WARNINGNever connect a trailer brake system directly
to the vehicle brake system.
Pre-towing tips O Be certain your vehicle maintains a
level position when a loaded and/or
unloaded trailer is hitched. Do not
drive the vehicle if it has an abnormal
nose-up or nose-down condition;
check for improper tongue load, over-
load, worn suspension or other pos-
sible causes of either condition.
O Always secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shifts while driving.
O Load the trailer so approximately 60%
of the trailer load is in the front half
and 40% is in the back half.
O Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure,
vehicle tire pressure, trailer light op-
eration, and trailer wheel lug nuts
every time you attach a trailer to the
vehicle.
O Be certain your rear view mirrors con-
form to all federal, state or local regula- tions. If not, install any mirrors required
for towing before driving the vehicle.
Trailer towing tips In order to gain skill and an under-
standing of the vehicle's behavior, you
should practice turning, stopping and
backing up in an area which is free from
traffic. Steering stability, and braking per-
formance will be somewhat different than
under normal driving conditions.
O Always secure items in the trailer to
prevent load shift while driving.
O Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
O Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
O Always drive your vehicle at a mod-
erate speed. Some states or provinces
have specific speed limits for vehicles
that are towing trailers. Obey the local
speed limits.
O When backing up, hold the bottom of
the steering wheel with one hand.
Move your hand in the direction in
which you want the trailer to go. Make
small corrections and back up slowly.
If possible, have someone guide you
when you are backing up. O Always block the wheels on both vehicle
and trailer when parking. Parking on a
slope is not recommended; however, if
you must do so, and if your vehicle is
equipped with automatic transmission,
first apply the parking brake and block
the wheels, and then move the transmis-
sion selector lever into the P (Park) posi-
tion. If you move the selector lever to
the P (Park) position before applying the
parking brake and blocking the wheels,
transmission damage could occur.
O When going down a hill, shift into a
lower gear and use the engine braking
effect. When going up a long grade,
downshift the transmission to a lower
gear and reduce speed to reduce
chances of engine overloading and/or
overheating.
However, for long steep grades, do
not stay in 1st or 2nd gear when
driving above 35 MPH (56 km/h).
O If the engine coolant rises to an ex-
tremely high temperature when the air
conditioning system is on, turn off the
air conditioner. Coolant heat can be
additionally vented by opening the
windows, switching the fan control to
high and setting the temperature con-
trol to the HOT position.
Technical and consumer information
9-21
w 06.1.4/V35-D/V5.0
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