If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by
an extremely high temperature gauge
reading) or if you feel a lack of engine
power, detect abnormal noise, etc., take the
following steps.1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, ap- ply the parking brake and move the
shif t lever to P (Park).
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 maxi-
mum hot and fan control to high
speed.
3. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for steam or coolant escaping from the
radiator before opening the hood. If
steam or coolant is escaping, turn off
the engine. Do not open the hood fur-
ther until no steam or coolant can be
seen.
4. Open the engine hood.
WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the
engine, stand clear to prevent getting
burned. 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 cool-
ing fan can start at any time.
6. Af ter the engine cools down, check the coolant level in the engine coolant res-
ervoir tank with the engine running.
Add coolant to the engine coolant res-
ervoir tank if necessary. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service. Incorrect towing equipment could dam-
age your vehicle. Towing instructions are
available from a NISSAN dealer. Local ser-
vice operators are generally familiar with
the applicable laws and procedures for
towing. To assure proper towing and to
prevent accidental damage to your vehicle,
NISSAN recommends having a service op-
erator tow your vehicle. It is advisable to
have the service operator carefully read the
following precautions:
WARNING
∙ Never ride in a vehicle that is being
towed.
∙ Never get under your vehicle af ter it has been lif ted by a tow truck.
CAUTION
∙ When towing, make sure that thetransmission, axles, steering system
and powertrain are in working condi-
tion. If any of these conditions apply,
dollies or a flatbed tow truck must be
used.
∙ Always attach safety chains before towing.
TOWING YOUR VEHICLE
In case of emergency6-13
CAUTION
∙ Never tow automatic transmissionmodels with the rear wheels on the
ground or four wheels on the ground
(forward or backward), as this may
cause serious and expensive damage
to the transmission. If it is necessary
to tow the vehicle with the front
wheels raised always use towing dol-
lies under the rear wheels.
∙ When towing automatic transmission models with the front wheels on the
ground or on towing dollies:
– Place the ignition switch in the OFF position, and secure the steering
wheel in a straight-ahead position
with a rope or similar device. Never
secure the steering wheel by plac-
ing the ignition switch in the LOCK
position. This may damage the
steering lock mechanism (for
models with a steering lock
mechanism).
VEHICLE RECOVERY
(freeing a stuck vehicle)
There are two options to recover a stuck
vehicle: pulling and rocking. For additional
information regarding these options,
please refer to the following sections.
Pulling a stuck vehicle
WARNING
To avoid vehicle damage, serious per-
sonal injury or death when recovering a
stuck vehicle:
∙ Contact a professional towing serviceto recover the vehicle if you have any
questions regarding the recovery
procedure.
∙ Attach recovery devices only to main structural members of the vehicle or
the recovery hooks.
∙ Do not use the vehicle tie-downs to tow or free a stuck vehicle.
∙ Only use devices specifically designed for vehicle recovery and follow the
manufacturer’s instructions. ∙ Always pull the recovery device
straight out from the front of the ve-
hicle. Never pull at an angle.
∙ Route recovery devices so they do not touch any part of the vehicle except
the attachment point.
If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud,
etc., use a tow strap or other device de-
signed specifically for vehicle recovery. Al-
ways follow the manufacturer’s instruc-
tions for the recovery device.
Rocking a stuck vehicle
WARNING
∙ Stand clear of a stuck vehicle.
∙ Do not spin your tires at high speed. This could cause them to explode and
result in serious injury. Parts of your
vehicle could also overheat and be
damaged.
If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud,
etc., use the following procedure: 1. Turn off the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system .
2. Make sure the area in front and behind the vehicle is clear of obstructions.
In case of emergency6-15
3. Turn the steering wheel right and lef t toclear an area around the front tires.
4. Slowly rock the vehicle forward and backward.
∙ Shif t back and forth between R (Re- verse) and D (Drive).
∙ Apply the accelerator as little as pos- sible to maintain the rocking motion.
∙ Release the accelerator pedal before shif ting between R (Reverse) and D
(Drive).
∙ Do not spin the tires above 34 mph (55 km/h).
5. If the vehicle cannot be freed af ter a few tries, contact a professional towing
service to remove the vehicle.
6-16In case of emergency
When performing any inspection or main-
tenance work on your vehicle, always take
care to prevent serious accidental injury to
yourself or damage to the vehicle. The fol-
lowing are general precautions which
should be closely observed.
WARNING
∙ Park the vehicle on a level surface, ap-ply the parking brake securely and
block the wheels to prevent the ve-
hicle from moving. Move the shif t le-
ver to P (Park).
∙ Be sure the ignition key is in the OFF or LOCK position when performing any
parts replacement or repairs.
∙ If you must work with the engine run- ning, keep your hands, clothing, hair
and tools away from moving fans,
belts and any other moving parts.
∙ It is advisable to secure or remove any loose clothing and remove any jew-
elry, such as rings, watches, etc. be-
fore working on your vehicle.
∙ Always wear eye protection whenever you work on your vehicle. ∙ Your vehicle is equipped with an auto-
matic engine cooling fan. It may come
on at any time without warning, even
if the ignition key is in the OFF position
and the engine is not running. To
avoid injury, always disconnect the
negative battery cable before work-
ing near the fan.
∙ If you must run the engine in an en- closed space such as a garage, be sure
there is proper ventilation for exhaust
gases to escape.
∙ Never get under the vehicle while it is supported only by a jack. If it is neces-
sary to work under the vehicle, sup-
port it with safety stands.
∙ Keep smoking materials, flame and sparks away from the fuel tank and
battery.
∙ On gasoline engine models, the fuel filter or fuel lines should be serviced. It
is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service because
the fuel lines are under high pressure
even when the engine is off.
CAUTION
∙ Do not work under the hood while theengine is hot. Turn the engine off and
wait until it cools down.
∙ Avoid contact with used engine oil and coolant. Improperly disposed en-
gine oil, engine coolant and/or other
vehicle fluids can damage the envi-
ronment. Always conform to local
regulations for disposal of vehicle
fluid.
∙ Never leave the engine or the trans- mission related component harness
connector disconnected while the ig-
nition switch is in the ON position.
∙ Never connect or disconnect the bat- tery or any transistorized component
while the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
∙ DO NOT power wash any interior por- tion of this vehicle to help minimize
liquid intrusion and potential elec-
tronic component damage.
This “Do-it-yourself ” section gives instruc-
tions regarding only those items which are
relatively easy for an owner to perform.
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS
8-2Do-it-yourself
A Genuine NISSAN service manual is also
available. For additional information, refer
to “Owner’s Manual/Service Manual order
information” in the “Technical and con-
sumer information” section of this manual.
You should be aware that incomplete or
improper servicing may result in operating
difficulties or excessive emissions, and
could affect warranty coverage.If in doubt
about any servicing, it is recommended
that you have it done by a NISSAN dealer.
Do-it-yourself8-3
CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant levelin the reservoir
when the engine is cold. If the coolant
level is below the MIN level
B, add coolant
to the MAX level
A. If the reservoir is empty,
check the coolant level in the radiator
when the engine is cold. If there is insuffi-
cient coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and
also add it to the reservoir up to the MAX
level
A. This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue). The life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant is
105,000 miles (168,000 km) or 7 years. Mixing
any other type of coolant or the use of
non-distilled water will reduce the life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant. For ad-
ditional information, refer to the "Mainte-
nance and schedules" section of this
manual.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, it is recommended that you visit
a NISSAN dealer for this service.
For additional information on the location
of the engine coolant reservoir, refer to “En-
gine compartment check locations” in this
section.
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
A NISSAN dealer can change the engine
coolant. The service procedure can be
found in the NISSAN Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine over-
heating.
WARNING
∙ To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
engine is hot.
∙ Never remove the radiator or engine coolant reservoir cap when the en-
gine is hot. Serious burns could be
caused by high pressure fluid escap-
ing from the radiator.
∙ Avoid direct skin contact with used coolant. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand cleaner
as soon as possible.
∙ Keep coolant out of the reach of chil- dren and pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of prop-
erly. Check your local regulations.
LDI2823
Do-it-yourself8-7
7. Wipe the engine oil filter sealing surfacewith a clean rag.
CAUTION
Be sure to remove any old gasket mate-
rial remaining on the sealing surface of
the engine. Failure to do so could lead to
engine damage.
8. Coat the gasket on the new filter with clean engine oil.
9. Screw on the oil filter until a slight resis- tance is felt, then tighten an additional
2/3 turn.
10. Start the engine and check for leakage around the oil filter. Correct as required.
11. Turn the engine off and wait more than 10 minutes. Check the oil level. Add en-
gine oil if necessary. When checking or replacement is required,
it is recommend that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.CAUTION
∙ Use Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF. If
Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF is not
available, Genuine NISSAN Matic J ATF
may also be used.
∙ Using automatic transmission fluid other than Genuine NISSAN Matic S
ATF or Matic J ATF will cause deterio-
ration in driveability and automatic
transmission durability, and may
damage the automatic transmission,
which is not covered by the NISSAN
New Vehicle Limited Warranty.
The specified automatic transmission fluid
is also described on caution labels located
in the engine compartment. When checking or replacement is required,
it is recommend that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
CAUTION
∙ NISSAN recommends using Genuine
NISSAN Matic S ATF. Do not mix with
other fluids.
∙ Do not use CVT fluid or manual trans- mission fluid in this transmission.
Damage caused by the use of fluids
other than as recommended is not
covered under NISSAN’s New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
∙ Using fluids that are not equivalent to Genuine NISSAN Matic S ATF may also
damage the transmission. Damage
caused by the use of fluids other than
as recommended is not covered un-
der NISSAN’s New Vehicle Limited
Warranty.
The specified automatic transmission fluid
is also described on caution labels located
in the engine compartment.
5-SPEED AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION (if so equipped)
FLUID (ATF) 7-SPEED AUTOMATIC
TRANSMISSION (if so equipped)
FLUID (ATF)
8-12Do-it-yourself
The fluid level should be checked using the
HOT MAX range on the power steering fluid
reservoir at fluid temperatures of 122° -
176°F (50° - 80°C) or using the COLD MAX
range on the power steering fluid reservoir
at fluid temperatures of 32° - 86°F (0° - 30°C).
If the fluid is at or below the MIN line, add
Genuine NISSAN PSF II to HOT MAX or COLD
MAX depending on system fluid temperature.
Remove the cap and fill through the opening.
CAUTION
∙ DO NOT OVERFILL.
∙ Recommended fluid is GenuineNISSAN PSF II or equivalent
WARNING
∙ Use only new fluid from a sealed con-tainer. Old, inferior or contaminated
fluid may damage the brake system.
The use of improper fluids can dam-
age the brake system and affect the
vehicle’s stopping ability.
∙ Clean the filler cap before removing.
∙ Brake fluid is poisonous and should be stored carefully in marked contain-
ers out of reach of children.
CAUTION
Do not spill the fluid on any painted sur-
faces. This will damage the paint. If fluid
is spilled, immediately wash the surface
with water.
Check the fluid level in the reservoir. If the
brake fluid is below the MIN line
B, the
brake warning light will illuminate. Add
brake fluid up to the MAX line
A. For addi-
tional information on brake fluid type, refer
to “Recommended fluids/lubricants and
capacities” in the “Technical and consumer
information” section of this manual.
If the brake fluid must be added frequently,
the brake system should be thoroughly
checked. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
LDI2597LDI2824
POWER STEERING FLUID BRAKE FLUID
Do-it-yourself8-13