2023 NISSAN ALTIMA stop start

CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE
TRANSMISSION (CVT)
WARNING
• Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), L (Low) or
manual shif t mode (if so equipped).
Always depress the brake pedal until
shif ting is completed. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and
have an accident.
• Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
• Do not downshif t abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
• Never shif t to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is
reversing. This could cause an acci-
dent or damage the transmission.
CAUTION
• Except in an emergency, do not shif t
to the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission
in the N (Neutral) position may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
• To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle, when stopping the vehicle on
an uphill grade, do not hold the ve-
hicle by depressing the accelerator
pedal. The foot brake should be used
for this purpose.
The CVT in your vehicle is electronically
controlled to produce maximum power
and smooth operation.
Follow these procedures for maximum ve-
hicle performance and driving enjoyment.
NOTE:
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.
Starting the vehicle
1. Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the foot brake pedal before moving the
shif t lever out of the P (Park) position. The
Continuously Variable Transmission is
designed so the foot brake pedal
MUST be depressed before shif ting
from P (Park) to any drive position
while the ignition switch is in the ON
position. The shif t lever cannot be
moved out of P (Park) and into any of
the other gear positions if the ignition
switch is placed in the LOCK position.
LSD3074
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-18Starting and driving

2. A screen is displayed for a period of timethat indicates the status of the driving
aid functions (if so equipped).
– AEB with Pedestrian Detection, LDW, and BSW are enabled when the speci-
fied driving aid is shaded.
– I-LI is enabled when the driving aid is solid.
– Use the
O1orO2button to
navigate the settings screen. For ad-
ditional information, see “How to use
the vehicle information display ”
(P. 2-19) or (P. 2-35)
3. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shif t lever to a driving
position.
4. Release the foot brake, then gradually start the vehicle in motion.
5. Stop the vehicle completely before mov- ing the shif t lever to the P (Park) position.
WARNING
• Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), L (Low) or
manual shif t mode (if so equipped).
Always depress the brake pedal until
shif ting is completed. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and
have an accident.
• Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
• Do not downshif t abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
• Never shif t to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is
reversing. This could cause an acci-
dent or damage the transmission.CAUTION
• Except in an emergency, do not shif t
to the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission
in the N (Neutral) position may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
• To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle, when stopping the vehicle on
an uphill grade, do not hold the ve-
hicle by depressing the accelerator
pedal. The foot brake should be used
for this purpose.
Starting and driving5-19

Shif ting
To move the shif t lever:
Press the buttonOAwhile depress-
ing the brake pedal
Press the buttonOAto shif t
Shif t without pressing the button
OA
Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal and move the shif t lever from P
(Park) to any of the desired shif t positions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shif t le-
ver is in any position while the engine is
not running. Failure to do so could
cause the vehicle to move unexpect-
edly or roll away and result in serious
personal injury or property damage.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) or R (Reverse) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
Use the P (Park) shif t lever position when
the vehicle is parked or when starting the
engine. Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped. The brake pedal should be de-
pressed to move the shif t lever from N
(Neutral) or any drive position to P (Park).
Apply the parking brake. When parking on a
hill, apply the parking brake first, then move
the shif t lever into the P (Park) position.
R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) or R (Reverse) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before selecting the R (Reverse)
position. The brake pedal must be de-
pressed to move the shif t lever from P
(Park), N (Neutral) or any drive position to
R (Reverse).
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shif t to N (Neutral) and
restart a stalled engine while the vehicle is
moving.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
LSD2643
5-20Starting and driving

M4 (4th), M3 (3rd) and M2 (2nd)
Use for hill climbing or engine braking on
downhill grades.
M1 (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow,
sand or mud, or for maximum engine brak-
ing on steep downhill grades.
• Remember not to drive at high speeds forextended periods of time in lower than
the 8th range. This reduces fuel economy.
When shif ting up
Use the + (up) side paddle shif ter. (Shif ts to
higher range.)
When shif ting down
Use the − (down) side paddle shif ter. (Shif ts
to lower range.)
When canceling the manual shif t mode
To cancel manual shif t mode, push the
drive sport mode switch on the shif t lever
or press and hold either paddle shif ter.
• In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may not shif t to the selected
gear. This helps maintain driving per-
formance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control. •
In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may shif t up automatically to a
higher range than selected if the en-
gine speed is too high. When the ve-
hicle speed decreases, the transmis-
sion automatically shif ts down and
shif ts to 1st gear before the vehicle
comes to a stop.
• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) operation is limited to automatic
drive mode when CVT fluid temperature
is extremely low even if manual shif t
mode is selected. This is not a malfunc-
tion. When CVT fluid warms up, manual
mode can be selected.
• When the CVT fluid temperature is high, the shif t range may upshif t in lower rpm
than usual. This is not a malfunction.
Shif t lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged,
the shif t lever may not be moved from the
P (Park) position even with the brake pedal
depressed and the shif t lever button
pressed.
It will be necessary to jump start or have
your battery charged. For additional infor-
mation, see “Jump starting” (P. 6-17). Con-
tact a NISSAN dealer or a professional tow-
ing service.
LSD2644
5-22Starting and driving

To move the shif t lever, complete the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Push the ignition switch to the LOCKposition.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Using a protective cloth on the tip of a 3 mm screwdriver, remove the shif t lock
release cover.
• If available, a plastic trim tool can also be used.
4. Insert the small screwdriver in the shif t lock release slot and push down.
5. Move the shif t lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding down the shif t
lock release.
If the shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have the transmission checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.WARNING
If the shif t lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position while the engine is
running and the brake pedal is de-
pressed, the stop lights may not work.
Malfunctioning stop lights could cause
an accident injuring yourself and
others.
Drive sport mode switch
When the drive sport mode switch is
pushed with the shif t lever in the D (Drive)
position, the drive sport mode indicator in
the instrument panel illuminates. For addi-
tional information, see “Drive sport mode
indicator” (P. 2-29) or (P. 2-46)
Use the drive sport mode when you need
improved engine braking.
To turn off the drive sport mode, push the
drive sport mode switch again. The drive
sport mode indicator will turn off.
LSD3250
Drive sport mode
Starting and driving5-23

The electronic parking brake is automati-
cally released as soon as the vehicle starts
and the accelerator pedal is depressed
with the driver’s seat belt fastened.
WARNING
Before leaving the vehicle, move the
shif t lever to the P (Park) position and
check that the electronic parking brake
warning light is illuminated to confirm
that the electronic parking brake is ap-
plied. The electronic parking brake
warning light will remain on for a pe-
riod of time af ter the driver’s door is
locked.
CAUTION
When parking in an area where the out-
side temperature is below 32°F (0°C),
the parking brake, if applied, may
freeze in place and may be difficult to
release.
For safe parking, it is recommended
that you place the shif t lever in the P
(Park) position and securely block the
wheels.
NOTE:
• To keep the electronic parking brake released af ter the engine is turned off,
place the ignition switch in the OFF po-
sition, depress the brake pedal and
push down the parking brake switch
before opening the driver’s door.
• If a malfunction occurs in the elec- tronic parking brake system (for ex-
ample, due to battery discharge), it is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer.
• If the shif t lever is moved to the P (Park) position when the brake force is main-
tained by the automatic brake hold
function, the electronic parking brake
will apply automatically.
• If the driver’s seat belt is unfastened when the brake force is maintained by
the automatic brake hold function, the
electronic parking brake will apply
automatically.
• If the ignition switch is placed in the OFF position when the brake force is
maintained by the automatic brake
hold function, the electronic parking
brake will apply automatically.
Manual operation
The electronic parking brake will not be au-
tomatically applied if the engine is stopped
without using the ignition switch (for ex-
ample, by engine stalling). In such a case,
you have to apply the parking brake
manually.
To apply: Pull the switch up
O1. The indica-
tor light
OAwill illuminate.
To release: With the ignition switch in the
ON position, depress the brake pedal and
push the switch down
O2. The indicator
light
OAwill turn off.
Before driving, check that the electronic
parking brake indicator light (
or PARK)
goes out. For additional information, see
“Warning lights, indicator lights and audible
reminders” (P. 2-9).
NOTE:
• A buzzer will sound if the vehicle is driven without releasing the parking
brake. For additional information, see
“Warning lights, indicator lights and
audible reminders” (P. 2-9).
5-26Starting and driving

• While the electronic parking brake isapplied or released, an operating
sound is heard from the lower side of
the rear seat. This is normal and does
not indicate a malfunction.
• When the electronic parking brake is frequently applied and released in a
short period of time, the parking brake
may not operate in order to prevent the
parking brake system from overheat-
ing. If this occurs, operate the elec-
tronic parking brake switch again af ter
waiting approximately 1 minute.
• If the electronic parking brake must be applied while driving in an emergency,
pull up and hold the parking brake
switch. When you release the parking
brake switch, the parking brake will be
released.
• While pulling up the electronic parking brake switch during driving, the park-
ing brake is applied and a chime
sounds. The electronic parking brake
indicator light in the meter and in the
parking brake switch illuminates. This
does not indicate a malfunction. The
electronic parking brake indicator light
in the meter and in the parking brake
switch turns off when the parking
brake is released. • When pulling the electronic parking
brake switch up with the ignition
switch in the OFF or AUTO ACC position,
the parking brake switch indicator
light will continue to illuminate for a
short period of time. The automatic brake hold function main-
tains the braking force without the driver
having to depress the brake pedal when
the vehicle is stopped at a traffic light or
intersection. As soon as the driver de-
presses the accelerator pedal again, the
automatic brake hold function is deacti-
vated and the braking force is released. The
operating status of the automatic brake
hold can be displayed on the vehicle infor-
mation display.
WARNING
• The automatic brake hold function is
not designed to hold the vehicle on a
steep hill or slippery road. Never use
the automatic brake hold when the
vehicle is stopped on a steep hill or
slippery road. Failure to do so may
cause the vehicle to move.
• When the automatic brake hold func-
tion is activated but fails to maintain
the vehicle at a standstill, depress the
brake pedal to stop the vehicle. If the
vehicle unexpectedly moves due to
outside conditions, the chime may
sound and automatic brake hold
warning may illuminate in the vehicle
information display.
AUTOMATIC BRAKE HOLD (if so
equipped)
Starting and driving5-27

How to activate the automatic
brake hold function
1. With the ignition switch in the ON posi-tion, push the automatic brake hold
switch
O1. The indicator light on the au-
tomatic brake hold switch
O2
illuminates.
2. When the automatic brake hold function goes into standby, the automatic brake
hold indicator light (white) illuminates.
To use the automatic brake hold function,
the following conditions need to be met:
• The driver’s seat belt is fastened.
• The electronic parking brake is released.
• The shif t lever is not in the P (Park) position.
• The vehicle is not parked on a steep hill.
NOTE:
The automatic brake hold function re-
sets to OFF every time the ignition
switch is switched from the OFF position
to the ON position.
How to deactivate the automatic
brake hold function
While the automatic brake hold function is
activated, push the automatic brake hold
switch to turn off the automatic brake hold
indicator light and deactivate the auto-
matic brake hold function. To deactivate
the automatic brake hold function while
the brake force has been maintained by
the automatic brake hold function, depress
the brake pedal and push the automatic
brake hold switch.
WARNING
Make sure to firmly depress and hold
the brake pedal when turning off the
automatic brake hold function while
the brake force is applied. When the au-
tomatic brake hold function is deacti-
vated, the brake force will be released.
This could cause the vehicle to move or
roll away unexpectedly. Failure to pre-
vent the vehicle from rolling may result
in serious personal injury or property
damage.
HOW TO USE THE AUTOMATIC
BRAKE HOLD FUNCTION
For additional information on using the au-
tomatic brake hold function, refer to the
instructions outlined in this section.
To maintain braking force
automatically
With the automatic brake hold function ac-
tivated and the automatic brake hold indi-
cator light (white) illuminated on the meter,
depress the braking pedal to stop the ve-
hicle. The brake force is automatically
maintained without your foot depressed
on the brake pedal. While the brake hold is
maintained, the automatic brake hold indi-
cator light (green) illuminates on the meter.
To start the vehicle from a
standstill
With the shif t lever not in the P (Park) or N
(Neutral) position, depress the accelerator
pedal while the brake force is maintained.
The brake force will automatically be re-
leased to restart the vehicle.
The automatic brake hold indicator light
(white) illuminates and the automatic
brake hold returns to standby.
Starting and driving5-29