2020 DODGE GRAND CARAVAN towing capacity

STARTING AND OPERATING183
The entire vehicle should first be weighed on a
commercial scale to ensure that the GVWR has
not been exceeded. The weight on the front and
rear of the vehicle should then be determined
separately to be sure that the load is properly
distributed over the front and rear axle.
Weighing the vehicle may show that the GAWR
of either the front or rear axles has been
exceeded but the total load is within the
specified GVWR. If so, weight must be shifted
from front to rear or rear to front as appropriate
until the specified weight limitations are met.
Store the heavier items down low and be sure
that the weight is distributed equally. Stow all
loose items securely before driving.
Improper weight distributions can have an
adverse effect on the way your vehicle steers
and handles and the way the brakes operate.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 the New Vehicle Limited Warranty
coverage, follow the requirements and
recommendations in this manual concerning
vehicles used for trailer towing.
Common Towing Definitions
The following trailer towing related definitions
will assist you in understanding the following
information:
Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR)
The GVWR is the total allowable weight of your
vehicle. This includes driver, passengers, cargo
and tongue weight. The total load must be
limited so that you do not exceed the GVWR.
Refer to “Vehicle Loading” in “Starting And
Operating” for further information.
Gross Trailer Weight (GTW)
The GTW is the weight of the trailer plus the
weight of all cargo, consumables and
equipment (permanent or temporary) loaded in
or on the trailer in its "loaded and ready for
operation" 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 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. Refer to
“Vehicle Loading” in “Starting And Operating”
for further information.
CAUTION!
Do not load your vehicle any heavier than the
GVWR or the maximum front and rear GAWR.
If you do, parts on your vehicle can break, or
it can change the way your vehicle handles.
This could cause you to lose control. Also
overloading can shorten the life of your
vehicle.
WARNING!
It is important that you do not exceed the
maximum front or rear GAWR. A dangerous
driving condition can result if either rating is
exceeded. You could lose control of the
vehicle and have a collision.
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188STARTING AND OPERATING
Towing Requirements — Tires
Do not attempt to tow a trailer while using a
compact spare tire.
Do not drive more than 50 mph (80 km/h)
when towing while using a full size spare tire.
Proper tire inflation pressures are essential
to the safe and satisfactory operation of your
vehicle. Refer to “Tires” in “Servicing And
Maintenance” for proper tire inflation
procedures.
Check the trailer tires for proper tire inflation
pressures before trailer usage.
Check for signs of tire wear or visible tire
damage before towing a trailer. Refer to
“Tires” in “Servicing And Maintenance” for
the proper inspection procedure.
When replacing tires, refer to “Tires” in
“Servicing And Maintenance” for the proper
tire replacement procedures. Replacing tires
with a higher load carrying capacity will not
increase the vehicle's GVWR and GAWR
limits.
Towing Requirements — Trailer Brakes
Do not interconnect the hydraulic brake
system or vacuum system of your vehicle
with that of the trailer. This could cause inad -
equate braking and possible personal injury.
An electronically actuated trailer brake
controller is required when towing a trailer
with electronically actuated brakes. 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 1,000 lbs (453 kg) and required for
trailers in excess of 2,000 lbs (907 kg).
Vehicles with trailers should not be parked
on a grade. When parking, apply the
parking brake on the tow vehicle. Put the
tow vehicle transmission in PARK. For
four-wheel drive vehicles, make sure the
transfer case is not in NEUTRAL. Always,
block or "chock" the trailer wheels.
GCWR must not be exceeded.
Total weight must be distributed between
the tow vehicle and the trailer such that the
following four ratings are not exceeded :
GVWR
GTW
GAWR
Tongue weight rating for the trailer
hitch utilized.
WARNING! (Continued)
WARNING!
Do not connect trailer brakes to your
vehicle's hydraulic brake lines. It can over -
load your brake system and cause it to fail.
You might not have brakes when you need
them and could have an accident.
Towing any trailer will increase your stop -
ping distance. When towing, you should
allow for additional space between your
vehicle and the vehicle in front of you.
Failure to do so could result in an accident.

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STARTING AND OPERATING189
Towing Requirements — Trailer Lights And
Wiring
Whenever you pull a trailer, regardless of the
trailer size, stoplights and turn signals on the
trailer are required for motoring safety.
The Trailer Tow Package may include a four- and
seven-pin wiring harness. Use a factory
approved trailer harness and connector.
NOTE:
Do not cut or splice wiring into the vehicle’s
wiring harness.
The electrical connections are all complete to
the vehicle but you must mate the harness to a
trailer connector. Refer to the following
illustrations. NOTE:
Disconnect trailer wiring connector from the
vehicle before launching a boat (or any other
device plugged into vehicle’s electrical
connect) into water.
Be sure to reconnect once clear from water
area.

Four-Pin Connector Seven-Pin Connector

Towing Tips
Before setting out on a trip, practice turning,
stopping, and backing up the trailer in an area
located away from heavy traffic.
CAUTION!
If the trailer weighs more than 1,000 lbs
(453 kg) loaded, it should have its own
brakes and they should be of adequate
capacity. Failure to do this could lead to
accelerated brake lining wear, higher brake
pedal effort, and longer stopping distances.
1 — Female Pins
2 — Male Pin
3 — Ground
4 — Park
5 — Left Stop/Turn
6 — Right Stop/Turn
1 — Battery
2 — Backup Lamps
3 — Right Stop/Turn
4 — Electric Brakes
5 — Ground
6 — Left Stop/Turn
7 — Running Lamps
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250SERVICING AND MAINTENANCE
For further information on GAWRs, vehicle
loading, and trailer towing, refer to “Vehicle
Loading” in the “Starting And Operating”
section of this manual.
To determine the maximum loading conditions
of your vehicle, locate the statement “The
combined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs” on the
Tire and Loading Information placard. The
combined weight of occupants, cargo/luggage
and trailer tongue weight (if applicable) should
never exceed the weight referenced here.
Steps For Determining Correct Load
Limit—
(1) Locate the statement “The combined
weight of occupants and cargo should
never exceed XXX kg or XXX lbs.” on your
vehicle's placard.
(2) Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
(3) Subtract the combined weight of the
driver and passengers from XXX kg or
XXX lbs. (4) The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and luggage
load capacity. For example, if “XXX”
amount equals 1400 lbs. and there will
be five 150 lb passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo
and luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1400-750 (5x150) = 650 lbs.)
(5) Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on the
vehicle. That weight may not safely
exceed the available cargo and luggage
load capacity calculated in Step 4.
(6) If your vehicle will be towing a trailer,
load from your trailer will be transferred
to your vehicle. Consult this manual to
determine how this reduces the
available cargo and luggage load
capacity of your vehicle.
Metric Example For Load Limit
For example, if “XXX” amount equals 635 kg
and there will be five 68 kg passengers in your
vehicle, the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 295 kg (635-340
(5x68) = 295 kg) as shown in step 4.
NOTE:
If your vehicle will be towing a trailer, load
from your trailer will be transferred to your
vehicle. The following table shows examples
on how to calculate total load, cargo/
luggage, and towing capacities of your
vehicle with varying seating configurations
and number and size of occupants. This table
is for illustration purposes only and may not
be accurate for the seating and load carry
capacity of your vehicle.
For the following example, the combined
weight of occupants and cargo should never
exceed 865 lbs (392 kg).

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371
Fluid, Brake
................................................... 274Fluids And Lubricants.................................... 272Fog Lights........................................ 37, 39, 196Fog Lights, Service......................................... 196Fold In Floor (Stow ‘n Go) Seating.................... 21Fold-Flat Seats................................................. 20Freeing A Stuck Vehicle................................. 223Fuel............................................................... 267Adding....................................................... 181Additives................................................... 268Clean Air.................................................... 268Economy Mode.......................................... 167Ethanol...................................................... 268Gasoline.................................................... 267Materials Added........................................ 268Methanol................................................... 268Octane Rating................................. 267, 272Specifications............................................ 272Tank Capacity............................................ 271Fueling........................................................... 181Fuses................................................... 197, 198
G
Garage Door Opener (HomeLink).................... 63Gasoline, (Fuel)............................................. 267Gasoline, Clean Air........................................ 268Gasoline, Reformulated................................. 268Gear Ranges.................................................. 168
Gear Selector Override................................. 222Glass Cleaning.............................................. 265Gross Axle Weight Rating.............................. 183Gross Vehicle Weight Rating......................... 183GVWR............................................................ 182
H
Hands-Free Phone Uconnect
.................................................. 304HazardDriving Through Flowing, Rising,
Or Shallow Standing Water
....................... 192Hazard Warning Flashers.............................. 194Head Restraints............................................... 30Headlights....................................................... 37Automatic.................................................... 38Bulb Replacement.................................... 196Cleaning................................................... 263High Beam/Low Beam Select Switch... 37, 38Lights On Reminder.............................. 37, 39Passing................................................. 37, 38Replacing................................................. 196Switch.......................................................... 37Time Delay............................................ 37, 38Heated Mirrors.......................................... 34, 37Heater, Engine Block.................................... 163
High Beam/Low Beam Select
(Dimmer) Switch..............................................38Hill Start Assist.............................................. 108HitchesTrailer Towing........................................... 184HomeLink (Garage Door Opener).....................63Hood Prop........................................................61Hood Release...................................................61Hook, Coat.......................................................73
I
Ignition.............................................................11Switch..........................................................11Inside Rearview Mirror.....................................35Instrument Cluster...........................................82Descriptions....................................... 84, 100Display.........................................................85Display Controls...........................................85Menu Items.................................................87Instrument Panel Lens Cleaning................... 265Integrated Power Module (Fuses)................. 198Interior And Instrument Lights.........................39Interior Appearance Care.............................. 264Interior Lights...................................................39Intermittent Wipers (Delay Wipers)..................42InverterPower...........................................................77iPod/USB/MP3 Control................................. 340Bluetooth Streaming Audio.............. 343, 362
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375
Specifications Fuel (Gasoline)
.......................................... 272Oil.............................................................. 272Speed ControlAccel/Decel............................................... 175Cancel....................................................... 175Resume..................................................... 175Speed Control (Cruise Control)...................... 173Starting.......................................................... 162Button......................................................... 11Cold Weather............................................ 163Engine Fails To Start................................. 163Starting And Operating.................................. 162Starting Procedures....................................... 162SteeringPower.............................................. 172, 173Tilt Column.................................................. 33Wheel, Heated...................................... 33, 34Wheel, Tilt................................................... 33Steering Wheel Audio Controls...................... 340Steering Wheel Mounted Sound System
Controls......................................................... 340Storage............................................................ 68Storage Bin...................................................... 68Storage, Vehicle...................................... 57, 262Storing Your Vehicle...................................... 262Stow ‘n Go (Fold In Floor) Seats....................... 21Stuck, Freeing............................................... 223Sunglasses Storage......................................... 78Supplemental Restraint System – Air Bag..... 132
Sway Control, Trailer..................................... 109Synthetic Engine Oil...................................... 234
T
Telescoping Steering Column.......................... 33Tilt Steering Column........................................ 33Time DelayHeadlight..................................................... 37Tire And Loading Information Placard........... 249Tire Markings................................................ 245Tire Safety Information................................. 245Tire Service Kit.............................................. 212Tires...................................161, 252, 257, 261Aging (Life Of Tires).................................. 255Air Pressure.............................................. 252Chains...................................................... 260Changing......................................... 202, 244Compact Spare......................................... 257General Information........................ 252, 257High Speed............................................... 253Inflation Pressure..................................... 253Jacking................................... 202, 206, 244Life Of Tires.............................................. 255Load Capacity........................................... 249Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)..98, 115Quality Grading......................................... 261Radial....................................................... 254Replacement............................................ 255Rotation.................................................... 261Safety.............................................. 245, 252
Sizes......................................................... 246Snow Tires................................................ 257Spare Tires.............................205, 257, 258Spinning................................................... 254Trailer Towing........................................... 188Tread Wear Indicators.............................. 255Wheel Nut Torque..................................... 266To Open Hood..................................................61Tongue Weight/Trailer Weight...................... 186Torque Converter Clutch............................... 172Towing........................................................... 18324-Hour Towing Assistance...................... 312Disabled Vehicle....................................... 224Guide........................................................ 186Recreational............................................. 191Weight...................................................... 186Towing Assistance......................................... 312Towing Behind A Motorhome........................ 191Traction......................................................... 192Traction Control............................................ 109Trailer Sway Control (TSC)............................. 109Trailer Towing................................................ 183Cooling System Tips.................................. 190Hitches..................................................... 184Minimum Requirements........................... 187Tips........................................................... 189Trailer And Tongue Weight........................ 186Wiring....................................................... 189Trailer Towing Guide..................................... 186Trailer Weight................................................ 186
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