INFINITI is committed to safe driving. How-
ever, you must choose not to drive under the
influence of alcohol. Every year thousands of
people are injured or killed in alcohol-related
accidents. Although the local laws vary on
what is considered to be legally intoxicated,
the fact is that alcohol affects all people dif-
ferently and most people underestimate the
effects of alcohol.
Remember, drinking and driving don’t mix!
And that is true for drugs, too (over-the-
counter, prescription, and illegal drugs). Don’t
drive if your ability to operate your vehicle is
impaired by alcohol, drugs, or some other
physical condition.
DRIVING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Your INFINITI is designed for both normal
and off-road use. However, avoid driving in
deep water or mud as your INFINITI is mainly
designed for leisure use, unlike a conventional
off-road vehicle.
Remember that 2-Wheel Drive (2WD) mod-
els are less capable than All-Wheel Drive
(AWD) models for rough road driving and
extrication when stuck in deep snow or mud,
or the like.Please observe the following precautions:
WARNING
∙ Spinning the front wheels on slippery
surfaces may cause the AWD warning
message to display and the AWD system
to automatically switch from the AWD to
the 2WD mode. This could reduce the
traction. Be especially careful when tow-
ing a trailer (AWD models).
∙ Drive carefully when off the road and avoid dangerous areas. Every person
who drives or rides in this vehicle should
be seated with their seat belt fastened.
This will keep you and your passengers in
position when driving over rough terrain.
∙ Do not drive across steep slopes. Instead drive either straight up or straight down
the slopes. Off-road vehicles can tip over
sideways much more easily than they can
forward or backward.
∙ Many hills are too steep for any vehicle. If you drive up them, you may stall. If you
drive down them, you may not be able to
control your speed. If you drive across
them, you may roll over. ∙ Do not shift gears while driving on down-
hill grades as this could cause loss of con-
trol of the vehicle.
∙ Stay alert when driving to the top of a hill. At the top there could be a drop-off
or other hazard that could cause an
accident.
∙ If your engine stalls or you cannot make it to the top of a steep hill, never attempt to
turn around. Your vehicle could tip or roll
over. Always back straight down in R
(Reverse) gear and apply brakes to con-
trol your speed.
∙ Heavy braking going down a hill could cause your brakes to overheat and fade,
resulting in loss of control and an acci-
dent. Apply brakes lightly and use a low
gear to control your speed.
∙ Unsecured cargo can be thrown around when driving over rough terrain. Prop-
erly secure all cargo so it will not be
thrown forward and cause injury to you
or your passengers.
∙ Secure heavy loads in the cargo area as far forward and as low as possible. Do not
equip the vehicle with tires larger than
specified in this manual. This could cause
your vehicle to roll over.
Starting and driving5-11
When the ignition switch is pushed without
depressing the brake pedal, the ignition
switch will change as follows:
Push the ignition switch center:∙ Once to change to ON.
∙ Two times to change to OFF.
The ignition switch will automatically return
to the LOCK position when any door is either
opened or closed with the switch in the OFF
position. The ignition lock is designed so that the igni-
tion switch cannot be placed in the OFF po-
sition until the shift lever is in the P (Park)
position.
When the ignition switch cannot be placed in
the OFF position, proceed as follows:
1. Press the Park button to place the ve- hicle in the P (Park) position.
2. Push the ignition switch. The ignition switch position will change to the ON
position.
3. Push the ignition switch again to the OFF position.
The shift lever can be moved from the P
(Park) position if the ignition switch is in the
ON position and the brake pedal is de-
pressed.
If the battery of the vehicle is discharged, the
ignition switch cannot be moved from the
LOCK position.
Some indicators and warnings for operation
are displayed on the vehicle information dis-
play. For additional information, refer to “Ve-
hicle information display” in the “Instruments
and controls” section of this manual.OPERATING RANGE
The Intelligent Key functions can only be used
when the Intelligent Key is within the speci-
fied operating range.
When the Intelligent Key battery is almost
discharged or strong radio waves are present
near the operating location, the Intelligent
Key system’s operating range becomes nar-
rower and may not function properly.
If the Intelligent Key is within the operating
range, it is possible for anyone, even some-
one who does not carry the Intelligent Key, to
push the ignition switch to start the engine.
LSD2911LSD2020
5-14Starting and driving
EMERGENCY ENGINE SHUT OFF
To shut off the engine in an emergency situ-
ation while driving, perform the following
procedure:∙ Rapidly push the ignition switch three consecutive times in less than 1.5 sec-
onds, or
∙ Push and hold the ignition switch for more than 2 seconds.
INFINITI INTELLIGENT KEY
BATTERY DISCHARGE
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is dis-
charged or environmental conditions inter-
fere with the Intelligent Key operation, start
the engine according to the following proce-
dure:
1. Press the Park button to place the ve- hicle in the P (Park) position.
2. Firmly apply the foot brake.
3. Touch the ignition switch with the Intel- ligent Key as illustrated. (A chime will
sound.) 4. Push the ignition switch while depress-
ing the brake pedal within 10 seconds
after the chime sounds. The engine will
start.
After step 3 is performed, when the ignition
switch is pushed without depressing the
brake pedal, the ignition switch position will
change to ON.
NOTE: ∙ When the ignition switch is placed in the
ON position or the engine is started by
the above procedure, the Intelligent Key
battery discharge indicator may appear
in the vehicle information display even
when the Intelligent Key is inside the ve-
hicle. This is not a malfunction. To turn
off the Intelligent Key battery discharge
indicator, touch the ignition switch with
the Intelligent Key again.
∙ If the Intelligent Key battery discharge
indicator appears, replace the battery as
soon as possible. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “Battery replacement” in
the “Do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.
LSD3572
5-16Starting and driving
Manual shift mode
The transmission enters the manual shift
mode by moving the shift lever again to the D
(Drive) position when the vehicle is in the D
range.
You can select the manual shift range by
pulling the right side or left side paddle shifter
AandB. To cancel the manual shift mode,
move the shift lever to the D (Drive) position
again. The transmission returns to the auto-
matic drive mode.
When the shift lever is shifted from D (Drive)
to the manual shift mode with the vehicle stopped or while driving, the transmission
enters the manual shift mode. Shift ranges
can be selected manually. Shift ranges can
also be selected using the paddle shifters on
the steering wheel. When you pull the paddle
shifter while in the D (Drive) position, the
transmission will shift to the upper or lower
range temporarily. If the paddle shifters are
not used for about 5–10 seconds, the trans-
mission will automatically return to the D
(Drive) position. If you want to return to the D
(Drive) position manually, pull and hold either
paddle shifter for about 1.5 seconds.In the manual shift mode, the shift range is
displayed on the position indicator in the me-
ter. When moving the shift lever to the
manual shift mode, the position indicator dis-
plays 1 (1st) up to 8 (8th) depending on ve-
hicle speed.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as fol-
lows:
1⇔
2⇔ 3⇔ 4⇔ 5⇔ 6⇔ 7⇔ 8
8 (8th)
Use this position for all normal forward driv-
ing at highway speeds.
7 (7th), 6 (6th) and 5 (5th)
Use this position when driving up long slopes,
or for engine braking when driving down long
slopes.
4 (4th), 3 (3rd) and 2 (2nd)
Use these positions for hill climbing or engine
braking on downhill grades.
1 (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or when driving slowly, or for maxi-
mum engine braking on steep downhill
grades.
Manual shift gate
LSD2822
Paddle shifters
LSD2914
5-22Starting and driving
∙When the electronic parking brake is fre-
quently applied and released in a short
period of time, the parking brake may
not operate in order to prevent the park-
ing brake system from overheating. If
this occurs, operate the electronic park-
ing brake switch again after waiting ap-
proximately 1 minute.
∙ If the electronic parking brake must be
applied while driving in an emergency,
pull up and hold the parking brake
switch. When you release the parking
brake switch, the parking brake will be
released.
∙ While pulling up the electronic parking
brake switch during driving, the parking
brake is applied and a chime sounds. The
electronic parking brake indicator light
(red) in the meter and in the parking
brake switch illuminates. This does not
indicate a malfunction. The electronic
parking brake indicator light (red) in the
meter and in the parking brake switch
turns off when the parking brake is re-
leased. ∙
When pulling the electronic parking
brake switch up with the ignition switch
in the OFF or AUTO ACC position, the
parking brake switch indicator light will
continue to illuminate for a short period
of time.
WHEN TOWING A TRAILER
Depending on the weight of the vehicle and
trailer and the steepness of the slope, there
may be a tendency for the vehicle to move
backwards when starting from a standstill.
When this occurs, you can use the parking
brake switch in the same way as a conven-
tional lever type parking brake.
Before starting on sloping roads when tow-
ing a trailer, be sure to read the following to
prevent the vehicle from moving backwards
unintentionally.
∙ Release the parking brake switch as soon as the engine is delivering enough torque
to the wheels. The automatic brake hold function maintains
the braking force without the driver having to
depress the brake pedal when the vehicle is
stopped at a traffic light or intersection. As
soon as the driver depresses the accelerator
pedal again, the automatic brake hold func-
tion is deactivated and the braking force is
released. The operating status of the auto-
matic brake hold can be displayed on the
vehicle information display.
WARNING
∙ The automatic brake hold function is not
designed to hold the vehicle on a steep hill
or slippery road. Never use the automatic
brake hold when the vehicle is stopped on
a steep hill or slippery road. Failure to do
so may cause the vehicle to move.
∙ When the automatic brake hold function is activated but fails to maintain the ve-
hicle at a standstill, depress the brake
pedal to stop the vehicle. If the vehicle
unexpectedly moves due to outside con-
ditions, the chime may sound and auto-
matic brake hold warning may illuminate
in the vehicle information display.
∙ Be sure to deactivate the automatic brake hold function when using a car
wash or towing your vehicle.
AUTOMATIC BRAKE HOLD
5-26Starting and driving
∙Make sure to place the shift lever in the P
(Park) position and apply the parking
brake when parking your vehicle, riding on
or off the vehicle, or loading luggage. Fail-
ure to do so could cause the vehicle to move
or roll away unexpectedly and result in se-
rious personal injury or property damage.
CAUTION
∙ If any of the following conditions occur,the automatic brake hold function may
not function. Have the system checked
promptly. It is recommended that you
visit an INFINITI retailer for this service.
– A warning message appears in the ve- hicle information display.
– The indicator light on the automatic brake hold switch does not illuminate
when the switch is pushed.
∙ The automatic brake hold function will not be activated if the Vehicle Dynamic
Control (VDC) OFF indicator light, elec-
tronic parking brake warning light or
master warning light illuminate and the
chassis control system fault message ap-
pears in the vehicle information display.
∙ To maintain the braking force to keep the vehicle to a standstill, a noise may be
heard. This is not a malfunction.
HOW TO ACTIVATE/
DEACTIVATE THE AUTOMATIC
BRAKE HOLD FUNCTION
For additional information on activating and
deactivating the automatic brake hold func-
tion, refer to the instructions outlined in this
section.
How to activate the automatic
brake hold function
1. With the ignition switch in the ON posi- tion, push the automatic brake hold
switch
1. The indicator light on the au-
tomatic brake hold switch
2illuminates. 2. When the automatic brake hold function
goes into standby, the automatic brake
hold indicator light (white) illuminates.
To use the automatic brake hold function, the
following conditions need to be met: ∙ The driver’s seat belt is fastened.
∙ The electronic parking brake is released.
∙ The shift lever is not in the P (Park) posi- tion.
∙ The vehicle is not parked on a steep hill
NOTE:
The automatic brake hold function resets to
OFF every time the ignition switch is switched
from the ON position to the OFF position.
How to deactivate the automatic
brake hold function
While the automatic brake hold function is
activated, push the automatic brake hold
switch to turn off the automatic brake hold
indicator light and deactivate the automatic
brake hold function. To deactivate the auto-
matic brake hold function while the brake
force has been maintained by the automatic
brake hold function, depress the brake pedal
and push the automatic brake hold switch.
LSD2916
Starting and driving5-27
CAUTION
Make sure to firmly depress and hold the
brake pedal when turning off the automatic
brake hold function while the brake force is
applied. When the automatic brake hold
function is deactivated, the brake force will
be released. This could cause the vehicle to
move or roll away unexpectedly and result
in an accident.
HOW TO USE THE AUTOMATIC
BRAKE HOLD FUNCTION
For additional information on using the auto-
matic brake hold function, refer to the in-
structions outlined in this section.
To maintain braking force
automatically
With the automatic brake hold function acti-
vated and the automatic brake hold indicator
light (white) illuminated on the meter, depress
the braking pedal to stop the vehicle. The
brake force is automatically applied without
your foot depressed on the brake pedal.
While the brake hold is maintained, the auto-
matic brake hold indicator light (green) illumi-
nates on the meter.
To start the vehicle from a standstill
With the shift lever not in the P (Park) or N
(Neutral) position, depress the accelerator
pedal while the brake force is maintained. The
brake force will automatically be released to
restart the vehicle.
The automatic brake hold indicator light
(white) on the meter illuminates and the au-
tomatic brake hold returns to standby.
Parking
When the shift lever is in the P (Park) position
with the brake force maintained by the auto-
matic brake hold function, the parking brake
will automatically be applied and the brake
force of the automatic brake hold will be
released. The automatic brake hold indicator
light turns off. When the parking brake is
applied with the brake force maintained by
the automatic brake hold function, the brake
force of the automatic brake hold will be
released. The automatic brake hold indicator
light turns off.NOTE:
∙ Under the following conditions, the
parking brake will automatically be ap-
plied and the brake force of the auto-
matic brake hold will be released:
– The braking force is applied by the
automatic brake hold function for
3 minutes or longer
– The driver’s seat belt is unfastened
– The ignition switch is placed in the
OFF position
– If a malfunction occurs in the auto-
matic brake hold function
∙ When the vehicle stops, but the brake
force is not automatically applied, de-
press the brake pedal firmly until the au-
tomatic brake hold indicator light
(green) illuminates.
Automatic brake hold function
display
The automatic brake hold function status can
be checked in the “Chassis Control” mode in
the vehicle information display. For additional
information, refer to “Vehicle information
display” in the “Instruments and controls” sec-
tion of this manual.
5-28Starting and driving
Four driving modes can be selected by using
the Drive Mode Selector switch: STAN-
DARD, SPORT, ECO and PERSONAL.
NOTE:∙ When the Drive Mode Selector switch
selects a mode, the mode may not switch
quickly. This is not a malfunction.
∙ Select the STANDARD mode center for
normal driving.
STANDARD MODE
STANDARD mode is recommended for nor-
mal driving. Push the Drive Mode Selector
switch until “STANDARD” appears in the ve-
hicle information display. STANDARD mode
will also be displayed in the upper display.
SPORT MODE
The SPORT mode adjusts the engine and
transmission to enhance performance. Push
the Drive Mode Selector switch to the
SPORT position. “SPORT” appears in the ve-
hicle information display. SPORT mode will
also be displayed in the upper display.
NOTE:
In the SPORT mode, fuel economy may be
reduced.
PERSONAL MODE
PERSONAL mode is used for adjusting the
steering mode and drive modes. Turn the
PERSONAL mode off for normal driving.
Push the Drive Mode Selector switch until
“PERSONAL” appears in the vehicle informa-
tion display. PERSONAL mode will also be
displayed in the upper display. For additional
information, refer to the INFINITI InTouch™
Owner’s Manual.
How to set the PERSONAL mode
Perform the following steps to set the PER-
SONAL mode:
1. Press the MENU button
1and select
“Drive Mode Selector” on the lower dis-
play.
2. Select “Engine/Transmission,” “Steer- ing,” “Active Trace Control” or “Active
Engine Brake” and select each item. (See
“Engine/Transmission,” “Steering,” “Ac-
tive Trace Control” or “Active Engine
Brake” about the feature of each item.)
Drive Mode Selector switch
LSD2917LSD2982
INFINITI DRIVE MODE SELECTOR
Starting and driving5-29