NISSAN SENTRA 1998 B14 / 4.G Owner's Manual

cDo not wear the belt inside out or
twisted. Doing so may reduce its
effectiveness.
cDo not allow more than one person
to use the same belt.
cNever carry more people in the ve-
hicle than there are seat belts.
cIf the seat belt warning lamp glows
continuously while the ignition is
turned ON with all doors closed and
all seat belts fastened, it may indi-
cate a malfunction in the system.
Have the system checked by an au-
thorized NISSAN dealer.
c
All seat belt assemblies including re-
tractors and attaching hardware
should be inspected after any colli-
sion at an authorized NISSAN dealer.
NISSAN recommends that all seat
belt assemblies in use during a colli-
sion be replaced unless the collision
was minor and the belts show no
damage and continue to operate
properly. Seat belt assemblies not in
use during a collision should also be
inspected and replaced if either dam-
age or improper operation is noted.
1-14Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
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CHILD SAFETY
Children need adults to help protect them.
They need to be properly restrained.
The proper restraint depends on the child's
size. Generally, infants (up to about one year
and less than 20 pounds) should be placed in
rear facing child restraints. Front facing child
restraints are available for children who out-
grow rear facing child restraints.
WARNING
Infants and children need special pro-
tection. The vehicle's seat belts may
not fit them properly. The shoulder belt
may come too close to the face or neck.
The lap belt may not fit over their small
hip bones. In an accident, an improp-
erly fitting seat belt could cause seri-
ous or fatal injury. Always use appro-
priate child restraints.
All U.S. States and Canadian provinces
require the use of approved child restraints
for infants and small children. See ``Child
Restraints'' later in this section.
In addition, there are many types of child
restraints available for larger children which
should be used for maximum protection.
NISSAN recommends that all preteens and
children be restrained in the rear seat if
possible. According to accident statistics,
children are safer when properly restrained
in the rear seat than in the front seat. This
is especially important because your ve-
hicle has a supplemental restraint system
(Air bag system) for the front passenger.
See ``Supplemental restraint system'' ear-
lier in this section.
Infants and small children
NISSAN recommends that infants and small
children be placed in child restraints that
comply with Federal Motor Vehicle Safety
Standards or Canadian Motor Vehicle
Safety Standards. You should choose a
child restraint that fits your vehicle and
always follow the manufacturer's instruc-
tions for installation and use.
Larger children
Children who are too large for child re-
straints should be seated and restrained by
the seat belts which are provided.
If the child's seating position has a shoulder
belt that fits close to the face or neck, the
use of a booster seat (commercially avail-
able) may help overcome this. The booster
seat should raise the child so that the shoul-der belt is properly positioned across the
top, middle portion of the shoulder and the
lap belt is low on the hips. The booster seat
should fit the vehicle seat and have a label
certifying that it complies with Federal Motor
Vehicle Safety Standards or Canadian Mo-
tor Vehicle Safety Standards. Once the
child has grown so the shoulder belt is no
longer on or near the face and neck, use the
shoulder belt without the booster seat.
WARNING
Never let a child stand or kneel on any
seat and do not allow a child in the
cargo areas while the vehicle is mov-
ing. The child could be seriously in-
jured or killed in an accident.
PREGNANT WOMEN
NISSAN recommends that pregnant women
use seat belts. Contact your doctor for spe-
cific recommendations. The lap belt should
be worn snug and positioned as low as
possible around the hips, not the waist.
INJURED PERSONS
NISSAN recommends that injured persons
use seat belts. Check with your doctor for
specific recommendations.
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems
1-15
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THREE-POINT TYPE WITH RE-
TRACTOR
WARNING
cEvery person who drives or rides in
this vehicle should wear a seat belt
at all times.
cDo not ride in a moving vehicle when
the seatback is reclined. This can be
dangerous. The shoulder belt will
not be against your body. In an acci-
dent, you could be thrown into it and
receive neck or other serious inju-ries. You could also slide under the
lap belt and receive serious internal
injuries.
cFor the most effective protection
when the vehicle is in motion, the
seat should be upright. Always sit
well back in the seat and adjust the
seat belt properly.
Fastening the belts
1. Adjust the seat.
2. Slowly pull the seat belt out of the retrac-
tor and insert the tongue into the buckle
until it clicks.
The retractor is designed to lock during
a sudden stop or on impact. A slow
pulling motion permits the belt to move,
and allows you some freedom of move-
ment in the seat.
3. Position the lap belt portionlow and
snug on the hipsas shown.
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4. Pull the shoulder belt portion toward the
retractor to take up extra slack.
The front seat passenger side seat belt and
rear Three-point seat belts have a cinching
mechanism for child restraint installation. It is
referred to as the automatic locking mode.
When the automatic locking mode is acti-
vated, the seat belt cannot be withdrawn
again until the seat belt tongue is detached
from the buckle and fully retracted. Once
retracted, the seat belt is in the emergency
locking mode. For additional information,
see ``Child Restraints'' later in this section.The automatic locking mode should be
used only for child restraint installation.
During normal seat belt use by a passen-
ger, the automatic locking mode should
not be activated. If it is activated it may
cause uncomfortable seat belt tension.
Unfastening the seat belts
To unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle. The seat belt automatically retracts.
Checking seat belt operation
(Three-point type seat belt with re-
tractor)
Your seat belt retractors are designed to lock
belt movement by two separate methods:
1) When the belt is pulled quickly from the
retractor.
2) When the vehicle slows down rapidly.
To increase your confidence in the belts,
check the operation as follows:
cGrasp the shoulder belt and pull forward
quickly. The retractor should lock and
restrict further belt movement.
If the retractor does not lock during this check
or if you have any question about belt opera-
tion, see an authorized NISSAN dealer.
Shoulder belt height adjustment
(for front seats, four-door only)
The shoulder belt anchor height should be
adjusted to the position best for you. (See
``Precautions on Seat Belt Usage'' earlier in
this section.) To adjust, press both release
buttons and move the shoulder belt anchor
to the desired position so the belt passes
over the center of the shoulder. The belt
should be away from your face and neck,
but not falling off of your shoulder. Release
the buttons to lock the shoulder belt anchor
into position.
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WARNING
cAfter adjustment, release the but-
tons and try to move the shoulder
belt anchor up and down to make
sure it is securely fixed in position.
cThe shoulder belt anchor height
should be adjusted to the position
best for you. Failure to do so may
reduce the effectiveness of the en-
tire restraint system and increase
the chance or severity of injury in an
accident.
TWO-POINT TYPE WITHOUT RE-
TRACTOR (rear center lap belt)
Selecting correct set of belts
The center seat belt buckle and tongue are
identified by the CENTER label. The center
seat belt tongue can be fastened into the
center seat belt buckleonly.
Fastening the belts
1. Insert the tongue into the buckle until it
clicks. Both the tongue assembly and the
buckle are marked CENTER.
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2. To lengthen, hold the tongue at a right
angle to the belt and pull on the belt. To
shorten, pull the end of the belt attached
to the belt clip away from the tongue,
then pull the belt clip to take up the slack.3. Position the lap beltlow on the hipsas
illustrated.
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Unfastening the belt
To unfasten the belt, press the button on the
buckle.
SEAT BELT EXTENDERS
If, because of body size or driving position,
it is not possible to properly fit the lap-
shoulder belt and fasten it, an extender is
available which is compatible with the in-
stalled seat belts. The extender adds ap-
proximately 8 inches (200 mm) of length
and may be used for either the driver or front
passenger seating position. See an autho-
rized NISSAN dealer for assistance if the
extender is required.
WARNING
cOnly NISSAN belt extenders, made
by the same company which made
the original equipment belts, should
be used with NISSAN belts.
cPersons who can use the standard
seat belt should not use an extender.
Such unnecessary use could result
in serious personal injury in the
event of an accident.
SEAT BELT MAINTENANCE
cTo clean the seat belt webbings,apply
a mild soap solution or any solution
recommended for cleaning upholstery or
carpets. Then brush the webbing, wipe it
with a cloth and allow it to dry in the
shade. Do not allow the seat belts to
retract until they are completely dry.
cIf dirt builds up in the shoulder belt
guideof the seat belt anchors, the seat
belts may retract slowly. Wipe the shoul-
der belt guide with a clean, dry cloth.
c
Periodically check to see that the seat
belt and metal components,such as
buckles, tongues, retractors, flexible
wires and anchors, work properly. If loose
parts, deterioration, cuts or other damage
on the webbing is found, the entire seat
belt assembly should be replaced.ARS1054
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WARNING
cInfants and small children should
always be placed in an appropriate
child restraint while riding in the ve-
hicle. Failure to use a child restraint
can result in serious injury or death.
cInfants and small children should
never be carried on your lap. It is not
possible for even the strongest adult
to resist the forces of a severe acci-
dent. The child could be crushed
between the adult and parts of the
vehicle. Also, do not put the same
seat belt around both your child and
yourself.
c
Never install a rear-facing child re-
straint in the front seat. An inflating air
bag could seriously injure or kill your
child. A rear-facing child restraint
must be used only in the rear seat.
cNISSAN recommends that the child
restraint system be installed in the
rear seat. According to accident sta-
tistics, children are safer when prop-
erly restrained in the rear seat than
in the front seat.cAn improperly installed child re-
straint could lead to serious injury or
death in an accident.
cIn general, child restraints are de-
signed to be installed with a lap belt
or the lap portion of a three-point
type seat belt.
Child restraints for infants and children of
various sizes are offered by several manu-
facturers. When selecting any child re-
straint, keep the following points in mind:
cChoose only a restraint with a label
certifying that it complies with Federal
Motor Vehicle Safety Standard 213 or
Canadian Motor Vehicle Safety Stan-
dard 213.
cCheck the child restraint in your vehicle
to be sure it is compatible with the
vehicle's seat and seat belt system.
Choose the child restraint that meets the
guidelines of Society of Automotive En-
gineers recommended practice J1819
for child seat installation.
cIf the child restraint is compatible with
your vehicle, place your child in the child
restraint and check the various adjust-ments to be sure the child restraint is
compatible with your child. Always fol-
low all recommended procedures.
All U.S. States and Canadian provinces
require that infants and small children be
restrained in approved child restraints at
all times while the vehicle is being oper-
ated.
WARNING
cImproper use of a child restraint can
result in increased injuries for both
the infant or child and other occu-
pants in the vehicle.
cFollow all of the child restraint
manufacturer's instructions for in-
stallation and use. When purchasing
a child restraint, be sure to select
one which will fit your child and
vehicle. It may not be possible to
properly install some types of child
restraints in your vehicle.
cIf the child restraint is not anchored
properly, the risk of a child being
injured in a collision or a sudden
stop greatly increases.
CHILD RESTRAINTS
Seats, restraints and supplemental air bag systems1-21
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cAdjustable seatbacks should be po-
sitioned to fit the child restraint, but
as upright as possible.
c
After attaching the child restraint,
test it before you place the child in it.
Tilt it from side to side. Try to tug it
forward and check to see if the belt
holds the restraint in place. If the
restraint is not secure, tighten the
belt as necessary, or put the restraint
in another seat and test it again.
cFor a front-facing child restraint, if
the seat position where it is installed
has a Three-point type lap/shoulder
belt, check to make sure the shoul-
der belt does not go in front of the
child's face or neck. If it does, put
the shoulder belt behind the child
restraint. If you must install a front-
facing child restraint in the front
seat, see ``Installation on front pas-
senger seat'' later in this section for
details.
c
When your child restraint is not in
use, keep it secured with a seat belt to
prevent it from being thrown around
in case of a sudden stop or accident.
CAUTION
Remember that a child restraint left in a
closed vehicle can become very hot.
Check the seating surface and buckles
before placing your child in the child
restraint.
Front Facing Installation on rear seat
Center lap belt
When you install a child restraint in a rear
center seat, follow these steps:
1. Position the child restraint on the seat, as
illustrated. Always follow the restraint
manufacturer's instructions.
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2. Route the seat belt tongue through the
child restraint and insert it into the buckle
until you hear and feel the latch engage.
Be sure to follow the restraint manufac-
turer's instructions for belt routing.3. Remove all slack in the lap belt for a very
tight fit by pulling forcefully on the lap belt
adjustment.4. Before placing the child in the child re-
straint, use force to tilt the child restraint
from side to side, and tug it forward to
make sure it is securely held in place.
5. If it is not secure, try to tighten the belt
again, or put the restraint in another seat.
6. Check to make sure the child restraint is
properly secured prior to each use.
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