine oil pressure. If
the light flickers or comes on during nor-
mal driving, pull off the road in a safe area,
stop the engine immediatelyand call a
NISSAN dealer or other authorized repair
shop.
The engine oil pressure warning light is
not designed to indicate a low oil level.
Use the dipstick to check the oil level. For
additional information, refer to “Engine oil”
in the “Do-it-yourself ” section of this
manual.
CAUTION
Running the engine with the engine oil
pressure warning light on could cause
serious damage to the engine almost
immediately. Such damage is not cov-
ered by the NISSAN New Vehicle Limited
Warranty. Turn off the engine as soon as
it is safe to do so.
High temperature warning
light (red)
When the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position, the high temperature warning
light illuminates and then turns off. This in-
dicates that the high temperature sensor
in the engine coolant system is opera-
tional.
CAUTION
If the high temperature warning light
illuminates while the engine is running,
it may indicate the engine temperature
is extremely high. Stop the vehicle
safely as soon as possible. If the vehicle
is overheated, continuing vehicle op-
eration may seriously damage the en-
gine. For additional information, refer
to “If your vehicle overheats” in the “In
case of emergency ” section of this
manual.
Low windshield-washerfluid warning light
This light comes on when the windshield-
washer fluid is at a low level. Add
windshield-washer fluid as necessary. For
additional information, refer to “Windshield-
washer fluid” in the “Do-it-yourself ” section
of this manual.
2-10Instruments and controls
∙ Do not use with accessories that ex-ceed a 12 volt, 120W (10A) power draw.
∙ Do not use double adapters or more than one electrical accessory.
∙ Use power outlets with the engine running to avoid discharging the ve-
hicle battery.
∙ Avoid using power outlets when the air conditioner (if so equipped), head-
lights or rear window defroster (if so
equipped) is on.
∙ Before inserting or disconnecting a plug, be sure the electrical accessory
being used is turned OFF.
∙ Push the plug in as far as it will go. If good contact is not made, the plug
may overheat or the internal tem-
perature fuse may open.
∙ When not in use, be sure to close the cap. Do not allow water or any other
liquid to contact the outlet.
FRONT-DOOR POCKETS STORAGE TRAY (if so equipped)
WARNING
Do not place sharp objects in the trays
to help prevent injury in an accident or
sudden stop.
LIC2426
Storage compartment
LIC2113
STORAGE
Instruments and controls2-23
2. Turn the air flow control dial tothe
position.
3. Turn the
fan control dial to the de-
sired position.
4. Turn the temperature control dial to the desired position.
Operating tips
∙ Keep the windows closed while the airconditioner is in operation.
∙ Af ter parking in the sun, drive for 2 or 3 minutes with the windows open to
vent hot air from the passenger com-
partment. Then, close the windows.
This allows the air conditioner to cool
the interior more quickly.
∙ The air conditioning system should
be operated for approximately
10 minutes at least once a month.
This helps prevent damage to the
system due to lack of lubrication. ∙ A visible mist may be seen coming from
the ventilators in hot, humid conditions
as the air is cooled rapidly. This does not
indicate a malfunction.
∙ If the engine coolant temperature
gauge indicates engine coolant tem-
perature over the normal range, turn
the air conditioner off. For additional
information, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emer-
gency ” section of this manual.
AIR FLOW CHARTS
The following charts show the button and
dial positions for MAXIMUM AND QUICK
heating, cooling or defrosting. The air in-
take lever should always be in the
position for heating and defrosting.
Heater, air conditioner, audio and phone systems4-19
∙ When parking, ensure that people orinflammable materials are kept away
from the exhaust pipe.
CAUTION
∙ Do not use leaded gasoline. Depositsfrom leaded gasoline will seriously re-
duce the three-way catalyst’s ability
to help reduce exhaust pollutants.
∙ Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunc- tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause overrich
fuel flow into the three-way catalyst,
causing it to overheat. Do not keep
driving if the engine misfires, or if no-
ticeable loss of performance or other
unusual operating conditions are de-
tected. Have the vehicle inspected
promptly. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
∙ Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel level. Running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, damag-
ing the three-way catalyst.
∙ Do not race the engine while warming it up.
∙ Do not push or tow your vehicle to start the engine.
AVOIDING COLLISION AND
ROLLOVER
WARNING
Failure to operate this vehicle in a safe
and prudent manner may result in loss
of control or an accident.
Be alert and drive defensively at all times.
Obey all traffic regulations. Avoid excessive
speed, high speed cornering, or sudden
steering maneuvers, because these driving
practices could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle.
As with any vehicle, loss of control could
result in a collision with other vehicles or
objects or cause the vehicle to roll over,
particularly if the loss of control causes
the vehicle to slide sideways.
Be attentive at all times, and avoid driving
when tired. Never drive when under the in-
fluence of alcohol or drugs (including pre-
scription or over-the-counter drugs which
may cause drowsiness). Always wear your
seat belt as outlined in the “Safety – Seats,
seat belts and supplemental restraint sys-
tem” section of this manual, and also in-
struct your passengers to do so. Seat belts help reduce the risk of injury in
collisions and rollovers.
In a rollover crash,
an unbelted or improperly belted person
is significantly more likely to be injured
or killed than a person properly wearing
a seat belt.
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
While driving, the right side or lef t side
wheels may unintentionally leave the road
surface. If this occurs, maintain control of
the vehicle by following the procedure be-
low. Please note that this procedure is only
a general guide. The vehicle must be driven
as appropriate based on the conditions of
the vehicle, road and traffic.
1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
2. Do not apply the brakes.
3. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands and try to hold a
straight course.
4. When appropriate, slowly release the accelerator pedal to gradually slow the
vehicle.
5. If there is nothing in the way, steer the vehicle to follow the road while vehicle
speed is reduced. Do not attempt to
Starting and driving5-3
3. To help prevent the vehicle from rollinginto traffic when parked on an incline, it
is a good practice to turn the wheels as
illustrated.
∙ HEADED DOWNHILL WITH CURB
A:
Turn the wheels into the curb and
move the vehicle forward until the curb
side wheel gently touches the curb.
∙ HEADED UPHILL WITH CURB
B:
Turn the wheels away from the curb
and move the vehicle back until the
curb side wheel gently touches the
curb.
∙ HEADED UPHILL OR DOWNHILL, NO CURB
C:
Turn the wheels toward the side of the
road so the vehicle will move away
from the center of the road if it moves.
4. Turn the ignition switch to the LOCK position and remove the key.
WARNING
∙ If the engine is not running or isturned off while driving, the power as-
sist for the steering will not work.
Steering will be harder to operate.
∙ When the power steering warning light illuminates with the engine run-
ning, there will be no power assist for
the steering. You will still have control
of the vehicle but the steering will be
harder to operate. Have the power
steering system checked. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
The power steering system is designed to
provide power assist while driving to oper-
ate the steering wheel with light force.
When the steering wheel is operated re-
peatedly or continuously while parking or
driving at a very low speed, the power as-
sist for the steering wheel will be reduced.
This is to prevent overheating of the power
steering system and protect it from getting
damaged. While the power assist is re-
duced, steering wheel operation will be-
come heavy. When the temperature of the
power steering system goes down, the
power assist level will return to normal. Avoid repeating such steering wheel op-
erations that could cause the power steer-
ing system to overheat.
You may hear a sound when the steering
wheel is operated quickly. However, this is
not a malfunction.
If the electric power steering warning light
PS
illuminates while the engine is running,
it may indicate the power steering system
is not functioning properly and may need
servicing. Have the power steering system
checked. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
When the electric power steering warning
light illuminates with the engine running,
there will be no power assist for the steer-
ing but you will still have control of the ve-
hicle. At this time, greater steering effort is
required to operate the steering wheel, es-
pecially in sharp turns and at low speeds.
For additional information, refer to “Power
steering warning light” in the “Instruments
and controls” section of this manual.
POWER STEERING
Starting and driving5-21
The brake system has two separate hy-
draulic circuits. If one circuit malfunctions,
you will still have braking at two wheels.
BRAKE PRECAUTIONS
Vacuum assisted brakes
The brake booster aids braking by using
engine vacuum. If the engine stops, you
can stop the vehicle by depressing the
brake pedal. However, greater foot pres-
sure on the brake pedal will be required to
stop the vehicle and stopping distance will
be longer.
Using the brakes
Avoid resting your foot on the brake pedal
while driving. This will overheat the brakes,
wear out the brake pads faster, and reduce
gas mileage.
To help reduce brake wear and to prevent
the brakes from overheating, reduce speed
and downshif t to a lower gear before going
down a slope or long grade. Overheated
brakes may reduce braking performance
and could result in loss of vehicle control.
WARNING
∙ While driving on a slippery surface, becareful when braking, accelerating or
downshif ting. Abrupt braking or ac-
celerating could cause the wheels to
skid and result in an accident.
∙ If the engine is not running or is turned off while driving, the power as-
sist for the brakes will not work. Brak-
ing will be harder.
Wet brakes
When the vehicle is washed or driven
through water, the brakes may get wet. As
a result, your braking distance will be lon-
ger and the vehicle may pull to one side
during braking.
To dry the brakes, drive the vehicle at a safe
speed while lightly pressing the brake
pedal to heat up the brakes. Do this until
the brakes return to normal. Avoid driving
the vehicle at high speeds until the brakes
function correctly.
Parking brake break-in
Break in the parking brake shoes whenever
the stopping effect of the parking brake is
weakened or whenever the parking brake shoes and/or drums/rotors are replaced,
in order to assure the best braking perfor-
mance.
This procedure is described in the vehicle
service manual. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
ANTI-LOCK BRAKING SYSTEM (ABS)
WARNING
∙ The ABS is a sophisticated device, but
it cannot prevent accidents resulting
from careless or dangerous driving
techniques. It can help maintain ve-
hicle control during braking on slip-
pery surfaces. Remember that stop-
ping distances on slippery surfaces
will be longer than on normal sur-
faces even with ABS. Stopping dis-
tances may also be longer on rough,
gravel or snow covered roads, or if you
are using tire chains. Always maintain
a safe distance from the vehicle in
front of you. Ultimately, the driver is
responsible for safety.
∙ Tire type and condition may also af- fect braking effectiveness.
BRAKE SYSTEM
5-22Starting and driving
CAUTION
∙ Do not push start this vehicle. Thethree-way catalyst may be damaged.
∙ Automatic Transmission (AT) models and Manual Transmission (MT) cannot
be push-started or tow-started. At-
tempting to do so may cause trans-
mission damage.
∙ For Manual Transmission (MT) mod- els, never try to start the vehicle by
towing it. When the engine starts, the
forward surge could cause the vehicle
to collide with the tow vehicle. If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by a
red high temperature warning light),
or if you feel a lack of engine power, detect
abnormal noise, etc. take the following
steps.
WARNING
∙ Do not continue to drive if your vehicle overheats. Doing so could cause en-
gine damage or a vehicle fire.
∙ To avoid the danger of being scalded, never remove the radiator cap while
the engine is still hot. When the radia-
tor cap is removed, pressurized hot
water will spurt out, possibly causing
serious injury.
∙ Do not open the hood if steam is com- ing out.
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, ap- ply the parking brake and move the
shif t lever to N (Neutral) (manual trans-
mission models) or to P (Park) (auto-
matic transmission models).
Do not stop the engine. 2.
Turn off the air conditioner. Open all the
windows, move the heater or air condi-
tioner temperature control to maximum
hot and fan control to high speed.
3.Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for
steam or coolant escaping from the ra-
diator before opening the hood. (If steam
or coolant is escaping, turn off the en-
gine.) Do not open the hood further until
no steam or coolant can be seen.
4. Open the engine hood.
5. Visually check drive belts for damage
or looseness. Also check if the cooling
fan is running. The radiator hoses and
radiator should not leak water. If cool-
ant is leaking, the water pump belt is
missing or loose, or the cooling fan
does not run, stop the engine.
WARNING
∙ Be careful not to allow your hands,hair, jewelry or clothing to come into
contact with, or get caught in, engine
belts or the engine cooling fan. The
engine cooling fan can start at any
time.
∙ If coolant is leaking, or the cooling fan does not run, stop the engine.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency6-13
The engine cooling system is filled at the
factory with a pre-diluted mixture of 50%
Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) and 50% water to
provide year-round antifreeze and coolant
protection. The antifreeze solution con-
tains rust and corrosion inhibitors. Addi-
tional engine cooling system additives are
not necessary.
WARNING
∙ Never remove the radiator or coolantreservoir cap when the engine is hot.
Wait until the engine and radiator cool
down. Serious burns could be caused
by high pressure fluid escaping from
the radiator. For additional informa-
tion on precautions, refer to “If your
vehicle overheats” in the “In case of
emergency ” section of this manual.
∙ The radiator is equipped with a pres- sure type radiator cap. To prevent en-
gine damage, use only a Genuine
NISSAN radiator cap.
CAUTION
∙ Never use any cooling system addi-tives such as radiator sealer. Additives
may clog the cooling system and
cause damage to the engine, trans-
mission and/or cooling system.
∙ When adding or replacing coolant, be sure to use only Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or
equivalent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-
diluted to provide antifreeze protec-
tion to -34° F (-37° C). If additional
freeze protection is needed due to
weather where you operate your ve-
hicle, add Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) concen-
trate following the directions on the
container. If an equivalent coolant
other than Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used, fol-
low the coolant manufacturer’s in-
structions to maintain minimum anti-
freeze protection to -34° F (-37° C). The
use of other types of coolant solu-
tions other than Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or
equivalent may damage the engine
cooling system. ∙ The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km)
or 7 years. Mixing any other type of
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN
Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue),
including Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (green), or the use
of non-distilled water will reduce the
life expectancy of the factory-fill cool-
ant. For additional information, refer
to the "Maintenance and schedules"
section of this manual.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
8-4Do-it-yourself