seats NISSAN LEAF 2011 Owner's Manual
Page 522 of 1062
.The seat belts, the side air bags and
curtain air bags are most effective
when you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat. The side air bag
and curtain air bag inflate with great
force. Do not allow anyone to place
their hand, leg or face near the side
air bag on the side of the seatback
of the front seat or near the side
roof rails. Do not allow anyone
sitting in the front seats or rear
outboard seats to extend their hand
out of the window or lean against
the door. Some examples of dan-
gerous riding positions are shown
in the previous illustrations.
. When sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front
seat. If the side air bag inflates, you
may be seriously injured. Be espe-
cially careful with children, who
should always be properly re-
strained. Some examples of danger-
ous riding positions are shown in
the illustrations.
. Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with
side air bag inflation.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41
Page 523 of 1062
1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag modules
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental airbag modules
4. Occupant classification sensors (weight sensors)
5. Occupant classification system control unit 6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental
air bag inflators
7. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supplemental air bag modules
8. Satellite sensors
9. Lap outer pretensioner (driver side only) 10. Seat belt with pretensioner
11. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
NISSAN ADVANCED AIR BAG SYS-
TEM (front seats)
Page 524 of 1062
your NISSAN certified LEAF dealer
to check the occupant classification
system.
. Until you have confirmed with your
dealer that your passenger seat
occupant classification system is
working properly, position the occu-
pants in the rear seating positions.
This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN
Advanced Air Bag System for the driver and
front passenger seats. This system is designed
to meet certification requirements under U.S.
regulations. It is also permitted in Canada.
However, all of the information, cautions
and warnings in this manual still apply and
must be followed.
The driver supplemental front-impact air bag is
located in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front-impact air bag is
mounted in the instrument panel above the glove
box. The front air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity frontal collisions, although they
may inflate if the forces in another type of
collision are similar to those of a higher severity
frontal impact. They may not inflate in certain
frontal collisions. Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is
not always an indication of proper front air bag
operation. The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System has
dual stage air bag inflators. The system monitors
information from the Air bag Control Unit (ACU) ,
seat belt buckle sensors and the occupant
classification sensors (weight sensors) . Inflator
operation is based on the severity of a collision
and seat belt usage for the driver. For the front
passenger, the occupant classification sensors
are also monitored. Based on information from
the sensors, only one front air bag may inflate in
a crash, depending on the crash severity and
whether the front occupants are belted or
unbelted. Additionally, the front passenger air
bag may be automatically turned OFF under
some conditions, depending on the information
provided by the occupant classification sensors.
If the front passenger air bag is OFF, the
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) . See
“Front passenger air bag and status light” later
in this section for further details. One front air
bag inflating does not indicate improper perfor-
mance of the system.
If you have any questions about your air bag
system, contact NISSAN or a NISSAN certified
LEAF dealer. If you are considering modification
of your vehicle due to a disability, you may also
contact 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 release of smoke.
This smoke is not harmful and does not indicate
a fire. Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it
may cause irritation 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 head
and chest of the front occupants. They can help
save lives and reduce serious injuries. However,
an inflating front air bag may cause facial
abrasions or other injuries. Front 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 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
increase the risk of injury if the occupant is too
close to, or is against, the air bag module during
inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly after a collision.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43
Page 528 of 1062
.Removing or modifying the front
passenger seat may affect the func-
tion of the air bag system and result
in serious personal injury.
. Modifying or tampering with the
front passenger seat may result in
serious personal injury. For exam-
ple, do not change the front seats by
placing material on the seat cushion
or by installing additional trim ma-
terial, such as seat covers, on the
seat that is not specifically designed
to assure proper air bag operation.
Additionally, do not stow any ob-
jects under the front passenger seat
or the seat cushion and seatback.
Such objects may interfere with the
proper operation of the occupant
classification sensors.
. No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the seat belt system. This may
affect the front air bag system.
Tampering with the seat belt system
may result in serious personal in-
jury.
. Work on and around the front air
bag system should be done by a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. In-
stallation of electrical equipment
should also be done by a NISSAN
certified LEAF dealer. The Supple-
mental Restraint System (SRS) wir-
ing harnesses* should not be
modified or disconnected. Un-
authorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the air bag system.
. A cracked windshield should be
replaced immediately by a qualified
repair facility. A cracked windshield
could affect the function of the
supplemental air bag system.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the front air bag system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.
Page 530 of 1062
such as seat covers, around the side
air bag.
. Work around and on the side air bag
and curtain air bag systems should
be done by a NISSAN certified LEAF
dealer. Installation of electrical
equipment should also be done by
a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer. The
Supplemental Restraint System
(SRS) wiring harnesses* should not
be modified or disconnected. Un-
authorized electrical test equipment
and probing devices should not be
used on the side air bag and curtain
supplemental air bag systems.
*The SRS wiring harness connectors are
yellow and orange for easy identification.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the side air bag and
curtain air bag systems and guide the buyer to
the appropriate sections in this Owner’s Manual.SEAT BELTS WITH PRETEN-
SIONERS (front seats)
Page 534 of 1062
2 Instruments and controls
Cockpit ....................................................................................... 2-3
Instrument panel ....................................................................... 2-4
Meters and gauges .................................................................. 2-5Speedometer and odometer ........................................... 2-6
Li-ion battery temperature gauge ................................... 2-7
Power meter ........................................................................ 2-7
Driving range ....................................................................... 2-8
Li-ion battery available charge gauge ........................... 2-9
Li-ion battery capacity level gauge ............................. 2-10
Outside air temperature ................................................ 2-10
ECO indicator .................................................................. 2-10
Clock .................................................................................. 2-11
Warning/indicator lights and audible reminders ........... 2-12
Checking bulbs ................................................................ 2-13
Warning lights .................................................................. 2-13
Indicator lights .................................................................. 2-18
Audible reminders ........................................................... 2-20
Dot matrix liquid crystal display ......................................... 2-22 Indicators for operation .................................................. 2-23
Trip computer ................................................................... 2-27
Warning information displays ....................................... 2-31
Indicators for maintenance ........................................... 2-33
Indicator for timer ............................................................ 2-34 Security systems .................................................................. 2-35
Vehicle security system ............................................... 2-35
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System ....................... 2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch ............................. 2-38 Washer operation ......................................................... 2-39
Rear window wiper and washer switch ........................ 2-39
Rear window and outside mirror defroster switch ...... 2-40
Instrument brightness control ............................................ 2-41
Headlight and turn signal switch ...................................... 2-41 Headlight switch ........................................................... 2-41
Turn signal switch ......................................................... 2-44
Fog light switch (if so equipped) ..................................... 2-44
Hazard warning flasher switch .......................................... 2-45
Heated steering wheel (if so equipped) ........................ 2-45
Horn ......................................................................................... 2-46
Heated seats (if so equipped) .......................................... 2-47
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) OFF switch ................ 2-48
Power outlet ........................................................................... 2-49
Storage ................................................................................... 2-49 Cup holders .................................................................... 2-49
Sunglasses holder ........................................................ 2-50
Glove box ........................................................................ 2-51Console box ................................................................... 2-51
Page 642 of 1062
1 Safety—Seats, seat belts and supple-mental restraint system
Seats ........................................................................................... 1-2
Front seats ........................................................................... 1-3
Rear seats ........................................................................... 1-4
Head restraints ................................................................... 1-4
Adjustable headrests ......................................................... 1-7
Seat belts ................................................................................ 1-10
Precautions on seat belt usage ................................... 1-10
Pregnant women ............................................................. 1-12
Injured persons ................................................................ 1-12
Three-point type seat belt with retractor .................. 1-12
Seat belt extenders ......................................................... 1-16
Seat belt maintenance ................................................... 1-16
Child safety ............................................................................. 1-17
Infants ................................................................................. 1-17
Small children ................................................................... 1-18
Larger children ................................................................. 1-18
Child restraints ....................................................................... 1-19 Precautions on child restraints .................................... 1-19
Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren System
(LATCH) ........................................................................... 1-20
Rear-facing child restraint installation using latch ... 1-23 Rear-facing child restraint installation using the
seat belts ......................................................................... 1-25
Forward-facing child restraint installation
using latch ...................................................................... 1-27
Forward-facing child restraint installation using the
seat belts ......................................................................... 1-29
Installing top tether strap ............................................ 1-32
Booster seats ........................................................................ 1-33 Precautions on booster seats .................................... 1-33
Booster seat installation .............................................. 1-34
Supplemental restraint system .......................................... 1-36 Precautions on supplemental restraint system ...... 1-36
NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats) .................................................................... 1-42
Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental
air bag and roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag systems ................................... 1-47
Seat belts with pretensioners (front seats) ............ 1-49
Supplemental air bag warning labels ...................... 1-50
Supplemental air bag warning light ......................... 1-50
Repair and replacement procedure ......................... 1-51
Page 645 of 1062
REAR SEATS
Folding
Before folding the rear seats:
.Secure the seat belts on the seat belt hooks
located on the side wall. See “Seat belt
hooks ” later in this section.
To fold down the seatback, pull the release
knob.
To return the seatback to the seating position, lift
up each seatback and push it to the upright
position until it is latched.
Page 652 of 1062
WARNING
.Every person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times. Children should be prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat and,
if appropriate, in a child restraint.
. The seat belt should be properly
adjusted to a snug fit. Failure to do
so may reduce the effectiveness of
the entire restraint system and in-
crease the chance or severity of
injury in an accident. Serious injury
or death can occur if the seat belt is
not worn properly.
. Always route the shoulder belt over
your shoulder and across your
chest. Never put the belt behind
your back, under your arm or across
your neck. The belt should be away
from your face and neck, but not
falling off your shoulder.
. Position the lap belt as low and
snug as possible AROUND THE
HIPS, NOT THE WAIST. A lap belt
worn too high could increase the
risk of internal injuries in an acci-
dent. .
Be sure the seat belt tongue is
securely fastened to the proper
buckle.
. Do not wear the seat belt inside out
or twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
. Do not allow more than one person
to use the same seat belt.
. Never carry more people in the
vehicle than there are seat belts.
. If the seat belt warning light glows
continuously while the power switch
is turned ON with all doors closed
and all seat belts fastened, it may
indicate a malfunction in the sys-
tem. Have the system checked by a
NISSAN certified LEAF dealer.
. No changes should be made to the
seat belt system. For example, do
not modify the seat belt, add mate-
rial, or install devices that may
change the seat belt routing or
tension. Doing so may affect the
operation of the seat belt system.
Modifying or tampering with the
seat belt system may result in
serious personal injury.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-11
Page 654 of 1062
by cutting the seat belt with a
suitable tool (such as a knife or
scissors) to release the seat belt.
Fastening the seat belts
1. Adjust the seat. See “Seats” earlier in thissection.