4WD INFINITI QX80 2014 Owner's Guide

The Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system
uses various sensors to monitor driver
inputs and vehicle motion. Under certain
driving conditions, the VDC system helps
to perform the following functions.
.Controls brake pressure to reduce
wheel slip on one slipping drive wheel
so power is transferred to a non
slipping drive wheel on the same axle.
. Controls brake pressure and engine
output to reduce drive wheel slip based
on vehicle speed (traction control func-
tion).
. Controls brake pressure at individual
wheels and engine output to help the
driver maintain control of the vehicle in
the following conditions:
— understeer (vehicle tends to not
follow the steered path despite
increased steering input)
— oversteer (vehicle tends to spin due
to certain road or driving condi-
tions).
The VDC system can help the driver to
maintain control of the vehicle, but it
cannot prevent loss of vehicle control in
all driving situations.
When the VDC system operates, the VDC
warning light
in the instrument panel flashes so note the following:
.
The road may be slippery or the system
may determine some action is required
to help keep the vehicle on the steered
path.
. You may feel a pulsation in the brake
pedal and hear a noise or vibration
from under the hood. This is normal
and indicates that the VDC system is
working properly.
. Adjust your speed and driving to the
road conditions.
If a malfunction occurs in the system, the
VDC warning light
illuminates in the
instrument panel. The VDC system auto-
matically turns off.
The VDC OFF switch is used to turn off the
VDC system. The VDC off indicator
illuminates to indicate the VDC system is
off. When the VDC switch is used to turn off
the system, the VDC system still operates
to prevent one drive wheel from slipping by
transferring power to a non slipping drive
wheel. The VDC warning light
flashes if
this occurs. All other VDC functions are off,
and the VDC warning light
will not
flash. The VDC system is automatically
reset to on when the ignition switch is
placed in the off position then back to the on position.
When the 4L position is selected with the
4WD shift switch, the VDC system is
disabled and the VDC off indicator light
illuminates (for 4WD models).
See
“Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) warn-
ing light” in the“2. Instruments and
controls” section and “Vehicle Dynamic
Control (VDC) off indicator light” in the“2.
Instruments and controls” section.
The computer has a built-in diagnostic
feature that tests the system each time you
start the engine and move the vehicle
forward or in reverse at a slow speed.
When the self-test occurs, you may hear a
“clunk” noise and/or feel a pulsation in the
brake pedal. This is normal and is not an
indication of a malfunction.
WARNING
. The VDC system is designed to help
improve driving stability but does not
prevent accidents due to abrupt steering
operation at high speeds or by careless
or dangerous driving techniques. Reduce
vehicle speed and be especially careful
when driving and cornering on slippery
Starting and driving5-115
VEHICLE DYNAMIC CONTROL (VDC) SYSTEM

SCE0907
Four-wheel drive models
Four-wheel Drive (4WD) models
INFINITI recommends that towing dollies be
used when towing your vehicle or the
vehicle be placed on a flat bed truck as
illustrated.CAUTION
Never tow 4WD models with any of the
wheels on the ground as this may cause
serious and expensive damage to thepowertrain.
In case of emergency6-17

wheel or tire even if it has been repaired.
Such wheels or tires could have struc-
tural damage and could fail without
warning.
. The use of retread tire is not recom-
mended.
. For additional information regarding
tires, refer to “Important Tire Safety
Information” (US) or“Tire Safety Infor-
mation” (Canada) in the Warranty Infor-
mation Booklet.
Four-wheel Drive (4WD) models
CAUTION
. Always use tires of the same type, size,
brand, construction (bias, bias-belted or
radial), and tread pattern on all four
wheels. Failure to do so may result in a
circumference difference between tires
on the front and rear axles which will
cause excessive tire wear and may
damage the transmission, transfer case
and differential gears.
. ONLY use spare tires specified for the
4WD model.
If excessive tire wear is found, it is
recommended that all four tires be re-
placed with tires of the same size, brand,
construction and tread pattern. The tire
pressure and wheel alignment should also
be checked and corrected as necessary.
Contact an INFINITI retailer.
Wheel balance
Unbalanced wheels may affect vehicle
handling and tire life. Even with regular
use, wheels can get out of balance. There-
fore, they should be balanced as required.
Wheel balance service should be per-
formed with the wheels off the vehicle.
Spin balancing the wheels on the vehicle
could lead to mechanical damage.
For additional information regarding tires,
refer to “Important Tire Safety Information”
(US) or “Tire Safety Information” (Canada)
in the INFINITI Warranty Information Book-
let.
Care of wheels
See “Cleaning exterior” in the“7. Appear-
ance and care” section for details about
care of the wheels.
Spare tire
When a spare tire is mounted (TEMPORARY
USE ONLY or conventional), the TPMS will
not function.
Spare tire (FULL-SIZE TEMPORARY USE
ONLY spare tire) (Applies ONLY to vehicles
equipped with P275/50R22 tires):
Observe the following precautions if the
full-size temporary use only spare tire must
be used, otherwise your vehicle could be
damaged or involved in an accident.
WARNING
. The full-size temporary use only spare
tire should be used for emergency use. It
should be replaced with the standard
tire at the first opportunity to avoid
possible tire or differential damage
. Drive carefully while the spare tire is
installed. Avoid sharp turns and abrupt
braking while driving. The vehicle driv-
ing performance may be affected when
driving on wet or snow covered roads.
. When the spare tire is installed, the
following systems may not work cor-
rectly.
Maintenance and do-it-yourself8-41

9-22Technical and consumer information
TOWING LOAD/SPECIFICATION
TOWING LOAD/SPECIFICATION CHARTUnit: lb (kg)
US Canada
Two-Wheel Drive (2WD) model Four-Wheel Drive
(4WD) model Four-Wheel Drive
(4WD) model
MAXIMUM TOWING CAPACITY*1, *2 8,500 (3,856) 8,500 (3,856)
MAXIMUM TONGUE LOAD 850 (385)850 (385)
GROSS COMBINED WEIGHT RATING 14,300 (6,486) 14,480 (6,568) 14,480 (6,568)
1: The towing capacity values are calculated assuming a base vehicle with driver and
any options required to achieve the rating. Additional passengers, cargo and/or
optional equipment will add weight to the vehicle and reduce your vehicle’s
maximum towing capacity.
2: Use of a weight-distributing hitch system is recommended when towing over 5,000 lb (2,267 kg).
TOWING SAFETY
Trailer hitch
Your vehicle is equipped with a trailer tow
package. The trailer tow package includes a
receiver-type frame mounted hitch. This
hitch is rated for the maximum towing
capacity of this vehicle when the proper
towing equipment is used. Choose a
proper ball mount and hitch ball that is
rated for the trailer to be towed. Genuine
INFINITI ball mounts and hitch balls are
available from an INFINITI retailer.

clearance is known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding
of the vehicle’s behavior, you should
practice turning, stopping and backing up
in an area which is free from traffic.
Steering stability, and braking perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than
under normal driving conditions.
. Always secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shift while driving.
. Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin
or lock to prevent the coupler from
inadvertently becoming unlatched.
. Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
. Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
. Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed. Some states or provinces have
specific speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local
speed limits.
. When backing up, hold the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand.
Move your hand in the direction in
which you want the trailer to go. Make
small corrections and back up slowly. If
possible, have someone guide you when you are backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle
and trailer when parking. Parking on a
slope is not recommended; however, if you
must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift lever to the P (Park)
position before blocking the wheels and
applying the parking brake, transmission
damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the vehicle and trailer
wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the
blocks absorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park).
6. Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Make sure that the 4WD shift switch is
engaged in the AUTO, 4HI or 4LO
position and the Automatic Transmis-
sion (AT) park warning light is turned off.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks.
. While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may
decrease overall stability. Therefore, to
maintain adequate control, reduce your
speed and shift to a lower gear. Avoid
long or repeated use of the brakes
when descending a hill, as this reduces
their effectiveness and could cause
overheating. Shifting to a lower gear
instead provides “engine braking” and
reduces the need to brake as fre-
quently.
. If the engine coolant temperature rises
to a high temperature, see “If your
vehicle overheats” in the“6. In case of
Technical and consumer information9-27

tail pipe or rear bumper.
. Make sure you disconnect the trailer
lights before backing the trailer into the
water or the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, the transmission
fluid should be changed more frequently.
For additional information, see the INFINITI
Service and Maintenance Guide.
TOW mode
Using TOW mode is recommended when
pulling a heavy trailer or hauling a heavy
load. Push the TOW MODE switch to
activate tow mode. The TOW MODE indi-
cator light in the meter illuminates when
TOW mode is selected. Push the TOW
MODE switch again to turn TOW mode off.
TOW mode is automatically cancelled when
the ignition switch is placed in the OFF
position.
TOW mode includes the following features:
. Grade logic —Adjusts transmission
shifts when pulling a trailer or hauling
a load up a grade.
. Downhill Speed Control (DSC) —auto-
matically downshifts when driving
down a grade with a trailer or heavy
load to help control vehicle speed. Driving the vehicle in the TOW mode with
no trailer/load or light trailer/light load will
not cause any damage. However, fuel
economy may be reduced and the trans-
mission/engine driving characteristics may
feel unusual.
When towing a trailer, the transmission
fluid should be changed more frequently.
For additional information, see the INFINITI
Service and Maintenance Guide.FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational
vehicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
.
Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
. Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
. DO NOT tow any automatic transmission
vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground (flat towing). Doing so WILL
DAMAGE internal transmission parts due to lack of transmission lubrication.
. DO NOT tow an Four-Wheel Drive (4WD)
vehicle with any of the wheels on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious and
expensive damage to the powertrain.
. For emergency towing procedures refer
to“Towing recommended by INFINITI” in
the “6. In case of emergency” section of
this manual.
Automatic Transmission
Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Do not tow a 4WD vehicle with any of the
wheels on the ground.
Two-Wheel Drive (2WD) models:
To tow a vehicle equipped with an auto-
matic transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dolly MUST be placed under the towed
vehicle’s drive wheels. Alwaysfollow the
dolly manufacturer’ s recommendations
when using their product.
Technical and consumer information9-29

9-32Technical and consumer information
www.safercar.gov.
You may notify INFINITI by contacting
our Consumer Affairs Department,
toll-free, at 1-800-662-6200.
For Canada
If you believe that your vehicle has a
defect which could cause a crash or
could cause injury or death, you
should immediately inform Transport
Canada in addition to notifying
INFINITI.
If Transport Canada receives com-
plaints, it may open an investigation,
and if it finds that a safety defect
exists in a group of vehicles, it may
request that INFINITI conduct a recall
campaign. However, Transport Cana-
da cannot become involved in indivi-
dual problems between you, your
retailer, or INFINITI.
You may contact Transport Canada’s
Defect Investigations and Recalls
Division toll free at 1-800-333-0510.
You may also report safety defectsonline at:
https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-
Sur/7/ PCDB-BDPP/Index.aspx.
Additional information concerning
motor vehicle safety may be obtained
from Transport Canada’s Road Safety
Information Centre at 1-800-333-
0371 or online at www.tc.gc.ca/road-
safety (English speakers) or www.tc.
gc.ca/securiteroutiere (French speak-
ers).
To notify INFINITI of any safety con-
cerns please contact our Consumer
Information Centre toll free at 1-800-
361-4792.WARNING
A vehicle equipped with Four-Wheel Drive
(4WD) should never be tested using a two
wheel dynamometer (such as the dynam-
ometers used by some states for emissions
testing), or similar equipment. Make sure
you inform test facility personnel that your
vehicle is equipped with 4WD before it is
placed on a dynamometer. Using the wrong
test equipment may result in transmission
damage or unexpected vehicle movement
which could result in serious vehicle da-
mage or personal injury.
Due to legal requirements in some states
and Canadian Provinces, your vehicle may
be required to be in what is called the
“ready condition”
for an Inspection/Main-
tenance (I/M) test of the emission control
system.
The vehicle is set to the “ready condition”
when it is driven through certain driving
patterns. Usually, the “ready condition”
can be obtained by ordinary usage of the
vehicle.
If a powertrain system component is
repaired or the battery is disconnected,
READINESS FOR INSPECTION/
MAINTENANCE (I/M) TEST

10-8
Voltmeter .......................................................... 2-10
W
WarningCheck tire pressure warning ......................... 2-25
Dot matrix display ....................................... 2-22
Hazard warning flasher switch ....................... 6-2
Lane departure warning (LDW) system ......... 5-22
Lights .......................................................... 2-12
Loose fuel cap warning ................................ 2-25
Tire pressure monitoring
system (TPMS) ....................................... 5-4, 6-3
Warning/indicator lights and
audible reminders ........................................ 2-11
Warning labels, Air bag warning labels ............. 1-69
Warning light 4WD warning light ..................................... 5-105
Air bag warning light ......................... 1-70, 2-17
Anti-lock braking system (ABS)
warning light ............................................... 2-12
Brake warning light ...................................... 2-13
Intelligent Key warning light ........................ 2-15
Lane departure warning light ....................... 2-15
Low tire pressure warning light .................... 2-15
Seat belt warning light and chime ............... 2-17
Warranty, Emission control system warranty ..... 9-31
Washer switch
Rear window wiper and washer switch ......... 2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch ........... 2-34
Washing ............................................................. 7-2
Waxing ............................................................... 7-3 Welcome light ................................................... 2-65
Wheel/tire size ................................................... 9-9
Wheels and tires ............................................... 8-31 Care of wheels ............................................... 7-3
Cleaning aluminum alloy wheels .................... 7-3
Window washer fluid ........................................ 8-15
Window(s)
Cleaning ........................................................ 7-3
Power windows ............................................ 2-61
Windshield wiper and washer switch ................ 2-34
Wiper Rain-sensing auto wiper system ................... 2-35
Rear window wiper and washer switch ......... 2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch ........... 2-34
Wiper blades ............................................... 8-20
X
Xenon headlights .............................................. 2-38