2007 HONDA CR-V trailer

Trailer lights and equipment must
comply with f ederal, state, province,
and local regulations. Check with
your local trailer sales or rental
agencies f or the requirements in the
area where you plan to tow, and use
only equipment designed f or your
vehicle.
Towing can require a variety of
equipment, depending on the size of
your trailer, how it will be used, how
much load you are towing, and
where you tow.
Discuss your needs with your trailer
sales or rental agency, and f ollow the
guidelines in this section. Also make
sure that all equipment is properly
installed and maintained, and that it
meets f ederal, state, province, and
local regulations.
Seeyourtrailerdealerorrental
agency f or more inf ormation on
installing electric brakes. If you choose electric brakes, be
sure they are electronically actuated.
Do not attempt to tap into your
vehicle’s hydraulic system. No
matter how successf ul it may seem,
any attempt to attach trailer brakes
to your vehicles hydraulic system
will lower braking ef f ectiveness and
create a potential hazard. Honda requires that any trailer with
a total weight of 1,000 lbs (455 kg) or
more be equipped with its own
electric or surge-type brakes.
Always use saf ety chains when you
tow a trailer. Make sure the chains
are secured to the trailer and hitch,
and that they cross under the tongue
and can catch the trailer if it
becomes unhitched. Leave enough slack to allow the trailer to turn
corners easily, but do not let the
chains drag on the ground.
Any hitch used on your vehicle must
be properly bolted to the underbody.
CONT INUED
Towing a Trailer
T railer L ights
Trailer Brakes
Saf et y Chains
HitchesT owing Equipment and
A ccessories
Driving
247

When preparing to tow, and bef ore
driving away, be sure to check the
f ollowing:The vehicle has been properly
serviced, and suspension and
cooling system are in good
operating condition.
The trailer has been properly
serviced and is in good condition.
All weights and loads are within
limits.
Thehitch,safetychains,andany
other attachments are secure.
All items in or on the trailer are
properly secured and cannot shif t
while you drive.
Askyourtrailersalesorrental
agency if any other items are
recommended or required f or your
towing situation. Many states and Canadian provinces
require special outside mirrors when
towing a trailer. Even if they don’t,
you should install special mirrors if
you cannot clearly see behind you, or
if the trailer creates a blind spot. Since lighting and wiring vary by
trailer type and brand, you should
have a qualif ied technician install a
suitable connector between the
vehicle and the trailer. Improper
equipment or installation can cause
damage to your vehicle’s electrical
system and af f ect your vehicle
warranty.
Your vehicle has a trailer lighting
connector located behind the lef t
side panel in the cargo area. Ref er to
thedrawingaboveforthewiring
color code and purpose of each pin.
If you use a non-Honda trailer
lighting harness and converter, you
can get the connector and pins that
mate with the connector in your
vehicle f rom your dealer.
Towing a Trailer
Pre-T ow Checklist
A ddit ional T owing Equipment
248
HAZARD
(PINK)
TRAILER
(WHITE) TAILLIGHT
(RED)
RIGHT
TURN
SIGNAL
(BROWN)
BRAKE
LIGHT
(LIGHT
GREEN) GROUND
(BLACK)
LEFT TURN
SIGNAL
(ORANGE)

Crosswinds and air turbulence
caused by passing trucks can disrupt
your steering and cause the trailer to
sway. When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed, and
steer straight ahead. Do not try to
make quick steering or braking
corrections. If youmuststopwhenfacinguphill,
use the f oot brake or parking brake.
Do not try to hold the vehicle in
place by pressing on the accelerator,
as this can cause the automatic
transmission to overheat. When driving down hills, reduce
your speed and use the D3 position.
Do not ‘‘ride’’ the brakes, and
remember it will take longer to slow
downandstopwhentowingatrailer.
When climbing hills, closely watch
your temperature gauge. If it nears
the red (Hot) mark, turn the air conditioning of f , reduce speed and, if
necessary, pull to the side of the
road to let the engine cool.
Maketurnsmoreslowlyandwider
than normal. The trailer tracks a
smaller arc than your vehicle, and it
canhitorrunoversomethingthe
vehicle misses. Allow more time and
distance f or braking. Do not brake or
turn suddenly as this could cause the
trailer to jackknif e or turn over. Drive slower than normal in all
driving situations, and obey posted
speed limits f or vehicles with trailers.
Use the D position when towing a
trailer on level roads. D is the
proper shif t lever position to use
when towing a trailer in hilly terrain.
(See ‘‘ ’’ in the
f ollowing column f or additional gear
inf ormation.)
The lights and brakes on your
vehicle and the trailer are working
properly.
Your vehicle tires and spare are
properly inf lated, and the trailer
tires and spare are inflated as
recommended by the trailer
maker.
The added weight, length, and
height of a trailer will af f ect your
vehicle’s handling and perf ormance,
so driving with a trailer requires
some special driving skills and
techniques.
Foryoursafetyandthesafetyof
others,taketimetopracticedriving
maneuvers bef ore heading f or the
open road, and f ollow the guidelines
in this section.
3
Towing a Trailer
Handling Crosswinds and Buf f et ing
Driving on Hills
Making T urns and Braking
Driving on Hills
T owing Speeds and Gears
Driving Saf ely With a T railerDriving
249

Your vehicle can be towed behind a
motorhome at legal highway speeds
up to 65 mph (100 km/h). Do not
exceed 65 mph (100 km/h).
Otherwise, severe transmission
damage will occur. To avoid damage
to the 4WD system, your vehicle
must be towed with all four wheels
on the ground (flat towing).
Wh en purchasing a tow bar, make
sure you select a reputable
manufacturer and installer. Follow
the manufacturer’s attachment
instru ctions carefully.
Perform the following procedure
every day imme diately before you
begin towing. Otherwise severe
automatic transmission damage will
occur.
Al
ways drive slowly and have
someone guide you when backing up.
Grip the of the steering
wheel; then turn the wheel to the left
to get the trailer to move to the left,
andturnthewheel righttomovethe
trailer to the right.
Follow all norm al precau tions when
parking, including firmly setting the
parking brake and putting the
tran smission in Park. Also, place
wheel chocks at each of the trailer’s
tires.
When you stop towing your vehic le
and shift out of the neutral position,
you may not be able to move the
shift lever from neutral to reverse or
Park.Ifthishappens,press the
brake pedal and turn the ignition
switch to the ON (II) position, then
shift out of neutral.
Leave
the ignition switch in the
ACCESSORY (I) position so the
steering wheel does not lock.
Make sure the radio and any items
plugged into the accessory power
sockets are turned off so you do
not run down the battery.
Release the parking brake. ShifttoD,thentoN.Letthe
engine run f or 3 minutes, then
turn it off. Press on the brake pedal. Move
the shif t lever through all its
positions. Check the transmission f luid level
(see page ).
Start the engine.
273
bottom Do not overf ill.
T owing a T railer, T owing Your Vehicle Behind a Motorhome
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a
MotorhomeBacking Up
Parking
250

If you tow more than 8 hours in one
day, you should repeat the above
procedure at least every 8 hours
(when you stop f or f uel, etc.)Only remove the fuse after you have
perf ormed the transmission shif ting
procedure, and the key is in the
ACCESSORY (I) position. Store the
f use in an obvious location (center
tray, coin pockets, etc) as a reminder
to re-install the fuse before drivingthe vehicle.
If you tow a CR-V behind a
motorhome, the transmission fluid
must be changed every 2 years or
30,000 miles (48,000 km), whichever
comes f irst.
Ext ended T owing
Towing Your Vehicle Behind a Motorhome
Driving
251
INTERIOR FUSE BOX
ACCESSORY RADIO FUSE
The steering system can be damaged if
the steering wheel is locked. Leave the
ignition switch in the ACCESSORY (I)
position, and make sure the steering
wheel turns f reely bef ore you begin
towing.
Failure to f ollow the recommended
instructions exactly will result in severe
automatic transmission damage. If you
cannot shif t the transmission or start
the engine, your vehicle must be
transported on a f lat-bed truck or
trailer. Severe transmission damage will occur
if the vehicle is shif ted f rom reverse to
neutral and then towed with the drive
wheels on the ground.
Radio f use to reduce drain on the
battery. T
his f
u
se is located in the
When towing your vehicle f or long
interior f use box a

nd is shown as
periods, remove the 7.5 A Accessory
number 34 below.

CONT INUED
Theheadlightswereproperlyaimed
when your vehicle was new. If you
regularly carry heavy items in the
cargo area or pull a trailer,
readjustment may be required.
Adjustmentsshouldbedonebyyour
dealer or other qualif ied technician.Your vehicle has halogen headlight
bulbs. When replacing a bulb, handle
it by its base, and protect the glass
f rom contact with your skin or hard
objects. If you touch the glass, clean
it with denatured alcohol and a clean
cloth.
Open the hood.
To change the headlight bulb on
the driver’s side, remove the
under-hood f use box f rom its stay
by pulling it out of its stay.
1.
Headlight A iming Replacing a Headlight Bulb
Lights
Maint enance
277
Halogen headlight bulbs get very hot
when lit. Oil, perspiration, or a scratch
on the glass can cause the bulb to
overheat and shatter.

Replace the tire when you can see
the tread wear indicator bars. The
replacement should be the same size
and design tire, mounted on the
same wheel. The spare tire is not
designed to be mounted on a regular
wheel, and the spare wheel is not
designed f or mounting a regular tire.
Do not mount snow chains on the
compact spare tire.
Do not use your compact spare
tire on another vehicle unless it is
thesamemakeandmodel. Do not use the compact spare tire
if you are towing a trailer.
The low tire pressure indicator
stays on when you are driving with
thecompactsparetire.TheTPMS
indicator may also come on after
several miles (kilometers) driving.
Use the compact spare tire as a
temporary replacement only. Get
your regular tire repaired or replaced,
and put it back on your vehicle as
soon as you can.
Check the inf lation pressure of the
compact spare tire every time you
check the other tires. It should be
inf lated to:
Follow these precautions:
Never exceed 50 mph (80 km/h).
This tire gives a harsher ride and
less traction on some road
surf aces. Use greater caution
while driving.
Compact Spare Tire
298
INDICATOR LOCATION MARK
TREAD WEAR INDICATOR BAR
60 psi (420 kPa , 4.2 kgf/cm)

If you have a f lat tire while driving,
stop in a saf e place to change it.
Drive slowly along the shoulder until
you get to an exit or an area to stop
that is far away from the traffic lanes.Park the vehicle on f irm, level, and
non-slippery ground. Put the
transmission in Park. Apply the
parking brake.
If you are towing a trailer, unhitch
the trailer. Turn on the hazard warning lights,
and turn the ignition switch to the
LOCK (0) position. Have all
passengers get out of the vehicle
while you change the tire.
Open the tailgate. Raise the cargo
area f loor lid by lif ting up with the
strap, and remove it f rom cargo
area by disengaging the tabs.
When you store the f lat tire in the
spare tire well, do not reinstall the
cargo area f loor lid f orcibly. This
will damage the tabs on the lid.
Take the tool kit out of the spare
tire.
1. 2.
3.
4.
CONT INUED
Changing a Flat Tire
T aking Care of t he Unexpect ed
299
JACK
SPARE TIRE
TOOLS
The vehicle can easily roll off
the jack, seriously injuring
anyone underneath.
Follow the directions for
changing a tire exactly, and
never get under the vehicle
when it is supported only by the
jack.