2018 NISSAN PATHFINDER 4WD

I–4X4 SYSTEM OPERATION
WARNING
∙ Do not drive beyond the performancecapability of the tires. Accelerating
quickly, sharp steering maneuvers or
sudden braking may cause loss of
control, even with I-4x4 engaged.
∙ For 4WD 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 personal injury or vehicle
damage. ∙ Do not attempt to test a 4WD
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 that you inform
the test facility personnel that your
vehicle is equipped with 4WD before it
is placed on a dynamometer. Using
the wrong test equipment may result
in drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could result
in serious personal injury or vehicle
damage.
CAUTION
∙ Do not operate the engine on a freeroller when any of the wheels are
raised.
∙ If you use the free roller, rotate four wheels with the same speed without
raising any wheels. ∙ If a 4WD warning message is dis-
played while driving there may be a
malfunction in the 4WD system. Re-
duce the vehicle speed immediately
and have your vehicle checked. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer as soon as possible.
∙ If the 4WD high temperature message is displayed while you are driving, pull
off the road in a safe area, and idle the
engine. The driving mode will change
to 2WD to prevent the 4WD system
from malfunctioning. If the warning
message turns off, you can drive
again.
∙ If the incorrect tire size message is displayed while you are driving, pull
off the road in a safe area with the
engine idling. Check that all tire sizes
are the same, that the tire pressure is
correct and that the tires are not ex-
cessively worn.
∙ If a warning message continues to be displayed af ter the above operations,
have your vehicle checked as soon as
possible. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
INTELLIGENT 4X4 (I-4x4) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-67

4WD shif t switch
The 4WD system is used to select the 2WD,
AUTO or LOCK mode depending on the
driving conditions.
Turn the 4WD mode switch, located on the
center console, to select 2WD, AUTO, or
LOCK.∙ 2WD – Turn the 4WD mode switch to the 2WD position. The 2WD indicator light in
the vehicle information display illumi-
nates. ∙ AUTO – Turn the 4WD mode switch to
the neutral (AUTO) position. The 4WD
AUTO indicator light in the vehicle infor-
mation display illuminates.
∙ LOCK – To engage the LOCK mode, turn the 4WD mode switch to the LOCK po-
sition. The switch will return to the AUTO
position automatically and the 4WD
LOCK indicator light in the vehicle infor-
mation display illuminates. To disen-
gage the LOCK mode, turn the switch to
the LOCK position again. The switch will
return to the AUTO position automati-
cally, and the 4WD LOCK indicator light
turns into the AUTO indicator light. The
LOCK mode will automatically be can-
celed when the ignition switch is placed
in the OFF position.
LSD2496
5-68Starting and driving

4WD modeWheels driven4WD mode indicator
light Use conditions
2WD Front only – This
mode is used when
driving on a normal
road *1 2WD
For driving on dry
paved roads.
AUTO Distribution of torque
to the front and rear
wheels changes au-
tomatically depend-
ing on road condi-
tions encountered.
This results in im-
proved driving
stability. AUTO
For driving on paved
or slippery roads.
LOCK 4-Wheel Drive *2 *3
LOCKFor driving on rough
roads.
*1 The 2WD mode may change to the 4WD mode automatically depending on the driving
conditions.
*2 The LOCK mode will change to the AUTO mode automatically when the vehicle has
been driven at a high speed. The 4WD LOCK indicator light turns into the AUTO indicator
light.
*3 The LOCK mode will automatically be canceled when the ignition switch is placed in the
OFF position.
4WD shif t tips
∙ If the 4WD mode switch is operated
while making a turn, accelerating or de-
celerating, or if the ignition switch is
placed in the OFF position while in the
AUTO or LOCK mode, you may feel a jolt.
This is normal.
∙ The oil temperature of powertrain parts will increase if the vehicle is continu-
ously operated under conditions where
the difference between the front and
rear wheels is large (wheel slip), such as
when driving the vehicle on rough
roads through sand or mud or when
freeing a stuck vehicle. In these cases,
the 4WD mode changes to the 2WD
mode to protect the powertrain parts.
∙ Brake distance in the 4WD mode is the same as 2WD.
Starting and driving5-69

CAUTION
∙ Depending on the driving condition,the 4WD mode may automatically
change from 2WD to 4WD even when
the 2WD mode is selected. If this oc-
curs while driving, the 4WD mode indi-
cator light will not illuminate.
∙ Do not start the engine with the 4WD mode switch in any mode in the fol-
lowing cases:
– When the vehicle is placed on a fre- eroller or jacking up the vehicle
with the front tires raised and the
rear tires on the ground.
– When towing the vehicle with the rear tires raised from the ground.
∙ Operate the 4WD mode switch only when driving straight. Do not operate
the 4WD mode switch when making a
turn or backing up.
∙ Do not operate the 4WD mode switch with the front wheel spinning.
∙ Engine idling speed is high while warming up the engine. Be especially
careful when starting or driving on
slippery surfaces with the 4WD mode
switch set in the AUTO mode.
4WD mode indicator lights
The 2WD, 4WD AUTO and LOCK mode indi-
cator lights are located in the vehicle infor-
mation display.
The 4WD mode indicator lights will display
the mode selected by the 4WD mode
switch while the engine is running.
The 4WD AUTO indicator light illuminates
when selecting the AUTO mode.
The 4WD LOCK indicator light illuminates
when selecting the LOCK mode and the
2WD indicator light illuminates when se-
lecting the 2WD mode.
5-70Starting and driving

WARNING
∙ Never rely solely on the hill descentcontrol system to control vehicle
speed when driving on steep downhill
grades. Always drive carefully and at-
tentively when using the hill descent
control system and decelerate the ve-
hicle speed by depressing the brake
pedal if necessary. Be especially care-
ful when driving on frozen, muddy or
extremely steep downhill roads. Fail-
ure to control vehicle speed may re-
sult in a loss of control of the vehicle
and possible serious injury or death.
∙ The hill descent control may not con- trol the vehicle speed on a hill under
all load or road conditions. Always be
prepared to depress the brake pedal
to control vehicle speed. Failure to do
so may result in a collision or serious
personal injury.
The hill descent control system can only be
activated when the 4WD LOCK switch is
engaged.
The hill descent control system helps
maintain vehicle speed when driving under
15 mph (25 km/h) on steeper downhill
grades. Hill descent control is useful when
engine braking alone cannot control ve- hicle speed. Hill descent control applies the
vehicle brakes to control vehicle speed al-
lowing the driver to concentrate on steer-
ing while reducing the burden of brake and
accelerator operation.
If the hill descent control light is blinking,
the hill descent control is engaged; how-
ever, the hill descent control will not control
the vehicle speed.
∙ Once the system is activated, the indi- cator light will remain on in the instru-
ment panel. For additional information,
refer to “Hill descent control system ON
indicator light” in the “Instruments and
controls” section of this manual.
If the accelerator or brake pedal is de-
pressed while the hill descent control sys-
tem is on, the system will stop operating
temporarily. As soon as the accelerator or
brake pedal is released, the hill descent
control system begins to function again if
the hill descent control operating condi-
tions are fulfilled.
For the best results, when descending
steep downhill grades, the hill descent con-
trol switch should be on and the shif t lever
in L (Low gear) for engine braking.
WARNING
∙ Never rely solely on the hill start assist system 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.
HILL DESCENT CONTROL SYSTEM (if
so equipped) HILL START ASSIST SYSTEM
5-78Starting and driving

For additional information, refer to “Flat
towing for 4–Wheel drive vehicle” or “Flat
towing for front wheel drive vehicle” in the
“Technical and consumer information” sec-
tion of this manual.
TOWING RECOMMENDED BY
NISSAN
NISSAN recommends towing your vehicle
based upon the type of drivetrain. For addi-
tional information, refer to the diagrams in
this section to ensure that your vehicle is
properly towed.
4WD models with Continuously
Variable Transmission (CVT)
NISSAN recommends that towing dollies
be used when towing your vehicle or place
the vehicle on a flatbed truck as illustrated.
LCE2237
6-14In case of emergency

CAUTION
Never tow 4WD models equipped with a
CVT with any of the wheels on the
ground as this may cause serious and
expensive damage to the transfer case
and transmission due to the lack of
lubrication.
2WD models with Continuously
Variable Transmission (CVT)
NISSAN recommends that your vehicle be
towed with the driving (front) wheels off the
ground or place the vehicle on a flatbed
truck as illustrated.
CAUTION
∙ Never tow CVT models with the frontwheels on the ground or four wheels
on the ground (forward or backward),
as this may cause serious and expen-
sive damage to the transmission. If it
is necessary to tow the vehicle with
the rear wheels raised always use
towing dollies under the front wheels.
∙ When towing CVT models with the rear wheels on the ground or on tow-
ing dollies:
LCE2041
In case of emergency6-15

CHECKING ENGINE OIL LEVEL
1. Park the vehicle on a level surface andapply the parking brake.
2. Start the engine and let it idle until it reaches operating temperature.
3. Turn off the engine. Wait more than
10 minutes for the oil to drain back
into the oil pan.
4. Remove the dipstick and wipe it clean. Reinsert it all the way. 5. Remove the dipstick again and check
the oil level. It should be between the H
(High) and L (Low) marksB. This is the
normal operating oil level range. If the
oil level is below the L (Low) mark
A,
remove the oil filler cap and pour rec-
ommended oil through the opening.
Do not fill oil level above H (High)
mark
C.
6. Recheck the oil level with the dipstick.
It is normal to add some oil between oil
maintenance intervals or during the
break-in period, depending on the sever-
ity of operating conditions.
CAUTION
Oil level should be checked regularly.
Operating the engine with an insuffi-
cient amount of oil can damage the en-
gine, and such damage is not covered
by warranty.
LDI3014WDI0214
ENGINE OIL
8-6Do-it-yourself