NISSAN MAXIMA 2023 Owners Manual

The Continuously Variable Transmission
is designed so the foot brake pedal
MUST be depressed before shif ting from
P (Park) to any drive position while the
ignition switch is in the ON position.
The shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park) and into any of the other gear po-
sitions if the ignition switch is pushed to
the LOCK position.
WARNING
• Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), or M
(Manual shif t mode). Always depress
the brake pedal until shif ting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause
you to lose control and have an acci-
dent. It can also damage the vehicle.
• Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
• Do not downshif t abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control. •
Never shif t to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is
reversing. This could cause an acci-
dent or damage the transmission.
CAUTION
• Except in an emergency, do not shif t
to the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission
in the N (Neutral) position may cause
serious damage to the transmission.
• To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle, when stopping the vehicle on
an uphill grade, do no hold the ve-
hicle by depressing the accelerator
pedal. The foot brake should be used
for this purpose.
Shif ting
To move the shif t lever:
Press the button while depress-
ing the brake pedal
Press the button to shif t
Shif t without pressing the button
Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the
brake pedal and move the shif t lever from P
(Park) to any of the desired shif t positions.
LSD2358
Starting and driving5-17

WARNING
Apply the parking brake if the shif t le-
ver is in any position while the engine is
not running. Failure to do so could
cause the vehicle to move unexpect-
edly or roll away and result in serious
personal injury or property damage.
P (Park)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the P (Park) position only when the ve-
hicle is completely stopped.
Use the P (Park) shif t lever position when
the vehicle is parked or when starting the
engine. Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped.
The brake pedal should be depressed to
move the shif t 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 shif t lever into the P (Park) position.
R (Reverse)
CAUTION
To prevent transmission damage, use
the R (Reverse) position only when the
vehicle is completely stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up.
Make sure the vehicle is completely
stopped before selecting the R (Reverse)
position. The brake pedal must be de-
pressed to move the shif t lever from P
(Park), N (Neutral) or any drive position to
R (Reverse).
N (Neutral)
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shif t to N (Neutral) and
restart a stalled engine while the vehicle is
moving.
D (Drive)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
Manual shif t mode
The transmission enters the manual shif t
mode by moving the shif t lever to the lef t
side in the “D” range. You can select the
manual shif t range either by moving the
shif t lever up or down, or by pulling the
right-side or lef t-side paddle shif ter (if so
equipped). To cancel the manual shif t
mode, return the shif t lever to the right D
(Drive) position. The transmission returns
to automatic driving mode.
When the shif t lever is shif ted from D (Drive)
to the manual shif t gate
OAwith the vehicle
stopped or while driving, the transmission
LSD2359
Manual shif t gate
5-18Starting and driving

enters the manual shif t mode. Shif t ranges
can be selected manually. Shif t ranges can
also be selected using the paddle shif ters
(if so equipped) on the steering wheel
OB
andOC. When you pull the paddle shif ter
while in the D (Drive) position, the transmis-
sion will shif t to the upper or lower range
temporarily. If the paddle shif ters are not
used for about 5–10 seconds, the transmis-
sion will automatically return to the D
(Drive) position. If you want to return to the
D (Drive) position manually, pull and hold
either paddle shif ter for about 1.5 seconds. In the manual shif t mode, the shif t range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter. When shif ting the shif t lever to the
manual shif t gate, the position indicator
displays 1 (1st) up to 7 (7th) depending on
vehicle speed.
Shif t ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
1⇔
2⇔ 3⇔ 4⇔ 5⇔ 6⇔ 7
M7 (7th)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) and M5 (5th)
Use this position when driving up long
slopes or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
M4 (4th), M3 (3rd) and M2 (2nd)
Use for hill climbing or engine braking on
downhill grades.
M1 (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow,
sand or mud, or for maximum engine brak-
ing on steep downhill grades. • Remember not to drive at high speeds for
extended periods of time in lower than
the 6th range. This reduces fuel economy.
When shif ting up
Move the shif t lever to the + (up) side. (Shif ts
to higher range.)
When shif ting down
Move the shif t lever to the − (down) side.
(Shif ts to lower range.)
• Moving the shif t lever rapidly to the same side twice will shif t the ranges in
succession.
•
The transmission will automatically down-
shif t the gears. (For example, if you select
the 3rd range, the transmission will shif t
down between the 3rd and 1st gears.)
When canceling the manual shif t mode
Return the shif t lever to the D (Drive) posi-
tion to return the transmission to the nor-
mal driving mode.
• In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may not shif t to the selected
gear. This helps maintain driving per-
formance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control.
LSD2635
Paddle shif ters (if so equipped)
Starting and driving5-19

•When this situation occurs, the Con-
tinuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
position indicator will blink and the
chime will sound.
• In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may shif t up automatically to a
higher range than selected if the en-
gine speed is too high. When the ve-
hicle speed decreases, the transmis-
sion automatically shif ts down and
shif ts to 1st gear before the vehicle
comes to a stop.
• CVT operation is limited to automatic drive mode when CVT fluid temperature
is extremely low even if manual shif t
mode is selected. This is not a malfunc-
tion. When CVT fluid warms up, manual
mode can be selected.
• When the CVT fluid temperature is high, the shif t range may upshif t in lower rpm
than usual. This is not a malfunction.
Shif t lock release
If the battery charge is low or discharged,
the shif t lever may not be moved from the
P (Park) position even with the brake pedal
depressed and the shif t lever button
pressed.
It will be necessary to jump start or have
your battery charged. For additional infor-
mation, see “Jump starting” (P. 6-9). It is rec-
ommended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
or a professional towing service. To move the shif t lever, complete the fol-
lowing procedure:
1. Push the ignition switch to the LOCK
position.
2. Apply the parking brake.
3. Using a protective cloth on the tip of a small (1/8 inch or 3 mm) flat-head
screwdriver, remove the shif t lock re-
lease cover.
• If available, a plastic trim tool can also be used.
4. Insert the car key into the shif t lock re- lease slot and press straight down.
A small screwdriver or small trim tool
may also be used.
•For additional information, see “NISSAN
Intelligent Key®” (P. 3-2).
5. Move the shif t lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding down the shif t
lock release.
6. Push the ignition switch to the ON posi- tion to unlock the steering wheel. Now
the vehicle may be moved to the desired
location.
LSD2360
5-20Starting and driving

If the shif t lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have the transmission checked as
soon as possible. It is recommended that
you visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
CAUTION
Make sure to take extra care during the
removal of the shif t lock cap as this
part is easily damaged.
WARNING
If the shif t lever cannot be moved from
the P (Park) position while the engine is
running and the brake pedal is de-
pressed, the stop lights may not work.
Malfunctioning stop lights could cause
an accident injuring yourself and
others.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position and manual
shif t mode
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into lower range,
depending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tem-
perature protection mode. If the fluid tem-
perature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high tem-
peratures with heavy loads, such as when
towing a trailer), engine power and, under
some conditions, vehicle speed will be
decreased automatically to reduce the
chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelera-
tor pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed
may be limited.
Fail-safe
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel
spinning and subsequent hard braking,
the fail-safe system may be activated.
The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
may come on to indicate the fail-safe
mode is activated. For additional infor-
mation, see “Malfunction Indicator Light
(MIL)” (P. 2-13). This will occur even if all
electrical circuits are functioning prop-
erly. In this case, place the ignition switch
in the OFF position and wait for 10 sec- onds. Then place the ignition switch
back in the ON position. The vehicle
should return to its normal operating
condition. If it does not return to its nor-
mal operating condition, have the trans-
mission checked and repaired, if neces-
sary. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation oc-
curs, vehicle speed may be gradually
reduced. The reduced speed may be
lower than other traffic, which could in-
crease the chance of a collision. Be es-
pecially careful when driving. If neces-
sary, pull to the side of the road at a safe
place and allow the transmission to re-
turn to normal operation, or have it re-
paired if necessary.
Starting and driving5-21

WARNING
• Be sure the parking brake is fully re-
leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to
an accident.
• Do not release the parking brake
from outside the vehicle.
• Do not use the shif t lever in place of
the parking brake. When parking,
be sure the parking brake is fully
engaged.
• To help avoid risk of injury or death
through unintended operation of the
vehicle and/or its systems, do not
leave children, people who require
the assistance of others or pets unat-
tended in your vehicle. Additionally,
the temperature inside a closed ve-
hicle on a warm day can quickly be-
come high enough to cause a signifi-
cant risk of injury or death to people
and pets. To engage:
Firmly depress the parking
brake.
To release:
1. Firmly apply the foot brake.
2. Move the shif t lever to the P (Park) position.
3. Firmly depress the parking brake pedal and it will release.
4. Before driving, be sure the brake warning light goes out. Two driving modes can be selected by us-
ing the Drive Mode Selector switch: NOR-
MAL and SPORT.
NOTE:
•When the Drive Mode Selector switch se-
lects a mode, the mode may not switch
quickly. This is not a malfunction.
• NORMAL mode is the default drive mode.
LSD2176LSD3387
Drive Mode Selector switch
PARKING BRAKE DRIVE MODE SELECTOR
5-22Starting and driving

NORMAL MODE
NORMAL mode is recommended for nor-
mal driving and is the default drive mode.
If SPORT mode is selected, then NORMAL
mode is canceled. Press the SPORT mode
button again to return to NORMAL mode.
The SPORT mode indicator in the vehicle
information display, and the indicator light
on the Drive Mode Selector switch will turn
off.
SPORT MODE
The SPORT mode adjusts the engine,
transmission, and steering to enhance
performance. Press the SPORT mode but-
ton to select this driving mode. The SPORT
mode indicator will appear in the vehicle
information display, and the indicator light
on the Drive Mode Selector switch will turn
on.
NOTE:
In the SPORT mode, fuel economy may
be reduced.The TSR system provides the driver with
information about the most recently de-
tected speed limit. The system captures
the road sign information with the multi-
sensing front camera unit
OAlocated on
the windshield in front of the inside rear-
view mirror and displays the detected
signs in the vehicle information display. For
vehicles equipped with a navigation sys-
tem, the speed limit displayed is based on a
combination of navigation system data
and live camera recognition. TSR informa-
tion is always displayed at the top of the
vehicle information display if the system is
enabled in the Driver Assistance settings.
WARNING
The TSR system is only intended to be a
support device to help provide the
driver with information. It is not a re-
placement for the driver’s attention to
traffic conditions or responsibility to
drive safely. It cannot prevent acci-
dents due to carelessness. It is the driv-
er’s responsibility to stay alert and
drive safely at all times.
LSD3425
TRAFFIC SIGN RECOGNITION (TSR)
Starting and driving5-23

SYSTEM OPERATION
The Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) system
displays the following types of road signs:
ASpeed sign detected (in Canada)
BSpeed sign detected (in USA)
CSpeed sign detected (no speed limit
detected)
D“Do not pass” sign detected
CAUTION
• The TSR system is intended as an aid
to careful driving. It is the driver’s re-
sponsibility to stay alert, drive safely,
and observe all road regulations that
currently apply, including looking out
for road signs. •
The TSR system may not function prop-
erly under the following conditions:
– When the road sign is not clearly
visible, for example, due to dam-
age or weather conditions.
– When rain, snow or dirt adheres to
the windshield in front of the
multi-sensing camera unit.
–
When the headlights are not bright,
for example, due to dirt on the lens
or if the aiming is not adjusted
properly.
– When strong light enters the cam-
era unit. (For example, the light di-
rectly shines on the front of the
vehicle at sunrise or sunset.)
– When a sudden change in bright-
ness occurs. (For example, when
the vehicle enters or exits a tunnel
or under a bridge.)
– If there are deviations in relation
to the navigation, for example due
to changes in the road routing.
– When overtaking buses or trucks
with speed stickers.LSD3377LSD3378
5-24Starting and driving

TURNING THE TRAFFIC SIGN
RECOGNITION (TSR) SYSTEM ON
AND OFF
Perform the following steps to enable or
disable the TSR system.
1. Press the
button until “Settings” dis-
plays in the vehicle information display
and then press the OK button. Use the
button to select “Driver Assistance.”
Then press the OK button. 2. Select “Speed Limit Sign” and press the
OK button to turn the system on or off.
•
Enabling the Speed Limit Sign screen from
the Main Menu selection will also turn on
the Traffic Sign Recognition system.
SYSTEM TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE
If the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight
under high temperature conditions (over
approximately 104°F [40°C]) and then
started, the TSR system may be deacti-
vated automatically. The “Unavailable: High
Cabin Temperature” warning message will
appear in the vehicle information display.
Action to take:
When the interior temperature is reduced,
the TSR system will resume operating
automatically.
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
If the TSR system malfunctions, it will be
turned off automatically and the system
“Malfunction” warning message will appear
in the vehicle information display. Action to take:
If the TSR “Malfunction” message appears,
pull off the road at a safe location and stop
the vehicle. Turn the engine off and restart
the engine. If the TSR “Malfunction” mes-
sage continues to appear, have the system
checked. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
SYSTEM MAINTENANCE
The TSR system uses the same multi-
sensing front camera unit that is used by
the Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system,
located in front of the interior rearview mir-
ror. For additional information, see ”System
maintenance” (P. 5-30).
LSD3346
Starting and driving5-25

WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and in-
structions for proper use of the LDW
system could result in serious injury or
death.
• This system is only a warning device
to inform the driver of a potential un-
intended lane departure. It will not
steer the vehicle or prevent loss of
control. It is the driver’s responsibility
to stay alert, drive safely, keep the
vehicle in the traveling lane, and be in
control of the vehicle at all times. The LDW system will operate when the ve-
hicle is driven at speeds of approximately
37 mph (60 km/h) and above, and only
when the lane markings are clearly visible
on the road.
The LDW system monitors the lane mark-
ers on the traveling lane using the camera
unit
OAlocated above the inside mirror.
The LDW system warns the driver that the
vehicle is beginning to leave the driving
lane with an indicator and a steering wheel
vibration. For additional information, see
“LDW system operation” (P. 5-27).
LSD3425
LANE DEPARTURE WARNING (LDW)
5-26Starting and driving