Driving Your Vehicle
6-68
Backing up
Hold the bottom of the steering wheel
with one hand. Then, to move the trailer
to the left, move your hand to the left. To
move the trailer to the right, move your
hand to the right. Always back up slowly
and, if possible, have someone guide
you.
Making turns
When you’re turning with a trailer, make
wider turns than normal. Do this so your
trailer won’t strike soft shoulders, curbs,
road signs, trees, or other objects. Avoid
jerky or sudden maneuvers. Signal well in
advance.
Turn signals
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to have a different turn signal flasher and
extra wiring. The green arrows on your
instrument panel will flash whenever you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly
connected, the trailer lights will also flash
to alert other drivers you’re about to turn,
change lanes, or stop.
When towing a trailer, the green arrows
on your instrument panel will flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. Thus, you may think
drivers behind you are seeing your
signals when, in fact, they are not. It’s
important to check frequently to be sure
the trailer bulbs are still working. You
must also check the lights every time
you disconnect and then reconnect the
wires.
WARNING
Do not connect a trailer lighting system
directly to your vehicle’s lighting
system. Use an approved trailer wiring
harness. Failure to do so could result in
damage to the vehicle electrical system
and/or personal injury. Consult an
authorized retailer of Genesis Branded
products for assistance.
Driving on hills
Reduce speed and shift to a lower gear
before you start down a long or steep
downgrade. If you don’t shift to a lower
gear, you may have to use your brakes
excessively and they would overheat and
may not operate efficiently.
On a long uphill grade, shift to a lower
gear and reduce your speed to around
45 mph (70 km/h) to reduce the possibility of engine and transmission
overheating.
If your trailer weighs more than the
maximum trailer weight without trailer
brakes and you have an automatic
transmission, you should drive in D
(Drive) when towing a trailer.
Operating your vehicle in D (Drive)
when towing a trailer will minimize heat
build-up and extend the life of your
transmission.
06
6-69
NOTICE
To prevent engine and/or transmission
overheating:
• When towing a trailer on steep
grades (in excess of 6%) pay close
attention to the engine coolant
temperature gauge to ensure the
engine does not overheat. If the
needle of the coolant temperature
gauge moves towards “H” (HOT),
pull over and stop as soon as it is
safe to do so, and allow the engine
to idle until it cools down. You may
proceed once the engine has cooled
sufficiently.
• When towing a trailer, your vehicle
speed may be much slower than the
general flow of traffic, especially
when climbing an uphill grade. Use
the right hand lane when towing a
trailer on an uphill grade. Choose
your vehicle speed according to the
maximum posted speed limit for
vehicles with trailers, the steepness
of the grade, and your trailer weight.
Parking on hills
Generally, if you have a trailer attached
to your vehicle, you should not park your
vehicle on a hill.
However, if you ever have to park your
trailer on a hill, here’s how to do it:
1. Pull the vehicle into the parking space.
Turn the steering wheel in the
direction of the curb (right if headed
down hill, left if headed up hill).
2. Shift the gear to P (Park).
3. Set the parking brake and shut off the
vehicle.
4. Place wheel chocks under the trailer
wheels on the down hill side of the
wheels.
5. Start the vehicle, hold the brakes, shift
to neutral, release the parking brake
and slowly release the brakes until the
trailer chocks absorb the load.
6. Reapply the brakes and parking
brakes.
7. Shift the gear to P (Park) when the
vehicle is parked on a uphill grade and
in R (Reverse) on a downhill.
8. Shut off the vehicle and release the
vehicle brakes but leave the parking
brake set.
WARNING
To prevent serious or fatal injury:
• Do not get out of the vehicle without
the parking brake firmly set. If you
have left the engine running, the
vehicle can move suddenly. You and
others could be seriously or fatally
injured.
• Do not apply the accelerator pedal to
hold the vehicle on an uphill.
Driving Your Vehicle
6-70
Driving the vehicle after it has been
parked on a hill
1. With the gear in P (Park), apply your
brakes and hold the brake pedal down
while you:
• Start your engine;
• Shift into gear; and
• Release the parking brake.
2. Slowly remove your foot from the
brake pedal.
3. Drive slowly until the trailer is clear of
the chocks.
4. Stop and have someone pick up and
store the chocks.
Maintenance When Towing a
Trailer
Your vehicle will need service more
often when you regularly pull a trailer.
Important items to pay particular
attention to include engine oil,
transmission fluid, axle lubricant and
cooling system fluid. Brake condition
is another important item to frequently
check. If you’re trailering, it’s a good
idea to review these items before
you start your trip. Don’t forget to
also maintain your trailer and hitch.
Follow the maintenance schedule that
accompanied your trailer and check it
periodically. Preferably, conduct the
check at the start of each day’s driving.
Most importantly, all hitch nuts and bolts
should be tight.
NOTICE
To prevent vehicle damage:
• Due to higher load during trailer
usage, overheating might occur on
hot days or during uphill driving.
If the coolant gauge indicates
over-heating, switch off the air
conditioner and stop the vehicle in a
safe area to cool down the engine.
• Do not switch off the engine while
the coolant gauge indicates over-
heating.
(Keep the engine idle to cool down
the engine)
• When towing check transmission
fluid more frequently.
Emergency Situations8-6
If your temperature gauge indicates
overheating, you experience a loss of
power, or hear loud pinging or knocking,
the engine may be overheating. If this
happens, you should:
1. Pull off the road and stop as soon as it
is safe to do so.
2. Shift the gear to P (Park) and set the
parking brake. If the air conditioning is
ON, turn it OFF.
3. If engine coolant is running out under
the vehicle or steam is coming out from
the hood, stop the engine. Do not open
the hood until the coolant has stopped
running or the steaming has stopped. If
there is no visible loss of engine coolant
and no steam, leave the engine running
and check to be sure the engine cooling
fan is operating. If the fan is not running,
turn the engine off.
WARNING
While the engine is running, keep hands, clothing and tools
away from the moving parts
such as the cooling fan and
drive belt to prevent serious
injury.
4. Check for coolant leaking from the
radiator, hoses or under the vehicle. (If
the air conditioning had been in use, it
is normal for cold water to be draining
from it when you stop.)
5. If engine coolant is leaking out, stop
the engine immediately and call the
nearest authorized retailer of Genesis
Branded products for assistance.
IF THE ENGINE OVERHEATS
Disconnect the jumper cables in the
exact reverse order you connected them:
1. Disconnect the jumper cable from the
black, negative (-) chassis ground of
your vehicle (4).
2. Disconnect the other end of the
jumper cable from the black, negative
(-) battery/chassis ground of the
assisting vehicle (3).
3. Disconnect the second jumper cable
from the red, positive (+) battery/
jumper terminal of the assisting
vehicle (2).
4. Disconnect the other end of the
jumper cable from the red, positive (+)
jumper terminal of your vehicle (1).
Information
An inappropriately disposed battery can be harmful to
the environment and human
health. Dispose of the battery
according to your local law(s) or
regulations.
NOTICE
To prevent damage to your vehicle:
• Only use a 12-volt power supply
(battery or jumper system) to jump
start your vehicle.
• Do not attempt to jump start your
vehicle by push-starting.
08
8 -7
WARNING
Never remove the engine coolant cap and/or water-
cooled intercooler coolant
cap or the drain plug while the
engine and radiator are hot.
Hot coolant and steam may blow out
under pressure, causing serious injury.
Turn the engine off and wait until the
engine cools down. Use extreme care
when removing the coolant cap. Wrap
a thick towel around it, and turn it
counterclockwise slowly to the first
stop. Step back while the pressure is
released from the cooling system. When
you are sure all the pressure has been
released, press down on the cap, using
a thick towel, and continue turning
counterclockwise to remove it.
6. If you cannot find the cause of the
overheating, wait until the engine
temperature has returned to normal.
Then, if coolant has been lost,
carefully add coolant to the reservoir
to bring the fluid level in the reservoir
up to the halfway mark.
7. Proceed with caution, keeping alert
for further signs of overheating. If
overheating happens again, call an
authorized retailer of Genesis Branded
products for assistance.
CAUTION
• Serious loss of coolant indicates a
leak in the cooling system and should
be checked as soon as possible by
an authorized retailer of Genesis
Branded products.
• When the engine overheats from
low engine coolant, suddenly
adding engine coolant may cause
cracks in the engine. To prevent
damage, add engine coolant slowly
in small quantities. It may require
several refilling cycles to properly
fill the engine cooling system. If
necessary, an authorized retailer of
Genesis Branded products should be
consulted to perform this task.