Nissan LEAF manuals now available online

All LEAF manuals now viewable in pdf format

Nissan has finally activated the link via their corporate website to the LEAF’s various owner’s manuals. If you want information about the LEAF, there is no place to find a more comprehensive compilation of material than here.

There are 11 links to be found at this site. 8 links are to LEAF specific documentation:

• LEAF Owner’s Manual
• Navigation System Owner’s Manual
• Quick Reference Guide
• First Responder’s Guide
• Dismantling Guide
• Roadside Assistance Guide
• Warranty Information Booklet
• Service and Maintenance Guide

You will also find this Nissan generic guide:

• Towing Guide (guide for towing a trailer with a Nissan, not towing your Nissan)

Finally, you will find links to two Nissan sources for child safety seat information and Bluetooth device connectivity:

• Snug Kids Child Safety Program (No information pertinent to LEAF yet)
• Bluetooth Information Center (No information pertinent to LEAF yet)

While the availability of the information is outstanding, once you get into the materials, sometimes the mind of a detective is helpful. We will give you one example, and let you experiment on your own to find others.

Much has been written and said about the “turtle mode” of the LEAF.

A light on the dash that looks like a turtle illuminates when any of the following four conditions are met:

• Lithium Ion battery charge is extremely low
• Lithium Ion battery temperature is very low (-4° F, -20° C)
• Temperature of EV system (motor, inverter, battery) is high (no temperature provided)
• EV system has a malfunction

As the documents referenced above are electronic, one can use a computer’s useful “find” function (Control-F on a PC) to search the document for “turtle”. You will find zero occurrences. Why? Because Nissan does not call it “turtle mode”. Some journalist came up with the name because the picture is of a turtle. Nissan calls the light the “Power limitation indicator light” – which you will not find in the index. You will find it in the Illustrated Table of Contents if you look at the table of Warning and Indicator Lights.

Our point is this. When looking for information, keep in mind exactly what you are looking for, not what you think that you are looking for. If it is an indicator light, look for “indicator light”. Sometimes even then it may prove difficult. A search for “head rest” will find “head restraints”. But only because “restraint” starts with “rest”. Nissan calls them head restraints, not head rests. Still the availability of an online resource can save much time and anguish when looking for information.

For those of you looking for the continuation of our series on alternative electric vehicles (EVs) in the U.S. consumer market, look for that series to continue after we’ve had a chance to catch our breath after our server crash.