NISSAN VERSA HATCHBACK 2011 1.G Repair Manual

Roof-mounted curtain side-impact supple-
mental air bag system:This system can help
cushion the impact force to the head of occu-
pants in front and rear outboard seating positions
in certain side-impact collisions. The curtain air
bags are designed to inflate on the side where
the vehicle is impacted.
These supplemental restraint systems are de-
signed to supplement the crash protection pro-
vided by the driver and front passenger seat belts
and are not a substitute for them. Seat belts
should always be correctly worn and the occu-
pant seated a suitable distance away from the
steering wheel, instrument panel and door finish-
ers. (See “Seat belts” earlier in this section for
instructions and precautions on seat belt usage.)
The supplemental 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
seconds if the system is operational.
WARNING
● The front air bags ordinarily will not
inflate in the event of a side impact, rear
impact, rollover, or lower severity fron-
tal collision. Always wear your seat
belts to help reduce the risk or severity
of injury in various kinds of accidents.
● The front passenger air bag will not
inflate if the passenger air bag status
light is lit or if the front passenger seat
is unoccupied. See “Front passenger air
bag and status light” later in this
section. ●
The seat belts and the front air bags are
most effective when you are sitting well
back and upright in the seat. The front
air bags inflate with great force. Even
with the NISSAN Advanced Air Bag Sys-
tem, if you are unrestrained, leaning
forward, sitting sideways or out of posi-
tion in any way, you are at greater risk of
injury or death in a crash. You may also
receive serious or fatal injuries from the
front air bag if you are up against it
when it inflates. Always sit back against
the seatback and as far away as practi-
cal from the steering wheel or instru-
ment panel. Always use the seat belts.
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1-42Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

●The driver and front passenger seat belt
buckles are equipped with sensors that
detect if the seat belts are fastened. The
Advanced Air Bag System monitors the
severity of a collision and seat belt us-
age then inflates the air bags as
needed. Failure to properly wear seat
belts can increase the risk or severity of
injury in an accident.
● The front passenger seat is equipped
with an occupant classification sensor
(pressure sensor) that turns the front
passenger air bag OFF under some
conditions. This sensor is only used in
this seat. Failure to be properly seated
and wearing the seat belt can increase
the risk or severity of injury in an acci-
dent. See “Front passenger air bag and
status light” later in this section.
● Keep hands on the outside of the steer-
ing wheel. Placing them inside the
steering wheel rim could increase the
risk that they are injured when the front
air bag inflates.
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-43

WARNING
●Never let children ride unrestrained or
extend their hands or face out of the
window. Do not attempt to hold them in
your lap or arms. Some examples of
dangerous riding positions are shown
in the illustrations.
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1-44Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

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.
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-45

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.
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.
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1-46Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

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.
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Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system1-47

1. Crash zone sensor
2. Supplemental front-impact air bag mod-ules
3. Air bag Control Unit (ACU)
4. Front seat-mounted side-impact
supplemental air bag modules
5. Roof-mounted curtain side-impact
supplemental air bag
6. Side satellite sensor
7. Seat belt with pretensionerNISSAN Advanced Air Bag System
(front seats)
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. regulations. It
is also permitted in Canada. However, all of the
information, cautions and warnings in this
manual still apply and must be followed.
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 inflate
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 dam-
age (or lack of it) is not always an indication of
proper front air bag system operation.
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, occupant classification
sensor (pressure sensor) and passenger seat belt
tension sensor. Inflator operation is based on the
severity of a collision and seat belt usage for the
driver. For the front passenger, it additionally moni-
tors the weight of an occupant or object on the seat
and seat belt tension. 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 con-
ditions, 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 passenger air
bag status light will be illuminated (if the seat is
unoccupied, the light will not be illuminated, 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 inflating does not indicate
improper performance of the system.
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1-48Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint 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 the
steering 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
seconds if the system is operational.
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.
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Status light
The front passenger air bag status light
is
located near the climate controls. After the igni-
tion switch is place in the ONposition, the front
passenger air bag status light on the instrument
panel illuminates for about 7 seconds and then
turns off or operates depending on the front
passenger 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.
One sensor used is the occupant classification
sensor (pressure sensor) . It is in the bottom of the
front passenger seat cushion and is designed to
detect an occupant and objects on the seat by
weight. It works together with seat belt sensors
described later. For example, if a child is in the
front passenger seat, the Advanced Air Bag Sys-
tem 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 regula-
tions is on the seat, its weight and the child’s
weight can be detected and cause the air bag to
turn OFF. Occupant classification sensor opera-
tion can vary depending on the front passenger
seat belt sensors.
The front passenger seat belt sensors are de-
signed to detect if the seat belt is buckled and the
amount of tension on the seat belt, such as when
it is in the Automatic Locking Retractor (ALR)
mode (child restraint mode) . Based on the
weight on the seat detected by the occupantclassification sensor and the belt tension de-
tected on the seat belt, the Advanced Air Bag
System determines whether the front passenger
air bag should be automatically 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-
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. In addition, if the occupant
improperly uses the seat belt in the ALR mode,
this could cause the air bag to be turned OFF.
Always be sure to be seated and wearing the seat
belt properly for the most effective 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 and seat belt sensors are
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
1-50Safety—Seats, seat belts and supplemental restraint system

use the ALR mode may allow the restraint to tip or
move in an accident or sudden stop. This can
also result in the passenger air bag inflating in a
crash instead of being OFF. See “Child re-
straints” 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 occupant
classification 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 notbe 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 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 vehicle, 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.
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.
● 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.
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