DRIVING THE VEHICLE
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 gauge will 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 downshift or upshift as it reaches pre- scribed shift points. You can also shift 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. 2-17).
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 shifting from P (Park) or N (Neu- tral) to R (Reverse), D (Drive). Always depress the brake pedal until shifting is completed. Failure to do so could cause you to lose control and have an accident.
Cold engine idle speed is high, so use caution when shifting into a forward or reverse gear before the engine has warmed up.
Never shift 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.
Do not downshift abruptly on slip- pery roads. This may cause a loss of control.
Except in an emergency, do not shift to the N (Neutral) position while driv- ing. Coasting with the transmission in the N (Neutral) position may cause serious damage to 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.
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.
Starting and driving 5-19
Starting the vehicle 1. After starting the engine, fully depress
the foot brake pedal before moving the shift lever out of the P (Park) position.
2. Keep the foot brake pedal depressed and move the shift lever into a driving gear.
3. Release the foot brake, then gradually start the vehicle in motion.
The automatic transmission is designed so the foot brake pedal MUST be de- pressed before shifting from P (Park) to any drive position while the ignition switch is in the ON position. The shift lever cannot be moved out of the P (Park) position and into any of the other gear positions if the ignition switch is placed in the LOCK or OFF position. The shift lever may not be moved out of the P (Park) position and into any of the other gear positions if the ignition switch is placed in the ON position, but the engine is not running and the out- side temperature is extremely low.
Shifting
To move the shift lever:
Press the button OA while depressing the brake pedal
Press the button OA to shift Shift without depressing the brake
pedal
Shifting After starting the engine, fully depress the brake pedal and move the shift lever out of the P (Park) position.
WARNING Apply the parking brake if the shift le- ver is in any position while the engine is not running. Failure to do so could cause the vehicle to move unexpect- edly or roll away and result in serious personal injury or property damage.
If the ignition switch is placed in the OFF position for any reason while the vehicle is in N (Neutral), or any D (Drive) position, the ignition switch cannot be placed in the LOCK position. Move the shift lever to the P (Park) position, then the ignition switch can be placed in the LOCK position.
P (Park)
CAUTION To prevent transmission damage, use the P (Park) position only when the ve- hicle is completely stopped.
Use the P (Park) shift lever position when the vehicle is parked or when starting the engine. Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped.
The brake pedal should be depressed to move the shift lever from N (Neutral) or any drive position to P (Park).
Apply the parking brake. When parking on a hill, apply the parking brake first, then move the shift lever into the P (Park) position.
R (Reverse)
CAUTION To prevent transmission damage, use the R (Reverse) position only when the vehicle is completely stopped.
Use the R (Reverse) position to back up. Make sure the vehicle is completely stopped before selecting the R (Reverse) position.
The brake pedal must be de- pressed to move the shift lever from P (Park), N (Neutral) or any drive position to R (Reverse). N (Neutral) Neither forward nor reverse gear is en- gaged. The engine can be started in this position. You may shift to N (Neutral) and restart a stalled engine while the vehicle is moving.
D (Drive) Use this position for all normal forward driving.
Manual shift mode Move the shift lever sideways toward the manual shift gate to activate the manual shift mode, then select “+” or “-” to shift up or down. Shift ranges can be selected manually. In the manual shift mode, the shift range is displayed on the position indicator in the meter. After moving the shift lever to the manual shift gate, the position indicator varies depending on the gear position and vehicle speed.
Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows: M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 ↔ M6 ↔ M7 ↔ M8 ↔ M9 ↔ D
M9 (Ninth) Use this position for all normal forward driving at highway speeds. M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 ↔ M6 ↔ M7 ↔ M8 ↔ M9 M9 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M8 (Eighth) Use this position for all normal forward driving at highway speeds. M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 ↔ M6 ↔ M7 ↔ M8 M8 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M7 (Seventh) Use this position for all normal forward driving at highway speeds. M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 ↔ M6 ↔ M7 M7 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M6 (Sixth) Use this position for all normal forward driving at highway speeds. M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 ↔ M6 M6 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter
M5 (Fifth) For driving up or down long slopes where engine braking would be advantageous. Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows: M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 ↔ M5 M5 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M4 (Fourth) Use for hill climbing or engine braking on downhill grades. Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows: M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 ↔ M4 M4 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M3 (Third) Use for hill climbing or engine braking on downhill grades. Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows: M1 ↔ M2 ↔ M3 M3 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M2 (Second) Use for hill climbing or engine braking on downhill grades. Shift ranges up or down one by one as follows: M1 ↔ M2 M2 will be displayed on the position indica- tor in the meter.
M1 (First) Use this position when climbing steep hills slowly or driving slowly through deep snow, sand or mud, or for maximum engine brak- ing on steep downhill grades. M1 will be displayed on the position indica- tor on the meter.
• Remember not to drive at high speeds for extended periods of time in lower than M4 range. This reduces fuel economy.
When shifting up Move the shift lever to the + (up) side. (Shifts to higher range.)
When shifting down Move the shift lever to the − (down) side. (Shifts to lower range.) • The transmission will automatically
downshift the gears. (For example, if you select the 3rd range, the transmission will shift down between the 3rd and 1st gears.)
• Moving the shift lever rapidly to the same side twice will shift the ranges in succession.
When canceling the manual shift mode Return the shift lever to the D (Drive) posi- tion to return the transmission to the nor- mal driving mode.
•In the manual shift mode, the trans- mission may not shift to the selected gear immediately because of vehicle speed. The transmission will upshift or downshift when vehicle speed matches the programmed transmis- sion shift points. This helps maintain driving performance and reduces the chance of vehicle damage or loss of control.
•In the manual shift mode, the trans- mission will not upshift to a higher gear than is manually selected. When the vehicle speed decreases, the trans- mission automatically shifts down and shifts to 1st gear before the vehicle comes to a stop.
Accelerator downshift — in D (Drive) position — For passing or hill climbing, depress the accelerator pedal to the floor. This shifts 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
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. 2-17). 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.
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.
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