2012 VOLKSWAGEN CC towing

WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and
serious personal injury.
Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or large things can
change the way the vehicle handles, increase the distance it
needs to stop safely, and cause accidents.
Always secure the load properly with suitable and undam-
aged straps so that the load will not shift.
Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and
the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traf-
fic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would
when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or
wind conditions.
Trailers with a high center of gravity tip more easily than
trailers with a low center of gravity.
Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows the slightest
sign of swaying.
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Always obey speed limits. In some areas, the speed limits for
vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without
trailers. Never drive faster than 50 mph (80 km/h; under excep-
tional circumstances 60 mph - 100 km/h) when towing a trailer.
This applies even if the local speed limit is higher.
If you are driving a new vehicle or a vehicle with a new or rebuilt
engine, do not tow a trailer during the break-in period, about
600 miles (1000 km) ⇒  Parts, accessories, repairs, and modifica-
tions.
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need maintenance more
often because of the extra load it has to move.
When you are not towing, remove the trailer hitch ball. This helps
keep the trailer hitch from causing damage to your vehicle and to oth-
ers if your vehicle is hit from behind.

Combined towing weight
Combined towing weight is the weight of the loaded towing vehicle
plus the weight of the loaded trailer.
This vehicle has not been designed to tow a Class II trailer and must
never be retrofitted to tow a Class II trailer. Always make sure that
your vehicle has been designed to tow the trailer you want to use and
that it is legal to tow the trailer where you will be driving.
Loading the trailer
The weight distribution in the vehicle and trailer must be balanced.
Use the maximum permissible tongue weight and make sure that the
load in the trailer is evenly distributed and that it is not front-heavy or
tail-heavy:
Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are directly
above the axle or as close as possible to the axle.
Secure loads properly on the trailer.
Tire pressure
Always follow the trailer manufacturer's tire pressure recommenda-
tions for the trailer tires.
When towing, inflate the towing vehicle's tires to the maximum per-
missible pressure listed on the tire pressure label ⇒ Tire inflation
pressure.
WARNING
Exceeding the gross weight ratings for axle, tongue, vehicle,
trailer or combined weight can cause accidents and serious
personal injury.
Never exceed the specified values.
Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed
the Gross Axle Weight Rating. Never let the combined front and
rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.

Starting off with a trailer on hills
Depending on how steep the hill is and the combined towing weight, a
parked vehicle with trailer can roll backwards when you first start
moving.
When starting off with a trailer on a hill:
Depress and hold the brake pedal (and depress and hold the clutch
- manual transmission).
Press the G button once to deactivate the electronic parking brake
⇒  Braking and parking.
Press the G button again and hold it to use the electronic parking
brake to help prevent the vehicle and trailer from rolling backwards. If
applicable, follow the instructions for the Hill Hold feature ⇒ Starting
assistance systems.
Shift into first gear or Drive D ⇒  Shifting.
Release the brake pedal.
Drive ahead slowly at first. If your vehicle has manual transmission,
slowly let out the clutch.
Do not release the G button until the engine starts to move the
vehicle forward. If your vehicle has an automatic transmission, you
can also depress and hold the brake pedal for added braking and
then let up on the brake pedal when you feel that the vehicle “wants”
to move forward.
Drive ahead slowly.

WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and
serious personal injury.
Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or bulky items
changes the way the vehicle handles and increases the dis-
tance it needs to stop safely.
Always watch what is happening up ahead and around you.
Brake earlier than you would if you were not towing a trailer.
Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and
the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traf-
fic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would
when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or
wind conditions.
Drive especially carefully and accelerate gently. Always avoid
sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows even the
slightest sign of swaying.
Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
Always obey speed limits. In some areas speed limits for ve-
hicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trail-
ers.
Ball mount

Fig. 108 Dimensions of the ball mount support.

CAUTION
The ball mount sticks out behind the rear bumper and can
cause injury to pedestrians and cyclists.
To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk
to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always
remove the ball carrier when you are not towing a trailer.
NOTICE
Never use a ball larger than 11/4 inches (32 mm) on your vehi-
cle. The vehicle was not designed to tow heavier trailers with a
receiver larger than the specified ball. The increased loads can
damage the attachment points for the trailer hitch.
Never use an adapter to increase the size of the trailer hitch
receiver from 11/4 inches (32 mm) to 2 inches (50.8 mm) or more
to tow a trailer that is heavier than the maximum permissible
trailer weight that your vehicle can tow.
You can use an adapter if required for the proper installation
of a bicycle rack or other similar carrier as long as the maximum
weight limits are observed. When using bicycle racks or similar
carriers, make sure that the rear lights are not blocked.
Only use trailer hitches that are approved by the hitch manu-
facturer for your vehicle and model.

from the center of the hitch ball to the surface of the road ⇒ fig. 109
(D) be less than the specified minimum. This minimum height must be
present even when the vehicle is fully loaded and subject to the max-
imum tongue weight.
Distance dimensions ⇒ fig. 109:
(A) Attachment points.
(B) 46 inches (1170 mm)
(C) at least 3 inches (79 mm)
(D) 14–16 inches (350 – 420 mm)
(E) 10 inches (251 mm)
(F) 21 inches (546 mm)
(G) 41 inches (1031 mm)
(H) 41 inches (1036 mm)
WARNING
Improper or incorrect connections to the vehicle electrical sys-
tem can cause malfunctions that affect the entire vehicle elec-
trical system and cause accidents and serious personal injury.
Never connect the electrical system of the trailer directly to
the electrical connections of the rear lights or other unsuitable
power sources. Use only a suitable connector to provide power
to the trailer.
Have any trailer hitch retrofit or other work on a trailer hitch
done by a qualified workshop.
WARNING
An improperly installed or unsuitable trailer hitch can cause the
trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and result in a major
accident with serious personal injuries.
Maximum permissible trailer weight

Engine Engine
ID
code
Trailer with
brakes
Trailer
without
brakes
Trailer
hitch
tongue
weight
All gasoline
engines
all 2000 lbs
(907 kg)
1650 lbs
(748 kg)
200 lbs
(91 kg)

The Gross Vehicle Weight Rating and the Gross Axle Weight Rating
must not be exceeded, even with a trailer. These ratings are listed on
the safety compliance label on the driver door jamb ⇒ page 55, Im-
portant vehicle labels. When a trailer is towed, the weight of the ball
mount and the tongue weight of the trailer are added to the vehicle
weight ⇒  Determining the correct load limit.
The trailer weight ratings given above are valid only up to altitudes of
3000 ft (1000 m) above sea level. The maximum permissible com-
bined towing weight must be reduced by about 10% for every 3000 ft
(1000 m), or portion thereof, of additional altitude.
WARNING
Exceeding the gross trailer weight rating and tongue weight
can cause accidents and serious personal injury.
Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed
the Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR). Never let the combined
front and rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR).
NOTICE
Exceeding the gross weight ratings can cause extensive vehicle
damage that is not covered by any Volkswagen Limited Warran-
ty.

There are limits to the load any vehicle or any tire can carry. A vehicle
that is overloaded will not handle well and is more difficult to stop.
Overloading can damage important parts of the vehicle. Overloading
can also lead to blowout, sudden loss of pressure or other tire failure
that can cause loss of control.
Your safety and the safety of your passengers depends on making
sure that load limits are not exceeded. Vehicle load includes every-
body and everything in and on the vehicle. These load limits are
technically referred to as the vehicle's Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR).
The GVWR includes the weight of the basic vehicle, all factory-
installed and other accessories, a full tank of fuel, oil, coolant and
other fluids plus maximum load. The maximum load includes the
number of passengers that the vehicle is intended to carry (seating
capacity) with an assumed weight of 150 lbs (68 kg) for each passen-
ger at a designated seating position and the total weight of any lug-
gage in the vehicle. If you tow a trailer, the weight of the trailer hitch
and the tongue weight of the loaded trailer must be included as part
of the vehicle weight. At altitudes above 3000 ft (1000 m), combined
towing weight (vehicle plus trailer) must be reduced by 10% for every
3000 ft (1000 m).
The Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR) is the maximum load that
can be carried at each of the vehicle's 2 axles (by the front or rear
tires). GVWR and GAWR are listed on the safety compliance label on
the driver door jamb. Because there is an upper limit to your vehicle's
total weight (GVWR), the weight of whatever is being carried (includ-
ing the weight of a trailer hitch and the tongue weight of the loaded
trailer) is also limited. More passengers, or passengers who are heav-
ier than the assumed 150 lbs (68 kg), mean that less weight can be
carried as luggage or other cargo. The tire pressure label on your
Volkswagen also lists the maximum combined weight of all of the oc-
cupants and luggage or other cargo that the vehicle can carry.