tow NISSAN MAXIMA 2009 Owner´s Manual

Fastening the seat belts
1Adjust the seat. See “Seats” earlier in this
section.
2Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retractor
and insert the tongue into the buckle until
you hear and feel the latch engage.
●The retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the seat belt to
move, and allows you some freedom of
movement in the seat.
●If the seat belt cannot be pulled from
its fully retracted position, firmly pull
the belt and release it. Then smoothly
pull the belt out of the retractor.3Position the lap belt portionlow and snug
on the hipsas shown.
4Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack. Be sure the
shoulder belt is routed over your shoulder
and across your chest.
The front passenger seat and the rear seating
positions three-point seat belts have two modes
of operation:
●Emergency Locking Retractor (ELR)
●Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
Front seat shown
WRS0864WRS0137WRS0138
1-14Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


●Do not use towels, books, pillows or
other items in place of a booster seat.
Items such as these may move during
normal driving or a collision and result
in serious injury or death. Booster seats
are designed to be used with a
lap/shoulder belt. Booster seats are de-
signed to properly route the lap and
shoulder portions of the seat belt over
the strongest portions of a child’s body
to provide the maximum protection dur-
ing a collision.
●Follow all of the booster seat manufac-
turer’s instructions for installation and
use. When purchasing a booster seat,
be sure to select one which will fit your
child and vehicle. It may not be possible
to properly install some types of
booster seats in your vehicle.
●If the booster seat and seat belt is not
used properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden stop
greatly increases.
●Adjustable seatbacks should be posi-
tioned to fit the booster seat, but as
upright as possible.●After placing the child in the booster
seat and fastening the seat belt, make
sure the shoulder portion of the belt is
away from the child’s face and neck and
the lap portion of the belt does not
cross the abdomen.
●Do not put the shoulder belt behind the
child or under the child’s arm. If you
must install a booster seat in the front
seat, see “Booster seat installation”
later in this section.
●When your booster seat is not in use,
keep it secured with a seat belt to pre-
vent it from being thrown around in
case of a sudden stop or accident.
CAUTION
Remember that a booster seat left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
Check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the booster
seat.Booster seats of various sizes are offered by
several manufacturers. When selecting any
booster seat, keep the following points in mind:
●Choose only a booster seat with a label
certifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or Canadian
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213.
●Check the booster seat in your vehicle to be
sure it is compatible with the vehicle’s seat
and seat belt system.
LRS0455
1-32Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


4. Position the lap portion of the seat belt low
and snug on the child’s hips. Be sure to
follow the booster seat manufacturer’s in-
structions for adjusting the seat belt routing.
5. Pull the shoulder belt portion of the seat belt
toward the retractor to take up extra slack.
Be sure the shoulder belt is positioned
across the top, middle portion of the child’s
shoulder. Be sure to follow the booster seat
manufacturer’s instructions for adjusting the
seat belt routing.
6. Follow the warnings, cautions and instruc-
tions for properly fastening a seat belt
shown in “Three-point type seat belt with
retractor” earlier in this section.
7. If the booster seat is installed in the front
passenger seat, place the ignition in the ON
position. The front passenger air bag status
light
may or may not illuminate, de-
pending on the size of the child and the type
of booster seat being used. See “Front pas-
senger air bag and status light” later in this
section.
PRECAUTIONS ON
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM
This Supplemental Restraint System (SRS) sec-
tion contains important information concerning
the following systems:
●Driver and passenger supplemental front-
impact air bag (NISSAN Advanced Air Bag
System)
●Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bag
●Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supple-
mental air bag
●Seat belt with pretensioner
Supplemental front-impact air bag system:
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System can help
cushion the impact force to the head and chest of
the driver and front passenger in certain frontal
collisions.
Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bag system:This system can help
cushion the impact force to the chest and pelvic
area of the driver and front passenger in certain
side-impact collisions. The side air bags are de-
signed to inflate on the side where the vehicle is
impacted.
Front passenger position
LRS0454
SUPPLEMENTAL RESTRAINT
SYSTEM
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-35
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


Other supplemental front-impact air bag
precautions
WARNING
●Do not place any objects on the steer-
ing wheel pad or on the instrument
panel. Also, do not place any objects
between any occupant and the steering
wheel or instrument panel. Such ob-
jects may become dangerous projec-
tiles and cause injury if the front air
bags inflate.
●Immediately after inflation, several
front air bag system components will be
hot. Do not touch them; you may se-
verely burn yourself.
●No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the supplemental 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, sus-
pension system or front end structure.
This could affect proper operation of
the supplemental front air bag system.●Tampering with the front air bag system
may result in serious personal 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 example, do not
change the front seats by placing mate-
rial on the seat cushion or by installing
additional trim material, such as seat
covers, on the seat that are not specifi-
cally designed to assure proper air bag
operation. Additionally, do not stow any
objects under the front passenger seat
or the seat cushion and seatback. Such
objects may interfere with the proper
operation of the occupant classifica-
tion sensor (pressure 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 seri-
ous personal injury.●Work on and around the front air bag
system should be done by a NISSAN
dealer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by a NISSAN
dealer. The Supplemental Restraint
System (SRS) wiring should not be
modified or disconnected. Unautho-
rized electrical test equipment and
probing devices should not be used on
the air bag system.
●A cracked windshield should be re-
placed immediately by a qualified re-
pair 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.
1-46Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


1. With the display turned on, press and hold
the
button for about 13 seconds or
the
for about 10 seconds. The “C”
icon in the compass display will illuminate.
2. Calibrate the compass by driving the vehicle
in three complete circles at a maximum
speed of 5 MPH (8 km/h) .
3. After completing the circles, the display
should return to normal.
CAUTION
●Do not install a ski rack, antenna, etc.,
which are attached to the vehicle by
means of a magnet. They affect the op-
eration of the compass.
●When cleaning the mirror, use a paper
towel or similar material dampened
with glass cleaner. Do not spray glass
cleaner directly on the mirror as it may
cause the liquid cleaner to enter the
mirror housing.
Instruments and controls2-9
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


If the ABS warning light illuminates while the
engine is running, or while driving, it may indicate
the ABS is not functioning properly. Have the
system checked by a NISSAN dealer.
If an ABS malfunction occurs, the anti-lock func-
tion is turned off. The brake system then operates
normally, but without anti-lock assistance. See
Brake systemin theStarting and drivingsec-
tion.
orBrake warning light
This light functions for both the parking brake and
the foot brake systems.
Parking brake indicator
When the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position, the light comes on when the parking
brake is applied.
Low brake fluid warning light
When the ignition switch is placed in the ON
position, the light warns of a low brake fluid level.
If the light comes on while the engine is running
with the parking brake not applied, stop the ve-
hicle and perform the following:
1. Check the brake fluid level. Add brake fluid
as necessary. See “Brake fluid” in the “Main-
tenance and do-it-yourself” section of this
manual.2. If the brake fluid level is correct, have the
warning system checked by a NISSAN
dealer.
WARNING
●Your brake system may not be working
properly if the warning light is on. Driv-
ing could be dangerous. If you judge it
to be safe, drive carefully to the nearest
service station for repairs. Otherwise,
have your vehicle towed because driv-
ing it could be dangerous.
●Pressing the brake pedal with the en-
gine stopped and/or a low brake fluid
level may increase your stopping dis-
tance and braking will require greater
pedal effort as well as pedal travel.
●If the brake fluid level is below the
MINIMUM or MIN mark on the brake
fluid reservoir, do not drive until the
brake system has been checked at a
NISSAN dealer.
Charge warning light
If this light comes on while the engine is running,
it may indicate the charging system is not func-
tioning properly. Turn the engine off and checkthe generator belt. If the belt is loose, broken,
missing, or if the light remains on, see a NISSAN
dealer immediately.
CAUTION
●Do not ground electrical accessories
directly to the battery terminal. Doing
so will bypass the variable control sys-
tem and the vehicle battery may not
charge completely. Refer to “Variable
voltage control system” in the “Mainte-
nance and do-it-yourself” section later
in this manual.
●Do not continue driving if the generator
belt is loose, broken or missing.
Engine oil pressure warning
light
This light warns of low engine oil pressure. If the
light flickers or comes on during normal driving,
pull off the road in a safe area, stop the engine
immediatelyand call a NISSAN dealer or other
authorized repair shop.
The engine oil pressure warning light is not
designed to indicate a low oil level.Use the
dipstick to check the oil level. See “Engine oil” in
the “Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section of
this manual.
Instruments and controls2-11
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


vehicle is not ready for an emission control sys-
tem inspection/maintenance test. See “Readi-
ness for inspection/maintenance (I/M) test” in the
“Technical and consumer information” section of
this manual.
Operation
The malfunction indicator light will come on in
one of two ways:
●Malfunction indicator light on steady — An
emission control system and/or CVT mal-
function has been detected. Check the fuel-
filler cap. If the fuel-filler cap is loose or
missing, tighten or install the cap and con-
tinue to drive the vehicle. The
light
should turn off after a few driving trips. If
the
light does not turn off after a few
driving trips, have the vehicle inspected by a
NISSAN dealer. You do not need to have
your vehicle towed to the dealer.
●Malfunction indicator light blinking — An en-
gine misfire has been detected which may
damage the emission control system. To re-
duce or avoid emission control system dam-
age:
– do not drive at speeds above 45 MPH
(72 km/h) .
– avoid hard acceleration or deceleration.
– avoid steep uphill grades.– if possible, reduce the amount of cargo
being hauled or towed.
The malfunction indicator light may stop blinking
and come on steady. Have the vehicle inspected
by a NISSAN dealer. You do not need to have
your vehicle towed to the dealer.
CAUTION
Continued vehicle operation without hav-
ing the emission control system checked
and repaired as necessary could lead to
poor driveability, reduced fuel economy,
and possible damage to the emission con-
trol system.
Security indicator light
This light blinks when the ignition switch is
placed in the OFF, LOCK or ACC position.
The blinking security indicator light indicates that
the security systems equipped on the vehicle are
operational.
For additional information, see “Security sys-
tems” later in this section.
Slip indicator light
This indicator will blink when the VDC system is
operating, thus alerting the driver to the fact thatthe road surface is slippery and the vehicle is
nearing its traction limits.
You may feel or hear the system working; this is
normal.
The light will blink for a few seconds after the
VDC system stops limiting wheel spin.
The
indicator light also comes on when
you place the ignition switch in the ON position.
The light will turn off after approximately 2 sec-
onds if the system is operational. If the light does
not come on have the system checked by a
NISSAN dealer or qualified workshop.
Turn signal/hazard indicator
lights
The appropriate light flashes when the turn signal
switch is activated.
Both lights flash when the hazard switch is turned
on.
Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) off indicator light
This indicator light comes on when the Vehicle
Dynamic Control off switch is pushed to OFF.
This indicates the Vehicle Dynamic Control has
been turned off.
Instruments and controls2-15
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


3. Repeat steps 1 and 2.
4. Restart the engine while holding the device
(which may have caused the interference)
separate from the registered key.
If the no start condition re-occurs, NISSAN rec-
ommends placing the registered key on a sepa-
rate key ring to avoid interference from other
devices.
Statement related to Section 15 of FCC
Rules for NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer Sys-
tem (CONT ASSY — IMMOBILIZER, ANT
ASSY — IMMOBILIZER)
This device complies with part 15 of the
FCC Rules and RSS-210 of Industry
Canada. Operation is subject to the follow-
ing two conditions;
(1) This device may not cause harmful in-
terference, and (2) this device must accept
any interference received, including inter-
ference that may cause undesired opera-
tion of the device.
CHANGES OR MODIFICATIONS NOT EX-
PRESSLY APPROVED BY THE PARTY RE-
SPONSIBLE FOR COMPLIANCE COULD
VOID THE USER’S AUTHORITY TO OPER-
ATE THE EQUIPMENT.
Security indicator light
The security indicator light blinks whenever the
ignition switch is placed in the OFF, LOCK or ACC
position. This function indicates the NISSAN Ve-
hicle Immobilizer System is operational.
If the NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System is mal-
functioning, the light will remain on while the
ignition switch is placed in the ON position.
If the light still remains on and/or the en-
gine will not start, see a NISSAN dealer for
NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System ser-
vice as soon as possible. Please bring all
registered keys that you have when visiting
your NISSAN dealer for service.
SWITCH OPERATION
The windshield wiper and washer operates when
the ignition switch is in the ON position.
Push the lever down to operate the wiper at the
following speed:
1Intermittent — intermittent operation can be
adjusted by turning the knob toward
A
(Slower) orB(Faster) . Also, the intermit-
tent operation speed varies in accordance
with the vehicle speed. (For example, when
the vehicle speed is high, the intermittent
operation speed will be faster.)
LIC0474WIC1434
WINDSHIELD WIPER AND WASHER
SWITCH
Instruments and controls2-25
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


NOTE:
You can turn on or turn off the driving
speed dependent intermittent wiper func-
tion for vehicles with navigation system.
Refer to “Vehicle electronic systems” in the
“Display screen, heater, air conditioner, au-
dio and phone systems” section later in this
manual.
2Low — continuous low speed operation
3High — continuous high speed operation
Push the lever up
4to have one sweep opera-
tion of the wiper.
Pull the lever toward you
5to operate the
washer. The wiper will also operate several times.
WARNING
In freezing temperatures the washer solu-
tion may freeze on the windshield and
obscure your vision which may lead to an
accident. Warm the windshield with the
defroster before you wash the windshield.
CAUTION
●Do not operate the washer continu-
ously for more than 30 seconds.
●Do not operate the washer if the reser-
voir tank is empty.
●Do not fill the window washer reservoir
tank with washer fluid concentrates at
full strength. Some methyl alcohol
based washer fluid concentrates may
permanently stain the grille if spilled
while filling the window washer reser-
voir tank.
●Pre-mix washer fluid concentrates with
water to the manufacturer’s recom-
mended levels before pouring the fluid
into the window washer reservoir tank.
Do not use the window washer reservoir
tank to mix the washer fluid concen-
trate and water.To defrost the rear window glass and outside
mirrors (if so equipped) , start the engine and
push the rear window defroster switch on. The
rear window defroster indicator light on the
switch comes on. Push the switch again to turn
the defroster off.
The rear window defroster automatically turns off
after approximately 15 minutes.
CAUTION
When cleaning the inner side of the rear
window, be careful not to scratch or dam-
age the rear window defroster.
Type A
LIC1387
REAR WINDOW AND OUTSIDE
MIRROR (if so equipped)
DEFROSTER SWITCH
2-26Instruments and controls
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie


AUTOMATIC MOONROOF
The moonroof will only operate when the ignition
switch is placed in the ON position. The auto-
matic moonroof is operational for about 45 sec-
onds, even if the ignition switch is placed in the
ACC or OFF position. If the driver’s door or the
front passenger’s door is opened during this
period of about 45 seconds, power to the moon-
roof is canceled.
Sliding the moonroof
To fully open the moonroof, push the switch
toward
1.To fully close the moonroof, push the switch
toward
2.
To open or close the moonroof part way, push the
switch in any direction while the moonroof is
sliding to stop it in the desired position.
Tilting the moonroof
Close the moonroof by pushing the switch
toward
2. Release the switch, then push
the switch toward
2again to tilt the
moonroof up.
To tilt the moonroof down, push the switch
toward
1.
WARNING
●In an accident you could be thrown from
the vehicle through an open moonroof.
Always use seat belts and child
restraints.
●Do not allow anyone to stand up or
extend any portion of their body out of
the moonroof opening while the vehicle
is in motion or while the moonroof is
closing.
CAUTION
●Remove water drops, snow, ice or sand
from the moonroof before opening.
●Do not place heavy objects on the
moonroof or surrounding area.
Auto-reverse function (when closing or
tilting down the moonroof)
The auto-reverse function can be activated when
the moonroof is closed or tilted down by auto-
matic operation when the ignition switch is
placed in the ON position or for about 45 sec-
onds after the ignition switch is placed in the OFF
position.
Depending on the environment or driving
conditions, the auto-reverse function may
be activated if an impact or load similar to
something being caught in the moonroof
occurs.
WARNING
There are some small distances immedi-
ately before the closed position which
cannot be detected. Make sure that all
passengers have their hands, etc., inside
the vehicle before closing the moonroof.
LIC1408
MOONROOF (if so equipped)
2-44Instruments and controls
REVIEW COPY—2009 Maxima(max)
Owners Manual—USA_English(nna)
10/20/08—debbie