4WD models with automatic
transmission
NISSAN recommends that towing dollies
be used when towing your vehicle or place
the vehicle on a flatbed truck as illustrated.
CAUTION
Never tow 4WD models equipped with
an automatic transmission with any of
the wheels on the ground as this may
cause serious and expensive damage
to the transfer case and transmission.2WD models with automatic
transmission
NISSAN recommends that your vehicle be
towed with the driving (rear) wheels off the
ground or place the vehicle on a flatbed
truck as illustrated.
LCE2141
LCE2140
In case of emergency6-17
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 cause damage
to the lock mechanism (if so
equipped).
When towing long distances or speeds in
excess of 60 mph (97 km/h), remove the
propeller shaf t before towing to prevent
damage to the transmission. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
additional information.
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 service to 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.
6-18In case of emergency
If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud,
etc., use the following procedure:1. Turn off the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system.
2. Activate the Electronic Locking Rear Differential (E-Lock) system (if so
equipped). For additional information,
refer to “Electronic Locking Rear Differ-
ential (E-Lock) system” in the “Starting
and driving” section of this manual.
3. Make sure the area in front and behind the vehicle is clear of obstructions.
4. Turn the steering wheel right and lef t to clear an area around the front tires.
5. 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) or above 12 mph (20 km/h)
if the E–Lock system (if so equipped)
is engaged.
6. If the vehicle cannot be freed af ter a few tries, contact a professional towing
service to remove the vehicle.
In case of emergency6-19
7 Appearance and care
Cleaning exterior................................ 7-2
Washing ...................................... 7-2
Waxing ....................................... 7-2
Removing spots .............................. 7-3
Underbody ................................... 7-3
Glass ......................................... 7-3
Aluminum alloy wheels (if so equipped) ....... 7-3
Chromeparts................................ 7-3
Tire dressings ................................ 7-4
Cleaning interior ................................. 7-4 Air fresheners
................................ 7-4
Floor mats (if so equipped) ................... 7-5
Seatbelts ....................................7-6
Corrosion protection ............................ 7-7
Most common factors contributing to
vehicle corrosion ............................. 7-7
Environmental factors influence the
rate of corrosion .............................. 7-7
Protect your vehicle from corrosion .......... 7-7
In order to maintain the appearance of
your vehicle, it is important to take proper
care of it.
To protect the paint surfaces, wash your
vehicle as soon as you can:∙ Af ter a rainfall to prevent possible dam- age from acid rain.
∙ Af ter driving on coastal roads.
∙ When contaminants such as soot, bird droppings, tree sap, metal particles or
bugs get on the paint surface.
∙ When dust or mud builds up on the sur- face.
Whenever possible, store or park your ve-
hicle inside a garage or in a covered area.
When it is necessary to park outside, park in
a shady area or protect the vehicle with a
body cover.
Be careful not to scratch the paint sur-
face when putting on or removing the
body cover.WASHING
Wash dirt off with a wet sponge and plenty
of water. Clean the vehicle thoroughly us-
ing a mild soap, a special vehicle soap or
general purpose dishwashing liquid mixed
with clean, lukewarm (never hot) water.
CAUTION
∙ Do not use car washes that use acid in the detergent. Some car washes, es-
pecially brushless ones, use some
acid for cleaning. The acid may react
with some plastic vehicle compo-
nents, causing them to crack. This
could affect their appearance, and
also could cause them not to function
properly. Always check with your car
wash to confirm that acid is not used.
∙ Do not wash the vehicle with strong household soap, strong chemical de-
tergents, gasoline or solvents.
∙ Do not wash the vehicle in direct sun- light or while the vehicle body is hot,
as the surface may become
water-spotted. ∙ Avoid using tight-napped or rough
cloths, such as washing mitts. Care
must be taken when removing
caked-on dirt or other foreign sub-
stances so the paint surface is not
scratched or damaged.
Rinse the vehicle thoroughly with plenty of
clean water.
Inside edges, seams and folds on the
doors, hatches and hood are particularly
vulnerable to the effects of road salt. There-
fore, these areas must be cleaned regularly.
Take care that the drain holes in the lower
edge of the door are open. Spray water
under the body and in the wheel wells to
loosen the dirt and wash away road salt.
A damp chamois can be used to dry the
vehicle to avoid water spots.
WAXING
Regular waxing protects the paint surface
and helps retain new vehicle appearance.
Polishing is recommended to remove
built-up wax residue and to avoid a weath-
ered appearance before re-applying wax.
A NISSAN dealer can assist you in choosing
the proper product.
CLEANING EXTERIOR
7-2Appearance and care
∙ Wax your vehicle only af ter a thoroughwashing. Follow the instructions sup-
plied with the wax.
∙ Do not use a wax containing any abra- sives, cutting compounds or cleaners
that may damage the vehicle finish.
Machine compounding or aggressive pol-
ishing on a base coat/clear coat paint fin-
ish may dull the finish or leave swirl marks.
REMOVING SPOTS
Remove tar and oil spots, industrial dust,
insects, and tree sap as quickly as possible
from the surface of the paint to avoid last-
ing damage or staining. Special cleaning
products are available at a NISSAN dealer
or any automotive accessory store. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for these products.
UNDERBODY
In areas where road salt is used in winter, it
is necessary to clean the underbody regu-
larly in order to prevent dirt and salt from
building up and causing the acceleration of
corrosion on the underbody and suspen-
sion. Before the winter period and again in
the spring, the underseal must be checked
and, if necessary, re-treated.
GLASS
Use glass cleaner to remove smoke and
dust film from the glass surfaces. It is nor-
mal for glass to become coated with a film
af ter the vehicle is parked in the hot sun.
Glass cleaner and a sof t cloth will easily
remove this film.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inside of the win-
dows, do not use sharp-edged tools,
abrasive cleaners or chlorine-based
disinfectant cleaners. They could dam-
age the electrical conductors, radio an-
tenna elements or rear window de-
froster elements.
ALUMINUM ALLOY WHEELS (if so
equipped)
Wash the wheels regularly with a sponge
dampened in a mild soap solution, espe-
cially during winter months in areas where
road salt is used. If not removed, road salt
can discolor the wheels.
CAUTION
Follow the directions below to avoid
staining or discoloring the wheels:
∙ Do not use a cleaner that uses strong acid or alkali contents to clean the
wheels.
∙ Do not apply wheel cleaners to the wheels when they are hot. The wheel
temperature should be the same as
ambient temperature.
∙ Do not use chrome cleaner on any wheel. Doing so can damage the
chrome-like coating on the wheel.
∙ Rinse the wheel to completely remove the cleaner within 15 minutes af ter
the cleaner is applied.
CHROME PARTS
Clean all chrome parts regularly with a
non-abrasive chrome polish to maintain
the finish.
CAUTION
Do not use chrome cleaner on any
wheel. Doing so can damage the
chrome-like coating on the wheel.
Appearance and care7-3
Wheels and tires................................ 8-34
Tire pressure ................................ 8-34
Tire labeling ................................. 8-38Types of tires
................................ 8-41
Tire chains .................................. 8-42
Changing wheels and tires ..................8-42
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 switch is in the OFF or LOCK position when perform-
ing 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. ∙
The automatic engine cooling fan (if so
equipped) may come on at any time
without warning, even if the ignition
switch is in the OFF position and the
engine is not running. To avoid injury,
always disconnect the negative bat-
tery cable before working 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.
∙ Because the fuel lines on gasoline en- gine models are under high pressure
even when the engine is off, it is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for service of the fuel filter or
fuel lines.
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 engine
oil, engine coolant and/or other vehicle
fluids can damage the environment. Al-
ways conform to local regulations for
disposal of vehicle fluid.
∙ Never leave the engine or automatic
transmission related component har-
nesses disconnected while the igni-
tion 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.
This “Do-it-yourself ” section gives instruc-
tions regarding only those items which are
relatively easy for an owner to perform.
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.
MAINTENANCE PRECAUTIONS
8-2Do-it-yourself