2006 Nissan Xterra Owner's Manual - Page 99

HILL DESCENT CONTROL (HDC) SWITCH (if so equipped) ● The hill descent control may not control the vehicle speed on a hill under all load or road conditions. Always be prepared to depress the brake pedal to control vehicle speed. Failure to do so may result in a collision or serious personal injury. ● the 4WD switch must be in the 4H position and the vehicle speed must be under 21 mph (35 km/h), and ● the HDC system switch must be ON. The HDC indicator light will come on when the system is activated. Also, the stop/tail lights illuminate while the HDC system applies the brakes to control vehicle speed. If the accelerator or brake pedal is depressed while the HDC system is on, the system will stop operating temporarily. As soon as the accelerator or brake pedal is released, the HDC system begins to function again if the HDC operating conditions are fulfilled. The HDC indicator light blinks if the switch is on and all conditions for system activation are not met or if the system becomes disengaged for any reason. To turn off the HDC system, push the switch to the OFF position. For additional information, see "Hill descent control (HDC) system on indicator light" earlier in this section and "Hill descent control (HDC) system" in the "Starting and driving" section of this manual. CAUTION When the hill descent control system operates continuously for a long time, the temperature of the brake pads may increase and the hill descent control system may be temporarily disabled (the indicator light will blink). If the indicator light does not come on continuously after blinking, stop using the system. The hill descent control system is designed to reduce driver workload when going down steep hills. The HDC system helps to control vehicle speed so the driver can concentrate on steering the vehicle. To activate the HDC system: ● the automatic transmission selector lever must be in forward or reverse gear, ● the 4WD switch must be in the 4L position and the vehicle speed must be under 15 mph (25 km/h) or LIC0743 WARNING ● Never rely solely on the hill descent control system to control vehicle speed when driving on steep downhill grades. Always drive carefully when using the hill descent control system and decelerate the vehicle speed by depressing the brake pedal if necessary. Be especially careful when driving on frozen, muddy or extremely steep downhill roads. Failure to control vehicle speed may result in a loss of control of the vehicle and possible serious injury or death. Instruments and controls 2-27