CAUTION
∙ To avoid possible damage to your ve-hicle, when stopping the vehicle on an
uphill grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
∙ Except in an emergency, do not shif t to the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission in
the N (Neutral) position may cause se-
rious damage to the transmission.
To move the shif t lever:
Press the buttonAwhile depressing
the brake pedal
Press the buttonAto shif t
Shif t without pressing the buttonA
Shif ting
Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal and move the shif t lever from P
(Park) to any of the desired shif t positions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shif t lever
is in any position while the engine is not
running. Failure to do so could cause
the vehicle to move unexpectedly or roll
away and result in serious personal in-
jury or property damage.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) position only when the ve-
hicle is completely stopped.
Use the P (Park) shif t lever position when
the vehicle is parked or when starting the
engine. Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped.
The brake pedal should be depressed to
move the shif t lever from N (Neutral) or
any drive position to P (Park).
Apply the parking brake. When parking on a
hill, apply the parking brake first, then move
the shif t lever into the P (Park) position.
LSD2643
Starting and driving5-17
R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the R (Reverse) position only when the
vehicle is completely stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up. Make
sure the vehicle is completely stopped be-
fore selecting the R (Reverse) position.The
brake pedal must be depressed in to move
the shif t lever from P (Park) or the shif t
lever button pressed in from N (Neutral) or
any drive position to R (Reverse).
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is engaged.
The engine can be started in this position.
You may shif t to N (Neutral) and restart a
stalled engine while the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
L(Low)
Use this position for engine braking on
steep downhill gradients/climbing steep
slopes and whenever approaching sharp
bends. Do not use the L (Low) position in
any other circumstances.
Shif t lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged,
the shif t lever may not be moved from the
P (Park) position even with the brake pedal
depressed and the shif t lever button
pressed.
It will be necessary to jump start or have
your battery charged. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Jump starting” in the “In
case of emergency” section of this manual.
It is recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer or a professional towing service. To move the shif t lever, complete the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Push the ignition switch to the LOCK position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Using a protective cloth on the tip of a small (1/8 inch or 3 mm) flat-head
screwdriver, remove the shif t lock re-
lease cover.
∙ If available, a plastic trim tool can also be used.
4. Insert the rod from the spare tire tool kit into the shif t lock release slot and
push in at an angle (about 45°). A small
screwdriver or small trim tool may also
be used.
∙ For additional information, refer to “NISSAN Intelligent Key®” in the “Pre-
driving checks and adjustments”
section of this manual.
5. Move the shif t lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding down the shif t
lock release.
6. Push the ignition switch to the ON po- sition. Now the vehicle may be moved
to the desired location.
LSD2644
5-18Starting and driving
If the shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have the transmission checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
CAUTION
Make sure to take extra care during the
removal of the shif t lock cap as this part
is easily damaged.
WARNING
If the shif t lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position while the engine is
running and the brake pedal is de-
pressed, the stop lights may not work.
Malfunctioning stop lights could cause
an accident injuring yourself and
others.
Drive sport mode switch (if so
equipped)
To select the drive sport mode, push the
drive sport mode switch with the shif t lever
in the D (Drive) position.
The drive sport mode indicator in the ve-
hicle information display illuminates next
to the Transmission Shif t Position indicator.
To turn off the drive sport mode, push the
drive sport mode switch again. The drive
sport mode indicator will turn off. When the
shif t lever is shif ted to any position other
than D (Drive), the drive sport mode will be
automatically turned off.OFF position:
For normal driving and fuel economy, use
the OFF position.
ON position:
For driving up or down long slopes where
engine braking is necessary, or for powerful
acceleration, use the ON position. The
transmission will automatically select a dif-
ferent gear ratio, allowing the engine to
provide high output.
Remember not to drive at high speeds for
extended periods of time with the drive
sport mode in the ON position. This re-
duces fuel economy.
LSD2647
Starting and driving5-19
Overdrive (O/D) OFF mode switch
(if so equipped)
To select the overdrive OFF mode, push the
O/D OFF switch with the shif t lever in the D
(Drive) position.
The overdrive OFF indicator light in the me-
ter panel illuminates. To turn off the over-
drive OFF mode, push the O/D OFF switch
again. The overdrive OFF indicator light will
turn off. When the shif t lever is shif ted to
any position other than D (Drive), the over-
drive OFF mode will be automatically
turned off.OFF position:
For normal driving and fuel economy, use
the OFF position.
ON position:
For driving up or down long slopes where
engine braking is necessary, or for powerful
acceleration, use the ON position. The
transmission will automatically select a dif-
ferent gear ratio, allowing the engine to
provide high output.
Remember not to drive at high speeds for
extended periods of time with the over-
drive OFF mode in the ON position. This
reduces fuel economy.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into a lower gear,
depending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tem-
perature protection mode. If the fluid tem-
perature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high tem-
peratures with heavy loads, such as when
towing a trailer), engine power and, under
some conditions, vehicle speed will be de-
creased automatically to reduce the
chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelera-
tor pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed
may be limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel
spinning and subsequent hard braking,
the fail-safe system may be activated.
The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
may come on to indicate the fail-safe
mode is activated. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL)” in the “Instruments and con-
trols” section of this manual. This will oc-
cur even if all electrical circuits are func-
tioning properly. In this case, place the
ignition switch in the OFF position and
wait for 10 seconds. Then push the
LSD2647
5-20Starting and driving
switch back to the ON position. The ve-
hicle should return to its normal operat-
ing condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have the
transmission checked and repaired, if
necessary. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation oc-
curs, vehicle speed may be gradually re-
duced. The reduced speed may be lower
than other traffic, which could increase
the chance of a collision. Be especially
careful when driving. If necessary, pull
to the side of the road at a safe place
and allow the transmission to return to
normal operation, or have it repaired if
necessary.
WARNING
∙ Be sure the parking brake is fully re-leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to an
accident.
∙ Do not release the parking brake from outside the vehicle.
∙ Do not use the shif t lever in place of the parking brake. When parking, be
sure the parking brake is fully
engaged.
∙ To help avoid risk of injury or death through unintended operation of the
vehicle and/or its systems, do not
leave children, people who require the
assistance of others or pets unat-
tended in your vehicle. Additionally,
the temperature inside a closed ve-
hicle on a warm day can quickly be-
come high enough to cause a signifi-
cant risk of injury or death to people
and pets. To engage:
Pull the lever up
A.
To release: 1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Move the shif t lever to the P (Park) po- sition.
3. While pulling up on the parking brake lever slightly, press the button and
lower completely
B.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake warn- ing light goes out.
WSD0169
PARKING BRAKE
Starting and driving5-21
WARNING
∙ Do not stop or park the vehicle overflammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags. They may
ignite and cause a fire. ∙ Safe parking procedures require that
both the parking brake be set and the
transmission placed in P (Park). Fail-
ure to do so could cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly or roll away and
result in an accident. Make sure the
shif t lever has been pushed as far for-
ward as it can go and cannot be
moved without depressing the foot
brake pedal.
∙ Never leave the engine running while the vehicle is unattended. ∙ Do not leave children unattended in-
side the vehicle. They could unknow-
ingly activate switches or controls or
move the vehicle. Unattended chil-
dren could become involved in seri-
ous accidents.
∙ To help avoid risk of injury or death through unintended operation of the
vehicle and/or its systems, do not
leave children, people who require the
assistance of others or pets unat-
tended in your vehicle. Additionally,
the temperature inside a closed ve-
hicle on a warm day can quickly be-
come high enough to cause a signifi-
cant risk of injury or death to people
and pets.
1. Firmly apply the parking brake.
2. Move the shif t lever into the P (Park) position.
3. To help prevent the vehicle from rolling into traffic when parked on an incline, it
is a good practice to turn the wheels as
illustrated.
SSD0488
PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS
5-52Starting and driving
The chassis control is an electric control
module that includes the following func-
tions:∙ Intelligent Trace Control
∙ Intelligent Engine Brake
∙ Active Ride Control
INTELLIGENT TRACE CONTROL
(I-TC)
This system senses driving based on the
driver’s steering and acceleration/braking
patterns, and controls brake pressure at
individual wheels to aid tracing at corners
and help smooth vehicle response. The I–TC can be set to ON (enabled) or OFF
(disabled) through the vehicle information
display “Chassis Control” page. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Vehicle infor-
mation display” in the “Instruments and
controls” section of this manual.
When the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
OFF switch is used to turn off the VDC sys-
tem, the I–TC is also turned off.
When the I–TC is operated and the Chassis
Control mode is selected in the vehicle in-
formation display, the I–TC graphics are
shown in the vehicle information display.
For additional information, refer to “Vehicleinformation display” in the “Instruments
and controls” section of this manual.
WARNING
The I–TC may not be effective depend-
ing on the driving condition. Always
drive carefully and attentively.
When the I–TC is operating, you may feel a
pulsation in the brake pedal and hear a
noise. This is normal and indicates that the
I–TC is operating properly.
Even if the I–TC is set to OFF, some func-
tions will remain on to assist the driver (for
example, avoidance scenes).
INTELLIGENT ENGINE BRAKE (I-EB)
The I-EB function adds subtle deceleration
by controlling the Continuously Variable
Transmission gear ratio, depending on the
cornering condition calculated from driv-
er’s steering input and plural sensors. This
benefit is for easier traceability and less
workload of adjusting speed with braking
at corners.
The I-EB also adds subtle deceleration with
gear ratio control according to driver’s
brake pedal operation.
LSD2185
CHASSIS CONTROL (if so equipped)
Starting and driving5-59
The hill start assist system automatically
keeps the brakes applied to help prevent
the vehicle from rolling backwards in the
time it takes the driver to release the brake
pedal and apply the accelerator when the
vehicle is stopped on a hill.
The hill start assist system will operate au-
tomatically under the following conditions:∙ The transmission is shif ted to a forward or reverse gear.
∙ The vehicle is stopped completely on a hill by applying the brake.
The maximum holding time is 2 seconds.
Af ter 2 seconds the vehicle will begin to roll
back and the hill start assist system will
stop operating completely.
The hill start assist system will not operate
when the transmission is shif ted to the N
(Neutral) or P (Park) position or on a flat and
level road.
When the Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
indicator light illuminates in the meter, the
hill start assist system will not operate. For
additional information, refer to “Vehicle Dy-
namic Control (VDC) indicator light” in the
“Instruments and controls” section of this
manual.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 re-
mote keyless entry function on the Intelli-
gent 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.
This vehicle is equipped with a sealed
maintenance free battery. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
service.
DRAINING OF COOLANT WATER
If the vehicle is to be lef t outside without
antifreeze, drain the cooling system, includ-
ing the engine block. Refill before operating
the vehicle. For additional information, refer
to “Changing engine coolant” in the “Do-it-
yourself ” section of this manual.
TIRE EQUIPMENT
1. SUMMER tires have a tread designed to provide superior performance on dry
pavement. However, the performance
of these tires will be substantially re-
duced in snowy and icy conditions. If
you operate your vehicle on snowy or
icy roads, NISSAN recommends the use
of MUD & SNOW or ALL SEASON TIRES
on all four wheels. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for the tire
type, size, speed rating and availability
information.
2. For additional traction on icy roads, studded tires may be used. However,
some states, provinces and territories
prohibit their use. Check local laws be-
fore installing studded tires.
COLD WEATHER DRIVING
Starting and driving5-61