INFINITI QX80 2014 Consumer Safety And Air Bag Information Guide

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 0
































INFINITI CONSUMER
SAFETY & AIR BAG
INFORMATION GUIDE
2014
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Air Bag Protection ……......…......................………….…………………1
Child Safety ……………...…….………….………...………………….….10
Seat Belt Safety …………………………………….……..……………...12
Infiniti Owner
Satisfaction and Assistance ………….……….……...…..………..14


The 2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide provides
information for 2014 Infiniti vehicles available at the time of publication.
This publication will be amended as new vehicles are introduced.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 1



WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT AIR BAGS
Air bags are a supplemental restraint system designed to enhance the protection provided by the
seat belt system during certain types of collisions. Supplemental driver and front passenger air
bags, side-impact air bags, and curtain side-impact air bags are standard on all 2014 Infiniti
vehicles. On some Infiniti vehicles, the curtain side-impact air bags are also equipped with a
rollover sensing function. See your vehicle owner’s manual for information about these air bag
systems.

Please remember always to wear your seat belt, and that a rear-facing child restraint must never
be used in the front passenger seat if the vehicle is equipped with a front passenger air bag. See
page 10 of this guide for important information about child restraint use.

FASTER THAN THE EYE CAN BLINK
In a collision, a lot can happen in just one second. Generally, at 0.01 seconds an air bag begins
to inflate. At 0.04 seconds, it is fully inflated. By 0.1 seconds, it has done its job and is deflating.
Considering the speed of these events, it is not surprising that many people involved in a frontal
collision do not realize that their air bags did inflate.



0.01 SECONDS INFLATING BEGINS 0.04 SECONDS AIR BAG IS INFLATED 0.1 SECONDS DEFLATING BEGINS

AIR BAG PROTECTION

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 2
THE INFINITI ADVANCED AIR BAG SYSTEM
All 2014 Infiniti vehicles are equipped with the Infiniti Advanced Air Bag System (AABS) for the
driver and front passenger seats. Typically, this system, which has dual-stage inflators,*
monitors information from various crash sensors, the front seat belt buckle sensors, and the
occupant classification sensor.

The front passenger air bag may be automatically turned off under some conditions, depending
on the pressure or weight detected by sensors in the passenger seat. See the vehicle owner’s
manual for more information. If the front passenger air bag is off, the front passenger air bag
status light will be illuminated.**

The front passenger air bag status light does not indicate a malfunction of the front passenger air
bag. If the front passenger air bag status light is illuminated while the seat is occupied by an
adult, the occupant may need to shift his or her seating position so the system can turn on the
front passenger air bag and turn off the status light.

Remember, all air bags are supplemental restraint systems. You must always use seat belts and
child restraints properly, as explained in the vehicle owner’s manual and your child restraint
manufacturer’s instructions.

THE MOST IMPORTANT PART OF AN AIR BAG: YOUR SEAT BELT
Your chances of surviving a collision will improve greatly if one simple piece of advice is
followed: always wear your seat belt. Do not count on just the air bags for occupant protection;
they are merely a
supplemental restraint system.

Seat belts help to protect the occupants of your vehicle during collisions in which the air bags
are not designed to activate. In addition, in situations where the air bags are activated, seat
belts enhance their effectiveness and can help reduce the risk of injury from an inflating air bag.
Seat belts will also help protect the occupants of your vehicle during multiple-impact collisions,
while the air bags work only one time if a collision is severe enough to activate them. Please see
the SEAT BELT SAFETY and CHILD SAFETY sections of this guide and the vehicle owner’s manual
for more information.


*Dual-stage inflators vary the inflation rate based on the severity of the collision (for example, less forceful

inflation for moderate impacts and a high force of inflation for more severe impacts). In addition, based on

information from the seat belt buckle sensors that detect whether the seat belts are fastened, the

deployment of the front air bags is adjusted. Only one front air bag may inflate in a crash, depending on

the crash severity and whether the front occupants are belted or unbelted.

**
When the system detects that the seat is unoccupied, the passenger air bag status light will not

illuminate even though the front passenger air bag is OFF.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 3

EFFECTIVE USE OF SEAT BELTS AND AIR BAGS



Seat belts and supplemental air bags are most effective when vehicle occupants are sitting
upright and well back in the seat with both feet on the floor. Keep in mind that air bags inflate
with great force. Being unrestrained, leaning forward, sitting sideways, or being out of position in
any way puts you at a greater risk of injury or death in a crash. You may also receive serious or
fatal injuries from the air bag system if you are up against it when it inflates. Always sit back
against the seatback with both feet on the floor and as far away as practical from the steering
wheel or instrument panel and always wear your seat belt. Please see the SEAT BELT SAFETY
section of this guide and the vehicle owner’s manual for more information.


HOW AND WHEN FRONT AIR BAGS WORK
While the inner workings of a supplemental front air bag system are complicated, understanding
what makes the front air bags deploy is rather easy:
the vehicle’s front air bag sensor system is
designed to detect rapid deceleration usually associated with moderate to severe frontal
collisions within a limited range of angles
. The vehicle’s deceleration rate is related to various
factors, such as speed of the vehicles involved, the weight and stiffness of the vehicles/objects
involved, contact locations, and the angle of impact, to name a few. Once the sensor system is
activated, the front air bags inflate with a harmless gas almost instantly.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 4
The front air bags will not usually activate in side-impact collisions, rear-end collisions, rollovers,
while driving on rough roads, or during hard braking. However, deceleration rates in some
situations can be similar to those found in frontal impacts and may result in front air bag
activation.

WHEN THE FRONT AIR BAGS INFLATE
Please remember, for the supplemental front air bags to be most effective, you must always
buckle up and sit at a suitable distance back to allow room for the air bags to inflate. For the
front air bags to do their job, they must inflate with great force. As mentioned earlier in this
guide, this may cause serious or even fatal injury if, for example, you are unrestrained, out of
position in any way, sitting or leaning too close to the steering wheel or dashboard during
inflation. Even when seated properly, there is a possibility of injury from an inflating front air bag.
This usually consists of minor skin abrasions or burns, but may be more serious. Overall, these
injuries are minimal compared to the injuries the front air bags are designed to prevent. After the
front air bags have inflated, you may notice a light smoke within the cabin. This is a normal by-
product of the rapid chemical reaction necessary to inflate the front air bags and, although
harmless, it may cause minor irritations.

REPLACING THE AIR BAGS
Air bags are not reusable. After a collision in which your air bags have activated, have the
respective air bag system inspected and replaced by your Infiniti retailer as soon as possible.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has expressed concern regarding
reports of counterfeit replacement air bags installed in vehicles. Visit www.nhtsa.gov
for more
information. We recommend the replacement of air bags by your NISSAN dealer to ensure that
you receive new original equipment replacement parts. Counterfeit replacement air bags may
not be made to the standards of quality, reliability and durability of Genuine NISSAN parts. The
use of counterfeit replacement air bags or used or salvaged air bags are a potential serious
safety problem and may not provide the same level of protection in a crash.

OTHER SPECIFICS ABOUT AIR BAGS
ƒ
If the air bag warning light continues to remain on or flashes after you start the vehicle, see
your Infiniti retailer as soon as possible.
ƒ After inflation, air bag components are hot, so avoid contact.
ƒ Do not place objects on or near the steering wheel or dashboard where the air bags inflate.
ƒ Never install a rear-facing child restraint in the front passenger seat of a vehicle equipped
with a front passenger air bag.
ƒ See the vehicle owner’s manual for other important information. WELL BACK AND UPRIGHT

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 5
AN AIR BAG WORKS ONLY ONCE 2
12
1


In a multiple-impact collision, air bags help to protect only during the first impact severe enough
to activate the system.

If, as in the illustration above, for example, the collision labeled #1 is severe enough to activate
the front air bags, the front air bags would not be reactivated in collision #2.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 6
FRONTAL COLLISIONS WITH OTHER VEHICLES




If the front end of your car should
go under a vehicle, the impact
probably will not activate the front
air bags.



A severe frontal collision involving
another vehicle, stationary or moving,
probably will activate the front air
bags.




The front air bags may or may not be
activated in a frontal collision that
occurs at an angle.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 7
OTHER FRONTAL COLLISIONS





If your vehicle should strike an object
in the road, such as a rock, debris or
hole, the front air bags probably will
not activate.


Hitting a pole is a situation in which
the front air bags may or may not
activate, depending on the severity of
the impact.




A severe collision with an immovable
object probably will activate the front
air bags.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 8
SIDE-IMPACT, CURTAIN SIDE-IMPACT, AND CURTAIN SIDE-IMPACT/ROLLOVER AIR BAG
SYSTEMS
Supplemental side-impact air bags, curtain side-impact air bags, and curtain side-
impact/rollover air bags are available on many 2014 INFINITI vehicles.* Side-impact air bags are
located on the side of the seatbacks of the front seats. Curtain side-impact air bags and curtain
side-impact/rollover air bags (if so equipped) are located in the left and right side roof rails or in
the upper part of the front door panels.

Side-impact air bags and curtain side-impact air bags are designed to inflate in higher-severity
side collisions, on the side where the vehicle is impacted. However, they may inflate if the forces
in another type of collision are similar to those of a higher-severity side-impact. Curtain side-
impact/rollover air bags are designed to inflate in certain types of side-impact collisions and
rollovers.

Curtain side-impact air bags and curtain side-impact/rollover air bags are different mainly in
their sensing systems: curtain side-impact air bags are activated primarily in a lateral collision,
whereas curtain side-impact/rollover air bags are activated in either a lateral collision or a
rollover. Since a rollover event lasts longer than a side-impact event, curtain side-impact/rollover
air bags are designed to remain inflated longer than curtain side-impact air bags.

Side-impact air bags and curtain side-impact air bags, along with the use of seat belts, help to
cushion the impact force to the head and chest of the front occupants. In most Infiniti vehicles,
curtain side-impact air bags also help to cushion the impact force to the head of rear outboard-
seated occupants.* These air bags can help save lives and reduce serious injury. However, an
inflating side-impact air bag, curtain side-impact air bag, or curtain side-impact/rollover air bag
may cause abrasions or other injuries.

Seat belts should be worn correctly and vehicle occupants seated upright. These air bags inflate
quickly in order to help protect the occupants. The force of an air bag inflating can increase the
risk of injury if the occupant is too close to or is against the air bag module during inflation.

Like front air bags, an inflated side-impact air bag as well as an inflated curtain side-impact air
bag will deflate soon after the collision is over. As noted above, an inflated curtain side-
impact/rollover air bag will remain inflated for a short time afterward. See REPLACING THE AIR
BAGS earlier in this guide.

*Curtain side-impact air bags for rear outboard-seated occupants are not available on G37 Convertible.

2014 Infiniti Consumer Safety & Air Bag Information Guide 9
SIDE AND OTHER COLLISIONS







*Curtain side-impact/rollover air bags (if so equipped) probably will also inflate, depending on the
collision.

On vehicles equipped with curtain
side-impact/rollover air bags, the
curtain air bags on both sides of the
vehicle are designed to activate in
certain types of rollovers. This function
is in addition to the side-impact
protection function described above.
The front air bags are not likely to
activate in this situation.




The air bags probably will not activate
if your vehicle is struck from the rear.


On vehicles equipped with side-impact
and curtain side-impact air bags, the
air bags on the side the vehicle was
impacted probably will activate
depending on the collision.* The front
air bags are not likely to activate in this
situation.