2023 NISSAN PATHFINDER automatic transmission

WARNING
Apply the electronic parking brake if
the shif t lever is in any position while
the engine is not running. Failure to do
so could cause the vehicle to move un-
expectedly or roll away and result in
serious personal injury or property
damage.
CAUTION
• Use the P (Park), R (Reverse) or D
(Drive) position only when the vehicle
is completely stopped.
• When switching to the desired shif t
position by operating the shif t lever,
check that the shif t lever returns to
the home position by releasing your
hand from the lever. Holding the shif t
lever in a mid-way position may also
damage the shif t control system.
• Do not operate the shif t lever while
the accelerator pedal is depressed.
This may cause a sudden start which
could result in an accident. •
The following operations are not al-
lowed because excessive force
would be applied to the transmission
and this may result in damage to the
vehicle:
– Moving the shif t lever to the R (Re-
verse) position when driving
forward
– Moving the shif t lever to the D
(Drive) position when reversing
If these operations are attempted, a
chime sounds and the vehicle shif ts to
the N (Neutral) position.
If the vehicle is moving over 5 mph (8
km/h) when shif ting to D (Drive) from R
(Reverse), the N (Neutral) position will
automatically be selected. A buzzer will
sound, noting that D (Drive) was not se-
lected. When selecting D (Drive) while
reversing below 5 mph (8 km/h) the
range will change normally.
P (Park)
CAUTION
• To prevent transmission damage,
use the P (Park) position only when
the vehicle is completely stopped.
• Do not slide the shif t lever while
pressing the park button. This may
damage the shif t control system.
Use the P (Park) position when the vehicle is
parked or when starting the engine. Make
sure the vehicle is completely stopped be-
fore pressing the park button to engage
the P (Park) position. For maximum safety,
the brake pedal must be depressed before
engaging the P (Park) position. Use this po-
sition together with the electronic parking
brake. When parking on a hill, first depress
the brake pedal, apply the electronic park-
ing brake and then engage the P (Park)
position. The parking lock should not be
used as a brake when parking. In order to
secure the vehicle, always apply the elec-
tronic parking brake in addition to the park-
ing lock.
Starting and driving5-21

In the event of a malfunction of the vehi-
cle’s electronics, the transmission may lock
in the P (Park) position. Have the vehicle’s
electronics checked immediately. It is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
The P (Park) position is automatically en-
gaged if:
• You place the ignition switch in the OFFposition
• You unfasten the driver’s seat belt and open the driver side door when the ve-
hicle is stationary or driving at very low
speed and the transmission is in the D
(Drive) position, the N (Neutral) position,
the R (Reverse) position or M (Manual)
mode with your foot off the brake.
CAUTION
To avoid A/T malfunction, you must
manually place the shif t position in the
P (Park) position under the above
conditions.
R (Reverse)
CAUTION
• To prevent transmission damage,
use the R (Reverse) position only
when the vehicle is completely
stopped and the brake is pressed.
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 and the shif t lever button
pressed to move the shif t lever from the
home position to R (Reverse). If the ve-
hicle is placed in R (Reverse) position
while the vehicle is moving forward, the
chime will sound and the vehicle will
switch into the N (Neutral) position.
NOTE:
If the vehicle is moving over 5 mph (8
km/h ), when shif ting to D (Drive) from R
(Reverse), the N (Neutral) position will au-
tomatically be selected. A buzzer will
sound, noting that D (Drive) was not se-
lected. When selecting D (Drive) while re-
versing below 5 mph (8 km/h), the range
will change normally.
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged when the vehicle is completely
stopped, and the brake is pressed. The en-
gine can be started in this position. You
may shif t to the N (Neutral) position and
restart a stalled engine while the vehicle is
moving.
You can select this position by holding the
shif t lever at this position for 0.5 seconds.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving when the vehicle is completely
stopped, and the brake is pressed. The A/T
changes gears automatically. All forward
gears are available. If the vehicle is placed
in the D (Drive) position while the vehicle
is reversing, the chime will sound and the
vehicle will switch into the N (Neutral)
position.
5-22Starting and driving

•If the Neutral hold mode is unavailable,
a message will appear in the vehicle
information display. For additional in-
formation, see “Neutral Hold Mode was
not activated” (P. 2-41) or (P. 2-68). To
activate the Neutral hold mode, wait
for a while without shif ting operation
and then perform the operations
again.
Manual shif t mode
When the shif t lever is moved to the D
(Drive) position again with the vehicle in the
D (Drive) position while driving, the trans-
mission enters the manual shif t mode.
Shif t range can be selected manually by
using the paddle shif ters on the steering
wheel.
When shif ting up, pull the right-side paddle
shif ter (+)
OA. The transmission shif ts to the
higher range.
When shif ting down, pull the lef t-side
paddle shif ter (−)
OB. The transmission
shif ts to the lower range. When canceling the manual shif t mode,
move the shif t lever to the D (Drive) position
again. The transmission returns to the nor-
mal driving mode.
When you pull the paddle shif ter while in
the D (Drive) position, the transmission will
shif t to the upper or lower range temporar-
ily. The transmission will automatically re-
turn to the D (Drive) position af ter a short
period of time. If you want to return to the D
(Drive) position 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 in the vehicle information
display.
Shif t ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
1M⇔
2M⇔3M ⇔4M ⇔5M ⇔6M ⇔7M ⇔8M
⇔ 9M
9M (9th) and 8M (8th)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
7M (7th), 6M (6th) and 5M (5th)
Use these positions when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
LSD4194
5-24Starting and driving

4M (4th), 3M (3rd) and 2M (2nd)
Use these positions for hill climbing or en-
gine braking on downhill grades.
1M (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow,
or for maximum engine braking 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.
• Pulling the same paddle shif ter twice will shif t the ranges in succession. However, if
this motion is rapidly done, the second
shif ting may not be completed properly.
• 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.
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
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
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. 2-20). 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 and
repaired, if necessary. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for this
service.
Starting and driving5-25

•Make sure the jumper cables do not
touch moving parts in the engine
compartment and that the cable
clamps do not contact any other
metal.
5. Start the engine of the booster vehicle and let it run for a few minutes.
6. Keep the engine speed of the booster vehicle 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 ig-
nition switch in the OFF position and
wait 3 to 4 seconds before trying again.
7. Af ter starting the engine, carefully dis- connect the negative cable and then the
positive cable.
CAUTION
Automatic transmission models can-
not be push-started. Attempting to do
so may cause transmission damage.WARNING
• Do not continue to drive if your ve-
hicle 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 res-
ervoir 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 ap-
pears in the vehicle 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, ap- ply the parking brake.
2. Push the park button to shif t to the P (Park) position.
Do not stop the engine.
PUSH STARTING IF YOUR VEHICLE OVERHEATS
In case of emergency6-13

For additional information about towing
your vehicle behind a Recreational Vehicle,
see “Flat towing for 4–Wheel drive vehicle”
(P. 10-32) or “Flat towing for front wheel drive
vehicle” (P. 10-32).
TOWING RECOMMENDED BY
NISSAN
NISSAN 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.
Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models
with automatic transmission
NISSAN recommends that towing dollies
be used when towing your vehicle or place
the vehicle on a flatbed truck as illustrated.
CAUTION
Never tow 4WD 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
In case of emergency6-15

NOTE:
If the battery is completely drained the
transmission will not manually shif t to
other positions.
Two-Wheel Drive models with
automatic transmission
NISSAN 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
models with the front wheels on the
ground or four wheels on the ground
(forward or backward), as this may
cause serious and expensive dam-
age to the transmission. If it is neces-
sary to tow the vehicle with the rear
wheels raised always use towing dol-
lies under the front wheels.
• When towing automatic transmis-
sion models with the rear wheels on
the ground or on towing dollies:
LIC4864
6-16In case of emergency

8 Do-it-yourself
Maintenance precautions.......................8-2
Engine compartment check locations ...........8-3
Engine cooling system ..........................8-4
Checking engine coolant level ................8-5
Changing engine coolant ....................8-5
Engine oil .......................................8-6
Checking engine oil level .....................8-6
Changing engine oil and oil filter ..............8-6
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) .............8-10
Brake fluid ....................................... 8-11
Windshield-washer fluid .........................8-11
Windshield-washer fluid reservoir ............8-11
Battery......................................... 8-13
Jump starting ............................... 8-14
Variable voltage control system ................8-15
Drive belt ....................................... 8-15
Spark plugs .................................... 8-16
Replacing spark plugs .......................8-16
Air cleaner ..................................... 8-17
In-cabin microfilter .......................... 8-17Windshield wiper blades
........................8-18
Cleaning .................................... 8-18
Replacing ................................... 8-18
Brakes ......................................... 8-20
Fuses .......................................... 8-20
Engine compartment ....................... 8-21
Passenger compartment ...................8-22
Battery replacement ........................... 8-24
NISSAN Intelligent Key® ......................8-24
Lights .......................................... 8-26
Headlights .................................. 8-26
Fog lights (if so equipped) ...................8-26
Exterior and interior lights ...................8-26
Wheels and tires ............................... 8-28
Tire pressure ................................ 8-28
Tire labeling ................................. 8-33
Types of tires ................................ 8-37
Tire chains .................................. 8-38
Changing
wheels and tires .................. 8-39