2020 NISSAN FRONTIER starting and driving

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving..........5-2
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ..............5-2
Three-way catalyst ...........................5-3
Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS) .......................................5-3
On-pavement and off-road driving
precautions ..................................5-6
Avoiding collision and rollover ................5-6
Off-roadrecovery ............................5-7
Rapid air pressure loss .......................5-7
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ...........5-8
Driving safety precautions ....................5-8
Push-button ignition switch ....................5-10
Operating range ............................. 5-11
Push-button ignition switch positions ........5-11
Emergency engine shut off ..................5-12
NISSAN Intelligent Key® battery
discharge ................................... 5-12
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System .........5-13
Before starting the engine .....................5-13
Starting the engine ............................. 5-13
Driving the vehicle .............................. 5-14
Automatic transmission (A/T) ...............5-14
Parking brake .................................. 5-19
Cruise control .................................. 5-19
Precautions on cruise control ...............5-19Cruise control operations
...................5-20
Break-in schedule .............................. 5-21
Fuel efficient driving tips ........................5-21
Increasing fuel economy .......................5-23
Using 4–Wheel Drive (4WD)
(if so equipped) ................................. 5-23
Transfer case shif ting procedures ...........5-24
Electronic locking rear differential (E-Lock)
system (if so equipped) ......................... 5-29
Parking/parking on hills ........................5-31
Power steering ................................. 5-32
Brake system .................................. 5-32
Brake precautions ........................... 5-32
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) ..............5-33
Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) system ........5-34
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system .........5-35
Brake force distribution .....................5-36
Hill descent control system (if so equipped) ....5-37
Hill start assist system (if so equipped) .........5-38
Rear Sonar System (RSS) (if so equipped) .......5-39
Cold weather driving ........................... 5-40
Freeing a frozen door lock ...................5-40
Antifreeze ................................... 5-40
Battery...................................... 5-40
Draining of coolant water ...................5-40

WARNING
• Do not leave children or adults who
would normally require the assis-
tance of others alone in your vehicle.
Pets should also not be lef t alone.
They could accidentally injure them-
selves or others through inadvertent
operation of the vehicle. Also, on hot,
sunny days, temperatures in a closed
vehicle could quickly become high
enough to cause severe or possibly
fatal injuries to people or animals.
• Properly secure all cargo with ropes
or straps to help prevent it from slid-
ing or shif ting. Do not place cargo
higher than the seatbacks. In a sud-
den stop or collision, unsecured
cargo could cause personal injury.
EXHAUST GAS (carbon monoxide)
WARNING
• Do not breathe exhaust gases; they
contain colorless and odorless car-
bon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is
dangerous. It can cause uncon-
sciousness or death. •
If you suspect that exhaust fumes
are entering the vehicle, drive with all
windows fully open, and have the ve-
hicle inspected immediately.
• Do not run the engine in closed
spaces such as a garage.
• Do not park the vehicle with the en-
gine running for any extended length
of time.
• Keep the rear vent windows, lif t-
gates, doors and trunk lids (if so
equipped) closed while driving, oth-
erwise exhaust gases could be
drawn into the passenger compart-
ment. If you must drive with one of
these open, follow these precau-
tions:
1. Open all the windows.
2. Set the
air recirculation but-
ton to off and the fan control dial
to high to circulate the air.
• If electrical wiring or other cable con-
nections must pass to a trailer
through the seal on the lif tgate or the
body, follow the manufacturer's rec-
ommendation to prevent carbon
monoxide entry into the vehicle. •
The exhaust system and body should
be inspected by a qualified mechanic
whenever:
a. The vehicle is raised for service.
b. You suspect that exhaust fumes are entering into the passenger
compartment.
c. You notice a change in the sound of the exhaust system.
d. You have had an accident involv- ing damage to the exhaust sys-
tem, underbody, or rear of the
vehicle.
• If a special body, camper, or other
equipment is added for recreational
or other usage, follow the manufac-
turer's recommendation to prevent
carbon monoxide entry into the ve-
hicle. Do not occupy these areas
while the engine is running even if
the vehicle is parked. Some recre-
ational vehicle appliances such as
stoves, refrigerators, heaters, etc.
may also generate carbon monoxide.
PRECAUTIONS WHEN STARTING AND
DRIVING
5-2Starting and driving

THREE-WAY CATALYST
The three-way catalyst is an emission con-
trol device installed in the exhaust system.
Exhaust gases in the three-way catalyst
are burned at high temperatures to help
reduce pollutants.
WARNING
• The exhaust gas and the exhaust
system are very hot. Keep people,
animals or flammable materials
away from the exhaust system
components.
• Do not stop or park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry
grass, waste paper or rags. They may
ignite and cause a fire.
CAUTION
• Do not use leaded gasoline. Deposits
from leaded gasoline will seriously
reduce the three-way catalyst's abil-
ity to help reduce exhaust pollutants. •
Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunc-
tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause overrich
fuel flow into the three-way catalyst,
causing it to overheat. Do not keep
driving if the engine misfires, or if no-
ticeable loss of performance or other
unusual operating conditions are de-
tected. Have the vehicle inspected
promptly. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this
service.
• Avoid driving with an extremely low
fuel level. Running out of fuel could
cause the engine to misfire, damag-
ing the three-way catalyst.
• Do not race the engine while warm-
ing it up.
• Do not push or tow your vehicle to
start the engine.
TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM (TPMS)
Each tire, including the spare (if provided),
should be checked monthly when cold and
inflated to the inflation pressure recom-
mended by the vehicle manufacturer on
the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure
label. (If your vehicle has tires of a different
size than the size indicated on the vehicle placard or tire inflation pressure label, you
should determine the proper tire inflation
pressure for those tires.)
As an added safety feature, your vehicle
has been equipped with a Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS) that illuminates
a low tire pressure telltale when one or
more of your tires is significantly under-
inflated. Accordingly, when the low tire
pressure telltale illuminates, you should
stop and check your tires as soon as pos-
sible, and inflate them to the proper pres-
sure. Driving on a significantly under-
inflated tire causes the tire to overheat and
can lead to tire failure. Under-inflation also
reduces fuel efficiency and tire tread life,
and may affect the vehicle’s handling and
stopping ability.
Please note that the TPMS is not a substi-
tute for proper tire maintenance, and it is
the driver’s responsibility to maintain cor-
rect tire pressure, even if under-inflation
has not reached the level to trigger illumi-
nation of the TPMS low tire pressure telltale.
Your vehicle has also been equipped with a
TPMS malfunction indicator to indicate
when the system is not operating properly.
The TPMS malfunction indicator is com-
bined with the low tire pressure telltale.
When the system detects a malfunction,
Starting and driving5-3

the telltale will flash for approximately 1
minute and then remain continuously illu-
minated. This sequence will continue upon
subsequent vehicle start-ups as long as
the malfunction exists. When the malfunc-
tion indicator is illuminated, the system
may not be able to detect or signal low tire
pressure as intended. TPMS malfunctions
may occur for a variety of reasons, includ-
ing the installation of replacement or alter-
nate tires or wheels on the vehicle that
prevent the TPMS from functioning prop-
erly. Always check the TPMS malfunction
telltale af ter replacing one or more tires or
wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels
allow the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Additional information:
• When replacing a wheel without theTPMS such as the spare tire, the TPMS
does not monitor the tire pressure of the
spare tire.
• The TPMS will activate only when the ve- hicle is driven at speeds above 16 mph (25
km/h). Also, this system may not detect a
sudden drop in tire pressure (for example,
a flat tire while driving). • The low tire pressure warning light does
not automatically turn off when the tire
pressure of your tires are adjusted. Af ter
the tires are inflated to the recom-
mended pressure, the vehicle must be
driven at speeds above 16 mph (25 km/h)
to activate the TPMS and turn off the low
tire pressure warning light. Use a tire
pressure gauge to check the tire pres-
sure.
• The CHECK TIRE PRES (pressure) warning message is displayed in the odometer
when the low tire pressure warning light
is illuminated and low tire pressure is de-
tected. The CHECK TIRE PRES warning
message turns off when the low tire pres-
sure warning light turns off. The low tire
pressure warning light remains illumi-
nated until the tires are inflated to the
recommended COLD tire pressure. The
CHECK TIRE PRES warning message is
displayed each time the ignition switch is
placed in the ON position as long as the
low tire pressure warning light remains
illuminated. For additional information,
refer to “Check tire pressure warning
message” in the “Instruments and con-
trols” section of this manual. • The CHECK TIRE PRES warning is not dis-
played if the low tire pressure warning
light illuminates to indicate a TPMS mal-
function.
• The CHECK TIRE PRES warning appears each time the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position as long as the low tire
pressure warning light remains illumi-
nated.
• Tire pressure rises and falls depending on the heat caused by the vehicle’s opera-
tion and the outside temperature. Do not
reduce the tire pressure af ter driving be-
cause the tire pressure rises af ter driving.
Low outside temperature can lower the
temperature of the air inside the tire
which can cause a lower tire inflation
pressure. This may cause the low tire
pressure warning light to illuminate. If the
warning light illuminates, check the tire
pressure for all four tires.
• The Tire and Loading Information label is located in the driver's door opening.
For additional information, refer to “Low tire
pressure warning light” in the “Instruments
and controls” section and “Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS)” in the “In case of
emergency” section of this manual.
5-4Starting and driving

WARNING
• Radio waves could adversely affect
electric medical equipment. Those
who use a pacemaker should contact
the electric medical equipment
manufacturer for the possible influ-
ences before use.
• If the low tire pressure warning light
illuminates while driving, avoid sud-
den steering maneuvers or abrupt
braking, reduce vehicle speed, pull
off the road to a safe location and
stop the vehicle as soon as possible.
Driving with under-inflated tires may
permanently damage the tires and
increase the likelihood of tire failure.
Serious vehicle damage could occur
and may lead to an accident and
could result in serious personal in-
jury. Check the tire pressure for all
four tires. Adjust the tire pressure to
the recommended COLD tire pres-
sure shown on the Tire and Loading
Information label to turn the low tire
pressure warning light off. If you have
a flat tire, replace it with a spare tire
as soon as possible. For additional
information, refer to “Flat tire” in the
“In case of emergency ” section of this
manual for changing a flat tire. •
When replacing a wheel without the
TPMS such as the spare tire, when a
spare tire is mounted or a wheel is
replaced, the TPMS will not function
and the low tire pressure warning
light will flash for approximately 1
minute. The light will remain on af ter
1 minute. Have your tires replaced
and/or TPMS system reset as soon as
possible. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
• Replacing tires with those not origi-
nally specified by NISSAN could af-
fect the proper operation of the
TPMS.
• Do not inject any tire liquid or aerosol
tire sealant into the tires, as this may
cause a malfunction of the tire pres-
sure sensors.
CAUTION
Do not place metalized film or any
metal parts (antenna, etc.) on the win-
dows. This may cause poor reception of
the signals from the tire pressure sen-
sors, and the TPMS will not function
properly. Some devices and transmitters may tem-
porarily interfere with the operation of the
TPMS and cause the low tire pressure
warning light to illuminate.
Some examples are:
• Facilities or electric devices using similar
radio frequencies are near the vehicle.
• If a transmitter set to similar frequencies is being used in or near the vehicle.
• If a computer (or similar equipment) or a DC/AC converter is being used in or near
the vehicle.
The low tire pressure warning light may
illuminate in the following cases:
• If the vehicle is equipped with a wheel and tire without TPMS.
• If the TPMS has been replaced and the ID has not been registered.
• If the wheel is not originally specified by NISSAN.
Starting and driving5-5

FCC Notice:
For USA:
This device complies with Part 15 of the
FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the fol-
lowing two conditions: (1) This device
may not cause harmful interference, and
(2) this device must accept any interfer-
ence received, including interference
that may cause undesired operation.
NOTE:
Changes or modifications not ex-
pressly approved by the party re-
sponsible for compliance could void
the user's authority to operate the
equipment.
For Canada:
This device complies with Industry
Canada licence-exempt RSS standard(s).
Operation is subject to the following two
conditions: (1) this device may not cause
interference, and (2) this device must ac-
cept any interference, including interfer-
ence that may cause undesired opera-
tion of the device.
ON-PAVEMENT AND OFF-ROAD
DRIVING PRECAUTIONS
Utility vehicles have a significantly
higher rollover rate than other types of
vehicles.
They have higher ground clearance than
passenger cars to make them capable of
performing in a variety of on-pavement
and off-road applications. This gives them
a higher center of gravity than ordinary ve-
hicles. An advantage of higher ground
clearance is a better view of the road, allow-
ing you to anticipate problems. However,
they are not designed for cornering at the
same speeds as conventional 2-Wheel
Drive vehicles any more than low-slung
sports cars are designed to perform satis-
factorily under off-road conditions. If at all
possible, avoid sharp turns at high speeds.
As with other vehicles of this type, failure to
operate this vehicle correctly may result in
loss of control or vehicle rollover. In a roll-
over crash, an unbelted person is signifi-
cantly more likely to die than a person
wearing a seat belt.
For additional information, refer to “Driving
safety precautions” in this section.
AVOIDING COLLISION AND
ROLLOVER
WARNING
Failure to operate this vehicle in a safe
and prudent manner may result in loss
of control or an accident.
Be alert and drive defensively at all times.
Obey all traffic regulations. Avoid excessive
speed, high speed cornering, or sudden
steering maneuvers, because these driving
practices could cause you to lose control of
your vehicle.
As with any vehicle, loss of control could
result in a collision with other vehicles or
objects or cause the vehicle to roll over,
particularly if the loss of control causes
the vehicle to slide sideways.
Be attentive at all times, and avoid driving
when tired. Never drive when under the in-
fluence of alcohol or drugs (including pre-
scription or over-the-counter drugs which
may cause drowsiness). Always wear your
seat belt as outlined in the “Safety – Seats,
seat belts and supplemental restraint sys-
tem” section of this manual, and also in-
struct your passengers to do so.
5-6Starting and driving

Seat belts help reduce the risk of injury in
collisions and rollovers.In a rollover crash,
an unbelted person is significantly more
likely to die than a person wearing a seat
belt..
OFF-ROAD RECOVERY
While driving, the right side or lef t side
wheels may unintentionally leave the road
surface. If this occurs, maintain control of
the vehicle by following the procedure be-
low. Please note that this procedure is only
a general guide. The vehicle must be driven
as appropriate based on the conditions of
the vehicle, road and traffic.
1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
2. Do not apply the brakes.
3. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands and try to hold a
straight course.
4. When appropriate, slowly release the ac- celerator pedal to gradually slow the
vehicle.
5. If there is nothing in the way, steer the vehicle to follow the road while vehicle
speed is reduced. Do not attempt to
drive the vehicle back onto the road sur-
face until vehicle speed is reduced. 6. When it is safe to do so, gradually turn
the steering wheel until both tires return
to the road surface. When all tires are on
the road surface, steer the vehicle to
stay in the appropriate driving lane.
• If you decide that it is not safe to return the vehicle to the road surface based
on vehicle, road or traffic conditions,
gradually slow the vehicle to a stop in
a safe place off the road.
RAPID AIR PRESSURE LOSS
Rapid air pressure loss or a “blow-out” can
occur if the tire is punctured or is damaged
due to hitting a curb or pothole. Rapid air
pressure loss can also be caused by driving
on under-inflated tires.
Rapid air pressure loss can affect the han-
dling and stability of the vehicle, especially
at highway speeds.
Help prevent rapid air pressure loss by
maintaining the correct air pressure and
visually inspecting the tires for wear and
damage. For additional information, refer
to “Wheels and tires” in the “Do-it-yourself ”
section of this manual. If a tire rapidly loses
air pressure or “blows-out” while driving,
maintain control of the vehicle by following
the procedure below. Please note that this
procedure is only a general guide. The ve- hicle must be driven as appropriate based
on the conditions of the vehicle, road and
traffic.
WARNING
The following actions can increase the
chance of losing control of the vehicle if
there is a sudden loss of tire air pres-
sure. Losing control of the vehicle may
cause a collision and result in personal
injury.
• The vehicle generally moves or pulls
in the direction of the flat tire.
• Do not rapidly apply the brakes.
• Do not rapidly release the accelerator
pedal.
• Do not rapidly turn the steering
wheel.
1. Remain calm and do not overreact.
2. Maintain a firm grip on the steering wheel with both hands and try to hold a
straight course.
3. When appropriate, slowly release the ac- celerator pedal to gradually slow the
vehicle.
Starting and driving5-7

4. Gradually steer the vehicle to a safe lo-cation off the road and away from traffic
if possible.
5. Lightly apply the brake pedal to gradu- ally stop the vehicle.
6. Turn on the hazard warning flashers and contact a roadside emergency service
to change the tire. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Changing a flat tire” in
the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
DRINKING ALCOHOL/DRUGS AND
DRIVING
WARNING
Never drive under the influence of alco-
hol or drugs. Alcohol in the blood-
stream reduces coordination, delays
reaction time and impairs judgement.
Driving af ter drinking alcohol increases
the likelihood of being involved in an
accident injuring yourself and others.
Additionally, if you are injured in an ac-
cident, alcohol can increase the sever-
ity of the injury. NISSAN is committed to safe driving. How-
ever, you must choose not to drive under
the influence of alcohol. Every year thou-
sands of people are injured or killed in
alcohol-related collisions. Although the lo-
cal laws vary on what is considered to be
legally intoxicated, the fact is that alcohol
affects all people differently and most
people underestimate the effects of alco-
hol.
Remember, drinking and driving don't mix!
That is true for drugs (over-the-counter,
prescription) and illegal drugs, too. Don't
drive if your ability to operate your vehicle is
impaired by alcohol, drugs, or some other
physical condition.
DRIVING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Your NISSAN is designed for both normal
and off-road use. However, avoid driving in
deep water or mud as your NISSAN is
mainly designed for leisure use, unlike a
conventional off-road vehicle.
Remember that 2-Wheel Drive models are
less capable than 4–Wheel Drive (4WD)
models for rough road driving and extrica-
tion when stuck in deep snow or mud, or
the like. Please observe the following precautions:
WARNING
• 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. In-
stead 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 ve-
hicle. 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 shif t gears while driving on
downhill grades as this could cause
loss of control 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.
5-8Starting and driving