warning NISSAN ALTIMA 2000 L30 / 2.G Owner's Manual

CHILD SAFETY
Children need adults to help protect
them. They need to be properly re-
strained.
The proper restraint depends on the child's
size. Generally, infants up to about 1 year
and less than 20 pounds, (9 kg) should be
placed in rear facing child restraints. Forward
facing child restraints are available for chil-
dren who outgrow rear facing child restraints.
WARNING
Infants and children need special pro-
tection. The vehicle's seat belts may
not fit them properly. The shoulder belt
may come too close to the face or neck.
The lap belt may not fit over their small
hip bones. In an accident, an improp-
erly fitting seat belt could cause seri-
ous or fatal injury. Always use appro-
priate child restraints.
All U.S. states and Canadian provinces or
territories require the use of approved child
restraints for infants and small children. See
``Child Restraints'' later in this section.
In addition, there are many types of child
restraints available for larger children whichshould be used for maximum protection.
NISSAN recommends that all pre-teens
and children be restrained in the rear
seat if possible. According to accident
statistics, children are safer when prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat than in the
front seat. This is especially important
because your vehicle has a supplemen-
tal restraint system (Air bag system) for
the front passenger. See ``Supplemental
restraint system'' earlier in this section.Infants and small children
NISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be placed in child restraints that
comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. You should choose a
child restraint that fits your vehicle and
always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions for installation and use.
Larger children
Children who are too large for child re-
straints should be seated and restrained by
the seat belts which are provided.
If the child's seating position has a shoulder
belt that fits close to the face or neck, the
use of a booster seat (commercially avail-able) may help overcome this. The booster
seat should raise the child so that the shoul-
der belt is properly positioned across the
top, middle portion of the shoulder and the
lap belt is low on the hips. The booster seat
should fit the vehicle seat and have a label
certifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canadian Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standards. Once the
child has grown so the shoulder belt is no
longer on or near the face and neck, use the
shoulder belt without the booster seat.
WARNING
Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat and do not allow a child in the
cargo areas while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The child could be seriously in-
jured or killed in an accident.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women
use seat belts. The seat belt should be worn
snug, and always position the lap belt as
low as possible around the hips, not the
waist. Place the shoulder belt over your
shoulder and across your chest. Never run
the lap/shoulder belt over your abdominal
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-23
ZX

area. Contact your doctor for specific rec-
ommendations.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons
use seat belts. Check with your doctor for
specific recommendations.
THREE-POINT TYPE SEAT BELT
WITH RETRACTOR
WARNING
cEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should use a seat belt at
all times.cDo not ride in a moving vehicle when
the seatback is reclined. This can be
dangerous. The shoulder belt will
not be against your body. In an acci-
dent you could be thrown into it and
receive neck or other serious inju-
ries. You could also slide under the
lap belt and receive serious internal
injuries.
ARS1051WRS0029
1-24Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

Center of rear seat
Selecting correct set of seat belts:
The center seat belt buckle is identified by
the CENTER mark. The center seat belt
tongue can be fastenedonlyinto the center
seat belt buckle.
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(For front seats)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
``Precautions on seat belt usage'' earlier in
this section.) To adjust, pull out the adjust-
ment button and move the shoulder belt
anchor to the desired position, so the belt
passes over the center of the shoulder. The
belt should be away from your face and
neck, but not falling off of your shoulder.
Release the adjustment button to lock the
shoulder belt anchor into position.
WARNING
cAfter adjustment, release the adjust-
ment button and try to move the
shoulder belt anchor up and down to
make sure it is securely fixed in
position.
cThe shoulder belt anchor height
should be adjusted to the position
best for you. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the en-
tire restraint system and increase
the chance or severity of injury in an
accident.
WRS0005WRS0006
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-27
ZX

SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fit the lap-
shoulder belt and fasten it, an extender is
available which is compatible with the in-
stalled seat belts. The extender adds ap-
proximately 8 inches (200 mm) of length
and may be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position. See your NIS-
SAN dealer for assistance if an extender is
required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN seat belt extenders,
made by the same company which
made the original equipment seat
belts, should be used with NISSAN
seat belts.
cPersons who can use the standard
seat belt should not use an extender.
Such unnecessary use could result
in serious personal injury in the
event of an accident.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
cTo clean the seat belt webbings,apply
a mild soap solution or any solution rec-
ommended for cleaning upholstery or
carpet. Then wipe with a cloth and allow
the seat belts to dry in the shade. Do not
allow the seat belts to retract until they
are completely dry.
cIf dirt builds up on the shoulder belt
guideof the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoul-
der belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
cPeriodically check to see that the seat
belt and the metal components,such
as buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible
wires and anchors, work properly. If
loose parts, deterioration, cuts or other
damage on the webbing is found, the
entire seat belt assembly should be re-
placed.
PRECAUTIONS ON CHILD
RESTRAINTS
WARNING
cInfants and small children should
always be placed in an appropriate
child restraint while riding in the ve-
hicle. Failure to use a child restraint
can result in serious injury or death.
cInfants and small children should
never be carried on your lap. It is not
possible for even the strongest adult
to resist the forces of a severe acci-
dent. The child could be crushed
between the adult and parts of the
vehicle. Also, do not put the same
seat belt around both your child and
yourself.
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating
supplemental front air bag could se-
riously injure or kill your child. A
rear-facing child restraint must only
be used in the rear seat.
cNissan recommends that the child
restraint be installed in the rear seat.
According to accident statistics,
CHILD RESTRAINTS
1-28Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

children are safer when properly re-
strained in the rear seat than in the
front seat.
cAn improperly installed child re-
straint could lead to serious injury or
death in an accident.
cIn general, child restraints are de-
signed to be installed with a lap belt
or the lap portion of a three-point
type seat belt.
Child restraints for infants and children of
various sizes are offered by several manu-
facturers. When selecting any child restraint,
keep the following points in mind:
1) Choose only a restraint with a label cer-
tifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or Cana-
dian Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
2) Check the child restraint in your vehicle
to be sure it is compatible with the vehi-
cle's seat and seat belt system. Choose
a child restraint that meets the guidelines
of the Society of Automotive Engineers
recommended practice J1819 for child
restraint installation.
3) If the child restraint is compatible with
your vehicle, place your child in the childrestraint and check the various adjust-
ments to be sure the child restraint is
compatible with your child. Always follow
all recommended procedures.
All U.S. states and provinces of Canada
require that infants and small children be
restrained in approved child restraints at
all times while the vehicle is being
operated.
WARNING
cImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
cFollow all of the child restraint manu-
facturer's instructions for installa-
tion and use. When purchasing a
child restraint, be sure to select one
which will fit your child and vehicle.
It may not be possible to properly
install some types of child restraints
in your vehicle.
cIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden
stop greatly increases.cAdjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.
c
After attaching the child restraint,
test it before you place the child in it.
Tilt it from side to side. Try to tug it
forward and check to see if the belt
holds the restraint in place. If the
restraint is not secure, tighten the
belt as necessary, or put the restraint
in another seat and test it again.
cFor a front-facing child restraint, if
the seat position where it is installed
has a three-point type lap/shoulder
belt, check to make sure the shoulder
belt does not go in front of the child's
face or neck. If it does, put the shoul-
der belt behind the child restraint. If
you must install a front-facing child
restraint in the front seat, see ``Instal-
lation on front passenger seat'' later
in this section for details.
cWhen your child restraint is not in
use, keep it secured with a seat belt
to prevent it from being thrown
around in case of a sudden stop or
accident.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-29
ZX

CAUTION
Remember that a child restraint left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
Check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the child
restraint.
INSTALLATION ON REAR SEAT
CENTER OR OUTBOARD POSI-
TIONS
WARNING
cThe three-point belt in your vehicle
is equipped with a locking mode re-
tractor which must be used when
installing a child restraint.
cFailure to use the retractor's locking
mode will result in the child restraint
not being properly secured. The re-
straint could tip over or otherwise be
unsecured and cause injury to the
child in a sudden stop or collision.
Front facing
When you install a child restraint in the rear
seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the seat. It
can be placed in a front facing direction,
depending on the size of the child. Al-
ways follow the restraint manufacturer's
instructions.
WRS0007WRS0008
1-30Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

TOP TETHER STRAP CHILD RE-
STRAINT
If your child restraint has a top tether strap,
it must be secured to the provided anchor
point. First, secure the child restraint with
the rear seat belt.
Flip up the anchor cover from the anchor
point which is located directly behind the
child seat.
Secure the top tether strap to the anchor
bracket.
WARNING
Child restraint anchor points are de-
signed to withstand only those loads
imposed by correctly fitted child re-
straints. Under no circumstances are
they to be used for adult seat belts or
harnesses.
Anchor point locations
Anchor points are located on the rear parcel
shelf finisher.
When installing a top strap child re-
straint on the rear seat for the first time,
consult your NISSAN dealer for details.
WRS0011
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-35
ZX

INSTALLATION ON FRONT PAS-
SENGER SEAT
WARNING
cNever install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front passenger seat.
Supplemental front air bags inflate
with great force. A rear-facing child
restraint could be struck by the
supplemental front air bag in a crash
and could seriously injure or kill
your child.cNISSAN recommends that child re-
straints be installed in the rear seat.
However, if you must install a
forward-facing child restraint in the
front passenger seat, move the pas-
senger seat to the rear most posi-
tion.
cA child restraint with a top tether
strap should not be used in the front
passenger seat.cThe three-point seat belt in your ve-
hicle is equipped with a locking
mode retractor which must be used
when installing a child restraint.
cFailure to use the retractor's locking
mode will result in the child restraint
not being properly secured. The re-
straint could tip over or otherwise be
unsecured and cause injury to the
child in a sudden stop or collision.
ARS1135
1-36Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
ZX

2 Instruments and controls
Meters and gauges ................................................2-2
Speedometer and odometer ..................................2-3
Tachometer ............................................................2-4
Engine coolant temperature gauge........................2-4
Fuel gauge .............................................................2-5
Warning/indicator lights and chimes ......................2-6
Checking bulbs .......................................................2-6
Warning lights.........................................................2-6
Indicator lights ........................................................2-8
Chimes ...................................................................2-9
Security systems ..................................................2-10
Nissan vehicle immobilizer system (NVIS) ..........2-10
Enhanced immobilizer security system
(if so equipped) ....................................................2-12
Windshield wiper and washer switch ...................2-14
Switch operation ...................................................2-14
Rear window defogger switch ..............................2-15
Headlight and turn signal switch ..........................2-16
Headlight switch ...................................................2-16
Turn signal switch ................................................2-17
Cornering light ......................................................2-18
Fog light switch (if so equipped) ..........................2-18Hazard warning flasher switch .............................2-18
Horn ......................................................................2-19
Power socket ......................................................2-19
Cigarette lighter (accessory) and ash tray ...........2-20
Storage .................................................................2-21
Map pocket ...........................................................2-21
Glasses case ........................................................2-21
Cup holders ..........................................................2-22
Glove box .............................................................2-23
Console box .........................................................2-23
Cargo net (if so equipped) ...................................2-25
Trunk side net ......................................................2-26
Windows ...............................................................2-26
Power windows ....................................................2-26
Sunroof (if so equipped).......................................2-27
Interior light...........................................................2-29
Map lights (if so equipped)...................................2-29
Trunk light.............................................................2-30
Integrated HomeLinkTuniversal transceiver
(if so equipped) ....................................................2-30
Programming HomeLinkT.....................................2-31
ZX

FUEL GAUGE
The gauge indicates theapproximatefuel
level in the tank.
The gauge may move slightly during brak-
ing, turning, acceleration, or going up or
down hills.
The gauge needle remains in approximately
the same position even when the ignition
key is turned to OFF.
The warning indicator light comes on when
the amount of fuel in the tank is getting low.
Refill the fuel tank before the gauge
registers E (Empty).
CAUTION
cIf the vehicle runs out of fuel, the
malfunction indicator lamp
(MIL) may come on. Refuel as soon
as possible. After a few driving trips,
the
lamp should turn off. If the
lamp remains on after a few driving
trips, have the vehicle inspected by
an authorized NISSAN dealer.
cFor additional information, see the
``Malfunction indicator lamp (MIL)''
later in this section.
SIC0879
Instruments and controls2-5
ZX