Trailer lights should comply with federal
and/or local regulations. For assistance in
hooking up trailer lights, contact a NISSAN
dealer or reputable trailer retailer. Vehicles
equipped with the optional trailer tow
package are equipped with a 7-pin trailer
harness connector. If your trailer is
equipped with a flat 4-pin connector, an
adapter will be needed to connect the
trailer lights to the vehicle. Adapters are
available at auto parts stores and hitch re-
tailers.
Pre-towing tips
∙ Be certain your vehicle maintains a levelposition when a loaded and/or un-
loaded trailer is hitched. Do not drive the
vehicle if it has an abnormal nose-up or
nose-down condition; check for im-
proper tongue load, overload, worn sus-
pension or other possible causes of ei-
ther condition.
∙ Always secure items in the trailer to pre- vent load shif t 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 opera-
tion, and trailer wheel lug nuts every
time you attach a trailer to the vehicle.
∙ Be certain your rearview mirrors con- form to all federal, state or local regula-
tions. If not, install any mirrors required
for towing before driving the vehicle.
∙ Determine the overall height of the ve- hicle and trailer so the required clear-
ance is known.
Trailer towing tips
In order to gain skill and an understanding
of the vehicle’s behavior, you should prac-
tice turning, stopping and backing up in an
area which is free from traffic. Steering sta-
bility and braking performance will be
somewhat different than under normal
driving conditions.
∙ Always secure items in the trailer to pre- vent load shif t while driving. ∙ Lock the trailer hitch coupler with a pin
or lock to prevent the coupler from in-
advertently 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 cor-
rections 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 shif t lever to the P (Park)
position before blocking the wheels
and applying the parking brake, trans-
mission damage could occur.
10-24Technical and consumer information
∙ Be careful when passing other vehicles.Passing while towing a trailer requires
considerably more distance than nor-
mal passing. Remember, the length of
the trailer must also pass the other ve-
hicle before you can safely change
lanes.
∙ Downshif t 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 re-
duced braking efficiency.
∙ Increase your following distance to al- low for greater stopping distances
while towing a trailer. Anticipate stops
and brake gradually.
∙ NISSAN recommends that the cruise control not be used while towing a
trailer.
∙ Some states or provinces have specific regulations and speed limits for ve-
hicles that are towing trailers. Obey the
local speed limits. ∙ Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness
connections, and trailer wheel lug nuts
af ter 50 miles (80 km) of travel and at
every break.
∙ When launching a boat, don’t allow the water 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, refer
to the “Do-it-yourself ” section of this
manual.
FLAT TOWING FOR ALL–WHEEL
DRIVE VEHICLE (if so equipped)
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
∙ Failure to follow these guidelines can result in severe transmission damage.
∙ Never flat tow your All-Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle.
∙ DO NOT tow your All-Wheel Drive (AWD) vehicle with any wheels on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious
and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
∙ For emergency towing procedures re- fer to “Towing recommended by
NISSAN” in the “In case of emergency ”
section of this manual.
FLAT TOWING FOR FRONT WHEEL
DRIVE VEHICLE (if so equipped)
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on
the ground is sometimes called flat towing.
This method is sometimes used when
towing a vehicle behind a recreational ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
10-26Technical and consumer information
