high NISSAN PATHFINDER 2023 Repair Manual

ENGINE PROTECTION MODE
The engine has an engine protection mode
to reduce the chance of damage if the
coolant temperature becomes too high
(for example, when climbing steep grades
in high temperatures with heavy loads,
such as when towing a trailer). When the
engine temperature reaches a certain
level:
• The engine coolant temperature gaugewill move toward the H position.
• Engine power may be reduced.
• The air conditioning cooling function may be automatically turned off for a short
time (the blower will continue to operate).
Engine power and, under some conditions,
vehicle speed will decrease. Vehicle speed
can be controlled with the accelerator
pedal, but the vehicle may not accelerate at
the desired speed. The transmission will
downshif t or upshif t as it reaches pre-
scribed shif t points. You can also shif t
manually.
As driving conditions change and engine
coolant temperature is reduced, vehicle
speed can be increased using the accel-
erator pedal, and the air conditioning cool-
ing function will automatically be turned
back on. The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL) may
also come on if the engine coolant tem-
perature is not reduced or the air condi-
tioning cooling function does not turn back
on. If
only it remains on, you do not need to
have your vehicle towed, but have it in-
spected soon. It is recommended that you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service. For
additional information, see “Malfunction In-
dicator Light (MIL)” (P. 2-20).
WARNING
Overheating can result in reduced en-
gine power and vehicle speed. The re-
duced speed may be lower than other
traffic, which could increase the chance
of a collision. Be especially careful
when driving. If the vehicle cannot
maintain a safe driving speed, pull to
the side of the road in a safe area. Allow
the engine to cool and return to normal
operation. For additional information,
see “If your vehicle overheats” (P. 6-13).
CAUTION
Running the engine with the engine oil
pressure warning light on could cause
serious damage to the engine almost
immediately. Such damage is not cov-
ered by warranty. Turn off the engine as
soon as it is safe to do so.
AUTOMATIC TRANSMISSION (A/T)
WARNING
• Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive), or M
(Manual) range. Always depress the
brake pedal until shif ting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause
you to lose control and have an
accident.
• Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
• Do not downshif t abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
DRIVING THE VEHICLE
5-18Starting and driving

•Never shif t to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is
reversing. This could cause an acci-
dent or damage the transmission.
CAUTION
• To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle; when stopping the vehicle on
an uphill grade, do not hold the ve-
hicle 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
serious damage to the transmission.
• WARM UP THE ENGINE – Due to the
higher idle speeds, the engine is cold.
Extra caution must be exercised
when shif ting the shif t lever into a
driving position immediately af ter
starting the engine.
The A/T in your vehicle is electronically con-
trolled 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 A/T 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 position out of the P (Park) position.
This Automatic Transmission is de-
signed so that the foot brake pedal
must be depressed before shif ting
from P (Park) to any driving position
while the ignition switch is in the ON
position.
The shif t position cannot be shif ted
out of the P (Park) position and into
any of the other positions if the igni-
tion switch is placed in the OFF
position.
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.
WARNING
• Do not depress the accelerator pedal
while shif ting from P (Park) or N (Neu-
tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive) or M
(Manual) range. Always depress the
brake pedal until shif ting is com-
pleted. Failure to do so could cause
you to lose control and have an
accident.
• Cold engine idle speed is high, so use
caution when shif ting into a forward
or reverse gear before the engine has
warmed up.
• Do not downshif t abruptly on slip-
pery roads. This may cause a loss of
control.
• Never shif t to either the P (Park) or R
(Reverse) position while the vehicle is
moving forward and P (Park) or D
(Drive) position while the vehicle is
reversing. This could cause an acci-
dent or damage the transmission.
Starting and driving5-19

CAUTION
• To avoid possible damage to your ve-
hicle; when stopping the vehicle on
an uphill grade, do not hold the ve-
hicle 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
serious damage to the transmission.
• WARM UP THE ENGINE – Due to the
higher idle speeds, the engine is cold.
Extra caution must be exercised
when shif ting the shif t lever into a
driving position immediately af ter
starting the engine.
Shif ting
OAHome position (central position)
Press the buttonO1to shif t
Shif t without pressing the buttonO1
How to shif t to each position
The ignition switch must be in the ON po-
sition and the brake must be depressed.
• Shif t to PARK
Push the park button
O2
• Shif t to REVERSE
1. Push the shif t lever button
O1
2. Move the shif t lever from the home position to the R (Reverse) position
• Shif t to NEUTRAL
– – From P (Park) and D (Drive)
Without pushing the shif t lever button,
push the shif t lever forward (1 notch)
from the home position and hold 0.5
seconds.
– – From P (Park) and R (Reverse)
Without pushing the shif t lever button,
pull the shif t lever backward (1 notch)
from the home position and hold 0.5
seconds.
• Shif t to DRIVE
Pull the shif t lever from the home posi-
tion to D (Drive) position
Confirm that the vehicle is in the desired
shif t position by checking the shif t indica-
tor located on the shif t lever or in the ve-
hicle information display.
LSD4138
5-20Starting and driving

•If the Neutral hold mode is unavailable,
a message will appear in the vehicle
information display. For additional in-
formation, see “Neutral Hold Mode was
not activated” (P. 2-41) or (P. 2-68). To
activate the Neutral hold mode, wait
for a while without shif ting operation
and then perform the operations
again.
Manual shif t mode
When the shif t lever is moved to the D
(Drive) position again with the vehicle in the
D (Drive) position while driving, the trans-
mission enters the manual shif t mode.
Shif t range can be selected manually by
using the paddle shif ters on the steering
wheel.
When shif ting up, pull the right-side paddle
shif ter (+)
OA. The transmission shif ts to the
higher range.
When shif ting down, pull the lef t-side
paddle shif ter (−)
OB. The transmission
shif ts to the lower range. When canceling the manual shif t mode,
move the shif t lever to the D (Drive) position
again. The transmission returns to the nor-
mal driving mode.
When you pull the paddle shif ter while in
the D (Drive) position, the transmission will
shif t to the upper or lower range temporar-
ily. The transmission will automatically re-
turn to the D (Drive) position af ter a short
period of time. If you want to return to the D
(Drive) position manually, pull and hold the
paddle shif ter for about 1.5 seconds.
In the manual shif t mode, the shif t range is
displayed in the vehicle information
display.
Shif t ranges up or down one by one as
follows:
1M⇔
2M⇔3M ⇔4M ⇔5M ⇔6M ⇔7M ⇔8M
⇔ 9M
9M (9th) and 8M (8th)
Use this position for all normal forward
driving at highway speeds.
7M (7th), 6M (6th) and 5M (5th)
Use these positions when driving up long
slopes, or for engine braking when driving
down long slopes.
LSD4194
5-24Starting and driving

4M (4th), 3M (3rd) and 2M (2nd)
Use these positions for hill climbing or en-
gine braking on downhill grades.
1M (1st)
Use this position when climbing steep hills
slowly or driving slowly through deep snow,
or for maximum engine braking on steep
downhill grades.
• Remember not to drive at high speeds forextended periods of time in lower than
the 8th range. This reduces fuel economy.
• Pulling the same paddle shif ter twice will shif t the ranges in succession. However, if
this motion is rapidly done, the second
shif ting may not be completed properly.
• In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may not shif t to the selected
gear. This helps maintain driving per-
formance and reduces the chance of
vehicle damage or loss of control.
• In the manual shif t mode, the trans-
mission may shif t up automatically to a
higher range than selected if the en-
gine speed is too high. When the ve-
hicle speed decreases, the transmis-
sion automatically shif ts down and
shif ts to 1st gear before the vehicle
comes to a stop.
Accelerator downshif t
— in D (Drive) position —
For passing or hill climbing, depress the
accelerator pedal to the floor. This shif ts
the transmission down into a lower gear,
depending on the vehicle speed.
High fluid temperature protection
mode
This transmission has a high fluid tem-
perature protection mode. If the fluid tem-
perature becomes too high (for example,
when climbing steep grades in high tem-
peratures with heavy loads, such as when
towing a trailer), engine power and, under
some conditions, vehicle speed will be de-
creased automatically to reduce the
chance of transmission damage. Vehicle
speed can be controlled with the accelera-
tor pedal, but the engine and vehicle speed
may be limited.
Fail-safe
When the fail-safe operation occurs, please
note that the transmission will be locked in
any of the forward gears according to the
condition.
If the vehicle is driven under extreme
conditions, such as excessive wheel
spinning and subsequent hard braking,
the fail-safe system may be activated.
The Malfunction Indicator Light (MIL)
may come on to indicate the fail-safe
mode is activated. For additional infor-
mation, see “Malfunction Indicator Light
(MIL)” (P. 2-20). This will occur even if all
electrical circuits are functioning prop-
erly. In this case, place the ignition switch
in the OFF position and wait for 10 sec-
onds. Then push the switch back to the
ON position. The vehicle should return to
its normal operating condition. If it does
not return to its normal operating condi-
tion, have the transmission checked and
repaired, if necessary. It is recommended
that you visit a NISSAN dealer for this
service.
Starting and driving5-25

WARNING
When the high fluid temperature pro-
tection mode or fail-safe operation oc-
curs, vehicle speed may be gradually
reduced. The reduced speed may be
lower than other traffic, which could in-
crease the chance of a collision. Be es-
pecially careful when driving. If neces-
sary, pull to the side of the road at a safe
place and allow the transmission to re-
turn to normal operation, or have it re-
paired if necessary.WARNING
• Be sure the parking brake is fully re-
leased before driving. Failure to do so
can cause brake failure and lead to
an accident.
• Do not release the parking brake
from outside the vehicle.
• Do not use the shif t lever in place of
the parking brake. When parking, be
sure the parking brake is fully
engaged.
• To help avoid risk of injury or death
through unintended operation of the
vehicle and/or its systems, do not
leave children, people who require
the assistance of others or pets unat-
tended in your vehicle. Additionally,
the temperature inside a closed ve-
hicle on a warm day can quickly be-
come high enough to cause a signifi-
cant risk of injury or death to people
and pets.
ELECTRONIC PARKING BRAKE
(switch type)
The electronic parking brake can be ap-
plied or released by operating the parking
brake switch.
LSD4139
PARKING BRAKE
5-26Starting and driving

4WD:SAND, MUD/RUT, SNOW, AUTO, ECO,
SPORT, and TOW
To change the mode, turn the Drive Mode
Selector right or lef t.
NOTE:
When the Drive Mode Selector selects a
mode, the mode may not switch imme-
diately. This is not a malfunction.
The current mode is displayed in the ve-
hicle information display. The mode list will
appear in the vehicle information display
and you can select the mode.
NOTE:
The mode list will be turned off in ap-
proximately 5 seconds af ter the mode is
selected.
You can also clear the message by push-
ing the scroll dial on the steering wheel
mounted controls.
If the driving mode cannot be switched us-
ing the Drive Mode Selector when the igni-
tion switch is in the ON position, have the
system checked. It is recommended you
visit a NISSAN dealer for this service.
NOTE:
The STANDARD (2WD models)/AUTO
(4WD models) MODE will be selected first
each time the ignition switch is placed in
the ON position.
WARNING
Do not stare at the Drive Mode Selector
or the display while driving so that full
attention may be given to vehicle
operation.
STANDARD MODE (2WD
models)/AUTO MODE (4WD
models)
This is the standard mode that is most
suitable for normal driving.
SPORT MODE
• Adjusts the engine points for a higher response.
• The setting of the steering system is ad- justed to moderately increase steering
wheel effort for a sporty feel.
NOTE:
In the SPORT mode, fuel economy may
be reduced.
SNOW MODE
This mode makes it easier to start and
drive on snowy roads and frozen roads.
LSD4815
Drive Mode Selector (4WD models)
5-32Starting and driving

TURNING THE TRAFFIC SIGN
RECOGNITION (TSR) SYSTEM ON
AND OFFPerform the following steps to enable or
disable the TSR system.
1. Press the
button until “Settings” dis-
plays in the vehicle information display.
Use the scroll dial to select “Driver Assis-
tance.” Then press the OK button.
2. Select “Speed Limit Sign” and press the OK button to turn the system on or off.
SYSTEM TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE
If the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight
under high temperature conditions (over
approximately 104°F [40°C]) and then
started, the TSR system may be deacti-
vated automatically. The “Unavailable: High
Cabin Temperature” warning message will
appear in the vehicle information display.
Action to take:
When the interior temperature is reduced,
the TSR system will resume operating
automatically.
SYSTEM MALFUNCTION
If the TSR system malfunctions, it will be
turned off automatically and the system
“Malfunction” warning message will appear
in the vehicle information display.
Action to take:
If the TSR “Malfunction” message appears,
pull off the road at a safe location and stop
the vehicle. Turn the engine off and restart
the engine. If the TSR “Malfunction” mes-
sage continues to appear, have the system
checked. It is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for this service.
LSD4256
For vehicles with the 7 inch (18 cm) display
LSD4257
For vehicles with the 12.3 inch (31.2 cm) display
Starting and driving5-37

–When driving without normal tire
conditions (for example, tire wear,
low tire pressure, installation of
spare tire, tire chains, nonstan-
dard wheels).
– When the vehicle is equipped with
non-original brake parts or sus-
pension parts.
– When you are towing a trailer or
other vehicle.
• The system may not function prop-
erly under the following conditions:
– On roads where there are multiple
parallel lane markers; lane mark-
ers that are faded or not painted
clearly; yellow painted lane mark-
ers; non-standard lane markers;
or lane markers covered with wa-
ter, dirt, snow, etc.
– On roads where the discontinued
lane markers are still detectable.
– On roads where there are sharp
curves. –
On roads where there are sharply
contrasting objects, such as shad-
ows, snow, water, wheel ruts,
seams or lines remaining af ter
road repairs. (The LDW system
could detect these items as lane
markers.)
– On roads where the traveling lane
merges or separates.
– When the vehicle’s traveling direc-
tion does not align with the lane
marker.
– When traveling close to the ve-
hicle in front of you, which ob-
structs the lane camera unit de-
tection range.
– When rain, snow, dirt or an object
adheres to the windshield in front
of the lane camera unit.
– When the headlights are not
bright due to dirt on the lens or if
the aiming is not adjusted
properly.
– When strong light enters the lane
camera unit. (For example, the
light directly shines on the front of
the vehicle at sunrise or sunset.) –
When a sudden change in bright-
ness occurs. (For example, when
the vehicle enters or exits a tunnel
or under a bridge.)
SYSTEM TEMPORARILY
UNAVAILABLE
If the vehicle is parked in direct sunlight
under high temperature conditions (over
approximately 104°F [40°C]) and then
started, the LDW system may be deacti-
vated automatically and the following
message will appear in the vehicle infor-
mation display: “Unavailable: High Cabin
Temperature."
When the interior temperature is reduced,
the LDW system will resume operating
automatically.
The LDW system is not designed to warn
under the following conditions:
• When you operate the lane change signal and change traveling lanes in the direc-
tion of the signal. (The LDW system will
become operable again approximately 2
seconds af ter the lane change signal is
turned off.)
• When the vehicle speed lowers to less than approximately 37 mph (60 km/h).
Starting and driving5-43

WARNING
Failure to follow the warnings and in-
structions for proper use of the I-LI sys-
tem could result in serious injury or
death.
• The I-LI system will not steer the ve-
hicle or prevent loss of control. It is
the driver’s responsibility to stay
alert, drive safely, keep the vehicle in
the traveling lane, and be in control of
the vehicle at all times. •
The I-LI system is primarily intended
for use on well-developed freeways
or highways. It may not detect the
lane markers in certain road,
weather, or driving conditions.
The I-LI system must be turned on with the
ProPILOT Assist switch on the steering
wheel, every time the ignition is placed in
the ON position.
The I-LI system will operate when the ve-
hicle is driven at speeds of approximately
37 mph (60 km/h) and above, and only
when the lane markings are clearly visible
on the road.
The I-LI system warns the driver when the
vehicle has lef t the center of the traveling
lane with an indicator and a steering wheel
vibration. The system helps assist the
driver to return the vehicle to the center of
the traveling lane by applying the brakes to
the lef t or right wheels individually (for a
short period of time).
The I-LI system monitors the lane markers
on the traveling lane using the camera unit
OAlocated above the inside mirror.
LSD4143
INTELLIGENT LANE INTERVENTION
(I-LI) (if so equipped)
Starting and driving5-45