2017 NISSAN ARMADA Trailer

10-26Technical and consumer information
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 connec-
tion for brake operation between the tow vehicle
and the trailer.
Electric Trailer Brakes - Electric braking
systems are activated by an electronic signal
sent from a trailer brake controller (special brake
sensing module) .
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
directly to the vehicle brake system.
Pre-towing tips
. Be certain your vehicle maintains a level
position when a loaded 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,
vehicle 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
performance 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. Some states or provinces have
specific speed limits for vehicles that are
towing trailers. Obey the local speed limits.
. 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.
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 lever 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
absorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park) .
6. Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Make sure that the 4WD shift switch is
engaged in the AUTO, 4HI or 4LO position
and the Automatic Transmission (AT) park
warning light is turned off.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Start the engine.
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
decrease overall stability. Therefore, to
maintain adequate control, reduce your
speed and shift to a lower gear. Avoid long
or repeated use of the brakes when
descending a hill, as this reduces their
effectiveness and could cause overheating.
Shifting to a lower gear instead provides
“engine braking” and reduces the need to
brake as frequently.
. If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, see “If your vehicle over-
heats” (P.6-14) .
. Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances.
. Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (800 km).
. Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
maintenance schedule shown in the "9.
Maintenance and schedules" section. .
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
vehicle handling.
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 combination will help stabilize the
vehicle.
.Do not correct trailer sway by steering orapplying 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 balanced as described earlier in this section.
. Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires
considerably more distance than normal
passing. Remember the length of the trailer
must also pass the other vehicle before you
Technical and consumer information10-27

10-28Technical and consumer information
can safely change lanes.
. Use the Tow mode or downshift the
transmission 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.
. While towing a trailer, do not use the
following systems (if so equipped):
— the Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
system
— the Lane Departure Prevention (LDP) system
— the Blind Spot Warning (BSW) system
— the Blind Spot Intervention
Š(BSI) sys-
tem
— the Back-up Collision Intervention (BCI) system
— the Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system — the Distance Control Assist (DCA) sys-
tem
— the Forward Emergency Braking (FEB) system
— the Predictive Forward Collision Warning (PFCW) system
. 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
connections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after
50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every
break.
. When launching a boat, do not allow the
water level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
. Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights (if
so equipped) before backing the trailer into
the water or the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, the transmission
fluid should be changed more frequently.
For additional information, see the "9.
Maintenance and schedules" section.
TOW mode
Using TOW mode is recommended when pull-
ing a heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load. Push
the TOW MODE switch to activate tow mode.
The TOW MODE indicator light in the meter
illuminates when TOW mode is selected. Push
the TOW MODE switch again to turn TOW
mode off. TOW mode is automatically cancelled
when the ignition switch is placed in the OFF
position.
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) — automa-
tically 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, the transmission
fluid should be changed more frequently.
For additional information, see the "9.
Maintenance and schedules" section.

11-6
Starting the engine ............................................. 5-16
STATUS button ............................................................. 4-8
Status light, Front passenger air bag .................... 1-60
Steering Heated steering wheel ....................................... 2-42
Power steering ................................................... 5-135
Power steering fluid ............................................... 8-8
Steering-wheel-mounted controls
for audio ................................................................. 4-91
Tilt/telescopic steering ....................................... 3-29
Storage ......................................................................... 2-50
Sun visors ..................................................................... 3-29
Sunglasses holder ...................................................... 2-52
Supplemental air bag warning labels .................... 1-68
Supplemental air bag warning light ........... 1-68, 2-16
Supplemental restraint system ................................ 1-52 Precautions on supplemental
restraint system .................................................... 1-52
Switch Autolight switch ................................................... 2-37
Fog light switch ................................................... 2-42
Hazard warning flasher switch ............................ 6-2
Headlight aiming control .................................... 2-39
Headlight switch .................................................. 2-37
Ignition switch ...................................................... 5-18
Power door lock switch ........................................ 3-5
SNOW mode switch .......................................... 2-47
Turn signal switch ................................................ 2-41
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
OFF switch ............................................................ 2-48
T
Tachometer ..................................................................... 2-7
Temperature gauge, Engine coolant
temperature gauge ....................................................... 2-7 Theft (NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer System) ,
Engine start .................................................................. 2-31
Three-way catalyst ....................................................... 5-4
Tilt/telescopic steering .............................................. 3-29
Tire
Pressure, Low tire pressure warning light .... 2-15
Tire replacement indicator ................................. 2-26
Tires Flat tire ...................................................................... 6-3
Tire and Loading information label .... 8-31, 10-12
Tire chains ............................................................. 8-36
Tire dressing ............................................................ 7-4
Tire pressure ......................................................... 8-30
Tire pressure information (display) ................. 4-10
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) ............................................. 5-5, 6-3
Tire rotation ........................................................... 8-37
Types of tires ........................................................ 8-36
Uniform tire quality grading ............................. 10-29
Wheel/tire size ..................................................... 10-9
Wheels and tires ................................................. 8-30
To p Tether strap child restraints .............................. 1-36
Touch screen ................................................................. 4-5
TOW mode ............................................................... 5-132
TOW mode switch ..................................................... 2-47
Towing Flat towing ........................................................... 10-29
Tow truck towing ................................................. 6-16
Towing a trailer ................................................... 10-17
Towing safety ...................................................... 10-21
TPMS, Tire Pressure Monitoring System ...... 5-5, 6-3 TPMS with Easy Fill Tire Alert ............................ 5-8
Trailer towing ............................................................ 10-17
Transceiver HomeLink
ŠUniversal Transceiver ................... 2-67 Transmission
Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) .................. 8-8
Driving with automatic transmission ............... 5-18
Transmission shift lever lock release .............. 5-21
Transmitter (See remote keyless
entry system) ............................................................... 3-15
Traveling or registering your vehicle in
another country ........................................................ 10-10
Trip computer .............................................................. 2-27
Trip odometer .............................................................. 2-28
Turn signal switch ....................................................... 2-41
U
Underbody cleaning ..................................................... 7-3
Uniform tire quality grading ................................... 10-29
USB (Universal Serial Bus) connection port ....... 4-77
V
Vanity mirror ................................................................. 3-33
Vanity mirror lights ...................................................... 2-66
Variable voltage control system .............................. 8-13
Vehicle Dimensions ............................................................ 10-9
Identification number (VIN) ............................. 10-10
Loading information .......................................... 10-13
Recovery (freeing a stuck vehicle) .................. 6-19
Security system .................................................... 2-30
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
OFF switch ............................................................ 2-48
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system ...... 5-138
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
warning light ......................................................... 2-17
Vehicle information and settings (display) ....... 4-8
Vehicle information display ....................................... 2-20
Ventilators ..................................................................... 4-51