10-32Technical and consumer information
Pre-towing tips
.Be certain your vehicle maintains a
level position when a loaded or un-
loaded 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 op-
eration, 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
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 understand-
ing 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 perfor-
mance 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
inadvertently becoming unlatched.
. Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
. Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
. Always drive your vehicle at a moder-
ate 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 Transmis-
sion (AT) park warning light is turned
off.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
