automatic transmission INFINITI M 2012 Owners Manual

0-12Illustrated table of contents
Warninglight Name
Page
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning
light* 2-11
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)
warning light2-11
Automatic Transmission check
warning light
2-11
Brake warning light
2-11
Blind Spot Warning (BSW)/
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI)
system warning light (orange)*2-12
Charge warning light
2-12
Distance Control Assist (DCA)
system warning light (orange)*2-12
Engine oil pressure warning
light2-13
4 Wheel Active Steer (4WAS)
warning light*2-13
Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC)
system warning light (orange)*
2-13
Lane departure warning light
(orange)*2-13
Low tire pressure warning light 2-14
Master warning light
2-15Warning
light Name Page
Preview Function warning light
(orange)* 2-15
Seat belt warning light and
chime
2-15
Supplemental air bag warning
light2-16
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
warning light
2-16
Adaptive Front lighting System
(AFS) off indicator light*2-16
Indicator light Name
Page
Automatic Transmission (AT)
position indicator light* 2-17
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) ON
indicator light
(green)*2-17
ECO drive indicator light
2-17
Front fog light indicator light2-17
Front passenger air bag status
light2-17
High beam indicator light
2-17
Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) off
indicator light*2-17
Lane Departure Prevention
(LDP) ON indicator light (green)*2-18Indicator
light Name Page
Malfunction Indicator Light
(MIL) 2-18
Security indicator light 2-19
Low beam indicator light
(green)2-19
Turn signal/hazard indicator
lights
2-19
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
off indicator light2-19
*: if so equipped
WARNING AND INDICATOR LIGHTS

2-10Instruments and controls
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning light*Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system
warning light (orange)*ECO drive indicator light
Anti-lock Braking System (ABS) warning
lightLane departure warning light
(orange)*Front fog light indicator light
Low tire pressure warning lightFront passenger air bag status light
Automatic transmission check warning lightMaster warning lightHigh beam indicator light
Brake warning lightPreview Function warning light (orange)*Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA) off indicator
light*
Seat belt warning light and chimeLane Departure Prevention (LDP) ON indica-
tor light (green)*
Blind Spot Warning (BSW)/Blind Spot Inter-
vention (BSI) system warning light (orange)*Supplemental air bag warning lightMalfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
Charge warning lightVehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) warning lightSecurity indicator light
Distance Control Assist (DCA) system warn-
ing light (orange)*Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) off
indicator light*Low beam indicator light
4 Wheel Active Steer (4WAS) warning light*Automatic transmission (AT) position indi-
cator lightTurn signal/hazard indicator lights
Engine oil pressure warning lightBlind Spot Intervention (BSI) ON indicator
light (green)*Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) off indicator
light
*: if so equipped
CHECKING BULBS
With all doors closed, apply the parking
brake and push the ignition switch to the
ON position without starting the engine.
The following lights will come on (if so
equipped):
,or,,,,,,
The following lights come on briefly and
then go off (if so equipped):
,or,,,,,,
,
If any light does not come on, it may
indicate a burned-out bulb or an open circuit in the electrical system. Have the
system checked by an INFINITI retailer.
Some indicators and warnings are also
displayed on the dot matrix crystal display
between the speedometer and tachometer.
(See
“Dot matrix liquid crystal display ”
later in this section.)
WARNING/INDICATOR LIGHTS AND
AUDIBLE REMINDERS

WARNING LIGHTS
All-Wheel Drive (AWD) warning
light (if so equipped)
Thewarning light comes on when the
ignition switch is pushed to ON. It turns off
soon after the engine is started.
If the Intelligent AWD system malfunctions,
or the diameter of the front and the rear
wheels are different, the warning light will
either remain illuminated or blink. (See
“ Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (AWD) ”in the
“ 5. Starting and driving ”section.)
CAUTION
. If the warning light comes on while
driving there may be a malfunction in
the Intelligent AWD system. Reduce the
vehicle speed and have your vehicle
checked by an INFINITI retailer as soon
as possible.
. If the AWD warning light blinks on when
you are driving:
—blinks rapidly (about twice a
second):
Pull off the road in a safe area, and
idle the engine. The driving mode will change to 2WD to prevent the
AWD system from malfunctioning. If
the warning light turns off, you can
drive again.
—
blinks slowly (about once every
2 seconds):
Pull off the road in a safe area, and
idle the engine. Check that all tire
sizes are the same, tire pressure is
correct and tires are not worn.
. If the warning light is still on after the
above operations, have your vehicle
checked by an INFINITI retailer as soon
as possible.
orAnti-lock Braking
System (ABS) warning light
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the Anti-lock Braking System
(ABS) warning light illuminates and then
turns off. This indicates the ABS is opera-
tional.
If the ABS warning light illuminates while
the engine is running, or while driving, it
may indicate the ABS is not functioning
properly. Have the system checked by an
INFINITI retailer. If an ABS malfunction occurs, the anti-lock
function is turned off. The brake system
then operates normally, but without anti-
lock assistance. (See
“Brake system ”in the
“ 5. Starting and driving ”section.)
Automatic transmission check
warning light
When the ignition switch is pushed to the
ON position, the light comes on for 2
seconds. If the light comes on at any other
time, it may indicate the transmission is
not functioning properly. Have your INFINITI
retailer check and repair the transmission.
orBrake warning light
This light functions for both the parking
brake and the foot brake systems.
Parking brake indicator:
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the light comes on when the
parking brake is applied.
Low brake fluid warning light:
When the ignition switch is in the ON
position, the light 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:
Instruments and controls2-11

See“Adaptive Front lighting System (AFS) ”
later in this section.
Automatic Transmission (AT)
position indicator light
When the ignition switch is pushed to the
ON position, the indicator shows the
automatic selector position.
In the manual shift mode, when the
transmission does not shift to the selected
gear due to a transmission protection
mode, the AT position indicator light will
blink and a chime will sound.
See “Automatic transmission ”in the “5.
Starting and driving ”section for further
details.
Blind Spot Intervention (BSI)
ON indicator light (green; if so
equipped)
The light comes on in green when the Blind
Spot Intervention (BSI) system is turned
on. The light turns off when the system is
turned off.
NOTE:
This light is common with the blind spot
warning light (orange). (See “Blind Spot
Warning (BSW)/Blind Spot Intervention (BSI) system warning light
”earlier in this
section).
For more details, see “Blind Spot Warning
(BSW) system/Blind Spot Intervention
TM
(BSI) system” in the“5. Starting and
driving ”section.
ECO drive indicator light
When the ignition switch is pushed to the
ON position, the light will come on in
orange, turn green, and then turn off.
When the drive mode select switch is
turned to the ECO mode, the ECO drive
indicator light will illuminate or change its
color depending on the accelerator pedal
operation to help assist the driver to drive
economically. For more details, see “Eco
mode ”in the “5. Starting and driving ”
section.
Front fog light indicator light
The front fog light indicator light illumi-
nates when the front fog lights are on. (See
“ Fog light switch ”later in this section.)
Front passenger air bag status
light
The front passenger air bag status light
(
) will be lit and the passenger front air bag will be OFF depending on how the front
passenger seat is being used.
For front passenger air bag status light
operation, see
“INFINITI Advanced Air Bag
System (front seats) ”in the “1. Safety —
Seats, seat belts and supplemental re-
straint system” section of this manual.
High beam indicator light
This light comes on when the headlight
high beam is on and goes out when the low
beam is selected.
Intelligent Brake Assist (IBA)
off indicator light (if so equipped)
The light illuminates when the Intelligent
Brake Assist (IBA) off switch is pushed to
OFF. This indicates that the Intelligent
Brake Assist (IBA) system is not operating.
When the IBA off indicator light illuminates
while the system is turned on (without the
warning chime sound), this light indicates
that the system control is temporarily
unavailable.
When the IBA off indicator light illuminates
with the warning chime sound while the
IBA system is turned on, this light indicates
that the system may not be functioning
properly. Park the vehicle in a safe place.
Instruments and controls2-17

2-20Instruments and controls
Brake pad wear warning
The disc brake pads have audible wear
warnings. When a brake pad requires
replacement, it will make a high pitched
scraping sound when the vehicle is in
motion. This scraping sound will first occur
only when the brake pedal is depressed.
After more wear of the brake pad, the
sound will always be heard even if the
brake pedal is not depressed. Have the
brakes checked as soon as possible if the
warning sound is heard.
SIC4323
The dot matrix liquid crystal display*1is
located between the tachometer and the
speedometer, and it displays the auto-
matic transmission position indicator, the
cruise control, the Intelligent Cruise Con-
trol (ICC) system (if so equipped), the
Distance Assist (DCA) system (if so
equipped) information, the Intelligent Key
operation information and other warnings
and information.
For details about the automatic transmis-
sion position indicator, see “Indicator
lights” earlier in this section. For details
about the cruise control, see “Cruise
control ”in the “5. Starting and driving ”section. For details about the ICC system,
see
“Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) sys-
tem ”in the “5. Starting and driving ”
section. For details about the DCA system,
see “Distance Control Assist (DCA) system ”
in the “5. Starting and driving ”section. For
the details about the Intelligent Key
system, see “Intelligent Key system ”in
the “3. Pre-driving checks and adjust-
ments” section.
DOT MATRIX LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAY

4-114Monitor, climate, audio, phone and voice recognition systems
transmission in Park.
3. Press the
button.
4. Speak: “Help ”. The system acknowl-
edges the command and announces
the next set of available commands.
5. Speak: "Voice Adaptation". The system acknowledges the command and dis-
plays the voice adaptation mode
screen.
6. Voice memory A or memory B is selected automatically. If both memory
locations are already in use, the system
will prompt you to overwrite one.
Follow the instructions provided by
the system.
7. When preparation is complete and you are ready to begin, press the
button.
8. The voice adaptation mode will be explained. Follow the instructions pro-
vided by the system.
9. When training is finished, the system will tell you an adequate number of
phrases have been recorded.
10. The system will ask you to say your name. Follow the instructions to regis-
ter your name. 11. The system will announce that voice
adaptation has been completed and
the system is ready.
The voice adaptation mode will stop if:
. The
button is pressed in voice
adaptation mode.
. The vehicle is driven during voice
adaptation mode.
. The ignition switch is turned to the OFF
or LOCK position. INFINITI Voice Recognition allows hands-
free operation of the Phone, Navigation,
Information and Audio systems in one of
two modes, Standard Mode or Alternate
Command Mode.
In Standard Mode, commands that are
available are always shown on the display
and announced by the system. You can
complete your desired operation by simply
following the prompts given by the system.
(See
“INFINITI Voice Recognition standard
mode ”later in this section for details.)
For advanced operation, you can use the
Alternate Command Mode. (See “INFINITI
Voice Recognition alternate command
mode ”later in this section for details.)
When this mode is active, an expanded list
of commands can be spoken after pushing
the TALK
switch, and the voice
command menu prompts are turned off.
Review the expanded command list, which
is available when this mode is active. Note
that in this mode the recognition success
rate may be affected as the number of
available commands and the ways of
speaking each command are increased.
To switch one mode to another, see each
mode description later in this section.
To improve the recognition success rate
INFINITI VOICE RECOGNITION SYSTEM
(models with navigation system)

5 Starting and driving
Precautions when starting and driving ................. 5-3Exhaust gas (carbon monoxide) ....................... 5-3
Three-way catalyst........................................... 5-3
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) ........ 5-4
Avoiding collision and rollover......................... 5-6
Off-road recovery............................................. 5-7
Rapid air pressure loss ................................... 5-7
Drinking alcohol/drugs and driving ................. 5-8
Intelligent All-Wheel Drive (AWD) driving
safety precautions ........................................... 5-8
Push-button ignition switch ................................. 5-9 Operating range for engine start function ...... 5-10
Push-button ignition switch operation ........... 5-10
Steering lock (if so equipped)........................ 5-11
Push-button ignition switch positions ............ 5-11
Emergency engine shut off ............................ 5-12
Intelligent Key battery discharge ................... 5-12
Before starting the engine ................................. 5-13
Starting the engine............................................ 5-13
Driving the vehicle ............................................. 5-14
Automatic transmission ................................. 5-14
Parking brake .................................................... 5-18
INFINITI drive mode selector............................... 5-19
Standard mode ............................................. 5-19
Sport mode ................................................... 5-19 Snow mode ................................................. 5-20
Eco mode .................................................... 5-20
Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system/Lane
Departure Prevention (LDP) system (if
so equipped)..................................................... 5-22 Lane Departure Warning (LDW) system......... 5-23
Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system ...... 5-26
Lane camera unit maintenance .................... 5-31
Blind Spot Warning (BSW) system/Blind Spot
Intervention
TM(BSI) system (if so equipped)...... 5-31
BSW system operation ................................. 5-33
BSI system operation................................... 5-36
BSW/BSI driving situations .......................... 5-39
BSW/BSI malfunction................................... 5-44
System maintenance.................................... 5-44
Cruise control.................................................... 5-45
Precautions on cruise control....................... 5-45
Cruise control operations ............................. 5-45
Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system (if
so equipped)..................................................... 5-47
Selecting the vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode ............................................... 5-48
Vehicle-to-vehicle distance control mode...... 5-48
Precautions on vehicle-to-vehicle distance
control mode ............................................... 5-49

5-14Starting and driving
start.
When racing the engine up to 4,000
rpm (VK56VD engine) or 4,500 rpm
(VQ37VHR engine) or more under no
load condition, the engine will enter the
fuel cut mode.
5. To stop the engine, shift the selector lever to the P (Park) position and push
the ignition switch to the OFF position.
In preparation for the next engine start,
the engine may have a slightly delayed
shutoff after pushing the ignition
switch to the OFF position, depending
on the driving conditions (VK56VD
engine models).AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION
The automatic transmission in your vehicle
is electronically controlled by a transmis-
sion control module to produce maximum
efficiency and smooth operation.
Shown on the following pages are the
recommended operating procedures for
this transmission. Follow these procedures
for maximum vehicle performance and
driving enjoyment.
Starting the vehicle
After starting the engine, fully depress the
foot brake pedal and push the selector
lever button before shifting the selector
lever to the R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D
(Drive) or Manual shift mode position. Be
sure the vehicle is fully stopped before
attempting to shift the selector lever.
This automatic transmission model is
designed so that the foot brake pedal
must be depressed before shifting from P
(Park) to any drive position while the
ignition switch position is ON.
The selector lever cannot be moved out of
the P (Park) position and into any of the
other gear positions if the ignition switch
is pushed to the LOCK, OFF or ACC
position. 1. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed
and push the selector lever button to
shift into a driving gear.
2. Release the parking brake and foot brake, then gradually start the vehicle
in motion.
WARNING
. Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shifting from P (Park) or N
(Neutral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive) or
manual shift mode. Always depress the
brake pedal until shifting is completed.
Failure to do so could cause you to lose
control and have an accident.
. Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shifting into a forward or
reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
. Never shift to P (Park) or R (Reverse)
while vehicle is moving forward. Never
shift to P (Park) or D (Drive) while vehicle
is moving rearward. Failure to do so
could cause you to lose control and have
an accident.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE

5-16Starting and driving
the selector lever to the P (Park) position.
CAUTION
Use this position only when the vehicle is
completely stopped.
R (Reverse):
Use this position to back up. Always be
sure the vehicle is completely stopped
before selecting the R (Reverse) position.
The brake pedal must be depressed and
the selector lever button pushed in to
move the selector lever from the P (Park)
position, the N (Neutral) position or any
drive position to the R (Reverse) position.
N (Neutral):
Neither forward nor reverse gear is en-
gaged. The engine can be started in this
position. You may shift to the N (Neutral)
position and restart a stalled engine while
the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive):
Use this position for all normal forward
driving.
SSD1099
Paddle shifters (if so equipped)
Manual shift mode
When the selector lever is in the manual
shift gate, the transmission is ready for the
manual shift mode. Shift ranges can be
selected manually by moving the selector
lever up or down, or pulling the right-side
or left-side paddle shifter (if so equipped).
When shifting up, move the selector lever
to the + (up) side or pull the right-side
paddle shifter (+)
*A(if so equipped). The
transmission shifts to the higher range.
When shifting down, move the selector
lever to the −(down) side or pull the left- side paddle shifter (
−)
*B(if so equipped).
The transmission shifts to the lower range.
When canceling the manual shift mode,
return the selector lever to the D (Drive)
position. The transmission returns to the
normal driving mode.
When you pull the paddle shifter while in
the D (Drive) position, the transmission will
shift to the upper or lower range tempora-
rily. The transmission will automatically
return to the D (Drive) position after a short
period of time. If you want to return to the
D (Drive) position manually, pull and hold
the paddle shifter for about 1.5 seconds.
In the manual shift mode, the shift range is
displayed on the position indicator in the
meter.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
M1 ?
/M2?
/M3?
/M4?
/M5?
/M6?
/M7
M7 (7th):
Use these positions for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
M6 (6th) andM5 (5th):
Use this position when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving

down long slopes.
M4 (4th),M3 (3rd) andM2 (2nd):
Use these positions 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, or for maximum engine braking on
steep downhill grades.
. Remember not to drive at high speeds
for extended periods of time in lower
than 7th gear. This reduces fuel econ-
omy.
. Moving the selector lever rapidly to the
same side twice will shift the ranges in
succession.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion may not shift to the selected gear.
This helps maintain driving perfor-
mance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control.
When this situation occurs, the Auto-
matic Transmission (AT) position indi-
cator light (on the dot matrix liquid
crystal display) will blink and the
chime will sound.
. In the manual shift mode, the transmis-
sion automatically shifts down to 1st gear before the vehicle comes to a
stop. When accelerating again, it is
necessary to shift up to the desired
range.Accelerator downshift
—In D (Drive)
position —
For passing or hill climbing, fully depress
the accelerator pedal to the floor. This
shifts the transmission down into the lower
gear, depending on the vehicle speed.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, note
that the transmission will be locked in any
of the forward gears according to the
condition.
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel spin-
ning and subsequent hard braking, the
fail-safe system may be activated. This will
occur even if all electrical circuits are
functioning properly. In this case, push
the ignition switch to the OFF position and
wait for 3 seconds. Then push the ignition
switch back to the ON position. The vehicle
should return to its normal operating
condition. If it does not return to its
normal operating condition, have an
INFINITI retailer check the transmission and repair if necessary.
Starting and driving5-17