NISSAN ALTIMA 1999 L30 / 2.G Workshop Manual

broken, or missing, or if the light remains on,
see an authorized NISSAN dealer immedi-
ately.
CAUTION
Do not continue driving if the belt is
loose, broken or missing.
Door open warning light
This light comes on when any of the doors
are not closed securely while the ignition
key is ON.
Seat belt warning light and
chime
The light and chime remind you to fasten
seat belts. The light illuminates whenever
the ignition key is turned to ON, and re-
mains illuminated until the driver's seat belt
is fastened. At the same time, the chime
sounds for about seven seconds unless the
driver seat belt is securely fastened.
Refer to ``Seat belts'' in the ``Seats, re-
straints and supplemental air bag systems''
section for precautions on seat belt usage.
Supplemental air bag
warning light
When the ignition key is in the ON or START
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates for about 7 seconds and
then turns off. This means the system is
operational.
If any of the following conditions occur, the
supplemental air bag system needs servicing
and your vehicle must be taken to an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer:
1. The supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on and remain on for 7
seconds and then go off as described
above.
2. The supplemental air bag warning light
flashes intermittently or remains on.
3. The supplemental air bag warning light
does not come on at all.
Unless checked and repaired, the supple-
mental restraint system (air bag system)
may not function properly. For additional
details, see ``Supplemental restraint system''
in the ``Seats, restraints and supplemental
air bag systems'' section.
WARNING
If the supplemental air bag warning
light is on, it could mean that the
supplemental air bag will not operate in
an accident.
Low washer fluid warning
light (Canada only)
This light comes on when the washer fluid is
at a low level. Add washer fluid as neces-
sary. See the ``Do-it-yourself'' section.
orBrake warning light
This light functions for both the parking
brake and the foot brake systems.
When the ignition key is in the ON position,
the light comes on when the parking brake is
applied, and also warns of a low brake fluid
level. If the light comes on while the engine
is running with the parking brake not applied,
stop the vehicle and perform the following:
1.Check the brake fluid level. Add brake
fluid as necessary. See ``Brake and clutch
fluid'' in the ``Do-it-yourself'' section of this
owner's manual.
2-6Instruments and controls
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2. If the brake fluid level is correct, have the
brake system checked by an authorized
NISSAN dealer.
WARNING
c
Your brake system may not be work-
ing properly if the warning light is on.
Driving could be dangerous. If you
judge it to be safe, drive carefully to
the nearest service station for repairs.
Otherwise, have your vehicle towed.
cPressing the brake pedal with the
engine stopped and/or low brake
fluid level may increase your stop-
ping distance and braking will re-
quire greater pedal effort as well as
greater pedal travel.
cIf the brake fluid level is below the
minimum mark on the brake fluid
reservoir, do not drive until the brake
system has been checked at a NIS-
SAN dealer.
Brake pad wear warning
The disc brake pads have audible wear
warnings. When a brake pad requires re-
placement, it makes a high pitched scraping
sound when the vehicle is in motion,
whether or not the brake pedal is depressed.Have the brakes checked as soon as pos-
sible if the warning sound is heard.
orAnti-lock brake
warning light
(if so equipped)
If the light comes on while the engine is
running, it may indicate something is wrong
with the anti-lock portion of the brake sys-
tem. Have the system checked by an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer.
Turn off the engine, and start it again by
slowly turning the ignition key (quickly
doing so may cause the ABS light to stay
on when there is nothing wrong). If the
light stays on, have the system checked
by an authorized NISSAN dealer.
If an abnormality occurs in the system, the
anti-lock function ceases, but the regular
braking system continues to operate.
If the light comes on while you are driving,
contact an authorized NISSAN dealer for
repair.
Overdrive off indicator light
(Automatic transmission
models only)
This light comes on when the overdrive
switch is pushed to the OFF position.
Turn signal/hazard indicator
lights
The appropriate light flashes when the turn
signal switch is activated.
Both lights flash when the hazard switch is
turned on.
High beam indicator light
This light comes on when the headlight high
beam is on and goes out when the low
beam is selected.
The high beam indicator light also comes on
when the passing signal is activated.
Cruise indicator light
This light comes on while the vehicle speed
is controlled by the cruise control system. If
the CRUISE indicator blinks, have the sys-
tem checked by an authorized NISSAN
dealer.
Instruments and controls
2-7
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Key reminder chime
A chime sounds if the driver's door is
opened while the key is left in the ignition
switch. Remove the key and take it with you
when leaving the vehicle.
Light reminder chime
A chime sounds when the driver's door is
opened if the headlight switch is turned on
(ignition switch is turned OFF).
Turn the headlight switch OFF when leaving
the vehicle.
Malfunction indicator light
(MIL)
If the malfunction indicator light comes on
steady or blinks while the engine is running,
it may indicate a potential emission control
problem.
The malfunction indicator light may also
come on steady or blink if the fuel filler cap
has not been closed tightly or if the fuel tank
is nearly empty. Check to make sure the
fuel cap is secure and that you have at least
three gallons of fuel in the fuel tank.
After driving for a while, the light should
remain off if no other potential emission
control system problem exists.
Operation
The malfunction indicator light will come on
in one of two ways:
cMalfunction indicator light on steady - An
emission control system malfunction has
been detected. Have the vehicle in-
spected by an authorized NISSAN
dealer. You do not need to have your
vehicle towed to the dealer.
cMalfunction indicator light blinking - An
engine misfire has been detected which
may damage the emission control sys-
tem. To reduce or avoid emission control
system damage:
a) do not drive at speeds above 45 MPH
(72 km/h).
b) avoid hard acceleration or decelera-
tion.
c) avoid steep uphill grades.
d) if possible, reduce the amount of
cargo being hauled or towed.
The malfunction indicator light may stop
blinking and come on steady. Have the
vehicle inspected by an authorized NISSAN
dealer. You do not need to have your ve-
hicle towed to the dealer.
CAUTION
Continued vehicle operation without
having the emission control system
checked and repaired as necessary
could lead to poor driveability, reduced
fuel economy, and possible damage to
the emission control system.
2-8Instruments and controls
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The theft warning system provides visual
and audio alarm signals if parts of the
vehicle are disturbed.
How to activate the theft warning
system
1. Close all windows.
2. Remove the key from the ignition switch.
3. Close the hood, trunk lid and all doors.
4. Push the
button on the multi-remote
controller. All doors lock. The hazard
lights flash twice and the horn beeps
once to indicate all doors are locked.cWhen the
button is pushed with all
doors locked, the hazard lights flash
twice and the horn beeps once as a
reminder that the doors are already
locked.
The horn may or may not beep once.
Refer to ``silencing the horn beep fea-
ture'' later in this section.
The system can be activated even if the
windows are open.
5.
Confirm that the SECURITY indicator light
comes on. The SECURITY light glows for
about 30 seconds and then begins to flash
once every three seconds. The system is
now activated. If, during this 30-second
time period, the door is unlocked by the
key or the multi-remote controller, or the
ignition key is turned to ACC or ON, the
system will not activate.
cIf the key is turned slowly when lock-
ing the door, the system may not acti-
vate. Furthermore, if the key is turned
excessively to the unlock position, the
system may be deactivated when the
key is removed. If the indicator light
fails to glow for 30 seconds, unlock
the door once and lock it again.
cEven when the driver and/or passen-
gers are in the vehicle, the system will
activate with all doors, hood and trunk
lid locked and ignition key off. Turn
the ignition key to ACC or ON to turn
the system off.
Theft warning system operation
The theft warning system emits the follow-
ing alarm:
cThe headlights blink and the horn sounds
intermittently. In addition, the starter mo-
tor does not operate.
cThe alarm automatically turns off after 2
to 3 minutes. However, the alarm reacti-
vates if the vehicle is tampered with
again. The alarm can be shut off by
unlocking a door or trunk lid with the key,
or by pressing the
button on the
multi-remote controller.
The alarm is activated by:
copening the door or trunk lid without
using the key (even if the door is un-
locked by releasing the door inside lock
switch) or opening the trunk lid by oper-
ating the opener lever.
copening the hood.
IC0005
THEFT WARNING
(if so equipped)
Instruments and controls2-9
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How to stop the alarm
The alarm stops only by unlocking a door or
the trunk lid with the key, or by pressing
the
button on the multi-remote control-
ler. The alarm does not stop if the ignition
switch is turned to ACC or ON.
Silencing the horn beep feature
If desired, the horn beep feature can be
deactivated using the multi-remote control-
ler. The instructions are on the back of the
multi-remote controller.
To deactivate:Press and hold the
andbuttonsfor at least two seconds.
The hazard lights will quickly flash three
times to confirm that the horn beep feature
has been deactivated.
To activate:Press and hold the
andbuttonsfor at least two seconds once
more.The hazard lights will quickly flash three
times to confirm that the horn beep feature
has been reactivated.
Deactivating the horn feature does not si-
lence the horn if the alarm is triggered.
If the system does not operate as de-
scribed above, have it checked by an
authorized NISSAN dealer.
AIC1037
2-10Instruments and controls
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Push the lever down to operate the wind-
shield wipers. Pull the lever toward you to
operate the washer.
Intermittent operation can be adjusted from
2 to approximately 20 seconds by turning
the knob (Type B only).The wipers automatically cycle twice when
the washer is activated.
CAUTION
The following could damage the
washer system:
cDo not operate the washer continu-
ously for more than 30 seconds.
cDo not operate the washer if the
reservoir tank is empty.
WARNING
In freezing temperatures the washer
solution may freeze on the windshield
and obscure your vision which may
lead to an accident. Warm the wind-
shield with the defroster before you
wash the windshield.To defog the rear window glass, start the
engine and push the rear window defogger
switch on. The rear window defogger indi-
cator light on the switch comes on. Push the
switch again to turn the defogger off.
The rear window defogger switch automati-
cally turns off after approximately 15 minutes.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inner side of the
window, be careful not to scratch or
damage the rear window defogger.
AIC0520
AIC1004
WINDSHIELD WIPER AND
WASHER SWITCHREAR WINDOW DEFOGGER
SWITCH
Instruments and controls2-11
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NOTE: On some vehicles, the top few rows
of wires on the rear window are not part of
the rear window defogging system. These
wires, if so equipped, make up the diversity
antenna for the audio system.
Lighting
Turn the switch to theposition: The
front turn signal/parking, rear combination,
side marker, license plate and instrument
panel lights come on.
Turn the switch to the
position:The headlights come on and all the other
lights remain on.
To select the high beam function, push the
lever forward. The high beam lights come
on and the indicator light illuminates. Pull it
back to select the low beam.
AIC0505
HEADLIGHT AND TURN
SIGNAL SWITCH
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DAYTIME RUNNING LIGHT SYS-
TEM (Canada only)
The headlights automatically illuminate at a
reduced intensity when the engine is started
with the parking brake released. The day-
time running lights operate with the head-
light switch in the OFF position or in the
position. Turn the headlight switch to
the
position for full illumination when
driving at night.
If the parking brake is applied before the
engine is started, the daytime running lights
do not illuminate. The daytime running lights
illuminate once the parking brake is re-
leased. The daytime running lights will re-
main on until the ignition switch is turned off.
WARNING
When the daytime running light system
is active, tail lights on your vehicle are
not on. It is necessary at dusk to turn
on your headlights. Failure to do so
could cause an accident injuring your-
self and others.
Passing signal
Pulling and releasing the lever flashes the
headlight high beams on and off.
Turn signal
Move the lever up or down to signal the
turning direction. When the turn is com-
pleted, the turn signals cancel automati-
cally.
Lane change signal
To signal a lane change, move the lever up
or down to the point where the indicator light
begins to flash, but the lever does not latch.
The instrument brightness control operates
when the light switch is in the
orposition.
Turn the control to adjust the brightness of
instrument panel lights.
AIC0608
INSTRUMENT BRIGHTNESS
CONTROL
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To turn the front fog lights on, rotate the
switch to theposition.
To turn them off, turn the switch to the OFF
position.
The headlight switch must be in
posi-
tion (low-beam headlights on) for the fog
lights to operate. The fog lights automati-
cally turn off whenever the high-beam head-
light function is selected.Push the switch on to warn other drivers
when you must stop or park under emer-
gency conditions. All turn signal lights flash.
WARNING
cWhen stalled or stopped on the road-
way under emergency conditions,
move the vehicle well off the road.cDo not use the switch while moving
on the highway unless unusual cir-
cumstances force you to drive so
slowly that your vehicle might be-
come a hazard to other traffic.
cTurn signals do not work when the
hazard warning flasher lights are on.
The flashers can be actuated with the igni-
tion switch either OFF or ON.
Some state laws may prohibit the use of
the hazard warning flasher switch while
driving.
IC1292AIC1011
FRONT FOG LIGHT SWITCH
(if so equipped)HAZARD WARNING FLASHER
SWITCH
2-14Instruments and controls
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The cigarette lighter element is an acces-
sory. A genuine NISSAN cigarette lighter can
be purchased from an authorized NISSAN
dealer.
The cigarette lighter operates when the
ignition switch is in the ACC or ON position.
Push the lighter in all the way. When the
lighter is heated, it springs out.
Return the lighter to its original position after
use.
CAUTION
The cigarette lighter socket is a power
source for the cigarette lighter element
only. The use of the cigarette lighter
socket as a power source for any other
accessory is not recommended.
WARNING
The cigarette lighter should not be
used while driving in order that full
attention may be given to the driving
operation.
AIC0509
CIGARETTE LIGHTER
(ACCESSORY) AND ASH TRAY
Instruments and controls2-15
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