• Determine the overall height of the vehicleand 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 some-
what different than under normal driving
conditions.
• Always secure items in the trailer to preventload 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. 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 position to the P
(Park) position before blocking the wheels
and applying the parking brake, transmis-
sion damage could occur.
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
2. Have someone place blocks on the down- hill 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. 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
frequently.
• If the engine coolant temperature rises to a high temperature, see “If your vehicle over-
heats” (P. 6-7).
• Trailer towing requires more fuel than nor- mal 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).
10-30Technical and consumer information
• Have your vehicle serviced more often thanat intervals specified in the recommended
maintenance schedule in “Maintenance and
schedules” (P. 9-2).
• 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
causing 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 al-
low. This combination 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 balanced as described 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.
• 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 tow-
ing a trailer. Anticipate stops and brake
gradually.
• INFINITI 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 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 frequently. For
additional information, see“ Do-it-yourself”
(P. 8-2).
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 vehicle, such
as a motor home.
CAUTION
• Failure to follow these guidelines can re-
sult in severe transmission damage.
•
Never flat tow your All-wheel drive (AWD)
vehicle.
Technical and consumer information10-31
•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 see
“Towing recommended by INFINITI”
(P. 6-8).
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 vehicle, such
as a motor home.
CAUTION
• Failure to follow these guidelines can re-
sult in severe transmission damage.
• Whenever flat towing your vehicle, al-
ways tow forward, never backward.
• Never tow your front wheel drive vehicle
with the front tires on the ground. Doing
so may cause serious and expensive dam-
age to the powertrain. •
DO NOT tow your front wheel drive con-
tinuously variable transmission vehicle
with all four wheels on the ground (flat
towing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE inter-
nal transmission parts due to lack of
transmission lubrication.
• For emergency towing procedures see
“Towing recommended by INFINITI”
(P. 6-8).
Continuously Variable Transmission
To tow a vehicle equipped with a continu-
ously variable transmission, an appropriate
vehicle dolly MUSTbe placed under the
towed vehicle's drive wheels. Alwaysfollow
the dolly manufacturer's recommendations
when using their product.
NOTE:
It the battery is completely drained the
transmission will not manually shift to other
positions. DOT (Department of Transportation) Quality
Grades: All passenger car tires must conform
to federal safety requirements in addition to
these grades.
Quality grades can be found where appli-
cable on the tire sidewall between tread
shoulder and maximum section width. For
example:
Treadwear 200 Traction AA Temperature A
Treadwear
The treadwear grade is a comparative rating
based on the wear rate of the tire when
tested under controlled conditions on a
specified government test course. For ex-
ample, a tire graded 150 would wear one and
one-half (1 1/2) times as well on the govern-
ment course as a tire graded 100. The rela-
tive performance of tires depends upon the
actual conditions of their use, however, and
may depart significantly from the norm due
to variations in driving habits, service prac-
tices and differences in road characteristics
and climate.
UNIFORM TIRE QUALITY GRADING
10-32Technical and consumer information
Types of tires...................8-35
Uniform tire quality grading ........10-32
Wheel/tire size .................10-10
Wheels and tires .................8-27
Top tether strap child restraint .........1-26
Towing a trailer ..................10-22
Towing .........................6-10
2-wheel drive models .............6-10
All-wheel drive models .............6-9
Flattowing..............10-31,10-32
Towtrucktowing.................6-8
Towing load/specification .........10-26
Trailertowing..................10-22
Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR) .........5-32
Transceiver ......................2-80 HomeLink® Universal
Transceiver ......2-80,2-82,2-83,2-84
Transmission .....................8-10
Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
fluid..........................8-10
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) ...............5-18
Travel (See registering a vehicle in another
country) ........................10-11
Trip odometer ......................2-5
Turn signal switch ..................2-46
U
Uniform tire quality grading ..........10-32
USB/iPod® Charging Ports ...........2-55
V
Vanity mirror.....................3-33
Variablevoltagecontrolsystem........8-14
Vehicle dimensions and weights .......10-10
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC) system. .5-142
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number) ..................10-11
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
plate...........................10-11
Vehicle identification number (VIN) .....10-11
Vehicle identification ...............10-11
Vehicle immobilizer system ............5-16
Vehicle information display ...........2-19
Vehicle loading information ..........10-17
Vehicle recovery ...................6-11
Vehicle security system ..............2-33
(INFINITI vehicle immobilizer system),
engine start ............2-34,3-4,5-16
Vents ...........................4-34
Visors ..........................3-32
W
Warning lights, indicator lights and audible
reminders .........................2-9
Warninglights .....................2-9
Warning systems switch .............2-51
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders .........................2-9
Audible reminders ............2-9,2-10
Indicatorlights...............2-9,2-10
Warninglights...............2-9,2-10 Warning.........................1-62
Airbagwarninglight .........1-62,2-13
Anti-lock brake warning light . . .2-10, 2-13
Battery charge warning light ........2-11
Brakewarninglight...............2-10
Engine oil pressure warning light .....2-12
Hazard warning flasher switch ........6-2
Loose fuel cap warning ............2-26
Lowfuelwarninglight....2-12,2-16,2-26
Low tire pressure warning light ......2-14
Low windshield-washer fluid warning
light.......................... 2-26
Seat belt warning light ........1-15, 2-12
Supplemental air bag warning
light......................1-62, 2-13
Vehicle security system ............2-33
Warning labels (for SRS) ...........1-61
Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders .................. 2-9, 2-10
Washer switch .................... 2-38
Rear window wiper and washer
switches.......................2-38
Weights (See dimensions and weights). .10-10
Wheel/tire size ...................10-10
Wheels and tires ...................8-27
When traveling or registering in another
country.........................10-11
Windows ........................ 2-72
Locking passengers' windows .......2-73
Power rear windows ..............2-74
Power windows .................2-72
Rear power windows .............2-74
Windshield wiper blades .............8-17
Windshield-washerfluid .............8-11
11-7