2023 NISSAN ALTIMA Owners Manual

VEHICLE LOAD CAPACITY
Before driving a loaded vehicle, con-
firm that you do not exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for your vehicle. Both the
GVWR and GAWR are located on the
F.M.V.S.S./C.M.V.S.S. certification label.
For additional information, see “Mea-
surement of weights” (P. 10-20).
Do not exceed the load limit of your
vehicle shown as “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo” on
the Tire and Loading Information la-
bel. Do not exceed the number of
occupants shown as “Seating Ca-
pacity” on the Tire and Loading Infor-
mation label.To get “the combined weight of oc-
cupants and cargo”, add the weight
of all occupants, then add the total
cargo weight. Examples are shown
in the following illustration.
Technical and consumer information10-17

Steps For Determining Correct
Load Limit
1. Locate the statement “The com-bined weight of occupants and
cargo should never exceed XXX kg
or XXX lbs.” on your vehicle’s
placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of the driver and passengers that
will be riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of the driver and passengers from
XXX kg or XXX lbs.
4. The resulting figure equals the available amount of cargo and
luggage load capacity. For ex-
ample, if the “XXX ” amount equals
1400 lbs. and there will be five 150
lbs. passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650
lbs. (1400-750 (5 X 150) = 650 lbs.)
LTI2335
Example
10-18Technical and consumer information

5. Determine the combined weightof luggage and cargo being
loaded on the vehicle. That weight
may not safely exceed the avail-
able cargo and luggage load ca-
pacity calculated in step 4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load from your trailer will be
transferred to your vehicle. Con-
sult this manual to determine
how this reduces the available
cargo and luggage load capacity
of your vehicle.
Towing a trailer with a vehicle that is
not intended for towing may result in
an accident involving injury or death.
WARNING
Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle.
Towing a trailer may result in an acci-
dent involving injury or death.
Before driving a loaded vehicle, con-
firm that you do not exceed the
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
or the Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) for your vehicle. For addi-
tional information, see “Measure-
ment of weights” (P. 10-20).
Also check tires for proper inflation
pressures. For additional informa-
tion, see “Tire and Loading Informa-
tion label” (P. 8-31).
LOADING TIPS
• The GVW must not exceed GVWR or GAWR as specified on the F.M.V.S.S./
C.M.V.S.S. certification label.
• Do not load the front and rear axle to the GAWR. Doing so will exceed
the GVWR.
WARNING
• Properly secure all cargo with
ropes or straps to help prevent
it from sliding or shif ting. Do
not place cargo higher than the
seatbacks. In a sudden stop or
collision, unsecured cargo
could cause personal injury.
• Do not load your vehicle any
heavier than the GVWR or the
maximum front and rear
GAWRs. If you do, parts of your
vehicle can break, tire damage
could occur, or it can change
the way your vehicle handles.
This could result in loss of con-
trol and cause personal injury.
Technical and consumer information10-19

•Overloading not only can
shorten the life of your vehicle
and the tire, but can also cause
unsafe vehicle handling and
longer braking distances. This
may cause a premature tire
failure which could result in a
serious accident and personal
injury. Failures caused by over-
loading are not covered by the
vehicle’s warranty.MEASUREMENT OF WEIGHTS
Secure loose items to prevent
weight shif ts that could affect the
balance of your vehicle. When the ve-
hicle is loaded, drive to a scale and
weigh the front and the rear wheels
separately to determine axle loads.
Individual axle loads should not ex-
ceed either of the Gross Axle Weight
Ratings (GAWR). The total of the axle
loads should not exceed the Gross
Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR). These
ratings are given on the vehicle cer-
tification label. If weight ratings are
exceeded, move or remove items to
bring all weights below the ratings.
Do not tow a trailer with your vehicle.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
• Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission
damage.
• Whenever flat towing your vehicle,
always tow forward, never backward.
• Never tow your front wheel drive ve-
hicle with the front tires on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious
and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
• DO NOT tow any continuously vari-
able transmission vehicle with all
four wheels on the ground (flat tow-
ing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE internal
transmission parts due to lack of
transmission lubrication.
• For emergency towing procedures
see “Towing recommended by
NISSAN” (P. 6-20).
TOWING A TRAILER
10-20Technical and consumer information

Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT)
To tow a vehicle equipped with a CVT, an
appropriate vehicle dollyMUSTbe placed
under the towed vehicle's drive wheels. Al-
ways follow the dolly manufacturer's rec-
ommendations when using their product. DOT (Department of Transportation) Qual-
ity Grades: All passenger car tires must
conform to federal safety requirements in
addition to these grades.
Quality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature
A
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rat-
ing based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one
and one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the
government course as a tire graded 100.
The relative performance of tires depends
upon the actual conditions of their use,
however, and may depart significantly from
the norm due to variations in driving habits,
service practices and differences in road
characteristics and climate.
Traction AA, A, B and C
The traction grades, from highest to low-
est, are AA, A, B, and C. Those grades repre-
sent the tire's ability to stop on wet pave-ment as measured under controlled
conditions on specified government test
surfaces of asphalt and concrete. A tire
marked C may have poor traction
performance.
WARNING
The traction grade assigned to this tire
is based on straight-ahead braking
traction tests, and does not include ac-
celeration, cornering, hydroplaning, or
peak traction characteristics.
Temperature A, B and C
The temperature grades are A (the high-
est), B, and C, representing the tire’s resis-
tance to the generation of heat, and its
ability to dissipate heat when tested under
controlled conditions on a specified indoor
laboratory test wheel. Sustained high tem-
perature can cause the material of the tire
to degenerate and reduce tire life, and ex-
cessive temperature can lead to sudden
tire failure. The grade C corresponds to a
level of performance which all passenger
car tires must meet under the Federal Mo-
tor Safety Standard No. 109. Grades B and A
represent higher levels of performance on
the laboratory test wheel than the mini-
mum required by law.
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
Technical and consumer information10-21

WARNING
The temperature grade for this tire is
established for a tire that is properly
inflated and not overloaded. Excessive
speed, under-inflation, or excessive
loading, either separately or in combi-
nation, can cause heat build-up and
possible tire failure. Your NISSAN vehicle is covered by the fol-
lowing emission warranties:
For USA
1. Emission Defects Warranty
2. Emissions Performance Warranty
Details of this warranty may be found with
other vehicle warranties in your Warranty
Information Booklet which comes with
your NISSAN vehicle. If you did not receive a
Warranty Information Booklet, or it is lost,
you may obtain a replacement by writing
to:
• Nissan North America, Inc.
Consumer Affairs Department
P.O. Box 685003
Franklin, TN 37068-5003
For Canada
Emission Control System Warranty
Details of this warranty may be found with
other vehicle warranties in your Warranty
Information Booklet which comes with
your NISSAN vehicle. If you did not receive a
Warranty Information Booklet, or it is lost,
you may obtain a replacement by writing
to:
• Nissan Canada Inc. 5290 Orbitor Drive
Mississauga, Ontario, L4W 4Z5For USA
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform the Na-
tional Highway Traffic Safety Admin-
istration (NHTSA) in addition to noti-
f ying NISSAN.
If NHTSA receives similar complaints,
it may open an investigation, and if it
finds that a safety defect exists in a
group of vehicles, it may order a re-
call and remedy campaign. However,
NHTSA cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or NISSAN.
To contact NHTSA, you may call the
Vehicle Safety Hotline toll-free at
1-888-327-4236 (TTY: 1-800-424-9153);
go to http://www.safercar.gov; or
write to: Administrator, NHTSA, 400
Seventh Street, SW., Washington, D.C.
EMISSION CONTROL SYSTEM
WARRANTY REPORTING SAFETY DEFECTS
10-22Technical and consumer information

20590. You can also obtain other in-
formation about motor vehicle safety
from http://www.safercar.gov.
You may notif y NISSAN by contact-
ing our Consumer Affairs Depart-
ment, toll-free, at 1-800-NISSAN-1.
For Canada
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform Trans-
port Canada in addition to notif ying
NISSAN.
If Transport Canada receives com-
plaints, it may open an investigation,
and if it finds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
request that NISSAN conduct a recall
campaign. However, Transport
Canada cannot become involved in
individual problems between you,
your dealer, or NISSAN.
You may contact Transport Canada's
Defect Investigations and Recalls Di-
vision toll free at 1-800-333-0510. You
may also report safety defects online
at: http://www.tc.gc.ca/eng/
motorvehiclesafety/menu.htm (Eng-
lish speakers) or http://
www.tc.gc.ca/fra/
securiteautomobile/menu.htm
(French speakers)
Or contact Transport Canada by
mail at:
Transport Canada Motor Vehicle
Safety Investigations Laboratory
80 Noel Street Gatineau, QC J8Z0A1
Additional information concerning
motor vehicle safety may be ob-
tained from Transport Canada's
Road Safety Information Centre at
1-800-333-0371 or online at
www.tc.gc.ca/roadsafety (English
speakers) or www.tc.gc.ca/
securiteroutiere (French speakers).To notif y NISSAN of any safety con-
cerns please contact our Consumer
Information Centre toll free at
1-800-387-0122.
Technical and consumer information10-23

WARNING
A vehicle equipped with All -Wheel
Drive (AWD) should never be tested us-
ing a two wheel dynamometer (such as
the dynamometers used by some
states for emissions testing), or similar
equipment. Make sure 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
damage or unexpected vehicle move-
ment which could result in serious ve-
hicle damage or personal injury.
Due to legal requirements in some states
and Canadian Provinces, your vehicle may
be required to be in what is called the
“ready condition” for an Inspection/
Maintenance (I/M) test of the emission
control system.
The vehicle is set to the “ready condition”
when it is driven through certain driving
patterns. Usually, the ready condition can
be obtained by ordinary usage of the
vehicle. If a powertrain system component is re-
paired or the battery is disconnected, the
vehicle may be reset to a “not ready ” condi-
tion. Before taking the I/M test, check the
vehicle's inspection/maintenance test
readiness condition. Place the ignition
switch in the ON position without starting
the engine. If the Malfunction Indicator
Light (MIL) comes on steady for 20 seconds
and then blinks for 10 seconds , the I/M test
condition is “not ready”. If the MIL does not
blink af ter 20 seconds, the I/M test condi-
tion is “ready ”. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer to set the “ready con-
dition” or to prepare the vehicle for testing.
This vehicle is equipped with an Event Data
Recorder (EDR). The main purpose of an
EDR is to record, in certain crash or near
crash-like situations, such as an air bag
deployment or hitting a road obstacle, data
that will assist in understanding how a ve-
hicle's systems performed. The EDR is de-
signed to record data related to vehicle dy-
namics and safety systems for a short
period of time, typically 30 seconds or less.
The EDR in this vehicle is designed to re-
cord such data as:
• How various systems in your vehicle were
operating;
• Whether or not the driver and passenger safety belts were buckled/fastened;
• How far (if at all) the driver was depress- ing the accelerator and/or brake pedal;
and,
• How fast the vehicle was traveling.
• Sounds are not recorded.
READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST EVENT DATA RECORDERS (EDR)
10-24Technical and consumer information