2021 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

5. Determine the combined weightof luggage and cargo being
loaded on the vehicle. That
weight may not safely exceed
the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in
step 4.
Before driving a loaded vehicle, con-
firm that you do not exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for your vehicle. For addi-
tional information, refer to “Measure-
ment of weights” in this section.
Also check tires for proper inflation
pressures. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “Tire and Loading Infor-
mation label” in this section.
LOADING TIPS
∙ The GVW must not exceed GVWR or GAWR as specified on the
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification
label. ∙ Do not load the front and rear
axle to the GAWR. Doing so will
exceed the GVWR.

Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.

Traction AA, A, B and C
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire’s ability to stop on wet pave-
ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction perfor-
mance.

WARNING
A vehicle equipped with All -Wheel Drive
(AWD) should never be tested using a
two wheel dynamometer (such as the
dynamometers used by some states for
emissions testing), or similar equip-
ment. Make sure you inform the test fa-
cility personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with AWD before it is placed
on a dynamometer. Using the wrong
test equipment may result in drivetrain
damage or unexpected vehicle move-
ment which could result in serious ve-
hicle damage or personal injury.
Due to legal requirements in some states
and Canadian Provinces, your vehicle may
be required to be in what is called the
“ready condition” for an
Inspection/Maintenance (I/M) test of the
emission control system.
The vehicle is set to the “ready condition”
when it is driven through certain driving
patterns. Usually, the ready condition can
be obtained by ordinary usage of the ve-
hicle.
If a powertrain system component is re-
paired or the battery is disconnected, the
vehicle may be reset to a “not ready” condi-
tion. Before taking the I/M test, check the vehicle’s inspection/maintenance test
readiness condition. Place the ignition
switch in the ON position without starting
the engine. If the Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL) comes on steady for 20 seconds
and then blinks for 10 seconds , the I/M test
condition is “not ready”. If the MIL does not
blink af ter 20 seconds, the I/M test condi-
tion is “ready”. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer to set the “ready con-
dition” or to prepare the vehicle for testing.
This vehicle is equipped with an EDR. The
main purpose of an EDR is to record, in
certain collision or near collision-like situa-
tions, such as an air bag deployment or
hitting a road obstacle, data that will assist
in understanding how a vehicle’s systems
performed. The EDR is designed to record
data related to vehicle dynamics and
safety systems for a short period of time,
typically 30 seconds or less. The EDR in this
vehicle is designed to record such data as:
∙ How various systems in your vehicle were operating;
∙ Whether or not the driver and passen- ger safety belts were buckled/fastened;
∙ How far (if at all) the driver was depress- ing the accelerator and/or brake pedal;
and,
∙ How fast the vehicle was traveling.
∙ Sounds are not recorded.
These data can help provide a better un-
derstanding of the circumstances in which
collisions and injuries occur. NOTE: EDR
data are recorded by your vehicle only if a
nontrivial collision situation occurs; no data
are recorded by the EDR under normal driv-
ing conditions and no personal data (e.g.
name, gender, age and collision location)
READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR)
Technical and consumer information10-21