towing NISSAN MURANO 2003 1.G Owners Manual

Lumbar support (if so equipped for
driver’s seat)The lumbar support feature provides lower back
support to the driver. Move the lever up or down
to adjust the seat lumbar area.
REAR SEAT ADJUSTMENT
Folding1. Secure the seat belt at the belt hooks on the
side wall. See “Seat belt hook” later in this
section.
2. Secure the center seat belt and tongues into
the retractor base. See “Stowing rear center
seat belt” later in this section.
3. Put the seat belt buckles into the seat cush-
ion.
See “Storing rear seat belt buckles” later in
this section.4. Remove the head restraints.
5. After removing the tonneau cover (if so
equipped) from each rear seatback, pull the
strap on the rear seat
Aor pull the lever
B
beside the cargo area and fold the seatback.
6. When returning the seatbacks, be sure to
install the head restraints and attach the rear
center seat belt connector.
WARNING

Never allow anyone to ride in the
cargo area or on the rear seat when it
is in the fold-down position. Use of
these areas by passengers without
proper restraints could result in seri-
ous injury in an accident or sudden
stop.

It is extremely dangerous to ride in a
cargo area inside of a vehicle. In a
collision, people riding in these areas
are more likely to be seriously in-
jured or killed.

Do not allow people to ride in any
area of your vehicle that is not
equipped with seats and seat belts.
SPA0467
SSS0226Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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Stowing rear center seat beltWhen folding down the rear seat, the rear center
seat belt can be retracted into a stowed position
as follows:
1. Release the connector tongue
1
by insert-
ing a suitable tool such as key into the
connector buckle
A.
2. Secure the seat belt tongue into the retractor
base first
2.
3. Then secure the connector tongue into the
retractor base3.
WARNING

Do not unfasten the rear center seat
belt connector except when folding
down the rear seat.

When attaching the rear center seat
belt connector, be certain that the
seatbacks are completely secured in
the latched position and the rear cen-
ter seat belt connector is completely
secured.

If the rear center seat belt connectorand the seatbacks are not secured in
the correct position, serious personal
injury may result in an accident or
sudden stop.
SSS0232
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Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems


03.1.28/Z50-D/V5.0


speeds. Your NISSAN all wheel drive
vehicle has a higher center of gravity
than a two wheel drive vehicle. The
vehicle is not designed for cornering
at the same speeds as conventional
two wheel drive vehicles. Failure to
operate this vehicle correctly could
result in loss of control and/or a roll
over accident.

Always use tires of the same type,
size, brand, construction (bias, bias-
belted or radial), and tread pattern on
all four wheels. Install tire chains on
the front wheels when driving on slip-
pery roads and drive carefully.

Be sure to check the brakes immedi-
ately after driving in mud or water.
See “Brake system” later in this sec-
tion for wet brakes.

Avoid parking your vehicle on steep
hills. If you get out of the vehicle and
it rolls forward, backward or side-
ways, you could be injured.

Whenever you drive off-road throughsand, mud or water as deep as the
wheel hub, more frequent mainte-
nance may be required. See “Peri-
odic maintenance” in the “Service
and Maintenance Guide”.

Do not drive continuously on sandy
or muddy roads with the front wheels
spinning. The AWD warning light
blinks and the driving mode changes
to 2WD. This could reduce traction
force remarkably. Be especially care-
ful when towing a trailer. (AWD mod-
els)

Do not use 2-wheel chassis dyna-
mometers or 2-wheel free rollers.
(AWD models)

Never operate the accelerator pedal
with the front wheels raised and the
rear wheels on the ground while jack-
ing up or with the front wheels on the
roller and the rear wheels on the
ground. Otherwise, the vehicle could
jump. (AWD models)

When a wheel is suspended due torunning off the road, do not idle the
wheel excessively. (AWD models)

When the vehicle is on a free roller or
the front or rear wheels are jacked
up, do not start the engine. (AWD
models)
Starting and driving
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Shift lock releaseIf the battery charge is low or discharged, the
selector lever may not be moved from the P
(Park) position even with the brake pedal de-
pressed.
To move the selector lever, depress the brake
pedal, remove the cover using a suitable tool and
push the shift lock release button. The selector
lever can be moved to N (Neutral). This allows
the vehicle to be moved if the battery is dis-
charged.
If the selector lever cannot be moved out of P
(Park), have your NISSAN dealer check the CVTsystem as soon as possible.
Accelerator downshift
— In D position —For rapid passing or hill climbing, fully depress
the accelerator pedal to the floor. This shifts the
transmission down into lower range, depending
on the vehicle speed.High fluid temperature protection
modeThis transmission has a high fluid temperature
protection mode. If the fluid temperature be-
comes too high (for example, when climbing
steep grades in high temperature with heavy
loads, such as when towing a trailer), engine
power and, under some conditions, vehicle
speed will be decreased automatically to reduce
the chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the vehicle may not accelerate above
approximately 40 to 50 MPH (65 to 80 km/h).Fail-safeIf the vehicle is driven under extreme con-
ditions, such as excessive wheel spinning
and subsequent hard braking, the fail-safe
system may be activated. The MIL may
come on to indicate the fail-safe mode is
activated, see “Malfunction indicator lamp(MIL)” in the “2. Instrument and controls”
section. This will occur even if all electrical
circuits are functioning properly. In this
case, turn the ignition key OFF and wait for
3 seconds. Then turn the key back to the
ONposition. The vehicle should return to
its normal operating condition. If it does
not return to its normal operating condi-
tion, have your NISSAN dealer check the
transmission and repair if necessary.
WARNING
When the high fluid temperature protec-
tion mode or fail-safe operation occurs,
vehicle speed may be gradually re-
duced. On highways, the reduced speed
may be lower than other traffic which
could increase the chance of a collision.
Be especially careful when driving. If
necessary, pull to the side of the road at
a safe place and allow the transmission
to return to normal operation, or have it
repaired if necessary.
SSD0290
Starting and driving
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6 In case of emergencyFlat tire ...................................................................................... 6-2
Low tire pressure warning system (if so
equipped) ........................................................................... 6-2
Changing a flat tire .......................................................... 6-2
Jump starting ........................................................................... 6-8
Push starting......................................................................... 6-10If your vehicle overheats .................................................... 6-10
Towing your vehicle ............................................................ 6-11
Towing recommended by NISSAN........................... 6-12
Vehicle recovery (Freeing a stuck vehicle) ............. 6-14


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For models equipped with the low tire
pressure warning system:
After adjusting tire pressure to the COLD tire
pressure, the display of the tire pressure infor-
mation may show higher pressure than the
COLD tire pressure after the vehicle has been
driven more than 1 mile (1.6 km). This is because
the tire pressurizes as the tire temperature rises.
This does not indicate a system malfunction.
WARNING
Retighten the wheel nuts when the ve-
hicle has been driven for 600 miles
(1,000 km) (also in cases of a flat tire,
etc.).
Stowing the damaged tire and toolsSecurely store the spare tire and jacking equip-
ment in the vehicle.
WARNING

Always make sure that the spare tire
and jacking equipment are properly
secured after use. Such items can
become dangerous projectiles in an
accident or sudden stop.

The T-type spare tire and small sizespare tire are designed for emer-
gency use. See “Wheels and tires” in
the “8. Maintenance and do-it-
yourself” section.
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In case of emergency
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and fan control to high speed.
3. Get out of the vehicle. Look and listen for
steam or coolant escaping from the radiator
before opening the hood. Wait until no steam
or coolant can be seen before proceeding.
4. Open the engine hood.
WARNING
If steam or water is coming from the
engine, stand clear to prevent getting
burned.
5. Visually check if the cooling fan is running.
The radiator hoses and radiator should not
leak water.
If coolant is leaking or the cooling fan does
not run, stop the engine.
WARNING

Be careful not to allow your hands,
hair, jewelry or clothing to come into
contact with, or to get caught in the
cooling fan, or drive belt.
The engine cooling fan can start at
any time when the coolant tempera-
ture is high.
6. After the engine cools down, check the cool-
ant level in the reservoir tank with the engine
running. Add coolant to the reservoir tank if
necessary. Have your vehicle repaired at the
nearest NISSAN dealer.When towing your vehicle, all State, provincial
and local regulations for towing must be fol-
lowed. Incorrect towing equipment could dam-
age your vehicle. Towing instructions are avail-
able from a NISSAN dealer. Local service
operators are generally familiar with the appli-
cable laws and procedures for towing. To assure
proper towing and to prevent accidental damage
to your vehicle, NISSAN recommends having a
service operator tow your vehicle. It is advisable
to have the service operator carefully read the
following precautions.
WARNING

Never ride in a vehicle that is being
towed.

Never get under your vehicle after it
has been lifted by a tow truck.
CAUTION

When towing, make sure that the
transmission, axles, steering system
and powertrain are in working condi-
tion. If any unit is damaged, dolliesTOWING YOUR VEHICLE
In case of emergency
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must be used.

Always attach safety chains before
towing.
TOWING RECOMMENDED BY
NISSAN
Two wheel drive modelsNISSAN recommends that your vehicle be
towed with the driving (front) wheels off the
ground or place the vehicle on a flat bed truck as
illustrated.
CAUTION

Never tow CVT models with the front
wheels on the ground or four wheelson the ground (forward or backward)
as this may cause serious and expen-
sive damage to the transmission.
If it is necessary to tow the vehicle
with the rear wheels raised, always
use towing dollies under the front
wheels.

When towing CVT models with the
front wheels on towing dollies:
•Turn the ignition key to the OFF
position, and secure the steering
SCE0438
Two wheel drive models
6-12
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wheel in a straight ahead position
with a rope or similar device.
Never secure the steering wheel
by turning the ignition key to the
LOCK position. This may damage
the steering lock mechanism.
•Move the selector lever to the N
(Neutral) position.

When towing two wheel drive CVT
model with the rear wheels on the
ground (if you do not use towing
dollies): Always release the parking
brake.
All wheel drive modelsNISSAN recommends that towing dollies be
used when towing your vehicle or the vehicle be
placed on a flat bed truck as illustrated.
CAUTION
Never tow CVT AWD models with any of
the wheels on the ground as this may
cause serious and expensive damage to
the drive train.
SCE0439
All wheel drive models
In case of emergency
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VEHICLE RECOVERY (Freeing a
stuck vehicle)
1Remove the towing hook cover from the
bumper using a suitable tool.
2Securely install the towing hook stored with
jacking tools.
Make sure that the hook is properly secured in
the stored place after use.
WARNING

Stand clear of a stuck vehicle.

Do not spin your tires at high speed.
This could cause them to explode
and result in serious injury. Parts of
your vehicle could also overheat and
be damaged.
CAUTION

Use the towing hook only, not other
parts of the vehicle. Otherwise, the
vehicle body will be damaged.

Use the towing hook only to free a
vehicle stuck in sand, snow, mud, etc.
Never tow the vehicle for a long dis-
tance using only the towing hook.

The towing hook is under tremen-
dous force when used to free a stuck
vehicle. Always pull the cable straight
out from the front of the vehicle.
Never pull on the hook at an angle.
SCE0440
SCE0444
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