2023 NISSAN QASHQAI Transmission

keep you and your passengers in
position when driving over rough
terrain.
. Do not drive across steep slopes.
Instead drive either straight up or
straight down the slopes. Off-
road vehicles can tip over side-
ways much more easily than they
can forward or backward.
. Many hills are too steep for any
vehicle. If you drive up them, you
may stall. If you drive down them,
you may not be able to control
your speed. If you drive across
them, you may roll over.
. Do not shift ranges while driving
on downhill grades as this could
cause loss of control of the vehi-
cle.
. Stay alert when driving to the top
of a hill. At the top there could be
a drop-off or other hazard that
could cause an accident.
. If your engine stalls or you cannot
make it to the top of a steep hill,
never attempt to turn around.
Your vehicle could tip or roll over.
Always back straight down in R
(Reverse) range. Never back down
in N (Neutral), using only the
brake, as this could cause loss of control.
. Heavy braking going down a hill
could cause your brakes to over-
heat and fade, resulting in loss of
control and an accident. Apply
brakes lightly and use a low
range to control your speed.
. Unsecured cargo can be thrown
around when driving over rough
terrain. Properly secure all cargo
so it will not be thrown forward
and cause injury to you or your
passengers.
. To avoid raising the center of
gravity excessively, do not exceed
the rated capacity of the roof rack
(if so equipped) and evenly dis-
tribute the load. Secure heavy
loads in the cargo area as far
forward and as low as possible.
Do not equip the vehicle with tires
larger than specified in this man-
ual. This could cause your vehicle
to roll over.
. Do not grip the inside or spokes
of the steering wheel when driv-
ing off-road. The steering wheel
could move suddenly and injure
your hands. Instead drive with
your fingers and thumbs on the
outside of the rim. .
Before operating the vehicle, en-
sure that the driver and all pas-
sengers have their seat belts
fastened.
. Always drive with the floor mats
in place as the floor may became
hot.
. Lower your speed when encoun-
tering strong crosswinds. With a
higher center of gravity, your
vehicle is more affected by strong
side winds. Slower speeds ensure
better vehicle control.
. Do not drive beyond the perfor-
mance capability of the tires,
even with AWD engaged.
. For AWD equipped vehicles, do
not attempt to raise two wheels
off the ground and shift the
transmission to any drive or re-
verse position with the engine
running. Doing so may result in
drivetrain damage or unexpected
vehicle movement which could
result in serious vehicle damage
or personal injury.
. Do not attempt to test an AWD
equipped vehicle on a 2-wheel
dynamometer (such as the dy-
namometers used by some
states for emissions testing), or
Starting and driving5-11

JVS1067X
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANS-
MISSION (CVT)
The ignition lock is designed so that the
ignition switch cannot be turned to the
LOCK position until the shift lever is
moved to the P (Park) position. When
moving the ignition switch to the LOCK
position, to remove the key from the
ignition switch, make sure the shift lever
is in the P (Park) position.
When the ignition switch cannot be
turned to the LOCK position:
1. Move the shift lever to the P (Park)position. 2. Turn the ignition switch slightly in the
ON direction.
3. Place the ignition switch in the LOCK position.
4. Remove the key.
If the ignition switch is turned to the
LOCK position, the shift lever cannot be
moved from the P (Park) position. The
shift lever can be moved if the ignition
switch is in the ON position with the foot
brake pedal depressed.
JVS1067X
MANUAL TRANSMISSION (MT)
The ignition switch includes a device that
helps prevent accidental removal of the
key while driving.
The key can only be removed when the
ignition switch is in the LOCK position.
Starting and driving5-13

5-14Starting and driving
KEY POSITIONS
LOCK: Normal parking position (0)
OFF: (Not used) (1)
This position activates electrical acces-
sories such as the radio when the engine
is not running.
ON: Normal operating position (2)
This position turns on the ignition system
and the electrical accessories.
START: (3)
This position starts the engine. As soon as
the engine has started, release the key. It
automatically returns to the ON position.
WARNING
Do not operate the push-button
ignition switch while driving the ve-
hicle except in an emergency. (The
engine will stop when the ignition
switch is pushed 3 consecutive times
or the ignition switch is pushed and
held for more than 2 seconds.) If the
engine stops while the vehicle is
being driven, this could lead to a
crash and serious injury.
Before operating the push-button igni-
tion switch, be sure to move the shift
lever to the P (Park) position (for Con-
tinuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
models) or the shift lever to the N
(Neutral) position (for Manual Transmis-
sion (MT) models).
SSD0436
OPERATING RANGE FOR ENGINE
START FUNCTION
The Intelligent Key can only be used for
starting the engine when the Intelligent
Key is within the specified operating
range
.
When the Intelligent Key battery is almost
discharged or strong radio waves are
present near the operating location, the
Intelligent Key system’s operating range
becomes narrower and may not function
properly.
If the Intelligent Key is within the operat-
ing range, it is possible for anyone, even
someone who does not carry the Intelli-
gent Key, to push the ignition switch to
PUSH-BUTTON IGNITION SWITCH
(model with Intelligent Key system)

5-18Starting and driving
1. Apply the parking brake.
2.Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) model:
Move the shift lever to the P (Park) or N
(Neutral) position. (P is recommended.)
The starter is designed so that it does
not operate unless the shift lever is in
either of the above positions.
Manual Transmission (MT) model:
Move the shift lever to the N (Neutral)
position, and depress the clutch pedal
to the floor while starting the engine.
3. Crank the engine with your foot off
the accelerator pedal by turning the
ignition switch to START. Release the
switch when the engine starts. If the
engine starts, but fails to run, repeat
the above procedure.
.If the engine is very hard to start in
extremely cold weather or when
restarting, depress the accelerator
pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to
the floor) and hold it and then
crank the engine. Release the ac-
celerator pedal when the engine
starts.
.If the engine is very hard to startbecause it is flooded, depress the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and hold it. Crank the engine
for 5 - 6 seconds. After cranking the engine, release the accelerator
pedal. Crank the engine
with your
foot off the accelerator pedal by
turning the ignition switch to
START. Release the ignition switch
when the engine starts. If the
engine starts, but fails to run, re-
peat the above procedure.
CAUTION
Do not operate the starter for more
than 15 seconds at a time. If the
engine does not start, turn the igni-
tion switch off and wait 10 seconds
before cranking again, otherwise the
starter could be damaged.
Do not turn the ignition switch to the
START position unless the engine
and starter have stopped moving.
Attempting to start the engine while
the engine or starter is moving may
cause damage.
4. Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start.
5. To stop the engine, shift the shift lever to the P (Park) position (CVT model) or
N (Neutral) position (MT model) and
turn the ignition switch to the OFF
position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start condi-
tions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume
battery power when the engine is
not running (Phone chargers, GPS,
DVD players, etc.)
2. 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.
STARTING THE ENGINE (model
without Intelligent Key system)

1. Apply the parking brake.
2.Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) model:
Move the shift lever to the P (Park) or N
(Neutral) position. (P is recommended.)
The starter is designed not to operate
unless the shift lever is in either of the
above positions.
Manual Transmission (MT) model:
Move the shift lever to the N (Neutral)
position. Depress the clutch pedal fully
to the floor.
The starter is designed not to operate
unless the clutch pedal is fully de-
pressed.
The Intelligent Key must be carried
when operating the ignition switch.
3. Push the ignition switch to the ON position. Depress the brake pedal (CVT
models) or the clutch pedal (MT mod-
els) and push the ignition switch to
start the engine.
To start the engine immediately, push
and release the ignition switch while
depressing the brake pedal (CVT mod-
els) or the clutch pedal (MT models)
with the ignition switch in any posi-
tion.
.If the engine is very hard to start in
extremely cold weather or when restarting, depress the accelerator
pedal a little (approximately 1/3 to
the floor) and while holding, crank
the engine. Release the accelerator
pedal when the engine starts.
.If the engine is very hard to start
because it is flooded, depress the
accelerator pedal all the way to the
floor and hold it. Push the ignition
switch to the ON position to start
cranking the engine. After 5 or 6
seconds, stop cranking by pushing
the ignition switch to OFF. After
cranking the engine, release the
accelerator pedal. Crank the engine
with your foot off the accelerator
pedal by depressing the brake
pedal and pushing the push-button
ignition switch to start the engine.
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 OFF and wait 10
seconds before cranking again,
otherwise the starter could be da-
maged. 4.
Warm-up
Allow the engine to idle for at least 30
seconds after starting. Do not race the
engine while warming it up. Drive at
moderate speed for a short distance
first, especially in cold weather. In cold
weather, keep the engine running for
a minimum of 2 - 3 minutes before
shutting it off. Starting and stopping
the engine over a short period of time
may make the vehicle more difficult to
start.
When racing the engine up to 4,000
rpm or more under no load condition,
the engine will enter the fuel cut
mode.
5. To stop the engine, move the shift lever to the P (Park) position (CVT
models) or move the shift lever to
the N (Neutral) position (MT models),
and push the ignition switch to the
OFF position.
NOTE:
Care should be taken to avoid situations
that can lead to potential battery dis-
charge and potential no-start condi-
tions such as:
1. Installation or extended use of elec-
tronic accessories that consume
battery power when the engine is
not running (Phone chargers, GPS,
DVD players, etc.)
Starting and driving5-19
STARTING THE ENGINE (model
with Intelligent Key system)

5-20Starting and driving
2.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 (if so
equipped)
Vehicles started with the remote engine
start function require the ignition switch
to be placed in the ON position before the
shift lever can be moved from the P (Park)
position. To place the ignition switch in
the ON position, perform the following
steps:
1. Make sure that the Intelligent Key is carried with you.
2. Depress the brake pedal.
3. Push the ignition switch once to the ON position.
For additional information about the
remote engine start function, see “Re-
mote engine start” (P.3-23).
CONTINUOUSLY VARIABLE TRANS-
MISSION (CVT)
The Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) in your vehicle is electronically
controlled to produce maximum power
and smooth operation.
The recommended operating procedures
for this transmission are shown on the
following pages. Follow these procedures
for maximum vehicle performance and
driving enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically
reduced 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. After starting the engine, fully depress the foot brake pedal before moving
the shift lever out of the P (Park)
position.
This CVT is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed
before shifting from P (Park) to any
driving position while the ignition
switch is in the ON position.
The shift lever cannot be moved out
of the P (Park) position and into any
of the other positions if the ignition
switch is placed in the LOCK or OFF position.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shift lever to a driving
position.
3. Release the parking brake and foot brake pedal, and then gradually start
the vehicle in motion.
WARNING
.Do not depress the accelerator
pedal while shifting from P (Park)
or N (Neutral) to R (Reverse), D
(Drive), or manual shift mode. Al-
ways depress the brake pedal
until shifting 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 shifting into a
forward or reverse gear before
the engine has warmed up.
. Never shift to either the P (Park)
or R (Reverse) position while ve-
hicle is moving forward and P
(Park) or D (Drive) while the vehi-
cle is reversing. This could cause
an accident or damage the trans-
mission.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE

.Do not downshift abruptly on
slippery roads. This may cause a
loss of control.
CAUTION
.To avoid possible damage to your
vehicle; when stopping the vehi-
cle on an uphill grade, do not hold
the vehicle by depressing the
accelerator pedal. The foot brake
should be used for this purpose.
. Except in an emergency, do not
shift to the N (Neutral) position
while driving. Coasting with the
transmission in the N (Neutral)
position may cause serious da-
mage to the transmission.
JVS1025X
To move the shift lever,
: Push the buttonwhile depressing
the brake pedal.
: Push the button.
:Just move the shift lever.
Shifting
After starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal, push the shift lever button
and move the shift lever from the P (Park)
position to any of the desired shift posi-
tions.
WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shift
lever is in any position while the
engine is not running. Failure to do
so could cause the vehicle to move
unexpectedly or roll away and result
in serious personal injury or property
damage.
CAUTION
Use the P (Park) or R (Reverse) posi-
tion only when the vehicle is com-
pletely stopped.
If the ignition switch is placed in the OFF
or ACC position for any reason while the
shift lever is in any positions other than
the P (Park), the ignition switch cannot be
placed in the LOCK position.
If the ignition switch cannot be placed in
the LOCK position, perform the following
steps:
1. Apply the parking brake when the vehicle is stopped.
2. Place the ignition switch in the ON position while depressing the foot
Starting and driving5-21

5-22Starting and driving
brake pedal.
3. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position.
4. Place the ignition switch in the LOCK position.
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage,
move the shift lever to the P (Park)
or R (Reverse) position only when the
vehicle is completely stopped.
P (Park):
Use this position when the vehicle is
parked or when starting the engine. Make
sure the vehicle is completely stopped.
The brake pedal must be depressed and
the shift lever button pushed in to move
the shift 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 shift lever to the P (Park) position.
R (Reverse):
Use this position to back up. Make sure
the vehicle is completely stopped before
selecting the R (Reverse) position. The
brake pedal must be depressed and the
shift lever button pushed in to move the shift lever from P (Park), N (Neutral) or
any driving position to R (Reverse).
N (Neutral):
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shift to N (Neutral) and
restart a stalled engine while the vehicle
is moving.
D (Drive):
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
Manual shift mode
When the shift lever is shifted from the D
(Drive) position to the manual shift gate,
the transmission enters the manual shift
mode. Shift ranges can be selected
manually by moving the shift lever up or
down.
In the manual shift mode, the shift range
is displayed on the position indicator in
the meter.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
M1
?
M2 ?
M3 ?
M4 ?
M5 ?
M6 ?
M7 ?
M8
// / / / / /
.
When shifting up, move the shift lever
to the + (up) side. The transmission
shifts to a higher range.
. When shifting down, move the shift
lever to the − (down) side. The trans-
mission shifts to a lower range.
. Moving the shift lever to the same side
twice will shift the ranges in succes-
sion. However, if this motion is rapidly
done, the second shifting may not be
completed properly.
. When canceling the manual shift
mode, return the shift lever to the D
(Drive) position. The transmission re-
turns to the normal driving mode.
M8 (8th):
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
However, you need to shift down the
gears manually when accelerating or
passing another vehicle.
M7 (7th), M6 (6th) and M5 (5th):
Use these positions when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
M4 (4th), M3 (3rd) and M2 (2nd) :
Use these positions for hill climbing or
engine braking on downhill grades.