2021 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

∙ Do not make unauthorized changesto your vehicle’s electrical system,
suspension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
side air bag and curtain air bag
systems.
∙ Tampering with the side air bag sys- tem may result in serious personal in-
jury. For example, do not change the
front and rear seats by placing mate-
rial near the seatbacks or by installing
additional trim material, such as seat
covers, around the side air bag.
∙ It is recommended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for work on and around
the side air bag and curtain air bag. It
is also recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for installation of elec-
trical equipment. The SRS wiring har-
nesses* should not be modified or dis-
connected. Unauthorized electrical
test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the side air bag
or curtain air bag system.
* The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identifica-
tion. When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the side air bag
and curtain air bag systems and guide the
buyer to the appropriate sections in this
Owner’s Manual.
Driver and passenger
supplemental knee air bag
The knee air bag is located in the knee
bolster, on the driver’s and passenger’s
side.
All of the information, cautions and
warnings in this manual apply and must
be followed. The knee air bag is designed
to inflate in higher severity frontal collisions,
although it may inflate if the forces in an-
other type of collision are similar to those of
a higher severity frontal impact. It may not
inflate in certain collisions.

Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always
an indication of proper knee air bag opera-
tion.
When the knee air bag inflates, a fairly loud
noise may be heard, followed by release of
smoke. This smoke is not harmful and
does not indicate a fire. Care should be
taken not to inhale it, as it may cause irrita-
tion and choking. Those with a history of a
breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.The knee air bag helps to cushion the im-
pact force on the knees of the driver and
passenger. It can help reduce serious inju-
ries. However, an inflating knee air bag may
cause abrasions or other injuries. The knee
air bag provides restraint to the lower body.
The knee air bag inflates quickly in order to
help protect the occupants. Because of
this, the force of the knee air bag inflating
can increase the risk of injury if the occu-
pant is too close to, or is against, this air bag
module during inflation. The knee air bag
will deflate quickly af ter the collision is over
OR the knee air bag will remain inflated for
a short time.
The knee air bag operates only when the
ignition switch is placed in the ON posi-
tion.
Af ter placing the ignition switch in the
ON position, the supplemental air bag
warning light illuminates. The supple-
mental air bag warning light will turn off
af ter about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.

∙ It is recommended that you visit aNISSAN dealer for work on and around
the knee air bag. It is also recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for installation of electrical equip-
ment. The SRS wiring harnesses*
should not be modified or discon-
nected. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the knee air
bag system.
*The SRS wiring harness or connectors
are yellow or orange for easy identifica-
tion.
When selling your vehicle, we request that
you inform the buyer about the knee air
bag system and guide the buyer to the
appropriate sections in this manual.Seat belt with pretensioner(s)
(front and rear outboard seats)

When pretensioner(s) activate, smoke is re-
leased and a loud noise may be heard. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indi-
cate a fire. Care should be taken not to
inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breath-
ing condition should get fresh air promptly.
Af ter the pretensioner(s’) activation, load
limiters allow the seat belt to release web-
bing (if necessary) to reduce forces against
the chest.
The supplemental air bag warning
light

If any of the following conditions occur, the
front air bag, side air bag, curtain air bag,
knee air bag and pretensioner systems
need servicing:∙ The supplemental air bag warning light remains on af ter approximately 7 sec-
onds.
∙ The supplemental air bag warning light flashes intermittently.
∙ The supplemental air bag warning light does not come on at all.
Under these conditions, the front air bag,
side air bag, curtain air bag, knee air bag or
pretensioner systems may not operate
properly. They must be checked and re-
paired. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.

∙ If there is an impact to your vehiclefrom any direction, your Occupant
Classification Sensor (OCS) should be
checked to verif y it is still functioning
correctly. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
The OCS should be checked even if no
air bags deploy as a result of the im-
pact. Failure to verif y proper OCS
function may result in an improper air
bag deployment resulting in injury or
death.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-69