
∙ If your engine stalls or you cannotmake it to the top of a steep hill, never
attempt to turn around. Your vehicle
could tip or roll over. Always back
straight down in R (Reverse) gear and
apply brakes to control your speed.
∙ Heavy braking going down a hill could cause your brakes to overheat and
fade, resulting in loss of control and
an accident. Apply brakes lightly and
use a low gear to control your speed.
∙ Unsecured cargo can be thrown around when driving over rough ter-
rain. Properly secure all cargo so it will
not be thrown forward and cause in-
jury to you or your passengers.
∙ Exceeding the roof rack capacity can raise the center of gravity excessively
and affect the handling and stability
of the vehicle.
∙ Secure heavy loads in the cargo area as far forward and as low as possible.
Do not equip the vehicle with tires
larger than specified in this manual.
This could cause your vehicle to roll
over. ∙ Do not grip the inside or spokes of the
steering wheel when driving off-road.
The steering wheel could move sud-
denly and injure your hands. Instead
drive with your fingers and thumbs on
the outside of the rim.
∙ Before operating the vehicle, ensure that the driver and all passengers
have their seat belts fastened.
∙ Always drive with the floor mats in place as the floor may become hot.
∙ Lower your speed when encountering strong crosswinds. With a higher cen-
ter of gravity, your NISSAN is more af-
fected by strong side winds. Slower
speeds ensure better vehicle control.
∙ Do not drive beyond the performance capability of the tires, even with AWD
engaged.
∙ For AWD equipped vehicles, do not at- tempt to raise two wheels off the
ground and shif t the transmission to
any drive or reverse position with the
engine running. Doing so may result
in drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could result
in serious vehicle damage or personal
injury. ∙ Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamometers
used by some states for emissions
testing), or similar equipment even if
the other two wheels are raised off the
ground. Make sure you inform test fa-
cility personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with AWD before it is placed
on a dynamometer. Using the wrong
test equipment may result in drive-
train damage or unexpected vehicle
movement which could result in seri-
ous vehicle damage or personal
injury.
∙ When a wheel is off the ground due to an unlevel surface, do not spin the
wheel excessively.
∙ Accelerating quickly, sharp steering maneuvers or sudden braking may
cause loss of control.
∙ If at all possible, avoid sharp turning maneuvers, particularly at high
speeds. Your NISSAN vehicle has a
higher center of gravity than a pas-
senger car. The vehicle is not de-
signed for cornering at the same
speeds as passenger cars.
5-12Starting and driving

∙ Make sure the area around the vehicle isclear.
∙ Check fluid levels such as engine oil, coolant, brake fluid, and windshield-
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.
∙ Check that all doors are closed.
∙ 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 placed in the
ON position. For additional information,
refer to “Warning lights, indicator lights
and audible reminders” in the “Instru-
ments 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 unless the shif t lever is in either P
(Park) or N (Neutral).
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 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.

WARNING
∙ Never rely solely on the hill start assistsystem to prevent the vehicle from
moving backward on a hill. Always
drive carefully and attentively. De-
press the brake pedal when the ve-
hicle is stopped on a steep hill. Be es-
pecially careful when stopped on a hill
on frozen or muddy roads. Failure to
prevent the vehicle from rolling back-
wards may result in a loss of control of
the vehicle and possible serious injury
or death.
∙ The hill start assist system is not de- signed to hold the vehicle at a stand-
still on a hill. Depress the brake pedal
when the vehicle is stopped on a
steep hill. Failure to do so may cause
the vehicle to roll backwards and may
result in a collision or serious personal
injury.
∙ The hill start assist may not prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards on
a hill under all load or road conditions.
Always be prepared to depress the
brake pedal to prevent the vehicle
from rolling backwards. Failure to do
so may result in a collision or serious
personal injury. When the vehicle is stopped on a hill, the hill
start assist system automatically keeps
the brakes applied. This helps prevent the
vehicle from rolling backward in the time it
takes the driver to release the brake pedal
and apply the accelerator.
Hill start assist will operate automatically
under the following conditions:
∙ The shif t lever is moved to a forward or reverse gear.
∙ The vehicle is stopped completely on a hill by applying the brake.
∙ The hill grade is above 10%.
The maximum holding time is two sec-
onds. Af ter two seconds the vehicle will be-
gin to roll back and hill start assist will stop
operating completely.
Hill start assist will not operate when the
shif t lever is moved to N (Neutral) or P (Park)
or on a flat and level road.
FREEING A FROZEN DOOR LOCK
To prevent a door lock from freezing, apply
de-icer through the key hole. If the lock
becomes frozen, heat the key before in-
serting it into the key hole, or use the
NISSAN Intelligent Key®.
ANTIFREEZE
In the winter when it is anticipated that the
temperature will drop below 32°F (0°C),
check the antifreeze to assure proper win-
ter protection. For additional information,
refer to “Engine cooling system” in the “Do-
it-yourself ” section of this manual.
BATTERY
If the battery is not fully charged during
extremely cold weather conditions, the
battery fluid may freeze and damage the
battery. To maintain maximum efficiency,
the battery should be checked regularly.
For additional information, refer to “Battery”
in the “Do-it-yourself ” section of this
manual.
HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM COLD WEATHER DRIVING
5-92Starting and driving

Chimes, audible reminders.........2-16
Cleaningexteriorandinterior......7-2,7-4
C.M.V.S.S. certification label .........10-11
Coldweatherdriving.............5-92
Console box ..................2-52
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) .......................5-18
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid......................8-9
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) ............5-18
Controls Heater and air conditioner controls . .4-29
Coolant Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants...............10-2
Changing engine coolant .........8-5
Checking engine coolant level ......8-5
Engine coolant temperature gauge . .2-6
Corrosionprotection..............7-7
Cruisecontrol .................5-43
Cupholders...................2-53
D
Daytime running light system
(Canada only) ..................2-39
Defroster switch Rear window and outside mirror
defrosterswitch..............2-36
Dimensions and weights ...........10-9
Dimmer switch for instrument panel . . .2-40
Door locks ....................3-5
Drivebelt ....................8-16 Drive positioner, Automatic . . .3-39, 3-40, 3-41
Driving
Cold weather driving ...........5-92
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) ............5-18
Precautions when starting and
driving..................5-4,5-11
Drivingthevehicle...............5-18
E
Economy - fuel .................5-82
Emergency engine shutoff .......5-15,6-2
Emission control information label . . . .10-11
Emission control system warranty . . . .10-28
Engine Before starting the engine ........5-17
Blockheater................5-94
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants...............10-2
Changing engine coolant .........8-5
Changing engine oil ............8-7
Changing engine oil filter .........8-8
Checking engine coolant level ......8-5
Checking engine oil level .........8-6
Engine compartment check
locations...................8-3
Engine coolant temperature gauge . .2-6
Engine cooling system ..........8-4
Engine oil ...................8-6
Engine oil and oil filter
recommendation .............10-6
Engine oil pressure warning light ....2-10
Engine oil viscosity .............10-6 Engine serial number
...........10-11
Engine specifications ...........10-8
Starting the engine ............5-17
Engine coolant temperature gauge ....2-6
EventDatarecorders............10-30
Exhaust gas (Carbon monoxide) .......5-4
Explanation of maintenance items .....9-2
Explanation of scheduled maintenance
items .......................9-5
Extended storage switch ..........2-48
Eyeglasscase .................2-52
F
Flashers
(Seehazardwarningflasherswitch)....6-2
Flattire......................6-3
Floormatpositioningaid...........7-6
Fluid Brakefluid..................8-10
Capacities and recommended
fuel/lubricants...............10-2
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid......................8-9
Engine coolant ...............8-4
Engine oil ...................8-6
Powersteeringfluid............8-10
Windshield-washer fluid .........8-11
F.M.V.S.S. certification label ..........10-11
Foglightswitch ................2-41
Front air bag system
(See supplemental restraint system) . . .1-56
Front-door pocket ..............2-49
Front power seat adjustment ........1-4
F
rontseats....................1-2
11-2