warning NISSAN VERSA 2013 Owner's Guide

WARNING
●Children may be severely injured or
killed when the front air bags, side air
bags or curtain air bags inflate if they
are not properly restrained. Pre-teens
and children should be properly re-
strained in the rear seat, if possible.
● Even with the NISSAN Advanced Air
Bag System, never install a rear-facing
child restraint in the front seat. An in-
flating front air bag could seriously in-
jure or kill your child. See “Child re-
straints” earlier in this section for
details.
WARNING
Front seat-mounted side-impact supple-
mental air bags and roof-mounted curtain
side-impact supplemental air bags:
● The side air bags and curtain air bags
ordinarily will not inflate in the event of
a frontal impact, rear impact, rollover or
lower severity side collision. Always
wear your seat belts to help reduce the
risk or severity of injury in various kinds
of accidents.
ARS1045ARS1046SSS0101
1-40Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

WARNING
●The seat belts, the side air bags and
curtain air bags are most effective when
you are sitting well back and upright in
the seat with both feet on the floor. The
side air bag and curtain air bag inflate
with great force. Do not allow anyone to
place their hand, leg or face near the
side air bag on the side of the seatback
of the front seat or near the side roof
rails. Do not allow anyone sitting in the
front seats or rear outboard seats to
extend their hand out of the window or
lean against the door. Some examples
of dangerous riding positions are
shown in the previous illustrations.
WARNING
● When sitting in the rear seat, do not
hold onto the seatback of the front seat.
If the side air bag inflates, you may be
seriously injured. Be especially careful
with children, who should always be
properly restrained. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown
in the illustrations.
● Do not use seat covers on the front
seatbacks. They may interfere with side
air bag inflation.
SSS0188WRS0032
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-41

1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag mod-ules
3. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
4. Occupant classification sensor (weight
sensor – located in passenger seat
cushion)
5. Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag modules
6. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag
7. Side satellite sensor
8. Seat belt with pretensioner 9. Front door satellite sensor (driver’s side
shown; passenger side similar)
NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats)
WARNING
To ensure proper operation of the passen-
ger’s advanced air bag system, please ob-
serve the following items.
●Do not allow a passenger in the rear
seat to push or pull on the seatback
pocket. ●
Do not place heavy loads heavier than
2.2 lb (1 kg) on the seatback, head re-
straint or in the seatback pocket.
● Do not store luggage behind the seat
that can press into the seatback.
● Confirm the operating condition with
the front passenger air bag status light.
● If you notice that the front passenger air
bag status light is not operating, please
take your vehicle to your NISSAN dealer
to check the occupant classification
system.
● Until you have confirmed with your
dealer that your passenger seat occu-
pant classification system is working
properly, position the occupants in the
rear seating positions.
This vehicle is equipped with the NISSAN Ad-
vanced Air Bag System for the driver and front
passenger seats. This system is designed to
meet certification requirements under U.S. regu-
lations. It is also permitted in Canada. However,
all of the information, cautions and warn-
ings in this manual still apply and must be
followed.
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43

The driver supplemental front-impact air bag is
located in the center of the steering wheel. The
passenger supplemental front-impact air bag is
mounted in the dashboard above the glove box.
The front air bags are designed to inflate in higher
severity frontal collisions, although they may in-
flate if the forces in another type of collision are
similar to those of a higher severity frontal impact.
They may not inflate in certain frontal collisions.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper front air bag system opera-
tion.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System has dual
stage inflators. It also monitors information from
the crash zone sensor, the Air bag Control Unit
(ACU) , seat belt buckle sensors and Occupant
Classification Sensor (weight sensor) . Inflator
operation is based on the severity of a collision
and seat belt usage for the driver. For the front
passenger, the occupant classification sensors
are also monitored. Based on information from
the sensors, only one front air bag may inflate in a
crash, depending on the crash severity and
whether the front occupants are belted or un-
belted. Additionally, the front passenger air bag
may be automatically turned OFF under some
conditions, depending on the weight detected on
the passenger seat and how the seat belt is used.
If the front passenger air bag is OFF, the passen-
ger air bag status light will be illuminated (if theseat is unoccupied, the light will not be illumi-
nated, but the air bag will be off) . See “Front
passenger air bag and status light” later in this
section for further details. One front air bag inflat-
ing does not indicate improper performance of
the system.
If you have any questions about your air bag
system, please contact NISSAN or your NISSAN
dealer. If you are considering modification of your
vehicle due to a disability, you may also contact
NISSAN. Contact information is contained in the
front of this Owner’s Manual.
When a front air bag inflates, a fairly loud noise
may be heard, followed by the release of smoke.
This smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a
fire. Care should be taken to not inhale it, as it may
cause irritation and choking. Those with a history
of a breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
Front air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the face and
chest of the front occupants. They can help save
lives and reduce serious injuries. However, an
inflating front air bag may cause facial abrasions
or other injuries. Front air bags do not provide
restraint to the lower body.
Even with NISSAN air bags, seat belts should be
correctly worn and the driver and passenger
seated upright as far as practical away from thesteering wheel or instrument panel. The front air
bags inflate quickly in order to help protect the
front occupants. Because of this, the force of the
front air bag inflating can increase the risk of
injury if the occupant is too close to, or is against,
the front air bag module during inflation.
The front air bags deflate quickly after a collision.
The front air bags operate only when the
ignition switch is placed in the ON or
START position.
After placing the ignition switch in the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7 sec-
onds if the system is operational.
1-44Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

Front passenger air bag and status light
WARNING
The front passenger air bag is designed to
automatically turn OFF under some con-
ditions. Read this section carefully to
learn how it operates. Proper use of the
seat, seat belt and child restraints is nec-
essary for most effective protection. Fail-
ure to follow all instructions in this
manual concerning the use of seats, seat
belts and child restraints can increase the
risk or severity of injury in an accident.Status light
The front passenger air bag status light
is
located near the climate controls. After the igni-
tion switch is placed in the ONposition, the
front passenger air bag status light on the instru-
ment panel illuminates for about 7 seconds and
then turns off or remains illuminated depending
on the front passenger seat occupied status. The
light operates as follows:
● Unoccupied passenger’s seat: The
is
OFF and the front passenger air bag is OFF
and will not inflate in a crash.
● Passenger’s seat occupied by a small adult,
child or child restraint as outlined in this
section: The
illuminates to indicate
that the front passenger air bag is OFF and
will not inflate in a crash.
● Occupied passenger seat and the passen-
ger meet the conditions outlined in this sec-
tion: The light
is OFF to indicate that
the front passenger air bag is operational.
Front passenger air bag
The front passenger air bag is designed to auto-
matically turn OFF when the vehicle is operated
under some conditions as described below in
accordance with U.S. regulations. If the front
passenger air bag is OFF, it will not inflate in a crash. The driver air bag and other air bags in your
vehicle are not part of this system.
The purpose of the regulation is to help reduce
the risk of injury or death from an inflating air bag
to certain front passenger seat occupants, such
as children, by requiring the air bag to be auto-
matically turned OFF. Certain sensors are used
to meet the requirements.
The occupant classification sensors (weight sen-
sors) are on the seat cushion frame under the
front passenger seat and are designed to detect
an occupant and objects on the seat. For ex-
ample, if a child is in the front passenger seat, the
Advanced Air Bag System is designed to turn the
passenger air bag OFF in accordance with the
regulations. Also, if a child restraint of the type
specified in the regulations is on the seat, the
occupant classification sensors can detect it and
cause the air bag to turn OFF.
The front passenger seat belt sensor is designed
to detect if the seat belt is buckled. Based on the
weight on the seat detected by the occupant
classification sensor and the buckle state, the
Advanced Air Bag System determines whether
the front passenger air bag should be automati-
cally turned OFF as required by the regulations.
Front passenger seat adult occupants who are
properly seated and using the seat belt as out-
lined in this manual should not cause the passen-
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-45

ger air bag to be automatically turned OFF. For
small adults it may be turned OFF, however if the
occupant takes his/her weight off the seat cush-
ion (for example, by not sitting upright, by sitting
on an edge of the seat, or by otherwise being out
of position) , this could cause the sensor to turn
the air bag OFF. Always be sure to be seated and
wearing the seat belt properly for the most effec-
tive protection by the seat belt and supplemental
air bag.
NISSAN recommends that pre-teens and chil-
dren be properly restrained in a rear seat.
NISSAN also recommends that appropriate child
restraints and booster seats be properly installed
in a rear seat. If this is not possible, the occupant
classification sensor is designed to operate as
described above to turn the front passenger air
bag OFF for specified child restraints as required
by the regulations. Failing to properly secure
child restraints and to use the ALR mode may
allow the restraint to tip or move in an accident or
sudden stop. This can also result in the passen-
ger air bag inflating in a crash instead of being
OFF. See “Child restraints” earlier in this section
for proper use and installation.
If the front passenger seat is not occupied, the
passenger air bag is designed not to inflate in a
crash. However, heavy objects placed on the
seat could result in air bag inflation, because of
the object’s weight detected by the occupantclassification sensor. Other conditions could also
result in air bag inflation, such as if a child is
standing on the seat, or if two children are on the
seat, contrary to the instructions in this manual.
Always be sure that you and all vehicle occupants
are seated and restrained properly.
Using the passenger air bag status light, you can
monitor when the front passenger air bag is au-
tomatically turned OFF with the seat occupied.
The light will not illuminate when the front pas-
senger seat is unoccupied.
If an adult occupant is in the seat but the passen-
ger air bag status light is illuminated (indicating
that the air bag is OFF) , it could be that the
person is a small adult, or is not sitting on the seat
properly or not using the seat belt properly.
If a child restraint must be used in the front seat,
the passenger air bag status light may or may not
be illuminated, depending on the size of the child
and the type of child restraint being used. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated (indicating that
the air bag might inflate in a crash) , it could be
that the child restraint or seat belt is not being
used properly. Make sure that the child restraint is
installed properly, the seat belt is used properly
and the occupant is positioned properly. If the air
bag status light is not illuminated, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
If the passenger air bag status light will not illu-
minate even though you believe that the child
restraint, the seat belts and the occupant are
properly positioned, the system may be sensing
an unoccupied seat (in which case the air bag is
OFF) . Your NISSAN dealer can check that the
system is OFF by using a special tool. However,
until you have confirmed with your dealer that
your air bag is working properly, reposition the
occupant or child restraint in a rear seat.
The NISSAN Advanced Air Bag System and
passenger air bag status light will take a few
seconds to register a change in the passenger
seat status. For example, if a large adult who is
sitting in the front passenger seat exits the ve-
hicle, the passenger air bag status light will go
from OFF to ON for a few seconds and then to
OFF. This is normal system operation and does
not indicate a malfunction.
If a malfunction occurs in the front passenger air
bag system, the supplemental air bag warning
light
, located in the meter and gauges area
of the instrument panel, will blink. Have the sys-
tem checked by a NISSAN dealer.
1-46Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

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.
● Do not place objects with sharp edges
on the seat. Also, do not place heavy
objects on the seat that will leave per-
manent impressions in the seat. Such
objects can damage the seat or occu-
pant classification sensors (weight sen-
sors) . This can affect the operation of
the air bag system and result in serious
personal injury.
● Do not use water or acidic cleaners (hot
steam cleaners) on the seat. This can
damage the seat or occupant classifica-
tion sensors. This can also affect the
operation of the air bag system and
result in serious personal injury. ●
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 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.
● Removing or modifying the front pas-
senger seat may affect the function of
the air bag and result in serious per-
sonal injury. ●
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 (weight 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.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-47

●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 harnesses* should
not be modified or disconnected. Unau-
thorized 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.
Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag and roof-
mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag systems
The side air bags are located in the outside of the
seatback of the front seats. The curtain air bags
are located in the side roof rails. These systems
are designed to meet voluntary guidelines to help
reduce the risk of injury to out-of-position occu-
pants. However, all of the information, cau-
tions and warnings in this manual still ap-
ply and must be followed. The side air bags
and curtain air bags are designed to inflate in
higher severity side collisions, although they may inflate if the forces in another type of collision are
similar to those of a higher severity side impact.
They are designed to inflate on the side where the
vehicle is impacted. They may not inflate in cer-
tain side collisions.
Vehicle damage (or lack of it) is not always an
indication of proper side air bag and curtain air
bag operation.
When the side air bags and curtain air bags
inflate, a fairly loud noise may be heard, followed
by release of smoke. This smoke is not harmful
and does not indicate a fire. Care should be taken
not to inhale it, as it may cause irritation and
choking. Those with a history of a breathing con-
dition should get fresh air promptly.
Side air bags, along with the use of seat belts,
help to cushion the impact force on the chest of
the front occupants. Curtain air bags help to
cushion the impact force to the head of occu-
pants in the front and rear outboard seating po-
sitions. They can help save lives and reduce
serious injuries. However, an inflating side air bag
and curtain air bag may cause abrasions or other
injuries. Side air bags and curtain air bags do not
provide restraint to the lower body.
The seat belts should be correctly worn and the
driver and passenger seated upright as far as
practical away from the side air bag. Rear seat
passengers should be seated as far away as
LRS0259
1-48Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

practical from the door finishers and side roof
rails. The side air bags and curtain air bags inflate
quickly in order to help protect the front and rear
outboard occupants. Because of this, the force of
the side air bag and curtain air bag inflating can
increase the risk of injury if the occupant is too
close to, or is against, these air bag modules
during inflation. The side air bags and curtain air
bags will deflate quickly after the collision is over.
The side air bags and curtain air bags op-
erate only when the ignition switch is in the
ON position.
After placing the ignition switch in the ON
position, the supplemental air bag warning
light illuminates. The supplemental air bag
warning light will turn off after about 7 sec-
onds if the system is operational.
WARNING
●Do not place any objects near the seat-
back of the front seats. Also, do not
place any objects (an umbrella, bag,
etc.) between the front door finisher
and the front seat. Such objects may
become dangerous projectiles and
cause injury if a side air bag inflates. ●
Right after inflation, several side air bag
and curtain air bag system components
will be hot. Do not touch them; you may
severely burn yourself.
● No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the side air bag and curtain air bag
systems. This is to prevent damage to or
accidental inflation of the side air bag
and curtain air bag or damage to the
side air bag and curtain air bag systems.
● Do not make unauthorized changes to
your vehicle’s electrical system, sus-
pension system or side panel. This
could affect proper operation of the
side air bag and curtain air bag systems.
● Tampering with the side air bag system
may result in serious personal injury.
For example, do not change the front
seats by placing material near the seat-
backs or by installing additional trim
material, such as seat covers, around
the side air bag. ●
Work around and on the side air bag
and curtain air bag systems should be
done by a NISSAN dealer. Installation
of electrical equipment should also be
done by a NISSAN dealer. The SRS wir-
ing harnesses* should not be modified
or disconnected. Unauthorized electri-
cal test equipment and probing devices
should not be used on the side air bag
or curtain air bag systems.
* 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 side air bag and
curtain air bag systems and guide the buyer to
the appropriate sections in this Owner’s Manual.
Seat belts with pretensioners (front
seats)
WARNING
● The pretensioners cannot be reused af-
ter activation. They must be replaced
together with the retractor and buckle
as a unit.
Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-49

●If the vehicle becomes involved in a
collision but a pretensioner is not acti-
vated, be sure to have the pretensioner
system checked and, if necessary, re-
placed by your NISSAN dealer.
● No unauthorized changes should be
made to any components or wiring of
the pretensioner system. This is to pre-
vent damage to or accidental activation
of the pretensioners. Tampering with
the pretensioner system may result in
serious personal injury.
● Work around and on the pretensioner
system should be done by a NISSAN
dealer. Installation of electrical equip-
ment should also be done by a NISSAN
dealer. Unauthorized electrical test
equipment and probing devices should
not be used on the pretensioner system.
● If you need to dispose of the preten-
sioner or scrap the vehicle, contact a
NISSAN dealer. Incorrect disposal pro-
cedures could cause personal injury.
The pretensioner system may activate with the
supplemental air bag system in certain types of
collisions. Working with the seat belt retractor,
the pretensioner helps tighten the seat belt when the vehicle becomes involved in certain types of
collisions, helping to restrain front seat occu-
pants.
The pretensioner is encased with the seat belt
retractor. These seat belts are used the same way
as conventional seat belts.
When a pretensioner activates, smoke is re-
leased and a loud noise may be heard. This
smoke is not harmful and does not indicate a fire.
Care should be taken not to inhale it, as it may
cause irritation and choking. Those with a history
of a breathing condition should get fresh air
promptly.
After pretensioner activation, load limiters allow
the seat belt to release webbing (if necessary) to
reduce forces against the chest.
The supplemental air bag warning light
is
used to indicate malfunctions in the pretensioner
system. (See SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
WARNING LIGHT in this section for more de-
tails.) If the operation of the supplemental air bag
warning light indicates there is a malfunction,
have the system checked by a NISSAN dealer.
When selling your vehicle, we request that you
inform the buyer about the pretensioner system
and guide the buyer to the appropriate sections
in this Owner’s Manual.
1. SRS Air Bag Warning Labels (located
on the sun visors)
SUPPLEMENTAL AIR BAG
WARNING LABELS
Warning labels about the supplemental front-
impact air bag system are placed in the vehicle as
shown in the illustration.
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1-50Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system