2021 INFINITI QX50 tow

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving............5-4
Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ................5-4
Three-way catalyst ...........................5-4
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ......5-5
On-pavement and off-road driving
precautions ...................................5-8
Avoiding collision and rollover .................5-8
Off-road recovery ............................5-9
Rapid air pressure loss ........................5-9
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ...........5-10
Driving safety precautions ...................5-10
Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (AWD) driving
safety precautions (if so equipped) ............5-12
Push-button ignition switch ....................5-13
Operating range ............................ 5-14
Push-button ignition switch positions ........5-14
Emergency engine shut off ...................5-15
INFINITI Intelligent Key battery
discharge .................................... 5-15
INFINITI Vehicle Immobilizer System .........5-16
Before starting the engine ......................5-16
Starting the engine ............................. 5-16
Remote Engine Start (if so equipped) .........5-17
Driving the vehicle ............................. 5-18
Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) ....................................... 5-18Electronic parking brake
........................ 5-23
Automatic operation ........................ 5-23
Manual operation ........................... 5-24
When towing a trailer ....................... 5-25
Automatic brake hold .......................... 5-25
How to activate/deactivate the
automatic brake hold function ...............5-26
How to use the automatic brake hold
function .................................... 5-27
INFINITI Drive Mode Selector ..................5-28
Standard mode ............................. 5-29
Sport mode ................................. 5-29
Personal mode .............................. 5-29
ECO mode ................................. 5-30
Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) (if so equipped) . . 5-32 System operation ........................... 5-33
Turning the Traffic Sign Recognition
(TSR) system on and off .....................5-34
System temporarily unavailable ..............5-34
System
malfunction ......................... 5-34
System maintenance ........................ 5-34
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) ................5-35
LDW system operation ......................5-36
How to enable/disable the LDW system .....5-37
LDW system limitations .....................5-37
System temporarily unavailable ..............5-38

CAUTION
• Do not use leaded gasoline. Deposits
from leaded gasoline will seriously re-
duce the three-way catalyst's ability to
help reduce exhaust pollutants.
• Keep your engine tuned up. Malfunc-
tions in the ignition, fuel injection, or
electrical systems can cause over rich
fuel flow into the three-way catalyst,
causing it to overheat. Do not keep driv-
ing if the engine misfires, or if noticeable
loss of performance or other unusual op-
erating conditions are detected. Have
the vehicle inspected promptly. It is rec-
ommended that you visit an INFINITI re-
tailer for this service.
• Avoid driving with an extremely low fuel
level. Running out of fuel could cause the
engine to misfire, damaging the three-
way catalyst.
• Do not race the engine while warming 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 Monitor-
ing System (TPMS) that illuminates a low tire
pressure telltale when one or more of your
tires is significantly under-inflated. Accord-
ingly, when the low tire pressure telltale illu-
minates, you should stop and check all your
tires as soon as possible, and inflate them to
the proper pressure. 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 substitute
for proper tire maintenance, and it is the driv-
er’s responsibility to maintain correct tire
pressure, even if under-inflation has not
reached the level to trigger illumination 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 combined
with the low tire pressure telltale. When the
system detects a malfunction, the telltale will
flash for approximately one minute and then
remain continuously illuminated. This se-
quence will continue upon subsequent vehicle
start-ups as long as the malfunction exists.
When the malfunction indicator is illumi-
nated, the system may not be able to detect
or signal low tire pressure as intended. TPMS
malfunctions may occur for a variety of rea-
sons, including the installation of replace-
ment or alternate tires or wheels on the ve-
hicle that prevent the TPMS from functioning
properly. Always check the TPMS malfunc-
tion telltale after replacing one or more tires
or wheels on your vehicle to ensure that the
replacement or alternate tires and wheels al-
low the TPMS to continue to function
properly.
Starting and driving5-5

3. When appropriate, slowly release the ac-celerator pedal to gradually slow the
vehicle.
4. Gradually steer the vehicle to a safe loca- tion off the road and away from traffic if
possible.
5. Lightly apply the brake pedal to gradually stop the vehicle.
6. Turn on the hazard warning flashers and contact a roadside emergency service to
change the tire. For additional informa-
tion, see “Flat tire” (P. 6-3).
DRINKING ALCOHOL/DRUGS
AND DRIVING
WARNING
Never drive under the influence of alcohol
or drugs. Alcohol in the bloodstream re-
duces coordination, delays reaction time
and impairs judgement. Driving after
drinking alcohol increases the likelihood of
being involved in an accident injuring your-
self and others. Additionally, if you are in-
jured in an accident, alcohol can increase
the severity of the injury. 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
downhill grades as this could cause loss
of control of the vehicle.
5-10Starting and driving

• Remember not to drive at high speeds forextended periods of time in lower than 8th
gear. This reduces fuel economy.
When shifting up
Use the + (up) side paddle shifter
OB. (Shifts to
higher range.)
When shifting down
Use the − (down) side paddle shifter
OA.
(Shifts to lower range.)
• The transmission will automatically down- shift the gears. (For example, if you select
the 3rd range, the transmission will shift
down between the 3rd and 1st gears.)
• Moving the shift lever rapidly to the same side twice will shift the ranges in
succession.
When canceling the manual shift mode
Move the shift lever to the D (Drive) position
to return the transmission to the normal driv-
ing mode.
• In the manual shift mode, the transmission
may not shift to the selected gear. This
helps maintain driving performance and
reduces the chance of vehicle damage or
loss of control. •
When this situation occurs, the Continu-
ously Variable Transmission (CVT) posi-
tion indicator will blink and the chime will
sound.
• In the manual shift mode, the transmission
may shift up automatically to a higher
range than selected if the engine speed is
too high. When the vehicle speed de-
creases, the transmission automatically
shifts down and shifts to 1st gear before
the vehicle comes to a stop.
• CVT operation is limited to automatic drive mode when CVT fluid temperature is ex-
tremely low even if manual shift mode is
selected. This is not a malfunction. When
CVT fluid warms up, manual mode can be
selected.
• When the CVT fluid temperature is high, the shift range may upshift in lower rpm
than usual. This is not a malfunction.
Accelerator downshift
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the ac-
celerator pedal to the floor. This shifts the
transmission down into a lower gear, de-
pending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tempera-
ture protection mode. If the fluid temperature
becomes too high (for example, when climb-
ing steep grades in high temperatures with
heavy loads, such as when towing a trailer),
engine power and, under some conditions,
vehicle speed will be decreased automatically
to reduce the chance of transmission dam-
age. Vehicle speed can be controlled with the
accelerator pedal, but the engine and vehicle
speed may be limited.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, the
Continuously Variable Transmission will not
be shifted into the selected driving position.
If the vehicle is driven under extreme condi-
tions, such as excessive wheel spinning and
subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe sys-
tem may be activated. The Malfunction Indi-
cator Light (MIL) may come on to indicate
the fail-safe mode is activated. For addi-
tional information, see “Malfunction Indica-
tor Light (MIL)” (P. 2-15). This will occur
even if all electrical circuits are functioning
properly. In this case, place the ignition
switch in the OFF position and wait for 10
5-22Starting and driving

• While the electronic parking brake is ap-plied or released, an operating sound is
heard from the lower side of the rear seat.
This is normal and does not indicate a
malfunction.
• When the electronic parking brake is fre- quently applied and released in a short pe-
riod of time, the parking brake may not
operate in order to prevent the parking
brake system from overheating. If this oc-
curs, operate the electronic parking brake
switch again after waiting approximately
1 minute.
• If the electronic parking brake must be ap- plied 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 released. • 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 soonas 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 auto-
matic brake hold when the vehicle is
stopped on a steep hill or slippery road.
Failure to do so may cause the vehicle to
move.
• The automatic brake hold function is de-
signed to operate on gradients between
—30% to +30%. Outside this range the
system may not operate. The automatic
brake hold warning may appear in the
Vehicle Information Display to request
that the driver retake control by de-
pressing the brake pedal.
AUTOMATIC BRAKE HOLD
Starting and driving5-25

•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.
• 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.
Failure to do so could cause the vehicle to
move or roll away unexpectedly and re-
sult in serious personal injury or property
damage.WARNING
• 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.
Failure to operate the vehicle in accor-
dance with these conditions could cause
the vehicle to move or roll away unex-
pectedly and result in serious personal
injury or property damage.
– 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 Slip indicator
light, electronic parking brake warning
light or master warning light illuminate
and the chassis control system fault
message appears in the vehicle informa-
tion 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
O1. The indicator light on the automatic
brake hold switch
O2illuminates.
LSD2916
5-26Starting and driving

•Do not use the LDW system under the
following conditions as it may not func-
tion properly:
– During bad weather (rain, fog, snow,
etc.).
– When driving on slippery roads, such
as on ice or snow.
– When driving on winding or uneven
roads.
– When there is a lane closure due to
road repairs.
– When driving in a makeshift or tem-
porary lane.
– When driving on roads where the lane
width is too narrow.
– When driving without normal tire
conditions (for example, tire wear,
low tire pressure, installation of
spare tire, tire chains, nonstandard
wheels).
– When the vehicle is equipped with
non-original brake parts or suspen-
sion parts.
– When you are towing a trailer or
other vehicle. The system may not function properly under
the following conditions:
• On roads where there are multiple parallel
lane markers; lane markers that are faded
or not painted clearly; yellow painted lane
markers; non-standard lane markers; or
lane markers covered with water, dirt,
snow, etc.
• On roads where the discontinued lane markers are still detectable.
• On roads where there are sharp curves.
• On roads where there are sharply contrast- ing objects, such as shadows, snow, water,
wheel ruts, seams or lines remaining after
road repairs. (The LDW system could de-
tect these items as lane markers.)
• On roads where the traveling lane merges or separates.
• When the vehicle’s traveling direction does not align with the lane marker.
• When traveling close to the vehicle in front of you, which obstructs the lane camera
unit detection range.
• When rain, snow, dirt or an object adheres to the windshield in front of the lane cam-
era unit.
• When the headlights are not bright due to dirt on the lens or if the aiming is not ad-
justed properly. • When strong light enters the lane camera
unit. (For example, the light directly shines
on the front of the vehicle at sunrise or
sunset.)
• When a sudden change in brightness oc- curs. (For example, when the vehicle enters
or exits a tunnel or under a bridge.)
SYSTEM TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE
If the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight under
high temperature conditions (over approxi-
mately 104°F [40°C]) and then started, the
LDW system may be deactivated automati-
cally and the following message will appear in
the vehicle information display: “Not avail-
able: High Camera Temp.”
When the interior temperature is reduced, the
LDW system will resume operating
automatically.
The LDW system is not designed to warn
under the following conditions:
• When you operate the lane change signaland change traveling lanes in the direction
of the signal. (The LDW system will become
operable again approximately 2 seconds
after the lane change signal is turned off.)
• When the vehicle speed lowers to less than approximately 37 mph (60 km/h).
5-38Starting and driving

•The LDP system may activate if you
change lanes without first activating
your turn signal or, for example, if a con-
struction zone directs traffic to cross an
existing lane marker. If this occurs you
may need to apply corrective steering to
complete your lane change.
• Because the LDP may not activate under
the road, weather, and lane marker con-
ditions described in this section, it may
not activate every time your vehicle be-
gins to leave its lane and you will need to
apply corrective steering.
• The LDP system will not operate at
speeds below approximately 37 mph (60
km/h) or if it cannot detect lane markers.
• Do not use the LDP system under the
following conditions as it may not func-
tion properly:
– During bad weather (rain, fog, snow,
etc.).
– When driving on slippery roads, such
as on ice or snow.
– When driving on winding or uneven
roads.
– When there is a lane closure due to
road repairs.
– When driving in a makeshift or tem-
porary lane. –
When driving on roads where the lane
width is too narrow.
– When driving without normal tire
conditions (for example, tire wear,
low tire pressure, installation of
spare tire, tire chains, non-standard
wheels).
– When the vehicle is equipped with
nonoriginal brake parts or suspen-
sion parts.
– When you are towing a trailer or
other vehicle.
The system may not function properly un-
der the following conditions:
• On roads where there are multiple paral-
lel lane markers; lane markers that are
faded or not painted clearly; yellow
painted lane markers; non-standard lane
markers; or lane markers covered with
water, dirt, snow, etc.
• On roads where discontinued lane mark-
ers are still detectable.
• On roads where there are sharp curves.
• On roads where there are sharply con-
trasting objects, such as shadows, snow,
water, wheel ruts, seams or lines remain-
ing after road repairs. (The LDP system
could detect these items as lane markers.)
• On roads where the traveling lane
merges or separates.
• When the vehicle’s traveling direction
does not align with the lane marker.
• When traveling close to the vehicle in
front of you, which obstructs the lane
camera unit detection range.
• When rain, snow or dirt adheres to the
windshield in front of the lane camera
unit.
• When the headlights are not bright due
to dirt on the lens or if the aiming is not
adjusted properly.
• When strong light enters the lane cam-
era unit. (For example, the light directly
shines on the front of the vehicle at sun-
rise or sunset.)
• When a sudden change in brightness oc-
curs. (For example, when the vehicle en-
ters or exits a tunnel or under a bridge.)
While the LDP system is operating, you may
hear a sound of brake operation. This is nor-
mal and indicates that the LDP system is
operating properly.
Starting and driving5-43