This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN
Advanced Air Bag System for the driver and
front passenger seats. This system is de-
signed to meet certification requirements
under U.S. regulations. It is also permitted in
Canada.However, all of the information,
cautions and warnings in this manual
still apply and must be followed.
The driver supplemental front-impact air
bag is located in the center of the steering
wheel. The front passenger supplemental
front-impact air bag is mounted in the
dashboard above the glove box. The front
air bags are designed to inflate in higher
severity frontal collisions, although they
may inflate if the forces in another type of
collision are similar to those of a higher
severity frontal impact. They may not in-
flate in certain frontal collisions. Vehicle
damage (or lack of it) is not always an indi-
cation of proper front air bag system op-
eration.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
monitors information from the crash zone
sensor, the Air bag Control Unit (ACU), seat
belt buckle sensors, occupant classifica-
tion sensor (pressure sensor) and passen-
ger seat belt tension sensor. Inflator opera-
tion is based on the severity of a collision
and seat belt usage for the driver. For the front passenger, it additionally monitors
the weight of an occupant or object on the
seat and seat belt tension. Based on infor-
mation from the sensors, only one front air
bag may inflate in a crash, depending on
the crash severity and whether the front
occupants are belted or unbelted. Addi-
tionally, the front passenger air bag may be
automatically turned off under some con-
ditions, depending on the weight detected
on the front passenger seat and how the
seat belt is used. If the front passenger air
bag is OFF, the front passenger air bag sta-
tus light will be illuminated (if the seat is
unoccupied, the light will not be illumi-
nated, but the air bag will be off ). For addi-
tional information, refer to “Front passen-
ger air bag and status light” in this section.
One front air bag inflating does not indicate
improper performance of the system.
If you have any questions about your air
bag system, it is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer to obtain information
about the system. If you are considering
modification of your vehicle due to a dis-
ability, you may also contact NISSAN. Con-
tact information is contained in the front of
this Owner's Manual.
When a front air bag inflates, a fairly loud
noise may be heard, followed by the re-
lease of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be
taken to not inhale it, as it may cause irrita-
tion and choking. Those with a history of a
breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat
belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the face and chest of the front occupants.
They can help save lives and reduce seri-
ous injuries. However, an inflating front air
bag may cause facial abrasions or other
injuries. Front air bags do not provide re-
straint to the lower body.
Even with NISSAN Advanced Air Bags, seat
belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and front passenger seated upright
as far as practical away from the steering
wheel or instrument panel. The front air
bags inflate quickly in order to help protect
the front occupants. Because of this, the
force of the front air bag inflating can in-
crease the risk of injury if the occupant is
too close to, or is against, the front air bag
module during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly af ter a
collision.
1-78Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
Front passenger air bag
The front passenger air bag is designed to
automatically turn OFF when the vehicle is
operated under some conditions as de-
scribed below in accordance with U.S. regu-
lations. If the front passenger air bag is OFF
it will not inflate in a crash. The driver air bag
and other air bags in your vehicle are not
part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help
reduce the risk of injury or death from an
inflating air bag to certain front passenger
seat occupants, such as children, by requir-
ing the air bag to be automatically turned
OFF. Certain sensors are used to meet the
requirements.
One sensor used is the occupant classifi-
cation sensor (pressure sensor). It is in the
bottom of the front passenger seat cush-
ion and is designed to detect an occupant
and objects on the seat by weight. It works
together with seat belt sensors described
in this section. For example, if a child is in
the front passenger seat, the NISSAN Ad-
vanced Air Bag System is designed to turn
the front passenger air bag OFF in accor-
dance with the regulations. Also, if a child
restraint of the type specified in the regula-
tions is on the seat, its weight and the
child’s weight can be detected and causethe air bag to turn OFF. Occupant classifi-
cation sensor operation can vary depend-
ing on the front passenger seat belt sen-
sors.
The front passenger seat belt sensors are
designed to detect if the seat belt is buck-
led and the amount of tension on the seat
belt, such as when it is in the Automatic
Locking Retractor (ALR) mode (child re-
straint mode). Based on the weight on the
seat detected by the occupant classifica-
tion sensor and the belt tension detected
on the seat belt, the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System determines whether the front
passenger air bag should be automatically
turned OFF as required by the regulations.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who
are properly seated and using the seat belt
as outlined in this manual should not
cause the front passenger air bag to be
automatically turned OFF. For small adults
it may be turned OFF, however, if the occu-
pant does not sit in the seat properly (for
example, by not sitting upright, by sitting on
an edge of the seat, or by otherwise being
out of position), this could cause the sensor
to turn the air bag OFF. In addition, if the
occupant improperly uses the seat belt in
the ALR mode, this could cause the air bag
to be turned OFF. Always be sure to be
seated and wearing the seat belt properly
for the most effective protection by the
seat belt and supplemental air bag.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and
children be properly restrained in a rear
seat. NISSAN also recommends that ap-
propriate child restraints and booster
seats be properly installed in a rear seat. If
this is not possible, the occupant classifica-
tion sensor and seat belt sensors are de-
signed to operate as described above to
turn the front passenger air bag OFF for
specified child restraints as required by the
regulations. Failing to properly secure child
restraints and to use the ALR mode may
allow the restraint to tip or move in a colli-
sion or sudden stop. This can also result in
the passenger air bag inflating in a crash
instead of being OFF. For additional infor-
mation, refer to “Child restraints” in this sec-
tion.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front passenger air bag is designed not
to inflate in a crash. However, heavy objects
placed on the seat could result in air bag
inflation, because of the object’s weight de-
tected by the occupant classification sen-
sor. Other conditions could also result in air
bag inflation, such as if a child is standing
on the seat, or if two children are on the
1-80Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
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.
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
TPMS will activate only when the vehicle 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).
For additional information, refer to “Low tire
pressure warning light” in the “Instruments
and controls” section, “Tire Pressure Moni-
toring System (TPMS)” in the “Starting and
driving” section, and “Flat tire” in the “In case
of emergency” section of this manual.
Tire inflation pressure
Check the tire pressures (including the
spare) of ten and always prior to long dis-
tance trips. The recommended tire pres-
sure specifications are shown on the
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification label or the
Tire and Loading Information label under
the “Cold Tire Pressure” heading. The Tire
and Loading Information label is affixed to
the driver side center pillar. Tire pressures
should be checked regularly because:
• Most tires naturally lose air over time.
• Tires can lose air suddenly when drivenover potholes or other objects or if the
vehicle strikes a curb while parking. The tire pressures should be checked
when the tires are cold. The tires are con-
sidered COLD af ter the vehicle has been
parked for 3 or more hours, or driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km) at moderate speeds.
Incorrect tire pressure, including under
inflation, may adversely affect tire life
and vehicle handling.
WARNING
• Improperly inflated tires can fail sud-
denly and cause an accident.
• The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR) is located on the F.M.V.S.S./
C.M.V.S.S. certification label. The ve-
hicle weight capacity is indicated on
the Tire and Loading Information la-
bel. Do not load your vehicle beyond
this capacity. Overloading your ve-
hicle may result in reduced tire life,
unsafe operating conditions due to
premature tire failure, or unfavorable
handling characteristics and could
also lead to a serious accident. Load-
ing beyond the specified capacity
may also result in failure of other ve-
hicle components. •
Before taking a long trip, or when-
ever you heavily load your vehicle,
use a tire pressure gauge to ensure
that the tire pressures are at the
specified level.
• For additional information regarding
tires, refer to “Important Tire Safety
Information” (US) or “Tire Safety In-
formation” (Canada) in the Warranty
Information Booklet.
Do-it-yourself8-31
Tire and Loading Information label
1Seating capacity: The maximum
number of occupants that can
be seated in the vehicle.
2Vehicle load limit: Refer to “Ve-
hicle loading information” in the
“Technical and consumer infor-
mation” section of this manual.
3Original tire size: The size of the
tires originally installed on the ve-
hicle at the factory.
4Cold tire pressure: Inflate the tires
to this pressure when the tires are
cold. Tires are considered COLD
af ter the vehicle has been parked
for 3 or more hours, or driven less
than 1 mile (1.6 km) at moderate
speeds. The recommended cold
tire inflation is set by the manu-
facturer to provide the best bal-
ance of tire wear, vehicle handling,
driveability, tire noise, etc., up to
the vehicle's GVWR.
5Tire size: Refer to “Tire labeling” in
this section.
6Spare tire size.
LDI2007
8-32Do-it-yourself
O2TIN (Tire Identification Number)
for a new tire (example: DOT XX XX
XXX XXXX)
1. DOT: Abbreviation for the “Depart- ment Of Transportation”. The
symbol can be placed above, be-
low or to the lef t or right of the Tire
Identification Number.
2. Two-digit code: Manufacturer's identification mark. 3. Two-digit code: Tire size.
4. Three-digit code: Tire type code
(Optional).
5. Four numbers represent the week and year the tire was built.
For example, the numbers 3103
means the 31st week of 2003. If
these numbers are missing then
look on the other sidewall of the
tire.
O3Tire ply composition and material
The number of layers or plies of
rubber-coated fabric in the tire. Tire
manufacturers also must indicate
the materials in the tire, which in-
clude steel, nylon, polyester and oth-
ers.
O4Maximum permissible inflation
pressure
This number is the greatest amount
of air pressure that should be put in
the tire. Do not exceed the maximum
permissible inflation pressure.
O5Maximum load rating
This number indicates the maxi-
mum load in kilograms and pounds
that can be carried by the tire. When
replacing the tires on the vehicle, al-
ways use a tire that has the same
load rating as the factory installed
tire.
LDI2786
Example
Do-it-yourself8-35
5. Determine the combined weightof luggage and cargo being
loaded on the vehicle. That weight
may not safely exceed the avail-
able cargo and luggage load ca-
pacity calculated in step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Con-
sult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
of your vehicle.
Before driving a loaded vehicle, con-
firm that you do not exceed the GVWR
or the GAWR for your vehicle. For ad-
ditional information, refer to “Mea-
surement of weights” in this section.
Also check tires for proper inflation
pressures. For additional informa-
tion, refer to the “Tire and Loading
Information label” in the “Do-it-
yourself ” section of this manual.
SECURING THE LOAD
For your convenience, tie down hooks (if so
equipped) are placed at each corner of the
truck box. These may be used to help se-
cure cargo loaded into the truck box.