Accelerator downshift
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the ac-
celerator pedal to the floor. This shifts the
transmission down into a lower gear, de-
pending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tempera-
ture protection mode. If the fluid temperature
becomes too high (for example, when climb-
ing steep grades in high temperatures with
heavy loads, such as when towing a trailer),
engine power and, under some conditions,
vehicle speed will be decreased automatically
to reduce the chance of transmission dam-
age. Vehicle speed can be controlled with the
accelerator pedal, but the engine and vehicle
speed may be limited.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, please
note that the transmission will be locked in
any of the forward gears according to the
condition.If the vehicle is driven under extreme condi-
tions, such as excessive wheel spinning and
subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe sys-
tem may be activated. The Malfunction Indi-
cator Light (MIL) may come on to indicate
the fail-safe mode is activated. For addi-
tional information, see “Malfunction Indica-
tor Light (MIL)” (P. 2-19). This will occur
even if all electrical circuits are functioning
properly. In this case, place the ignition
switch in the OFF position and wait for 10
seconds. Then push the switch back to the
ON position. The vehicle should return to its
normal operating condition. If it does not re-
turn to its normal operating condition, have
the transmission checked and repaired, if
necessary. It is recommended that you visit
an INFINITI retailer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature protec-
tion mode or fail-safe operation occurs, ve-
hicle speed may be gradually reduced. The
reduced speed may be lower than other
traffic, which could increase the chance of
a collision. Be especially careful when driv-
ing. If necessary, pull to the side of the road
at a safe place and allow the transmission
to return to normal operation, or have it
repaired if necessary.
5-24Starting and driving
The tire size message may be displayed if
there is a large difference between the diam-
eters of front and rear wheels and tires. Pull
off the road in a safe area, with the engine
idling. Check that all tire sizes, brand, con-
struction and tread pattern are the same, that
the tire pressures are correct and that the
tires are not excessively worn. If you have any
problems, change tires or adjust tire pres-
sures correctly. Do not select the SNOW
mode with the INFINITI Drive Mode Selector
and do not drive fast.If any warning messages continue to be dis-
played, have your vehicle checked as soon as
possible. It is recommended that you visit an
INFINITI retailer for this service.
WARNING
• Do not drive beyond the performance ca-
pability of the tires. Accelerating quickly,
sharp steering maneuvers or sudden
braking may cause loss of control, even
with Intelligent AWD engaged.
• For AWD equipped vehicles, do not at-
tempt to raise two wheels off the ground
and shift 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 personal injury or
vehicle damage. •
Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel dyna-
mometer (such as the dynamometers
used by some states for emissions test-
ing) or similar equipment even if the
other two wheels are raised off the
ground. Make sure that you inform the
test facility personnel that your vehicle is
equipped with AWD before it is placed
on a dynamometer. Using the wrong test
equipment may result in drivetrain dam-
age or unexpected vehicle movement
which could result in serious personal in-
jury or vehicle damage.
CAUTION
• Do not operate the engine on a free roller
when any of the wheels are raised.
• If you use the free roller, rotate four
wheels with the same speed without
raising any wheels.
• If an AWD warning message is displayed
while driving there may be a malfunction
in the AWD system. Reduce the vehicle
speed immediately and have your vehicle
checked as soon as possible. It is recom-
mended that you visit an INFINITI re-
tailer for this service.
LSD4538
5-162Starting and driving
•The powertrain may be damaged if you
continue driving with AWD error
warning on.
• If the AWD high temperature message is
displayed while you are driving, pull off
the road in a safe area, and idle the en-
gine. The driving mode will change to
2WD to prevent the AWD system from
malfunctioning. If the warning message
turns off, you can drive again.
• If the tire size incorrect message is dis-
played while you are driving, pull off the
road in a safe area with the engine idling.
Check that all tire sizes are the same,
that the tire pressure is correct and that
the tires are not excessively worn.
• If a warning message continues to be dis-
played after the above operations, have
your vehicle checked as soon as possible.
It is recommended that you visit an
INFINITI retailer for this service.
When the vehicle is in the P (Park) position,
the operation noise may be heard from the
lower part of the vehicle. This is not a
malfunction.
WARNING
• Do not stop or park the vehicle over
flammable materials such as dry grass,
waste paper or rags. They may ignite and
cause a fire.
• Safe parking procedures require that
both the parking brake be set and the
transmission placed into P (Park). Fail-
ure to do so could cause the vehicle to
move unexpectedly or roll away and re-
sult in an accident. Make sure the shift
lever has been pushed as far forward as it
can go and cannot be moved without de-
pressing the foot brake pedal. •
Never leave the engine running while the
vehicle is unattended.
• Do not leave children unattended inside
the vehicle. They could unknowingly ac-
tivate switches or controls or make the
vehicle move. Unattended children could
become involved in serious accidents.
WSD0050
PARKING/PARKING ON HILLS
Starting and driving5-163
When the vehicle is stopped on a hill, the hill
start assist system automatically keeps the
brakes applied to help prevent the vehicle
from rolling backward in the time it takes the
driver to release the brake pedal and apply
the accelerator.
The hill start assist system will operate auto-
matically under the following conditions:
• The transmission is shifted to a forward orreverse gear.
• The vehicle is stopped completely on a hill by applying the brake. The maximum hold-
ing time is 2 seconds. After 2 seconds the
vehicle will begin to roll back and the hill
start assist system will stop operating
completely.
The hill start assist system will not operate
when the shift position is placed in the N
(Neutral) or P (Park) position or on a flat and
level road. The sonar system sounds a tone to inform the
driver of obstacles around the vehicle using
the sonar sensors located in the front and
rear bumpers..
When the sonar system is turned on, the
sonar view will automatically appear in the
vehicle information display.
WARNING
• The sonar system is a convenience but it
is not a substitute for proper parking. •
The driver is always responsible for
safety during parking and other maneu-
vers. Always look around and check that
it is safe to do so before parking.
• Read and understand the limitations of
the sonar system as contained in this
section. The colors of the corner sonar
indicator indicates different distances to
the object.
• Inclement weather or ultrasonic sources
such as an automatic car wash, a truck's
compressed-air brakes or a pneumatic
drill may affect the function of the sys-
tem; this may include reduced perfor-
mance or a false activation.
• The sonar system is designed as an aid to
the driver in detecting large stationary
objects to help avoid damaging the
vehicle.
• The sonar system is not designed to pre-
vent contact with small or moving ob-
jects. Always move slowly. The system
will not detect small objects below the
bumper, and may not detect objects
close to the bumper or on the ground.
• The sonar system may not detect the fol-
lowing objects: fluffy objects such as
snow, cloth, cotton, glass, wool, etc.;
thin objects such as rope, wire and chain,
etc.; or wedge-shaped objects.
LSD4335
FRONT AND REAR SONAR SYSTEM
(if so equipped)
5-172Starting and driving
5. Start the engine of the booster vehicle andlet it run for a few minutes.
6. Keep the engine speed of the booster ve- hicle at about 2,000 rpm and start the
engine of the vehicle being jump started.
CAUTION
Do not keep the starter motor engaged for
more than 10 seconds. If the engine does
not start right away, place the ignition
switch in the OFF position and wait 3 to 4
seconds before trying again.
7. After starting the engine, carefully discon- nect the negative cable and then the posi-
tive cable.
CAUTION
Automatic transmission models cannot be
push-started. Attempting to do so may
cause transmission damage.WARNING
• Do not continue to drive if your vehicle
overheats. Doing so could cause engine
damage or a vehicle fire.
• To avoid the danger of being scalded,
never remove the radiator or coolant
reservoir cap while the engine is still hot.
When the radiator or coolant reservoir
cap is removed, pressurized hot water
will spurt out, possibly causing serious
injury.
• Do not open the hood if steam is coming
out.
If your vehicle is overheating (indicated by an
extremely high temperature gauge reading
and the Low Oil Pressure: See Owner’s
Manual warning message appears in the ve-
hicle information display), or if you feel a lack
of engine power, detect abnormal noise, etc.
take the following steps:
1. Move the vehicle safely off the road, apply the parking brake.
2. Push the park button to shift to the P (Park) position.
Do not stop the engine.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
6-14In case of emergency
For additional information about towing your
vehicle behind a Recreational Vehicle, see
“Flat towing for all-wheel drive vehicle”
(P. 10-30) or “Flat towing for front wheel
drive vehicle” (P. 10-31).
TOWING RECOMMENDED BY
INFINITI
INFINITI recommends towing your vehicle
based upon the type of drivetrain. For addi-
tional information, refer to the diagrams in
this section to ensure that your vehicle is
properly towed.
All Wheel Drive (AWD) models with
automatic transmission
INFINITI recommends that towing dollies be
used when towing your vehicle or place the
vehicle on a flatbed truck as illustrated.
CAUTION
Never tow AWD models equipped with an
automatic transmission with any of the
wheels on the ground as this may cause
serious and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
LIC4863
6-16In case of emergency
NOTE:
If the battery is completely drained the
transmission will not manually shift to other
positions.
Two-Wheel Drive models with
automatic transmission
INFINITI recommends that your vehicle be
towed with the driving (front) wheels off the
ground or place the vehicle on a flatbed truck
as illustrated.
CAUTION
• Never tow automatic transmission mod-
els with the front wheels on the ground
or four wheels on the ground (forward or
backward), as this may cause serious and
expensive damage to the transmission. If
it is necessary to tow the vehicle with the
rear wheels raised always use towing
dollies under the front wheels.
LIC4864
In case of emergency6-17
•When towing automatic transmission
models with the rear wheels on the
ground or on towing dollies:
– Place the ignition switch in the OFF
position, and secure the steering
wheel in a straight-ahead position
with a rope or similar device. Never
secure the steering wheel by placing
the ignition switch in the LOCK posi-
tion. This may damage the steering
lock mechanism (for models with a
steering lock mechanism).
NOTE:
If the battery is completely drained the
transmission will not manually shift to other
positions.
VEHICLE RECOVERY (freeing a
stuck vehicle)
WARNING
To avoid vehicle damage, serious personal
injury or death when recovering a stuck
vehicle:
• Contact a professional towing service to
recover the vehicle if you have any ques-
tions regarding the recovery procedure. •
Tow chains or cables must be attached
only to main structural members of the
vehicle.
• Do not use the vehicle tie-downs to tow
or free a stuck vehicle.
• Only use devices specifically designed for
vehicle recovery and follow the manu-
facturer's instructions.
• Always pull the recovery device straight
out from the front of the vehicle. Never
pull at an angle.
• Route recovery devices so they do not
touch any part of the vehicle except the
attachment point.
If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud,
etc., use a tow strap or other device designed
specifically for vehicle recovery. Always fol-
low the manufacturer's instructions for the
recovery device.Rocking a stuck vehicle
WARNING
• Stand clear of a stuck vehicle.
• Do not spin your tires at high speed. This
could cause them to explode and result in
serious injury. Parts of your vehicle could
also overheat and be damaged. If your vehicle is stuck in sand, snow, mud,
etc., use the following procedure:
1. Turn off the Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system.
2. Make sure the area in front and behind the vehicle is clear of obstructions.
3. Turn the steering wheel right and left to clear an area around the front tires.
4. Slowly rock the vehicle forward and backward.
• Shift back and forth between R (Re- verse) and D (Drive).
• Apply the accelerator as little as pos- sible to maintain the rocking motion.
• Release the accelerator pedal before shifting between R (Reverse) and D
(Drive).
• Do not spin the tires above 35 mph (55 km/h).
5. If the vehicle cannot be freed after a few tries, contact a professional towing ser-
vice to remove the vehicle.
6-18In case of emergency