This manual was prepared to help you un-
derstand the operation and maintenance
of your vehicle so that you may enjoy many
miles (kilometers) of driving pleasure.
Please read through this manual before
operating your vehicle.
A separate Warranty Information Book-
let explains details about the warranties
covering your vehicle. The “Maintenance
and schedules” section of this manual
explains details about maintaining and
servicing your vehicle. Additionally, a
separate Customer Care/Lemon Law
Booklet (U.S. only) will explain how to re-
solve any concerns you may have with
your vehicle, and clarif y your rights un-
der your state's lemon law.
A NISSAN dealership knows your vehicle
best. When you require any service or have
any questions, they will be glad to assist
you with the extensive resources available
to them.
In addition to factory-installed options,
your vehicle may also be equipped with
additional accessories installed prior to de-
livery. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for details concerning the
particular accessories with which your ve-
hicle is equipped. It is important that you
familiarize yourself with all disclosures,warnings, cautions and instructions con-
cerning proper use of such accessories
prior to operating the vehicle and/or ac-
cessory. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for details concerning the
particular accessories with which your ve-
hicle is equipped.
Before driving your vehicle, please read this
Owner's Manual carefully. This will ensure
familiarity with controls and maintenance
requirements assisting you in the safe op-
eration of your vehicle.
WARNING
IMPORTANT SAFETY INFORMATION RE-
MINDERS!
Follow these important driving rules to
help ensure a safe and comfortable trip
for you and your passengers!
• NEVER drive under the influence of
alcohol or drugs.
•
ALWAYS observe posted speed limits
and never drive too fast for conditions.
• ALWAYS give your full attention to
driving and avoid using vehicle fea-
tures or taking other actions that
could distract you.
• ALWAYS use your seat belts and ap-
propriate child restraint systems.
Pre-teen children should be seated in
the rear seat (if so equipped).
• ALWAYS provide information about
the proper use of vehicle safety fea-
tures to all occupants of the vehicle.
• ALWAYS review this Owner’s Manual
for important safety information.
FOREWORD READ FIRST—THEN DRIVE SAFELY
Table of
contentsIllustrated table of contents
Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
Instruments and controls
Pre-driving checks and adjustments
Monitor, climate, audio, phone and voice recognition systems
Starting and driving
In case of emergency
Appearance and care
Do-it-yourself
Maintenance and schedules
Technical and consumer information
Index
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Intelligent Driver Alertness (I-DA)
system limitations......................... 5-102
Break-in schedule ............................. 5-103
Fuel efficient driving tips .......................5-104
Increasing fuel economy ......................5-105
Using 4–Wheel Drive (4WD) (if so equipped) ....5-105
Transfer case shif ting procedures ..........5-106
Electronic locking rear differential (E-Lock)
system (if so equipped) ........................ 5-112
Eco Drive Report (if so equipped) ..............5-113
Parking/parking on hills .......................5-114
Power steering ................................ 5-115
Brake system ................................. 5-115
Brake precautions .......................... 5-115
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) .............5-116
Brake Assist ................................. 5-117
Active Brake Limited Slip (ABLS) system ........5-117
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system ........5-118 Brake force distribution
....................5-120
Hill descent control system (if so equipped) . . . 5-121
Hill start assist system ........................5-122
Front and rear sonar system (if so equipped) . . 5-122 System operation .......................... 5-123
How to enable/disable the sonar
system ..................................... 5-125
Sonar limitations ........................... 5-126
System maintenance ......................5-126
Cold weather driving .......................... 5-127
Freeing a frozen door lock ..................5-127
Antifreeze .................................. 5-127
Battery..................................... 5-127
Draining of coolant water ..................5-127
Tire equipment ............................. 5-127
Special winter equipment ..................5-128
Driving on snow or ice ......................5-128
Engine block heater (if so equipped) ........5-128
•Do not attempt to test a 4WD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamom-
eters used by some states for emis-
sions 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 4WD
before it is placed on a dynamom-
eter. Using the wrong test equipment
may result in drivetrain damage or
unexpected vehicle movement
which could result in serious vehicle
damage or personal injury.
• Accelerating quickly, sharp steering
maneuvers or sudden braking may
cause loss of control.
• If at all possible, avoid sharp turning
maneuvers, particularly at high
speeds. Your NISSAN 4WD vehicle has
a higher center of gravity than a pas-
senger car. The vehicle is not de-
signed for cornering at the same
speeds as passenger cars. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly could
result in loss of control and/or a roll-
over accident. •
Always use tires of the same type,
size, brand, construction (bias, bias-
belted, or radial), and tread pattern
on all four wheels. Install tire chains
on the rear wheels when driving on
slippery roads and drive carefully.
• Be sure to check the brakes immedi-
ately af ter driving in mud or water.
For additional information, see “Wet
brakes” (P. 5-116).
• Avoid parking your vehicle on steep
hills. If you get out of the vehicle and
it rolls forward, backward or side-
ways, you could be injured.
• Whenever you drive off-road through
sand, mud or water as deep as the
wheel hub, more frequent mainte-
nance may be required. For addi-
tional information, see “Maintenance
schedules” (P. 9-7).
WARNING
Do not operate the push-button igni-
tion switch while driving the vehicle ex-
cept in an emergency. (The engine will
stop when the ignition switch is pushed
three consecutive times in quick suc-
cession 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.
LSD2014
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
5-12Starting and driving
• Keep your engine tuned up.
• Follow the recommended scheduledmaintenance.
• Keep the tires inflated to the correct pres- sure. Low tire pressure increases tire
wear and lowers fuel economy.
• Keep the wheels in correct alignment. Im- proper alignment increases tire wear and
lowers fuel economy.
• For vehicles equipped with
, use 4H
or 4L position only when necessary.
4-Wheel Drive operation lowers fuel
economy.
• Use the recommended viscosity engine oil. For additional information, see “Engine
oil and oil filter recommendations”
(P. 10-7).
WARNING
• For 4WD equipped vehicles, do not
attempt to raise two wheels off the
ground and shif t the transmission to
any drive or reverse position with the
engine running. Doing so may result
in drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could result
in serious vehicle damage or per-
sonal injury.
• Do not attempt to test a 4WD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamom-
eters used by some states for emis-
sions 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 4WD
before it is placed on a dynamom-
eter. Using the wrong test equipment
may result in drivetrain damage or
unexpected vehicle movement
which could result in serious vehicle
damage or personal injury.CAUTION
• Do not drive the vehicle in the 4H or
4LO position on dry hard surface
roads. Driving on dry, hard surfaces in
4H or 4LO may cause unnecessary
noise, tire wear and increased fuel
consumption.
If the 4WD vehicle information dis-
play warning message turns on
when you are driving on dry hard sur-
face roads:
– In the 4H position, shif t the 4WD
shif t switch to 2WD.
– In the 4LO position, stop the ve-
hicle, move the shif t lever to the N
(Neutral) position with the brake
pedal depressed, and shif t the
4WD shif t switch to 2WD.
• If the vehicle information display
warning message is still on af ter the
above operation, have your vehicle
checked as soon as possible. It is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
INCREASING FUEL ECONOMY USING 4–WHEEL DRIVE (4WD) (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-105
The engine cooling system is filled at the
factory with a pre-diluted mixture of 50%
Genuine NISSAN Long Life Antifreeze/
Coolant (blue) and 50% water to provide
year-round antifreeze and coolant protec-
tion. The antifreeze solution contains rust
and corrosion inhibitors. Additional engine
cooling system additives are not neces-
sary.
WARNING
• Never remove the radiator or coolant
reservoir cap when the engine is hot.
Wait until the engine and radiator
cool down. Serious burns could be
caused by high pressure fluid escap-
ing from the radiator. For additional
information on precautions, see “If
your vehicle overheats” (P. 6-12).
• The radiator and coolant reservoir
are equipped with a pressure type ra-
diator cap. To prevent engine dam-
age, it is recommended that you use
only a Genuine NISSAN radiator cap.
CAUTION
• Never use any cooling system addi-
tives such as radiator sealer. Addi-
tives may clog the cooling system
and cause damage to the engine,
transmission and/or cooling system.
• When adding or replacing coolant, it
is recommended that you use only
Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) or equiva-
lent. Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is pre-
diluted to provide antifreeze protec-
tion to -34° F (-37° C). If additional
freeze protection is needed due to
weather where you operate your ve-
hicle, add Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) concen-
trate following the directions on the
container. If an equivalent coolant
other than Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (blue) is used, fol-
low the coolant manufacturer’s in-
structions to maintain minimum an-
tifreeze protection to -34° F (-37° C).
The use of other types of coolant so-
lutions other than Genuine NISSAN
Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue)
or equivalent may damage the en-
gine cooling system. •
The life expectancy of the factory-fill
coolant is 105,000 miles (168,000 km)
or 7 years. Mixing any other type of
coolant other than Genuine NISSAN
Long Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue)
(or equivalent coolant), including
Genuine NISSAN Long Life
Antifreeze/Coolant (green), or the
use of non-distilled water may re-
duce the life expectancy of the
factory-fill coolant. For additional in-
formation, see the "Maintenance and
schedules" section of this manual.
ENGINE COOLING SYSTEM
Do-it-yourself8-5
CHECKING ENGINE COOLANT
LEVEL
Check the coolant levelin the reservoir
when the engine is cold. If the coolant
level is below the MIN level
OB, add coolant
to the MAX level
OA. If the reservoir is empty,
check the coolant level in the radiator
when the engine is cold. If there is insuffi-
cient coolant in the radiator, fill the radiator
with coolant up to the filler opening and
also add it to the reservoir up to the MAX
level
OA. This vehicle contains Genuine NISSAN Long
Life Antifreeze/Coolant (blue). The life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant is
105,000 miles (168,000 km) or 7 years. Mixing
any other type of coolant or the use of
non-distilled water may reduce the life ex-
pectancy of the factory-fill coolant. For ad-
ditional information, see the "Maintenance
and schedules" section of this manual.
If the cooling system frequently requires
coolant, have it checked. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service. For additional information on the location
of the engine coolant reservoir, see “Engine
compartment check locations” (P. 8-3).
CHANGING ENGINE COOLANT
A NISSAN dealer can change the engine
coolant. The service procedure can be
found in the NISSAN Service Manual.
Improper servicing can result in reduced
heater performance and engine over-
heating.
WARNING
• To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never change the coolant when the
engine is hot.
• Never remove the radiator or engine
coolant reservoir cap when the en-
gine is hot. Serious burns could be
caused by high pressure fluid escap-
ing from the radiator.
• Avoid direct skin contact with used
coolant. If skin contact is made, wash
thoroughly with soap or hand
cleaner as soon as possible.
• Keep coolant out of the reach of chil-
dren and pets.
Engine coolant must be disposed of prop-
erly. Check your local regulations.
LDI3295
5.6L 8 cylinder (VK56VD engine model) (non-XD model)
LDI2823
5.6L 8 cylinder (VK56VD engine model) (XD model)
8-6Do-it-yourself
1. Visually inspect the belt for signs of un-usual wear, cuts, fraying or looseness. If
the belt is in poor condition or is loose,
have it replaced or adjusted. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
2. Have the belt checked regularly for con- dition and tension in accordance with
the maintenance schedule. For addi-
tional information, see the "Mainte-
nance and schedules" section of this
manual.
REPLACING SPARK PLUGS
Iridium-tipped spark plugs
It is not necessary to replace iridium-
tipped spark plugs as frequently as con-
ventional type spark plugs because they
last much longer. Follow the maintenance
log shown in the “Maintenance and sched-
ules” section of this manual. Do not service
iridium-tipped spark plugs by cleaning or
regapping.
•Always replace spark plugs with rec-
ommended or equivalent ones.
WARNING
Be sure the engine and ignition switch
are off and that the parking brake is
engaged securely.
CAUTION
Be sure to use the correct socket to re-
move the spark plugs. An incorrect
socket can damage the spark plugs.
If replacement is required, it is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.
LDI2972
SPARK PLUGS
8-20Do-it-yourself