NISSAN LEAF 2020 Owner´s Manual

WARNING
• The front air bags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a side impact,
rear impact, rollover or lower severity
frontal collision. Always wear your
seat belts to help reduce the risk or
severity of injury in various kinds of
accidents.
• The front passenger air bag and pas-
senger knee air bag will not inflate if
the passenger air bag status light is
lit. For additional information, refer
to “Front passenger air bag and sta-
tus light” in this section.
SSS0131
SSS0132
1-44Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

•The seat belts and the front air bags
are most effective when you are sit-
ting well back and upright in the seat
with both feet on the floor. The front
air bags inflate with great force. Even
with the NISSAN Advanced Air Bag
System, if you are unrestrained, lean-
ing forward, sitting sideways or out of
position in any way, you are at greater
risk of injury or death in a crash. You
may also receive serious or fatal inju-
ries from the front air bag if you are up
against it when it inflates. Always sit
back against the seatback and as far
away as practical from the steering
wheel or instrument panel. Always
properly use the seat belts.
• The driver and front passenger seat
belt buckles are equipped with sen-
sors that detect if the seat belts are
fastened. The NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System monitors the severity of
a collision and seat belt usage then
inflates the air bags as needed. Fail-
ure to properly wear seat belts can
increase the risk or severity of injury
in an accident. •
The front passenger seat is equipped
with occupant classification sensor
(weight sensor) that turns the front
passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag OFF under some condi-
tions. This sensor is only used in this
seat. Failure to be properly seated
and wearing the seat belt can in-
crease the risk or severity of injury in
an accident. For additional informa-
tion, refer to “Front passenger air bag
and status light” in this section.
• Keep hands on the outside of the
steering wheel. Placing them inside
the steering wheel rim could increase
the risk that they are injured if the
front air bag inflates.
SSS0007
SSS0006
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-45

WARNING
• Never let children ride unrestrained
or extend their hands or face out of
the window. Do not attempt to hold
them in your lap or arms. Some ex-
amples of dangerous riding posi-
tions are shown in the illustrations.
• Children may be severely injured or
killed when the front air bags, side air
bags or curtain air bags inflate if they
are not properly restrained. Pre-
teens and children should be prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat, if
possible.
• Even with the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System, never install a rear-
facing child restraint on the front
seat. An inflating front air bag could
seriously injure or kill your child. For
additional information, refer to “Child
restraints” in this section.
SSS0008
SSS0009
SSS0099
SSS0100
1-46Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

SSS0059A
Do not lean against doors or windows.
SSS0188A
SSS0140
SSS0162
SSS0159
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-47

WARNING
Front and rear outboard seat-mounted
side-impact supplemental air bags and
roof-mounted curtain side-impact and
rollover supplemental air bags:
• The side air bags and curtain air bags
ordinarily will not inflate in the event
of a frontal impact, rear impact, or
lower severity side collision. Always
wear your seat belts to help reduce
the risk or severity of injury in various
kinds of accidents.
• The seat belts, the side air bags and
curtain air bags are most effective
when you are sitting well back and
upright in the seat. The side air bag
and curtain air bag inflate with great
force. Do not allow anyone to place
their hand, leg or face near the side
air bag on the side of the seatback of
the front and rear seat or near the
side roof rails. Do not allow anyone
sitting in the front seats or rear out-
board seats to extend their hand out
of the window or lean against the
door. Some examples of dangerous
riding positions are shown in the pre-
vious illustrations. •
When sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front
seat. If the side air bag inflates, you
may be seriously injured. Be espe-
cially careful with children, who
should always be properly re-
strained. Some examples of danger-
ous riding positions are shown in the
illustrations.
• Do not use seat covers on the front
and rear seatbacks. They may inter-
fere with side air bag inflation.
1-48Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats)
1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bagmodules
3. Front seat-mounted side-impact supplemental air bag modules
4. Occupant classification sensor (weight sensor)
5. Occupant classification system control unit
6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air bag inflators
7. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact and rollover supplemental air bag modules
8. Seat belt with pretensioner(s) (rear out- board seats)
9. Rear outboard seat-mounted side- impact supplemental air bag modules.
10. Satellite sensors (driver’s side shown; passenger’s side similar)
11. Seat belt with pretensioner(s) (front seats)
12. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
LRS3228
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-49

13. Driver and passenger supplementknee air bags
14. Door sensors
WARNING
To ensure proper operation of the front
passenger’s NISSAN Advanced Air Bag
System, please observe the following
items.
• Do not allow a passenger in the rear
seat to push or pull on the seatback
pocket (if so equipped).
• Do not place heavy loads heavier
than 9.1 lbs. (4 kg) on the seatback,
head restraint/headrest or in the
seatback pocket (if so equipped).
• Make sure that there is nothing
pressing against the rear of the seat-
back, such as a child restraint in-
stalled in the rear seat or an object
stored on the floor.
• Make sure that there is no object
placed under the front passenger
seat.
• Make sure that there is no object
placed between the seat cushion and
center console or between the seat
cushion and the door. •
If a forward-facing child restraint is
installed in the front passenger seat,
do not position the front passenger
seat so the child restraint contacts
the instrument panel. If the child re-
straint does contact the instrument
panel, the system may determine the
seat is occupied and the passenger
air bag and passenger knee air bag
may deploy in a collision. Also the
front passenger air bag status light
may not illuminate. For additional in-
formation, refer to “Child restraints”
in this section.
• Confirm the operating condition with
the front passenger air bag status
light.
• If you notice that the front passenger
air bag status light is not operating
as described in this section, get the
occupant classification system
checked. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer
for this service.
• Until you have confirmed with a
dealer that your passenger seat oc-
cupant classification system is work-
ing properly, position the occupants
in the rear seating positions. •
Do not position the front passenger
seat so it contacts the rear seat. If the
front seat does contact the rear seat,
the air bag system may determine a
sensor malfunction has occurred
and the front passenger air bag sta-
tus light may illuminate and the
supplemental air bag warning light
may flash.
This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN
Advanced Air Bag System for the driver and
front passenger seats. This system is de-
signed to meet certification requirements
under U.S. regulations. It is also permitted in
Canada. All of the information, cautions
and warnings in this manual apply and
must be followed.
The driver supplemental front-impact air
bag is located in the center of the steering
wheel. The front passenger supplemental
front-impact air bag is mounted in the in-
strument panel above the glove box. The
front air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity frontal collisions, although
they may inflate if the forces in another
type of collision are similar to those of a
higher severity frontal impact. They may
not inflate in certain frontal collisions. Ve-
hicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper front air bag operation.
1-50Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
monitors information from the crash zone
sensor and the Air bag Control Unit (ACU).
Inflator operation is based on the severity
of a collision and seat belt usage for the
driver. For the front passenger, the occu-
pant classification sensor is also moni-
tored. Based on information from the sen-
sor, only one front air bag may inflate in a
crash, depending on the crash severity. Ad-
ditionally, the front passenger air bag and
passenger knee air bag may be automati-
cally turned OFF under some conditions,
depending on the weight detected on the
passenger seat and how the seat belt is
used. If the front passenger air bag and
passenger knee air bag are OFF, the pas-
senger air bag status light will be illumi-
nated. For additional information, refer to
“Front passenger air bag and status light” in
this section. One front air bag inflating does
not indicate improper performance of the
system.
If you have any questions about your air
bag system, it is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN certified LEAF dealer to ob-
tain information about the system. If you
are considering modification of your ve-
hicle due to a disability, you may also con-
tact NISSAN. Contact information is con-
tained in the front of this Owner’s Manual.When a front air bag inflates, a fairly loud
noise may be heard, followed by release of
smoke. This smoke is not harmful and
does not indicate a fire. Care should be
taken not to inhale it, as it may cause irrita-
tion and choking. Those with a history of a
breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat
belts, help to cushion the impact force on
the head and chest of the front occupants.
They can help save lives and reduce seri-
ous injuries. However, an inflating front air
bag may cause facial abrasions or other
injuries. Front air bags, other than the driv-
er’s knee air bag, do not provide restraint to
the lower body.
Even with NISSAN Advanced Air Bags, seat
belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and front passenger seated upright
as far as practical away from the steering
wheel or instrument panel. The front air
bags inflate quickly in order to help protect
the front occupants. Because of this, the
force of the front air bag inflating can in-
crease the risk of injury if the occupant is
too close to, or is against, the air bag mod-
ule during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly af ter a
collision.
The front air bags operate only when the
power switch is in the ON position.
Af ter the power switch is placed in the
ON position, the supplemental air bag
warning light illuminates. The supple-
mental air bag warning light will turn off
af ter about 7 seconds if the system is
operational.
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-51

Front passenger air bag and status
light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag and pas-
senger knee air bag are designed to au-
tomatically turn OFF under some con-
ditions. Read this section carefully to
learn how it operates. Proper use of the
seat, seat belt and child restraints is
necessary for most effective protec-
tion. Failure to follow all instructions in
this manual concerning the use of
seats, seat belts and child restraints
can increase the risk or severity of in-
jury in an accident.Status light
The front passenger seat is equipped with
an occupant classification sensor (weight
sensor) that turns the front passenger air
bag and passenger knee air bag on or off
depending on the weight applied to the
front passenger seat. The status of the
front passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag (ON or OFF) is indicated by the
front passenger air bag status light
which is located on the instrument panel.
Af ter the power switch is placed in the “ON”
position, the front passenger air bag status
light on the instrument panel illuminates
for about 7 seconds and then turns off or
remains illuminated depending on the
front passenger seat occupied status. The
light operates as follows:
CONDITION DESCRIPTIONPASSENGER AIR BAG STATUS LIGHT
() RESULT FRONT PASSENGER AIR BAG AND PASSENGER KNEE AIR BAG
STATUS
Empty Empty front passenger seat ON (illuminated) INHIBITED
Nobody/Somebody Bag or Child or Child Restraint or
Small Adult in front passenger seat ON (illuminated)
INHIBITED
Adult Adult in the front passenger seat OFF (dark) ACTIVATED
In addition to the above, certain objects
placed on the front passenger seat may
also cause the light to operate as de-
scribed above depending on their weight.For additional information, refer to “Normal
operation” and “Troubleshooting” in this
section.
LRS2980
1-52Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Front passenger air bag
The front passenger air bag and passen-
ger knee air bag are designed to automati-
cally turn OFF when the vehicle is operated
under some conditions as described be-
low in accordance with U.S. regulations. If
the front passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag are OFF, it will not inflate in a
crash. The driver air bag and other air bags
in your vehicle are not part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help
reduce the risk of injury or death from an
inflating air bag to certain front passenger
seat occupants, such as children, by requir-
ing the front passenger air bag and pas-
senger knee air bag to be automatically
turned OFF. Certain sensors are used to
meet the requirements.
The occupant classification sensor in this
vehicle is a weight sensor. It is designed to
detect an occupant and objects on the
seat by weight. For example, if a child is in
the front passenger seat, the NISSAN Ad-
vanced Air Bag System is designed to turn
the front passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag OFF in accordance with the
regulations. Also, if a child restraint of the
type specified in the regulations is on the
seat, its weight and the child’s weight canbe detected and cause the front passen-
ger air bag and passenger knee air bag to
turn OFF.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who
are properly seated and using the seat belt
as outlined in this manual should not
cause the front passenger air bag and pas-
senger knee air bag to be automatically
turned OFF. For small adults it may be
turned OFF, however if the occupant takes
his/her weight off the seat cushion (for ex-
ample, by not sitting upright, by sitting on
an edge of the seat, or by otherwise being
out of position), this could cause the sen-
sors to turn the front passenger air bag
and passenger knee 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.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and
children be properly restrained in a rear
seat. NISSAN also recommends that ap-
propriate child restraints and booster
seats be properly installed in a rear seat. If
this is not possible, the occupant classifica-
tion sensor is designed to operate as de-
scribed above to turn the front passenger
air bag and passenger knee air bag OFF for
specified child restraints as required by
regulations. Failing to properly secure childrestraints and to use the ALR mode may
allow the restraint to tip or move in a colli-
sion or sudden stop. This can also result in
the front passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag inflating in a crash instead of
being OFF. For additional information, refer
to “Child restraints” in this section.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied,
the front passenger air bag and passenger
knee air bag are designed not to inflate in a
crash. However, heavy objects placed on
the seat could result in air bag inflation,
because of the object’s weight being de-
tected by the occupant classification sen-
sor. 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 re-
strained properly.
Using the front passenger air bag status
light, you can monitor when the front pas-
senger air bag and passenger knee air bag
are automatically turned OFF.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the
front passenger air bag status light is illu-
minated (indicating that the front passen-
ger air bag and passenger knee air bag are
OFF), it could be that the person is a small
Safety–Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-53