light NISSAN PATHFINDER 2021 Service Manual

CAUTION
∙ To avoid possible damage to your ve-hicle, when stopping the vehicle on an
uphill grade, do not hold the vehicle by
depressing the accelerator pedal. The
foot brake should be used for this
purpose.
∙ Except in an emergency, do not shif t to the N (Neutral) position while driv-
ing. Coasting with the transmission in
the N (Neutral) position may cause se-
rious damage to the transmission.
The CVT in your vehicle is electronically
controlled to produce maximum power
and smooth operation.
The recommended operating procedures
for this transmission are shown on the fol-
lowing pages. Follow these procedures for
maximum vehicle performance and driv-
ing enjoyment.
Engine power may be automatically re-
duced to protect the CVT if the engine
speed increases quickly when driving on
slippery roads or while being tested on
some dynamometers.
Starting the vehicle
1. Af ter starting the engine, fully depress the foot brake pedal before moving the
shif t lever out of the P (Park) position.
This Continuously Variable Transmis-
sion is designed so that the foot
brake pedal must be depressed be-
fore shif ting from P (Park) to any driv-
ing position while the ignition switch
is in the ON position.
The shif t lever cannot be moved out
of the P (Park) position and into any
of the other positions if the ignition
switch is placed in the LOCK, OFF or
ACC position while the ready light il-
luminates.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shif t lever to a driving
position.
3. Release the parking brake and foot brake pedal and then gradually start
the vehicle in motion.

To reset at a slower cruising speed,use
one of the following three methods:
∙ Lightly tap the brake pedal. When the vehicle attains the desired speed, push
the COAST/SET switch and release it.
∙ Push and hold the COAST/SET switch. Release the switch when the vehicle
slows to the desired speed.
∙ Push and release the COAST/SET switch. Each time you do this, the set
speed decreases by about 1 mph
(1.6 km/h).
To resume the preset speed, push and
release the ACCEL/RES switch. The vehicle
returns to the last set cruising speed when
the vehicle speed is over 25 mph (40 km/h).

WARNING
∙ Never rely solely on the hill descentcontrol system to control vehicle
speed when driving on steep downhill
grades. Always drive carefully and at-
tentively when using the hill descent
control system and decelerate the ve-
hicle speed by depressing the brake
pedal if necessary. Be especially care-
ful when driving on frozen, muddy or
extremely steep downhill roads. Fail-
ure to control vehicle speed may re-
sult in a loss of control of the vehicle
and possible serious injury or death.
∙ The hill descent control may not con- trol the vehicle speed on a hill under
all load or road conditions. Always be
prepared to depress the brake pedal
to control vehicle speed. Failure to do
so may result in a collision or serious
personal injury.
The hill descent control system can only be
activated when the 4WD LOCK mode is en-
gaged.
The hill descent control system helps
maintain vehicle speed when driving under
15 mph (25 km/h) on steeper downhill
grades. Hill descent control is useful when
engine braking alone cannot control ve- hicle speed. Hill descent control applies the
vehicle brakes to control vehicle speed al-
lowing the driver to concentrate on steer-
ing while reducing the burden of brake and
accelerator operation.
If the hill descent control system ON indica-
tor light is blinking, the hill descent control
is engaged; however, the hill descent con-
trol will not control the vehicle speed.
∙ Once the system is activated, the indi- cator light will remain on in the instru-
ment panel. For additional information,
refer to “Hill descent control system ON
indicator light” in the “Instruments and
controls” section of this manual.
If the accelerator or brake pedal is de-
pressed while the hill descent control sys-
tem is on, the system will stop operating
temporarily. As soon as the accelerator or
brake pedal is released, the hill descent
control system begins to function again if
the hill descent control operating condi-
tions are fulfilled.
For the best results, when descending
steep downhill grades, the hill descent con-
trol switch should be on and the shif t lever
in L (Low gear) for engine braking.

Push the switch on to warn other drivers
when you must stop or park under emer-
gency conditions. All turn signal lights flash.

TIRE PRESSURE MONITORING
SYSTEM (TPMS)
This vehicle is equipped with Tire Pressure
Monitoring System (TPMS). It monitors tire
pressure of all tires except the spare. When
the low tire pressure warning light is lit, and
the “Tire Pressure Low - Add Air” warning
appears in the vehicle information display,
one or more of your tires is significantly
under-inflated. If equipped, the system also
displays pressure of all tires (except the
spare tire) on the display screen by sending
a signal from a sensor that is installed in
each wheel. If the vehicle is being driven
with low tire pressure, the TPMS will acti-
vate and warn you of it by the low tire pres-
sure warning light. This system will activate
only when the vehicle is driven at speeds
above 16 mph (25 km/h). For additional in-
formation, refer to “Warning lights, indicator
lights and audible reminders” in “Instru-
ments and controls” section and the “Tire
Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)” in the
“Starting and driving” sections of this
manual.

CHROME PARTS
Clean all chrome parts regularly with a
non-abrasive chrome polish to maintain
the finish.
TIRE DRESSINGS
NISSAN does not recommend the use of
tire dressings. Tire manufacturers apply a
coating to the tires to help reduce discolor-
ation of the rubber. If a tire dressing is ap-
plied to the tires, it may react with the coat-
ing and form a compound. This compound
may come off the tire while driving and
stain the vehicle paint.
If you choose to use a tire dressing, take the
following precautions:∙ Use a water-based tire dressing. The coating on the tire dissolves more easily
than with an oil-based tire dressing.
∙ Apply a light coat of tire dressing to help prevent it from entering the tire
tread/grooves (where it would be diffi-
cult to remove). ∙ Wipe off excess tire dressing using a dry
towel. Make sure the tire dressing is
completely removed from the tire
tread/grooves.
∙ Allow the tire dressing to dry as recom- mended by the tire dressing manufac-
turer. Occasionally remove loose dust from the
interior trim, plastic parts and seats using a
vacuum cleaner or sof t bristled brush. Wipe
the vinyl and leather (if so equipped) sur-
faces with a clean, sof t cloth dampened in
mild soap solution, then wipe clean with a
dry, sof t cloth.
Regular care and cleaning is required in
order to maintain the appearance of the
leather (if so equipped).
Before using any fabric protector, read the
manufacturer’s recommendations. Some
fabric protectors contain chemicals that
may stain or bleach the seat material.
Use a cloth dampened only with water to
clean the meter and gauge lens.

HEADLIGHTS
For additional information on headlight
bulb replacement, refer to the instructions
outlined in this section.
Replacing the halogen headlight
bulb (if so equipped)
If bulb replacement is required, it is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer for
this service.

∙ For 2WD models, if your vehicle wasoriginally equipped with four tires
that were the same size and you are
only replacing two of the four tires,
install the new tires on the rear axle.
Placing new tires on the front axle
may cause loss of vehicle control in
some driving conditions and cause an
accident and personal injury.
∙ If the wheels are changed for any rea- son, always replace with wheels
which have the same off-set dimen-
sion. Wheels of a different off-set
could cause premature tire wear, de-
grade vehicle handling characteris-
tics, affect the VDC system and/or in-
terference with the brake discs. Such
interference can lead to decreased
braking efficiency and/or early brake
pad wear. For additional information
on wheel off-set dimensions, refer to
“Wheels and tires” in the “Technical
and consumer information” section of
this manual. ∙ When replacing a wheel without the
TPMS such as the spare tire, the TPMS
will not function and the low tire pres-
sure warning light will flash for ap-
proximately 1 minute. The light will re-
main on af ter 1 minute. Have your
tires replaced and/or TPMS system
reset as soon as possible. It is recom-
mended that you visit a NISSAN dealer
for this service.
∙ Replacing tires with those not origi- nally specified by NISSAN could affect
the proper operation of the TPMS.
∙ The TPMS sensor may be damaged if it is not handled correctly. Be careful
when handling the TPMS sensor.
∙ When replacing the TPMS sensor, the ID registration may be required. It is
recommended that you visit a NISSAN
dealer for ID registration.
∙ Do not use a valve stem cap that is not specified by NISSAN. The valve stem
cap may become stuck.
∙ Be sure that the valve stem caps are correctly fitted. Otherwise the valve
may be clogged up with dirt and
cause a malfunction or loss of
pressure. ∙ Do not install a damaged or deformed
wheel or tire even if it has been re-
paired. Such wheels or tires could
have structural damage and could fail
without warning.
∙ The use of retread tires is not recommended.
∙ For additional information regarding tires, refer to “Important Tire Safety
Information” (US) or “Tire Safety Infor-
mation” (Canada) in the Warranty In-
formation Booklet.

∙ To reduce the possibility of additionaldamage if your vehicle is struck from
the rear, where practical, remove the
receiver when not in use.
∙ Regularly check that all trailer hitch mounting bolts are securely
mounted.
Tire pressures
∙ When towing a trailer, inflate the
vehicle tires to the recom-
mended cold tire pressure indi-
cated on the Tire and Loading In-
formation label.
∙ Trailer tire condition, size, load rat- ing and proper inflation pressure
should be in accordance with the
trailer and tire manufacturer’s
specifications.
Safety chains
Always use suitable safety chains between
your vehicle and the trailer. The safety
chains should be crossed and should be
attached to the hitch, not to the vehicle
bumper or axle. The safety chains can be
attached to the bumper if the hitch ball is mounted to the bumper. Be sure to leave
enough slack in the chains to permit turn-
ing corners.
Trailer lights

Pre-towing tips
∙ Be certain your vehicle maintains a levelposition when a loaded and/or un-
loaded trailer is hitched. Do not drive the
vehicle if it has an abnormal nose-up or
nose-down condition; check for im-
proper tongue load, overload, worn sus-
pension or other possible causes of ei-
ther condition.
∙ Always secure items in the trailer to pre- vent load shif t while driving.
∙ Keep the cargo load as low as possible in the trailer to keep the trailer center of
gravity low.
∙ Load the trailer so approximately 60% of the trailer load is in the front half and
40% is in the back half. Also make sure
the load is balanced side to side.
∙ Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, vehicle tire pressure, trailer light opera-
tion, and trailer wheel lug nuts every
time you attach a trailer to the vehicle.
∙ Be certain your rearview mirrors con- form to all federal, state or local regula-
tions. If not, install any mirrors required
for towing before driving the vehicle. ∙ Determine the overall height of the ve-
hicle and trailer so the required clear-
ance is known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding
of the vehicle’s behavior, you should prac-
tice turning, stopping and backing up in an
area which is free from traffic. Steering sta-
bility and braking performance will be
somewhat different than under normal
driving conditions.
∙ Always secure items in the trailer to pre- vent load shif t while driving.
∙ Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or lock to prevent the coupler from in-
advertently becoming unlatched.
∙ Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
∙ Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
∙ Always drive your vehicle at a moderate speed. ∙ When backing up, hold the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand. Move
your hand in the direction in which you
want the trailer to go. Make small cor-
rections and back up slowly. If possible,
have someone guide you when you are
backing up.
Always block the wheels on both vehicle
and trailer when parking. Parking on a
slope is not recommended; however, if you
must do so: