wheel NISSAN ALTIMA HYBRID 2010 L32A / 4.G First Responders Guide

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About the Nissan Altima Hybrid

There are two power sources stored on board that are used to drive the vehicle:
• Gasoline is stored in a fuel tank and used to supply the gasoline engine.
• Electricity is stored in a high voltage battery and is used to power the traction motor.

The result of combining these two power sources is improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. The
gasoline engine also powers an electric generator to recharge the high voltage battery; unlike an entirely
electric vehicle, the Altima Hybrid never needs to be recharged from an external electric power source.

Depending on the driving conditions, one or both sources are used to drive the vehicle. The following
information explains how the Altima Hybrid operates in various driving modes:
1. During light acceleration at low speeds, the vehicle is driven by the traction motor. The gasoline engine
is shut off.

2. During normal driving, the vehicle is driven mainly by the gasoline engine. The gasoline engine also
powers the generator to recharge the high voltage battery.

3. During full acceleration, such as climbing a hill, both the gasoline engine and the traction motor drive
the vehicle.
4. During deceleration, such as when braking, the vehicle converts kinetic energy from the front wheels to
electricity that will recharge the high voltage battery.
5. While the vehicle is stopped, such as at a stoplight, the gasoline engine and the traction motor are off,
however the vehicle remains operational.

Hybrid System Locations and Descriptions

Component
Location Description
1. Electric Air
Conditioning
Compressor
Engine compartment, front
passenger side
Electric motor driven compressor supplied with 245 volts
DC.
2. Electric Power
Steering Engine compartment, on
steering rack A 42 volt DC assist motor is used for the electric power
steering (EPS) system.
3. EPS DC/DC
Converter Trunk area, mounted to top
of high voltage battery Converts 245 volts DC (high voltage) to 42 volts DC (low
voltage) for the EPS.
4. High Voltage
Battery Trunk area, mounted to
cross member and behind
rear seat 245 volt DC Nickel Metal Hydride (Ni-MH) battery
consisting of 34 low voltage (7.2 volt) modules connected
in series.
5. DC/DC
Converter
Trunk area, under front left
cover of the high voltage
battery Converts 245 volts DC (high voltage) to 12 volts DC (low
voltage) for charging the 12 volt battery.
6. Service
Disconnect
Trunk area, on the
passenger side of the high
voltage battery Used to disable the high voltage system.
7. High Voltage
Harnesses
•
Trunk area, on high
voltage battery and
EPS DC/DC converter
• Under passenger side
rear seat and floor pan
• Engine compartment,
on rear, driver side and
front Orange colored power cables carry high voltage direct
current (DC) between the high voltage battery, EPS
DC/DC converter, inverter unit, and electric air
conditioning compressor. There are two cables which also
carry 3-phase alternating current (AC) between the
inverter unit and transaxle.
NOTE:
High voltage cables under the vehicle floor are encased in
a black plastic protector.
8. Transaxle

Engine compartment, on
driver side Contains a traction motor and generator used to drive the
front wheels and recharge the high voltage battery.
9. Inverter Unit
Engine compartment, front
driver side Changes the 245 volts DC from the high voltage battery to
3-phase 650 volts AC to power the transaxle. The inverter
unit also changes AC electricity from the transaxle to DC
that recharges the high voltage battery.



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NOTE:
Repositioning the power seats, operating the power door locks and operating the power trunk release must be
done prior to 12 volt battery disconnection.

Automatic Door Locks (Not Applicable to 2007 or 2008 Model Years)

This vehicle is equipped with an automatic door lock system. All door
locks will unlock automatically when the ignition switch is placed in the
OFF position or when the power door lock switch (located on the front LH
or RH door trim panel) is manually operated as shown.






Extrication


1. Immobilize the vehicle
a. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position.

b. Shut the vehicle OFF by pressing the push-button ignition
switch.
c. Chock the wheels.
d. Set the parking brake.





2. Remove the Intelligent Key (1) from the key port (located on the lower
LH corner of the instrument panel). Keep it at least 3.3 feet (1 meter)
away from the vehicle.









3. Stabilize the vehicle a. Crib at four points directly under the front and rear pillars. Do
not place cribbing under the high voltage harness, exhaust
system or fuel system.







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• Repositioning the steering wheel:
The Altima Hybrid is equipped with a tilting telescopic
steering column. To adjust the tilt: pull the lever (1) all the
way toward you and adjust the steering wheel up or down
in the desired direction (2). Release the lever after the
desired position has been achieved.

To adjust the telescopic position: pull the lever (1) all the
way toward you and adjust the steering wheel forward or
backward (3) into the desired position. Release the lever
after the desired position has been achieved.
Fire


Approach and extinguish a fire using proper vehicle fire fighting practices as recommended by NFPA, IFSTA,
or the National Fire Academy (USA).

• Extinguishing agent
Water has been proven to be a suitable extinguishing agent.

• Initial fire attack
Perform a fast, aggressive fire attack.
Divert the runoff from entering watershed areas.
Attack teams may not be able to identify an Altima Hybrid until the fire has been knocked down
and overhaul operations have commenced.

• Fire in a high voltage battery
Should a fire occur in the Ni-MH high voltage battery, attack crews should utilize a water stream
or fog pattern to extinguish any fire within the trunk EXCEPT for the high voltage battery.








DANGER:
•
Never breach or remove the high voltage battery under any circumstances, including fire. Doing
so could result in serious injury or death from electrical shock.
• The Ni-MH battery electrolyte is a caustic alkaline (pH 13.5) that is damaging to human tissues. To
avoid injury by coming in contact with the electrolyte, wear proper personal protective equipment.


When allowed to burn themselves out, the Altima Hybrid Ni-MH battery modules burn rapidly and can quickly
be reduced to ashes except for the metal.

Offensive fire attack
Flooding the Altima Hybrid high voltage battery is not
recommended due to the battery case design and
location preventing the responder from properly, and safely, applying water through the available vent
openings. Therefore, it is recommended that the incident commander allow the Altima Hybrid high voltage
battery to burn itself out.
Normally
, flooding a Ni-MH high voltage battery with copious amounts of water at a safe distance will
effectively control the high voltage battery fire by cooling the adjacent Ni-MH battery modules to a point below
their ignition temperature. The remaining modules on fire, if not extinguished by the water, will burn themselves
out.

Defensive fire attack
If the decision has been made to fight the fire using a def ensive attack, the fire attack crew should pull back a
safe distance and allow the Ni-MH battery modules to burn themselves out. During this defensive operation,
fire crews may utilize a water stream or fog pattern to protect exposures or to control the path of smoke.
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Roadside Assistance

Nissan Altima Hybrid roadside assistance may be handled like conventional Nissan vehicles, except as noted
in the following pages.

Towing


The Altima Hybrid is a front wheel drive vehicle and it must be towed with the front wheels off the ground.
Failure to do so may cause serious damage to the hybrid system components.
• A flat bed trailer is the preferred method of towing.
• When towing the vehicle, be sure to release the parking brake.
• The vehicle may be shifted out of P (Park) into N (Neutral) by turning the ignition ON, depr\
essing the
brake, and then moving the shift lever to N (Neutral).
• If the shift lever cannot be moved out of P (Park), a shift release button is provided near the shift lever.
To use the shift release button, perform the following:
a. Remove the shift lock cover as shown.
b. Insert a small screwdriver in the shift lock release slot and
push down.
c. Move the shift lever to the N (Neutral) position while holding
down the release button.





Fuel-Filler Door Opener


The fuel-filler door release is located on the floor to the left of the
driver’s seat. To open the fuel filler door, pull upward on the release
lever. There may be a delay up to 15 seconds before the fuel-filler
door opens.







Spare Tire


The jack (1), tools (2), and spare tire are provided in the trunk.









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