inflates. Always sit back against the
seatback and as far-away as prac-
tical from the steering wheel or
instrument panel. Always use the
seat belts.
. The driver and front passenger seat
belt buckles are equipped with
sensors that detect if the seat belts
are fastened. The Advanced Air Bag
System monitors the severity of a
collision and seat belt usage then
inflates the air bags. Failure to
properly wear seat belts can in-
crease the risk or severity of injury
in an accident.
. The front passenger seat is
equipped with an occupant classifi-
cation sensor (pattern sensor) that
turns the front passenger air bag
OFF under some conditions. This
sensor is only used in this seat.
Failure to be properly seated and
wearing the seat belt can increase
the risk or severity of injury in an
accident. See “Front passenger air
bag and status light” (P.1-35) .
. Keep hands on the outside of the
steering wheel. Placing them inside
the steering wheel rim could in- crease the risk of injury if the
supplemental front air bag inflates.
sensor to turn the air bag OFF. Always be sure
to be seated and wearing the seat belt properly
for the most effective protection by the seat belt
and supplemental air bag.
The occupant classification sensor is designed
to operate as described above to turn the front
passenger air bag OFF for specified child
restraints. Failing to properly secure child
restrains and to use the ALR mode (child
restraint mode) may allow the restraint to tip or
move in an accident or sudden stop. This can
also result in the passenger air bag inflating in a
crash instead of being OFF. (See “Child
restraints” (P.1-18) for proper use and installa-
tion.)
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
passenger air bag is designed not to inflate in a
crash. However, heavy objects placed on the
seat could result in air bag inflation, because of
the object being detected by the occupant
classification sensor. Other conditions could
also result in air bag inflation, such as if a child is
standing on the seat, or if two children are on the
seat, contrary to the instructions in this manual.
Always be sure that you and all vehicle
occupants are seated and restrained properly.
Using the passenger air bag status light, you can
monitor when the front passenger air bag is
automatically turned OFF with the seat occu-pied. The light will not illuminate when the front
passenger seat is unoccupied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the
passenger air bag status light is illuminated
(indicating that the air bag is OFF) , it could be
that the person is a small adult, or is not sitting
on the seat properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front seat,
the passenger air bag status light may or may
not be illuminated, depending on the size of the
child and the type of child restraint being used. If
the passenger air bag status light is not
illuminated (indicating that the air bag might
inflate in a crash), it could be that the child
restraint or seat belt is not being used properly.
Make sure that the child restraint is installed
properly, the seat belt is used properly and the
occupant is positioned properly. If the passen-
ger air bag status light is still not illuminated, try
a different child restraint.
If the passenger air bag status light will not
illuminate even though you believe that the child
restraint, the seat belts and the occupant are
properly positioned, the system may be sensing
an unoccupied seat (in which case the air bag is
OFF). Your NISSAN dealer can check that the
system is OFF by using a special tool. However,
until you have confirmed with your dealer that
your air bag is working properly, do not transporta child in this vehicle.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System and
passenger air bag status light will take a few
seconds to register a change in the passenger
seat status. However, if the seat becomes
unoccupied, the air bag status light will remain
off.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light
will leave permanent impressions in
the seat. Such objects can damage
the seat or occupant classification
sensor (pattern sensor) . This can
affect the operation of the air bag
system and result in serious perso-
nal injury.
. Do not use water or acidic cleaners
(hot steam cleaners) on the seat.
This can damage the seat or occu-
pant classification sensor. This can
also affect the operation of the air
bag system and result in serious
personal injury.
. Immediately after inflation, several
front air bag system components
will be hot. Do not touch them; you
may severely burn yourself.
. No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring
of the air bag system. This is to
prevent accidental inflation of the
supplemental air bag or damage to
the supplemental air bag system.
. Do not make unauthorized changes
to your vehicle’s electrical system,
suspension system or front end
structure. This could affect proper
operation of the front air bag sys- tem.
. Tampering with the front air bag
system may result in serious perso-
nal injury. Tampering includes
changes to the steering wheel and
the instrument panel assembly by
placing material over the steering
wheel pad and above the instrument
panel or by installing additional trim
material around the air bag system.
. 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 sensor.
. 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 dealer. Installation of elec-
trical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN 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 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.
Safety — Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-37
