
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
monitors information from the crash zone
sensor and the Air bag Control Unit (ACU).
Inflator operation is based on the severity
of a collision and seat belt usage for the
driver. For the front passenger, the occu-
pant classification sensor is also moni-
tored. Based upon the information from
the sensor, only one front air bag may in-
flate in a crash, depending on the crash
severity. Additionally, the front passenger
air bag and front passenger supplemental
knee air bag may be automatically turned
off under some conditions, depending on
the weight detected on the front passen-
ger seat and how the seat belt is used. If the
front passenger air bag and front passen-
ger supplemental knee air bag are OFF, the
front passenger air bag status light will be
illuminated (if the seat is unoccupied, the
light will not be illuminated, but the air bag
will be off ). For additional information, see
“Front passenger air bag and status light”
(P. 1-62). One front air bag inflating does not
indicate improper performance of the
system.If you have any questions about your air
bag system, it is recommended that you
contact NISSAN or a NISSAN dealer. If you
are considering modification of your ve-
hicle due to a disability, you may also con-
tact NISSAN. Contact information is con-
tained in the front of this Owner's Manual.
When a front air bag inflates, a fairly loud
noise may be heard, followed by the re-
lease of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be
taken to not inhale it, as it may cause irrita-
tion and choking. Those with a history of a
breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat
belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the face and chest of the front occupants.
They can help save lives and reduce seri-
ous injuries. However, an inflating front air
bag may cause facial abrasions or other
injuries. Front air bags, other than the driver
and front passenger supplemental knee
air bags, do not provide restraint to the
lower body.
Even with NISSAN Advanced Air Bags, seat
belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and front passenger seated upright
as far as practical away from the steering
wheel or instrument panel. The front air
bags inflate quickly in order to help protect
the front occupants. Because of this, the
force of the front air bag inflating can in-
crease the risk of injury if the occupant is
too close to, or is against, the front air bag
module during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly af ter a
collision.
The front air bags operate only when the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
Af ter placing the ignition switch in the
ON position, the supplemental air bag
warning light illuminates. The supple-
mental air bag warning light will turn off
af ter about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.
Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-61

Front passenger air bag and status
light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag and front
passenger supplemental knee air bag
is designed to automatically turn OFF
under some conditions. Read this sec-
tion carefully to learn how it operates.
Proper use of the seat, seat belt and
child restraints is necessary for most
effective protection. Failure to follow all
instructions in this manual concerning
the use of seats, seat belts and child
restraints can increase the risk or se-
verity of injury in an accident.
Status light
The front passenger seat is equipped with
an occupant classification sensor (weight
sensor) that turns the front passenger air
bag and front passenger supplemental
knee air bag on or off depending on the
weight applied to the front passenger seat.
The status of the front passenger air bag
and front passenger supplemental knee
air bag (ON or OFF) is indicated by the front
passenger air bag status light
which
is located on the instrument panel.
Af ter the ignition switch is placed in the
"ON" position, the front passenger air bag
status light on the instrument panel illumi-
nates for about 7 seconds and then turns
off or remains illuminated depending on
the front passenger seat occupied status.
The light operates as follows:
• Unoccupied front passenger’s seat: The
light is OFF and the front passenger
air bag is OFF and will not inflate in a
crash. • Front passenger seat occupied by a
small adult, child or child restraint as out-
lined in this section: The
light may or
may not illuminate, depending on the size
of the occupant or the type of child re-
straint being used. When the
light is
illuminated, the front passenger air bag is
OFF and will not inflate in a crash. For
additional information, see “Front pas-
senger air bag and status light” ( 1-62).
• Occupied front passenger seat and the passenger meets the conditions as out-
lined in this section: The
light is OFF
to indicate that the front passenger air
bag is operational.
In addition to the above, certain objects
placed on the front passenger seat may
also cause the light to operate as de-
scribed above depending on their weight.
For additional information, see “Normal op-
eration” (P. 1-64) and “Troubleshooting”
(P. 1-64).
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1-62Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

that you and all vehicle occupants are
seated and restrained properly.
Using the front passenger air bag status
light, you can monitor when the front pas-
senger air bag and front passenger
supplemental knee air bag are automati-
cally turned OFF with the seat occupied.
The light will not illuminate when the front
passenger seat is unoccupied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the
front passenger air bag status light is illu-
minated (indicating that the front passen-
ger air bag and front passenger supple-
mental knee air bag are OFF), it could be
that the person is a small adult, or is not
sitting on the seat properly or not using the
seat belt properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front
seat, the front passenger air bag status
light may or may not be illuminated, de-
pending on the size of the child and the
type of child restraint being used. Always
make sure that the child restraint is in-
stalled properly, the seat belt is used prop-
erly and the occupant is positioned
properly.
If necessary, a NISSAN dealer can check
system operation by using a special tool.
Until you have confirmed with a dealer thatyour air bag is working properly, reposition
the occupant or child restraint in a rear
seat.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System and
front passenger air bag status light will
take a few seconds to register a change in
the front passenger seat status. For ex-
ample, if a large adult who is sitting in the
front passenger seat exits the vehicle, the
front passenger air bag status light will go
from OFF to ON for a few seconds and then
to OFF. This is normal system operation
and does not indicate a malfunction.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passen-
ger air bag system, the supplemental air
bag warning light
, located in the me-
ter and gauges area of the instrument
panel, will blink. Have the system checked. It
is recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for this service.
Normal operation
In order for the occupant classification
sensor system to classif y the front passen-
ger based on weight, please follow the pre-
cautions and steps outlined below:
Precautions
• Make sure that there are no objects weighing over 9.1 lbs. (4 kg) hanging on
the seat or placed in the seatback pocket. • Make sure that a child restraint or other
object is not pressing against the rear of
the seatback.
• Make sure that a rear passenger is not pushing or pulling on the back of the front
passenger seat.
• Make sure that the front passenger seat or seatback is not forced back against an
object on the seat or floor behind it.
• Make sure that there is no object placed under the front passenger seat.
Steps
1. Adjust the seat as outlined in the “Seats” section of this manual. Sit upright, lean-
ing against the seatback, and centered
on the seat cushion with your feet com-
fortably extended to the floor.
2. Make sure there are no objects on your lap.
3. Fasten the seat belt as outlined in the “Seat belts” section of this manual.
4. Remain in this position for 30 seconds allowing the system to classif y the front
passenger before the vehicle is put into
motion.
5. Ensure proper classification by checking the front passenger air bag status light.
1-64Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

NOTE:
A system check will be performed during
which the front passenger air bag status
light will remain lit for about 7 seconds
initially.
If the light is still ON af ter this, the person
should be advised not to ride in the front
passenger seat and the vehicle should be
checked as soon as possible. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.
Other supplemental front-impact air
bag precautions
WARNING
• Do not place any objects on the
steering wheel pad or on the instru-
ment panel. Also, do not place any
objects between any occupant and
the steering wheel or instrument
panel. Such objects may become
dangerous projectiles and cause in-
jury if the front air bags inflate.
• Immediately af ter inflation, several
front air bag system components will
be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself. •
No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the supplemental air bag system.
This is to prevent accidental inflation
of the supplemental air bag or dam-
age to the supplemental air bag
system.
• Do not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle's electrical system,
suspension system or front end
structure. This could affect proper
operation of the front air bag system.
• Tampering with the front air bag sys-
tem may result in serious personal
injury. Tampering includes changes
to the steering wheel and the instru-
ment panel assembly by placing ma-
terial over the steering wheel pad
and above the instrument panel or
by installing additional trim material
around the air bag system.
• Removing or modif ying the front
passenger seat may affect the func-
tion of the air bag system and result
in serious personal injury. •
Modif ying or tampering with the
front passenger seat may result in
serious personal injury. For example,
do not change the front seats by
placing material on the seat cushion
or by installing additional trim mate-
rial, such as seat covers, on the seat
that are not specifically designed to
assure proper air bag operation. Ad-
ditionally, do not stow any objects
under the front passenger seat or the
seat cushion and seatback. Such ob-
jects may interfere with the proper
operation of the occupant classifica-
tion sensor (weight sensor).
• No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the seat belt system. This may af-
fect the front air bag system. Tam-
pering with the seat belt system may
result in serious personal injury.
1-66Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

The supplemental air bags operate only
when the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
Af ter placing the ignition switch in the
ON position, the supplemental air bag
warning light illuminates. The supple-
mental air bag warning light will turn off
af ter about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.
WARNING
• The front air bags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a side impact,
rear impact, rollover, or lower sever-
ity frontal collision. Always wear your
seat belts to help reduce the risk or
severity of injury in various kinds of
accidents.
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1-68Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

WARNING
• Never let children ride unrestrained
or extend their hands or face out of
the window. Do not attempt to hold
them in your lap or arms. Some ex-
amples of dangerous riding posi-
tions are shown in the illustrations.
ARS1133ARS1041
1-70Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

WARNING
• Children may be severely injured or
killed when the front air bags, side air
bags, knee air bags, or curtain air
bags inflate if they are not properly
restrained. Pre-teens and children
should be properly restrained in the
rear seat, if possible.
ARS1042ARS1043ARS1044
Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-71

WARNING
• Even with the air bag system, never
install a rear-facing child restraint in
the front seat. An inflating air bag
could seriously injure or kill a child. A
rear-facing child restraint must only
be used in the rear seat.WARNING
Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bags and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact and roll-
over supplemental air bags:
• The side air bags and curtain air bags
ordinarily will not inflate in the event
of a frontal impact, rear impact, or
lower severity side collision. Always
wear your seat belts to help reduce
the risk or severity of injury in various
kinds of accidents.
ARS1045WRS0256WRS0431
Do not lean against doors or windows.
1-72Safety-Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system