∙ Keep your engine tuned up.
∙ Follow the recommended scheduledmaintenance.
∙ Keep the tires inflated to the correct pressure. Low tire pressure increases
tire wear and lowers fuel economy.
∙ Keep the wheels in correct alignment. Improper alignment increases tire wear
and lowers fuel economy.
∙ For vehicles equipped with
, use
4H or 4L position only when necessary.
4-wheel drive operation lowers fuel
economy.
∙ Use the recommended viscosity engine oil. For additional information, refer to
“Engine oil and oil filter recommenda-
tions” in the “Technical and consumer
information” section of this manual.
WARNING
∙ 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 vehicle damage or personal
injury.
∙ 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 you inform test fa-
cility personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with 4WD 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.
CAUTION
∙ Do not drive the vehicle in the 4H or4LO position on dry hard surface
roads. Driving on dry, hard surfaces in
4H or 4LO may cause unnecessary
noise, tire wear and increased fuel
consumption.
If the 4WD warning light or vehicle in-
formation display warning message
turns on when you are driving on dry
hard surface roads:
– in the 4H position, shif t the 4WD shif t switch to 2WD.
– in the 4LO position, stop the ve- hicle, move the shif t lever to the N
(Neutral) position with the brake
pedal depressed, and shif t the
4WD shif t switch to 2WD.
∙ If the warning light or vehicle infor- mation display warning message is
still on af ter the above operation,
have your vehicle checked as soon as
possible. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY USING 4–WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-45
The transfer case 4WD shif t switch is used
to select either 2WD or 4WD depending on
the driving conditions. There are three
types of drive modes available: 2WD, 4H and
4LO.
The 4WD shif t switch electronically controls
the transfer case operation. Rotate the
switch to move between each mode: 2WD,
4H and 4LO.
To change into or out of 4LO, the vehicle
MUST be stationary, move the shif t lever
to N (Neutral), and depress the brake
pedal. The switch must be pushed and
turned to select 4LO.
WARNING
∙ When parking, apply the parkingbrake before stopping the engine and
make sure that the 4WD shif t indica-
tor light is on and the Automatic
Transmission park (ATP) warning light
goes off. Otherwise, the vehicle could
unexpectedly move even if the A/T is
in the P position. ∙ The 4LO indicator light must stop
blinking and remain illuminated or
turn off before shif ting the transmis-
sion into gear. If the shif t lever is
shif ted from the N (Neutral) position
to any other gear when the 4LO indi-
cator light is blinking, the vehicle may
move unexpectedly.
CAUTION
∙ Never shif t the 4WD shif t switch be-tween 4LO and 4H while driving.
∙ The 4H position provides greater trac- tion. Avoid excessive speed, as it will
cause increased fuel consumption
and higher oil temperatures, and
could damage drivetrain compo-
nents. Speeds over 62 mph
(100 km/h) in 4H is not recommended.
∙ The 4LO position provides maximum power and traction. Avoid raising ve-
hicle speed excessively, as the maxi-
mum speed is approximately 31 mph
(50 km/h).
∙ When driving straight, shif t the 4WD shif t switch to the 2WD or 4H position.
Do not move the 4WD shif t switch
when making a turn or reversing. ∙ Do not shif t the 4WD shif t switch (be-
tween 2WD and 4H) while driving on
steep downhill grades. Use the engine
brake and low A/T gears (M1 or M2) for
engine braking.
∙ Do not operate the 4WD shif t switch (between 2WD and 4H) with the rear
wheels spinning.
∙ Do not drive on dry hard surface roads in the 4H or 4LO position. Driving on
dry hard surfaces in 4H or 4LO may
cause unnecessary noise and tire
wear. NISSAN recommends driving in
the 2WD position under these
conditions.
∙ The 4WD transfer case may not be shif ted between 4H and 4LO at low
ambient temperatures and the trans-
fer 4LO position indicator light may
blink even when the 4WD shif t switch
is shif ted. Af ter driving for a while you
can change the 4WD transfer case be-
tween 4H and 4LO.
When driving on rough roads, ∙ Set the 4WD shif t switch to 4H or 4LO.
∙ Drive carefully according to the road surface conditions.
5-48Starting and driving
∙ When the warning light or warningmessage comes on, the 2WD mode
may be engaged even if the 4WD shif t
switch is in 4H. Be especially careful
when driving. If corresponding parts
are malfunctioning, the 4WD mode
will not be engaged even if the 4WD
shif t switch is shif ted.
∙ Do not drive the vehicle in the 4H or 4LO position on dry hard surface
roads. Driving on dry, hard surfaces in
4H or 4LO may cause unnecessary
noise, tire wear and increased fuel
consumption.
If the 4WD warning light or warning
message turns on when you are driv-
ing on dry hard surface roads:
– In the 4H position, shif t the 4WD shif t switch to 2WD.
– In the 4LO position, stop the ve- hicle, move the automatic trans-
mission shif t lever to the N (Neu-
tral) position with the brake pedal
depressed, and shif t the 4WD shif t
switch to 2WD. ∙ If the warning light or warning mes-
sage is still on af ter the above opera-
tion, have your vehicle checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for this
service.
∙ The transfer case may be damaged if you continue driving with the warning
light or warning message on. The E-Lock system can provide additional
traction and should only be used when a
vehicle has become or is becoming stuck.
This system operates by electronically
“locking” the two rear drive wheels to-
gether, allowing them to turn at the same
speed. The system is used when it is not
possible to free a stuck vehicle even when
using the 4LO position (4-wheel drive ve-
hicles).
When added traction is required, activate
the E-Lock system by pushing the switch
on. For additional information, refer to
“Electronic locking rear differential (E-Lock)
system switch” in the “Instruments and
controls” section of this manual. Once the
system fully engages, the indicator light in
the instrument panel will remain on. When
the system is activated, both rear wheels
will engage, providing added traction.
The rear wheels may momentarily slip or
move to engage the system, and the sys-
tem will only engage up to approximately
4 mph (7 km/h). Once the vehicle is free, the
system should be turned off and driving
resumed.
The Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) is dis-
abled and the ABS light illuminates when
the E-Lock system is on.
ELECTRONIC LOCKING REAR
DIFFERENTIAL (E-Lock) SYSTEM (if
so equipped)
5-52Starting and driving