Page 265 of 556

.If you decide that it is not safe toreturn the vehicle to the road sur-
face 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
handling and stability of the vehicle,
especially at highway speeds.
Help prevent rapid air pressure loss by
maintaining the correct air pressure and
visually inspect the tires for wear and
damage. See “Wheels and tires” (P.8-25) of
this manual.
If a tire rapidly loses air pressure or
“blows-out” while driving, maintain con-
trol of the vehicle by following the proce-
dure below. 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.
WARNING
The following actions can increase
the chance of losing control of the
vehicle if there is a sudden loss of tire
air pressure. 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 accel-
erator 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 accelerator pedal to gradually slow
the vehicle.
4. Gradually steer the vehicle to a safe location off the road and away from
traffic if possible. 5. Lightly apply the brake pedal to gra-
dually stop the vehicle.
6. Turn on the hazard warning flashers and either contact a roadside emer-
gency service to change the tire or see
“Changing a flat tire” (P.6-4) of this
Owner’s Manual.
DRINKING ALCOHOL/DRUGS AND
DRIVING
WARNING
Never drive under the influence of
alcohol or drugs. Alcohol in the
bloodstream reduces coordination,
delays reaction time and impairs
judgement. Driving after drinking
alcohol increases the likelihood of
being involved in an accident injuring
yourself and others. Additionally, if
you are injured in an accident, alco-
hol can increase the severity of the
injury.
NISSAN is committed to safe driving.
However, 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
Starting and driving5-11
Page 266 of 556

5-12Starting and driving
alcohol affects all people differently 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 oper-
ate your vehicle is impaired by alcohol,
drugs, or some other physical condition.
DRIVING SAFETY PRECAUTIONS
Your vehicle is designed for both normal
and off-road use. However, avoid driving
in deep water or mud as your vehicle is
mainly designed for leisure use, unlike a
conventional off-road vehicle.
Remember that Two-Wheel Drive (2WD)
models are less capable than All-Wheel
Drive (AWD) models for rough road driving
and extrication when stuck in deep snow,
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.
Instead drive either straight up or
straight down the slopes. Off-
road vehicles can tip over side-
ways 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 ranges while driving
on downhill grades as this could
cause loss of control of the vehi-
cle.
. 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.
. If your engine stalls or you cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill,
never attempt to turn around.
Your vehicle could tip or roll over.
Always back straight down in R
(Reverse) range. Never back down
in N (Neutral), using only the
brake, as this could cause loss of
control. .
Heavy braking going down a hill
could cause your brakes to over-
heat and fade, resulting in loss of
control and an accident. Apply
brakes lightly and use a low
range to control your speed.
. Unsecured cargo can be thrown
around when driving over rough
terrain. Properly secure all cargo
so it will not be thrown forward
and cause injury to you or your
passengers.
. To avoid raising the center of
gravity excessively, do not exceed
the rated capacity of the roof rack
(if so equipped) and evenly dis-
tribute the load. Secure heavy
loads in the cargo area as far
forward and as low as possible.
Do not equip the vehicle with tires
larger than specified in this man-
ual. This could cause your vehicle
to roll over.
. Do not grip the inside or spokes
of the steering wheel when driv-
ing off-road. The steering wheel
could move suddenly and injure
your hands. Instead drive with
your fingers and thumbs on the
outside of the rim.
Page 267 of 556

.Before operating the vehicle, en-
sure that the driver and all pas-
sengers have their seat belts
fastened.
. Always drive with the floor mats
in place as the floor may became
hot.
. Lower your speed when encoun-
tering strong crosswinds. With a
higher center of gravity, your
vehicle is more affected by strong
side winds. Slower speeds ensure
better vehicle control.
. Do not drive beyond the perfor-
mance capability of the tires,
even with AWD engaged.
. For AWD equipped vehicles, do
not attempt to raise two wheels
off the ground and shift the
transmission to any drive or re-
verse position with the engine
running. Doing so may result in
drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel
dynamometer (such as the dy-
namometers used by some
states for emissions testing), or similar equipment even if the
other two wheels are raised off
the ground. Make sure you inform
test facility personnel that your
vehicle is equipped with AWD
before it is placed on a dynam-
ometer. Using the wrong test
equipment may result in drive-
train damage or unexpected ve-
hicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. When a wheel is off the ground
due to an unlevel surface, do not
spin the wheel excessively (AWD
model).
. Accelerating quickly, sharp steer-
ing maneuvers or sudden braking
may cause loss of control.
. If at all possible, avoid sharp
turning maneuvers, particularly
at high speeds. Your vehicle has
a higher center of gravity than a
conventional passenger car. The
vehicle is not designed for cor-
nering at the same speeds as
conventional passenger cars.
Failure to operate this vehicle
correctly could result in loss of
control and/or a rollover acci-
dent. .
Always use tires of the same type,
size, brand, construction (bias,
bias-belted or radial), and tread
pattern on all four wheels. Install
traction devices on the front
wheels when driving on slippery
roads and drive carefully.
. Be sure to check the brakes im-
mediately after driving in mud or
water. See “Brake system” (P.5-
155) for wet brakes.
. Avoid parking your vehicle on
steep hills. If you get out of the
vehicle and it rolls forward, back-
ward or sideways, you could be
injured.
. Whenever you drive off-road
through sand, mud or water as
deep as the wheel hub, more
frequent maintenance may be
required. See the maintenance
schedule shown in the “9. Main-
tenance and schedules” section.
. Spinning the front wheels on
slippery surfaces may cause the
AWD warning message to display
and the AWD system to automa-
tically switch from the AWD mode
to the 2WD mode. This could
reduce traction. Be especially
careful when towing a trailer
Starting and driving5-13
Page 268 of 556

5-14Starting and driving
(AWD models).WARNING
Do not operate the push-button
ignition switch while driving the ve-
hicle except in an emergency. (The
engine will stop when the ignition
switch is pushed 3 consecutive times
or the ignition switch is pushed and
held for more than 2 seconds.) If the
engine stops while the vehicle is
being driven, this could lead to a
crash and serious injury.
Before operating the push-button igni-
tion switch, be sure to push the park
button to shift to the P (Park) position.
SSD0436
OPERATING RANGE FOR ENGINE
START FUNCTION
The Intelligent Key can only be used for
starting the engine when the Intelligent
Key is within the specified operating
range
.
When the Intelligent Key battery is almost
discharged or strong radio waves are
present near the operating location, the
Intelligent Key system’s operating range
becomes narrower and may not function
properly.
If the Intelligent Key is within the operat-
ing range, it is possible for anyone, even
someone who does not carry the Intelli-
gent Key, to push the ignition switch to
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
Page 269 of 556

start the engine.
.The cargo room area is not included in
the operating range but the Intelligent
Key may function.
. If the Intelligent Key is placed on the
instrument panel, inside the glove box
or door pocket, the Intelligent Key may
not function.
. If the Intelligent Key is placed near the
door or window outside the vehicle,
the Intelligent Key may function.
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is
discharged, see “Intelligent Key battery
discharge” (P.5-16).
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
OPERATION
CAUTION
. Do not leave the vehicle for ex-
tended periods of time when the
ignition switch is in the ON posi-
tion and the engine is not run-
ning. This can discharge the
battery.
. Use electrical accessories with
the engine running to avoid dis-
charging the vehicle battery. If
you must use accessories while
the engine is not running, do not use them for extended periods of
time and do not use multiple
electrical accessories at the same
time.
JVS1053X
When the ignition switch is pushed with-
out depressing the brake pedal, the igni-
tion switch will illuminate.
Push the ignition switch center:
.
once to change to ON.
. two times to change to OFF.
When the ignition switch cannot be
placed in the OFF position, proceed as
follows:
1. Push the park button to shift to the P (Park) position.
2. Push the ignition switch. The ignition switch position will change to the ON
position.
Starting and driving5-15
Page 270 of 556

5-16Starting and driving
3. Push the ignition switch again to theOFF position.
The shift position can be shifted from
the P (Park) position if the ignition
switch is in the ON position and the
brake pedal is depressed.
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
POSITIONS
ON (Normal operating position)
The ignition system and the electrical
accessory power activate at this position
without the engine turned on.
The ON position has a battery saver
feature that will place the ignition switch
in the OFF position, if the vehicle is not
running, after some time under the fol-
lowing conditions:
. all doors are closed.
. vehicle is in P (Park) position.
OFF position
The engine is turned off in this position.
Auto ACC position
With the vehicle in the P (Park) position,
the Intelligent Key with you and the
ignition placed from ON to OFF, the radio
can still be used for a period of time, or
until the driver’s door is opened. After a
period of time, functions such as radio,
navigation (if so equipped), and Blue-
tooth® Hands-Free Phone System may
be restarted by turning on the audio
system (see the separate NissanConnect®
Owner’s Manual), or by pushing the UN-
LOCK button on the Intelligent Key for up
to a total of 30 minutes.
EMERGENCY ENGINE SHUT OFF
To shut off the engine in an emergency
situation while driving or when the In-
telligent Key battery is discharged, per-
form the following procedure:
.Rapidly push the push-button ignition
switch 3 consecutive times in less
than 1.5 seconds, or
. Push and hold the push-button igni-
tion switch for more than 2 seconds.
After engine shut-off, open the door to
return to the normal condition.
JVS0404X
INTELLIGENT KEY BATTERY DIS-
CHARGE
If the battery of the Intelligent Key is
discharged, or environmental conditions
interfere with the Intelligent Key opera-
tion, start the engine according to the
following procedure:
1. Push the park button to shift to the P (Park) position.
2. Firmly apply the foot brake.
3. Touch the ignition switch with the Intelligent Key as illustrated. (A chime
will sound.)
4. Push the ignition switch while depres- sing the brake pedal within 10 sec-
Page 271 of 556

onds after the chime sounds. The
engine will start.
After step 3 is performed, when the
ignition switch is pushed without depres-
sing the brake pedal, the ignition switch
position will change to ON.
NOTE:
. When the ignition switch is pushed
to the ON position or the engine is
started by the above procedures, the
“Key Battery Low” warning appears
(on the vehicle information display)
even if the Intelligent Key is inside
the vehicle. This is not a malfunction.
To turn off the warning, touch the
ignition switch with the Intelligent
Key again.
. If the “Key Battery Low” warning
appears, replace the battery as soon
as possible. (See “Intelligent Key
battery replacement” (P.8-20).) .
Make sure the area around the vehicle
is clear.
. Check fluid levels such as engine oil,
coolant, brake fluid, and window
washer fluid as frequently as possible,
or at least whenever you refuel.
. Check that all windows and lights are
clean.
. Visually inspect tires for their appear-
ance and condition. Also check tires
for proper inflation.
. Lock all doors.
. Position seat and adjust head re-
straints/headrests.
. Adjust inside and outside mirrors.
. Fasten seat belts and ask all passen-
gers to do likewise.
. Check the operation of warning lights
when the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position. (See “Warning lights,
indicator lights and audible remin-
ders” (P.2-13).) 1. Apply the parking brake.
2. Confirm that the vehicle is in the P
(Park) position.
The Intelligent Key must be carried
when operating the ignition switch.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position. Depress the brake pedal and
push the ignition switch to start the
engine.
To start the engine immediately, push
and release the ignition switch while
depressing the brake pedal with the
ignition switch in any position.
.If the engine is very hard to start inextremely cold weather or when
restarting, depress the accelerator
pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to
the floor) and while holding, crank
the engine. Release the accelerator
pedal when the engine starts.
.If the engine is very hard to startbecause it is flooded, depress the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and hold it. Push the ignition
switch to the ON position to start
cranking the engine. After 5 or 6
seconds, stop cranking by pushing
the ignition switch to OFF. After
cranking the engine, release the
accelerator pedal. Crank the engine
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal by depressing the brake
Starting and driving5-17
BEFORE STARTING THE ENGINE STARTING THE ENGINE
Page 272 of 556

5-18Starting and driving
pedal and pushing the push-button
ignition switch to start the engine.
If the engine starts, but fails to run,
repeat the above procedure.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start, push the
ignition switch to OFF and wait 10
seconds before cranking again,
otherwise the starter could be da-
maged.
4. Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for
a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start.
When the engine is racing with no load
and cold, the engine speed is limited
to about 4,500 rpm. 5. To stop the engine, push the park
button to shift to the P (Park) position,
and push the ignition switch to the
OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start condi-
tions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume
battery power when the engine is
not running (Phone chargers, GPS,
DVD players, etc.)
2. Vehicle is not driven regularly and/
or only driven short distances.
In these cases, the battery may need to
be charged to maintain battery health.
REMOTE ENGINE START (if so
equipped)
Vehicles started with the remote engine
start function require the ignition switch
to be placed in the ON position before the
shift position can be shifted from the P
(Park) position. To place the ignition
switch in the ON position, perform the
following steps:
1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is carried with you. 2. Depress the brake pedal.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the
ON position.
For additional information about the
remote engine start function, see “Re-
mote engine start” (P.3-19).