TRAILER TOWING
In this section you will find safety tips
and information on limits to the type
of towing you can reasonably do with
your vehicle. Before towing a trailer,
carefully review this information to
tow your load as efficiently and safely
as possible.
To maintain warranty coverage, fol-
low the requirements and recommen-
dations in this manual concerning ve-
hicles used for trailer towing.
COMMON TOWING
DEFINITIONS
The following trailer towing related
definitions will assist you in under-
standing the following information:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating
(GVWR)
The GVWR is the total allowable
weight of your vehicle. This includes
driver, passengers, cargo and trailer
tongue weight. The total load must be
limited so that you do not exceed the
GVWR.Gross Trailer Weight (GTW)
The GTW is the weight of the trailer
plus the weight of all cargo, consum-
ables and equipment (permanent or
temporary) loaded in or on the trailer
in its "loaded and ready for opera-
tion" condition. The recommended
way to measure GTW is to put your
fully loaded trailer on a vehicle scale.
The entire weight of the trailer must
be supported by the scale.
Gross Combination Weight Rating
(GCWR)
The GCWR is the total permissible
weight of your vehicle and trailer
when weighed in combination.
NOTE: The GCWR rating in-
cludes a 68 kg allowance for the
presence of a driver.
Gross Axle Weight Rating (GAWR)
The GAWR is the maximum capacity
of the front and rear axles. Distribute
the load over the front and rear axles
evenly. Make sure that you do not
exceed either front or rear GAWR.
WARNING!
It is important that you do not ex-
ceed the maximum front or rear
GAWR. A dangerous driving condi-
tion can result if either rating is
exceeded. You could lose control of
the vehicle and have an accident.
Trailer Tongue Weight (TW)
The tongue weight is the downward
force exerted on the hitch ball by the
trailer. In most cases, it should not be
less than 7% or more than 10% of the
trailer load. Trailer tongue weight
must not exceed the lesser of either the
hitch certification rating, or the trailer
tongue chassis rating. It should never
be less than 4% of the trailer load, and
not less than 25 kg. You must consider
tongue load as part of the load on your
vehicle and its GAWR.
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WARNING!
An improperly adjusted hitch sys-
tem may reduce handling, stability
and braking performance and
could result in an accident. Consult
with your hitch and trailer manu-
facturer or a reputable trailer/
caravan dealer for additional infor-
mation.
Frontal Area
The frontal area is the maximum
height multiplied by the maximum
width of the front of a trailer.
BREAKAWAY CABLE
ATTACHMENT
European braking regulations for
braked trailers up to 3 500 kg, require
trailers to be fitted with either a sec-
ondary coupling or breakaway cable.
The recommended location for at-
taching the normal trailer's break-
away cable is in the stamped slot lo-
cated on the sidewall of the hitch
receiver. With Attachment Point
1. For detachable tow bar pass the
cable through the attachment point
and clip it back onto itself.
2. For fixed ball tow bar attach the
clip directly to the designated point.
This alternative must be specifically
permitted by the trailer manufacturer
since the clip may not be sufficiently
strong for use in the way.
Without Attachment Points
1. For detachable ball tow bar you
must follow the recommended manu-
facturer or supplier procedure.
2. For fixed ball tow bar loop the
cable around the neck of the tow ball.
If you fit the cable like this, use a
single loop only.
Detachable Ball Clip Loop Method
Fixed Ball Clip Loop Method
Detachable Ball Neck Loop Method
Fixed Ball Neck Loop Method
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Trailer Towing Weights
(Maximum Trailer Weight
Ratings)
The following chart provides the
maximum trailer weight ratings tow-
able for your given drivetrain.Engine/
Trans-
missionMax.
GTW
(Gross
Trailer
Weight)Trailer
Tongue
Weight
(See
Note)
All 1 600 kg 65 kg
Maximum trailer towing speed
is limited to 100 km/h unless
local laws require a lower
speed.
NOTE: The trailer tongue weight
must be considered as part of the
combined weight of occupants and
cargo, and should never exceed the
weight referenced on the Tire and
Loading Information placard. The
Tire and Loading Information
placard is located on the drivers
door pillar. Trailer And Tongue Weight
Loads balanced over the wheels or
heavier in the rear can cause the
trailer to sway
severelyside to side
which will cause loss of control of the
vehicle and trailer. Failure to load
trailers heavier in front is the cause of
many trailer accidents.
Never exceed the maximum trailer
tongue weight stamped on your trailer
hitch.
Consider the following items when
computing the weight on the rear axle
of the vehicle:
The tongue weight of the trailer.
The weight of any other type of cargo or equipment put in or on
your vehicle.
The weight of the driver and all passengers.
NOTE: Remember that every-
thing put into or on the trailer adds
to the load on your vehicle. Also,
additional factory-installed op-
tions, or dealer-installed options,
must be considered as part of the total load on your vehicle. Refer to
the Tire and Loading Information
placard, located on the drivers
door pillar, for the maximum com-
bined weight of occupants and
cargo for your vehicle.
Towing Requirements
To promote proper break-in of your
new vehicle drivetrain components
the following guidelines are recom-
mended:
CAUTION!
Do not tow a trailer at all during
the first 805 km the new vehicle is
driven. The engine, axle or other
parts could be damaged.
Then, during the first 805 km
that a trailer is towed, do not
drive over 80 km/h and do not
make starts at full throttle. This
helps the engine and other parts
of the vehicle wear in at the
heavier loads.
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WARNING!
Improper towing can lead to an in-
jury accident. Follow these guide-
lines to make your trailer towing as
safe as possible:
Make certain that the load is se-cured in the trailer and that it will
not shift during travel. When
trailering cargo that is not fully
secured, dynamic load shifts can
occur that may be difficult for the
driver to control. You could lose
control of your vehicle and have
an accident.
All trailer hitches should be pro- fessionally installed on your ve-
hicle.
When hauling cargo or towing a
trailer, do not overload your ve-
hicle or trailer. Overloading can
cause a loss of control, poor per-
formance, or damage to brakes,
axle, engine, transmission, steer-
ing, suspension, chassis structure,
or tires.
(Continued)
WARNING!(Continued)
Safety chains must always be used between your vehicle and
trailer. Always connect the chains
to the frame or hook retainers of
the vehicle hitch. Cross the chains
under the trailer tongue and al-
low enough slack for turning cor-
ners.
Vehicles with trailers should not
be parked on a grade. When
parking, apply the parking brake
on the tow vehicle. Always, block
or "chock" the trailer wheels.
GCWR must not be exceeded.
Total weight must be distrib-
uted between the tow vehicle
and the trailer such that the
following four ratings are not
exceeded:
1. GVWR
2. GTW
3. GAWR
4. Tongue weight rating for the
trailer hitch utilized. Towing Requirements – Tires
Do not attempt to tow a trailer
while using a compact spare tire.
Proper tire inflation pressures are essential for the safe and satisfac-
tory operation of your vehicle. Re-
fer to “Tires – General Informa-
tion” in “Starting and Operating”
for proper tire inflation procedures.
Check the trailer tires for proper tire inflation pressures before
trailer usage.
Check for signs of tire wear or vis- ible tire damage before towing a
trailer. Refer to “Tires – General
Information” in “Starting and Op-
erating” for the proper inspection
procedure.
When replacing tires, refer to “Tires – General Information” in “Start-
ing and Operating” for proper tire
replacement procedures. Replacing
tires with a higher load carrying
capacity will not increase the vehi-
cle's GVWR and GAWR limits.
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Towing Requirements – Trailer
Brakes
– Donotinterconnect the hydraulic
brake system or vacuum system of
your vehicle with that of the trailer.
This could cause inadequate brak-
ing and possible personal injury.
– When towing a trailer equipped with a hydraulic surge actuated
brake system, an electronic brake
controller is not required.
– Trailer brakes are recommended for trailers over 450 kg and re-
quired for trailers in excess of
750 kg.CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 450
kg loaded, it should have its own
brakes, and they should be of ad-
equate capacity. Failure to do this
could lead to accelerated brake lin-
ing wear, higher brake pedal effort,
and longer stopping distances.
WARNING!
Do not connect trailer brakes toyour vehicle's hydraulic brake
lines. It can overload your brake
system and cause it to fail. You
might not have brakes when you
need them and could have an ac-
cident.
Towing any trailer will increase your stopping distance. When
towing, you should allow for ad-
ditional space between your ve-
hicle and the vehicle in front of
you. Failure to do so could result
in an accident.
Towing Requirements – Trailer
Lights And Wiring
Whenever you pull a trailer, regard-
less of the trailer size, stop lights and
turn signals on the trailer are required
for motoring safety.
The Trailer Tow Package may include
a seven-pin or a thirteen-pin wiring
harness. Use a factory approved
trailer harness and connector.
NOTE: Do not cut or splice wiring
into the vehicles wiring harness. The electrical connections are all
complete to the vehicle but you must
mate the harness to a trailer connec-
tor.
Seven - Pin Connector Details
Pin Function Wire
Color
1 Left Turn Sig- nal Yellow
2 Rear Fog Light Blue
3 Ground/ Common Re-
turn White
4 Right Turn Signal Green
Seven - Pin Connector
275
Thirteen - Pin Connector De-tails
Pin Function Wire Color
11 a Return for Contact (Pin)
10 ² White
12 Reserve for Future Alloca-
tion ³ Red/
Blue
13 Return for Contact (Pin) 9
² White
¹ The rear position registration
plate illumination device shall be
connected such that no light of the
device has a common connection
with both pins 5 and 7.
² The three return circuits shall not
be connected electrically in the
trailer.
³ The allocation pin 12 has been
changed from “Coding for coupled
Trailer” to “Reserve for Future
Allocation.” TOWING TIPS
Before setting out on a trip, practice
turning, stopping and backing the
trailer in an area away from heavy
traffic.
Automatic Transmission
The DRIVE gear can be selected when
towing. However, if frequent shifting
occurs while in DRIVE, use the Elec-
tronic Range Select (ERS) shift con-
trol to select a lower gear range.
NOTE: Using a lower gear range
while operating the vehicle under
heavy loading conditions will im-
prove performance and extend
transmission life by reducing ex-
cessive shifting and heat build up.
This action will also provide better
engine braking.
If you REGULARLY tow a trailer for
more than 45 minutes of continuous
operation, then change the transmis-
sion fluid and filter as specified for
"police, taxi, fleet, or frequent trailer
towing." Refer to the “Maintenance
Schedule” for the proper maintenance
intervals. Electronic Speed Control (for
versions/markets, where
provided)
Do not use in hilly terrain or with
heavy loads.
When using the speed control, if you experience speed drops greater
than 16 km/h, disengage until you
can get back to cruising speed.
Use speed control in flat terrain and with light loads to maximize fuel
efficiency.
Cooling System
To reduce potential for engine and
transmission overheating, take the
following actions:
City Driving
When stopped for short periods, shift
the transmission into NEUTRAL and
increase engine idle speed.
Highway Driving
Reduce speed.
Air Conditioning
Turn off temporarily.
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Trailer Hitch Attaching Points
Your vehicle will require extra equip-
ment to tow a trailer safely and effi-
ciently. The trailer tow hitch must be
attached to your vehicle using the
provided attaching points on the ve-
hicle's frame. Refer to the following
chart to determine the accurate at-
taching points. Other equipment,
such as trailer sway controls and
braking equipment, trailer equalizing
(leveling) equipment and low profile
mirrors, may also be required or
strongly recommended.
Trailer Tow Hitch Attaching
Points And Overhang Dimen-
sionsGrand Voyager
A N/A
B 441.72 mm
C 568.61 mm
D 763.62 mm
E (maximum
overhang) 1185.40 mm
F 670.20 mm
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RECREATIONAL TOWING (BEHIND MOTORHOME, ETC.)
TOWING THIS VEHICLE BEHIND ANOTHER VEHICLE
Towing ConditionWheels OFF the Ground All Models
Flat Tow NONEIf transmission is operable:
Transmission in NEUTRAL
40 km/hmaxspeed
24 km maxdistance
Wheel Lift or Dolly Tow
Rear
Front OK
Flatbed ALLBEST METHOD
CAUTION!
DO NOT flat tow this vehicle. Dam-
age to the drivetrain will result.
CAUTION!
Towing this vehicle in violation of
the above requirements can cause
severe transmission damage. Dam-
age from improper towing is not
covered under the New Vehicle
Limited Warranty.
279