2014 NISSAN ARMADA Traile

Trailer brakes
When towing a trailer load of 3,500 lbs.
(1,587 kg) or more, trailers with a brake
system MUST be used.However, most states
require a separate braking system on trailers with
a loaded weight above a specific amount. Make
sure the trailer meets the local regulations and
the regulations where you plan to tow.
Several types of braking systems are available.
Surge Brakes -The surge brake actuator is
mounted on the trailer tongue with a hydraulic line
running to each trailer wheel. Surge brakes are
activated by the trailer pushing against the hitch
ball when the tow vehicle is braking. Hydraulic
surge brakes are common on rental trailers and
some boat trailers. In this type of system, there is
no hydraulic or electric connection for brake op-
eration between the tow vehicle and the trailer.
Electric Trailer Brakes -Electric braking sys-
tems are activated by an electronic signal sent
from a trailer brake controller (special brake-
sensing module) . If electric trailer brakes are
used, see “Electric trailer brake controller” in this
section.
Have a professional supplier of towing equip-
ment make sure the trailer brakes are properly
installed and demonstrate proper brake function
testing.
WARNING
Never connect a trailer brake system di-
rectly to the vehicle brake system.
Electric trailer brake controller
Trailers equipped with electric brakes may re-
quire the installation of an aftermarket trailer
brake controller.
Your vehicle is equipped with a connector and
jumper harness that is specifically designed to be
used when installing an aftermarket brake controller.
To install the electric trailer brake controller
jumper harness, perform the following proce-
dure:
1. Open the driver door. Move the seat to the rearmost position.
example
LTI0117
Technical and consumer information9-25

2. Apply the parking brake to access thejumper harness connector. 3. Locate the jumper harness connector under
the lower portion of the instrument panel.
The connector is taped to the wiring harness
1as indicated.
● The connector is marked with a white tag
with “elec brake conn”. Wire color designation for electric trailer brake
controller jumper harness.
WIRE COLOR
NOTE
RED/GREEN Vehicle stop lamp switch
to trailer brake controller.
BLACK Brake controller ground
(-) .
BROWN/WHITE Trailer brake controller switched output.
RED/BLUE Trailer brake controller
illumination.
RED Fused trailer brake con-
troller battery feed (B+) .
LTI0122LTI0115
9-26Technical and consumer information

4. Peel off the tape and connect the jumperharness to the connector
2.
5. Release the parking brake.
6. Install the aftermarket electric trailer brake controller according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
Pre-towing tips
●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,
overload, worn suspension or other possible
causes of either condition.
● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
●
Keep the cargo load as low as possible in the
trailer to keep the trailer center of gravity low.
● Load the trailer so approximately 60% of the
trailer load is in the front half and 40% is in
the back half. Also make sure the load is
balanced side to side.
● Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, ve-
hicle tire pressure, trailer light operation, and
trailer wheel lug nuts every time you attach a
trailer to the vehicle.
● Be certain your rearview mirrors conform to
all federal, state or local regulations. If not,
install any mirrors required for towing before
driving the vehicle.
●
Determine the overall height of the vehicle and
trailer so the required clearance is known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding 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 perfor-
mance will be somewhat different than under
normal driving conditions. ● Always secure items in the trailer to prevent
load shift while driving.
● Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin or
lock to prevent the coupler from inadver-
tently becoming unlatched.
● Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
● Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
● Always drive your vehicle at a moderate
speed.
● 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.
LTI0116
Technical and consumer information9-27

Always block the wheels on both vehicle and
trailer when parking. Parking on a slope is not
recommended; however, if you must do so:
CAUTION
If you move the shift selector to the P
(Park) position before blocking the
wheels and applying the parking brake,
transmission damage could occur.1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the downhill side of the vehicle and trailer wheels.
3. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the blocks ab-
sorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Make sure the
indicator light (if so
equipped) indicates the transfer case is in
4H, 4L, or 2H and that the ATP light is off. If
the
indicator light is flashing, or the
ATP light is ON, make sure the transmission
is in P (Park) (A/T) and turn the 4WD switch
to 2WD or 4H. See “Automatic transmission
park warning light” in the “Instruments and controls” section and “Using four wheel
drive (4WD)” in the “Starting and driving”
section.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away: 1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks. ● While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may de-
crease overall stability. Therefore, to main-
tain adequate control, reduce your speed
and shift to a lower gear. Avoid long or
repeated use of the brakes when descend-
ing a hill, as this reduces their effectiveness
and could cause overheating. Shifting to a
lower gear instead provides “engine brak-
ing” and reduces the need to brake as fre-
quently. ●
If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
● Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
● For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h).
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
● When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
9-28Technical and consumer information

Do the following if the trailer begins to sway:1.
Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to
allow the vehicle to coast and steer as straight
ahead as the road conditions allow. This com-
bination will help stabilize the vehicle
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes.
2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section.
● Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency. ●
Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.
● Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits.
● Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after
50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
● When launching a boat, don’t allow the wa-
ter level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
● Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights
before backing the trailer into the water or
the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, final drive gear oil
should be replaced and transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section
earlier in this manual.
Tow mode (if so equipped)
Using tow mode is recommended when pulling a
heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load. Press the
TOW MODE switch to activate tow mode. The
indicator light on the TOW MODE switch illumi-
nates when tow mode is selected. Press the
TOW MODE switch again to turn tow mode off.
Tow mode is automatically cancelled when the
ignition switch is turned OFF.
Tow mode includes the following features: ● Grade logic — Adjusts transmission shifts
when pulling a trailer or hauling a load up a
grade.
● Downhill Speed Control (DSC) — automati-
cally downshifts when driving down a grade
with a trailer or heavy load to help control
vehicle speed.
Driving the vehicle in the tow mode with no
trailer/load or light trailer/light load will not cause
any damage. However, fuel economy may be
reduced and the transmission/engine driving
characteristics may feel unusual.
When towing a trailer, final drive gear oil
should be replaced and transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section
earlier in this manual.
Technical and consumer information9-29

ShiftingAutomatic transmission ...........5-16
Shift lock release .................5-18
Shoulder belt height adjustment ........1-33
Side air bag system (See supplemental side air
bag, curtain and rollover air bag systems) . . .1-69
Sonar Rear system .................5-35
Spark plug replacement .............8-17
Speedometer ...................2-5
SRS warning label ................1-71
Starting Before starting the engine ..........5-13
Jump starting .................6-9
Precautions when starting and driving . . . .5-2
Push starting .................6-11
Starting the engine .............5-13
Steering Heated steering wheel ...........2-35
Power steering fluid .............8-12
Power steering system ...........5-31
Tilting steering wheel ............3-30
Steering wheel audio control switch ......4-94
Stop light .....................8-32
Storage ......................2-40
Overhead storage compartment ......2-43
Storage bin ................2-43, 2-47
Storage tray ...................2-40
Sunglasses case .................2-41
Sunglasses holder ................2-41
Sunroof ......................2-54
Sunroof (see Moonroof) .............2-54
Sun visors ....................3-31
Supplemental air bag warning labels ......1-71
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-72, 2-18
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-64 Supplemental restraint system
Information and warning labels .......1-71
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-57
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-57
Switch Autolight switch .............. .2-31
Automatic power

window switch ......2-52
Fog light switch ...............2-34
Hazard warning flasher switch ........6-2
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-30
Headlight control switch ..........2-30
Ignition switch .................5-9
Power door lock switch ............3-6
Rear sonar system off switch ........2-36
Rear window and outside mirror
defroster switch ...............2-30
Rear window wiper and washer
switches ...................2-29
Turn signal switch ..............2-33
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch .....................2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-28
T
Tachometer ....................2-6
Temperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-6
Engine oil pressure low/engine coolant
temperature high warning light .......2-15
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-27, 3-4, 5-13
Third row power folding seats .........1-22Three-way catalyst
................5-2
Tilting steering wheel ..............3-30
Tire Flat tire .....................6-3
Spare tire ...................6-4
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-12
Tire chains ..................8-43
Tire placard ..................9-12
Tire pressure .................8-36
Tire rotation ..................8-43
Tires of 4-wheel drive ............8-45
Types of tires .................8-42
Uniform tire quality grading .........9-30
Wheels and tires ...............8-36
Wheel/tire size .................9-9
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .......2-16
Tire Pressure

Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . .5-3
Top tether strap child restraint .........1-41
Towing 2-wheel drive models ............6-13
4-wheel drive models ............6-14
Flat towing ..................9-30
Towing load/specification ..........9-21
Tow truck towing ...............6-12
Trailer towing .................9-18
Tow mode switch ................2-38
Transceiver HomeLink Universal Transceiver ......2-58
Transmission Driving with automatic transmission . . . .5-15
Travel (See registering your vehicle in
another country) .................9-10
Trip odometer ...................2-5
Turn signal switch ................2-33
10-6