2023 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

cranking the engine, release the accel-
erator pedal. Crank the engine with
your foot off the accelerator pedal by
depressing the brake pedal and push-
ing the ignition switch to start the en-
gine. 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 the OFF position and wait 10 seconds
before cranking again, otherwise the
starter could be damaged.
4. Warm-up:
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds af ter starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at a
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for a
minimum of 2 to 3 minutes before shut-
ting it off. Starting and stopping the en-
gine over a short period of time may
make the vehicle more difficult to start.
5. To stop the engine, move the shif t lever to the P (Park) position and push the
ignition switch to the OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situa-
tions that can lead to potential battery
discharge and potential no-start con-
ditions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec- tronic accessories that consume bat-
tery power when the engine is not
running (phone chargers, GPS, DVD
players, etc.).
2. The 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
Vehicles started with the Remote Engine
Start require the ignition switch to be
placed in the ON position before the shif t
lever can be moved from the P (Park) posi-
tion. To place the ignition switch in the ON
position, follow these steps:
1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is on you.
2. Apply the brake.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the ON position. For additional information, see “NISSAN In-
telligent Key®” (P. 3-7).
Starting and driving5-17

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

L(Low)
Use this position for engine braking on
steep downhill gradients/climbing steep
slopes and whenever approaching sharp
bends. Do not use the L (Low) position in
any other circumstances.
Manual shif t mode (if so
equipped)
When the shif t lever is in the D (Drive) posi-
tion and the drive sport mode switch is
pushed, the transmission is ready for the
manual shif t mode. Shif t ranges can be
selected manually by pulling the right-side
or lef t-side paddle shif ter.
When shif ting up, pull the right side paddle
shif ter (+)
OB. The transmission shif ts to the
higher range.
When shif ting down, pull the lef t side
paddle shif ter (−)
OA. The transmission
shif ts to the lower range. When canceling the manual shif t mode,
push the drive sport mode switch. The
transmission returns to the normal driving
mode. When you pull the paddle shif ter
while in the D (Drive) position with the drive
sport mode switch pushed, the transmis-
sion will shif t to the upper or lower range
temporarily. The transmission will auto-
matically return to the drive sport mode
af ter a short period of time. If you want to
return to the drive sport mode manually,
pull and hold the paddle shif ter for about
1.5 seconds.
In the manual shif t mode, the shif t range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter.
Shif t ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
1⇔
2⇔ 3⇔ 4⇔ 5⇔ 6⇔ 7⇔ 8
M8 (8th) and M7 (7th)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) and M5 (5th)
Use this position when driving up long
slopes or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
LSD2914
Starting and driving5-21

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

Each time the engine is started, or when
the shif t lever is shif ted to any position
other than D (Drive), the drive sport mode
will automatically turn off.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into a lower gear,
depending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tem-
perature protection mode. If the fluid tem-
perature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high tem-
peratures with heavy loads, such as when
towing a trailer), engine power and, under
some conditions, vehicle speed will be de-
creased automatically to reduce the
chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelera-
tor pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed
may be limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel
spinning and subsequent hard braking,
the fail-safe system may be activated.
The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
may come on to indicate the fail-safe
mode is activated. For additional infor-
mation, see “Malfunction Indicator Light
(MIL)” (P. 2-15). This will occur even if all
electrical circuits are functioning prop-
erly. In this case, place the ignition switch
in the OFF position and wait for 10 sec-
onds. Then push the switch back to the
ON position. The vehicle should return to
its normal operating condition. If it does
not return to its normal operating condi-
tion, have the transmission checked. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation oc-
curs, vehicle speed may be gradually
reduced. The reduced speed may be
lower than other traffic, which could in-
crease the chance of a collision. Be es-
pecially careful when driving. If neces-
sary, pull to the side of the road at a safe
place and allow the transmission to re-
turn to normal operation, or have it re-
paired if necessary.
5-24Starting and driving