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Turn Signals When Towing a Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle has
to
have extra wiring (included in
the optional trailering package). The green arrows
on
your instrument panel
will flash whenever
you
signal a turn or lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps will
also
flash,
telling 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 signal when they are not. It’s important
to
check occasionally
to
be sure the trailer bulbs are
still
working.
Driving On
Grades
Reduce speed and shift
to
a lower gear
before
you
start down a long or steep
downgrade. If
you
don’t shift down,
you
might have to use your brakes
so
much that
they
would get
hot
and
no
longer work well.
On
a
long uphill grade, shift down and reduce your speed
to
around
45
mph
(70
kdh) to reduce the possibility
of
engine and transmission overheating.
If
you
have an automatic transmission you should use DRIVE
(3)
(or, as
you
need
to,
a lower gear) when towing a trailer. Operating your vehicle
in
DRIVE
(3)
when towing a trailer
will
minimize heat build-up and extend
the life
of
your transmission.
If
you
have a manual transmission and
you
are towing
a
trailer, it’s better
not
to
use
FIFTH
(5)
gear. Just drive in FOURTH
(4)
gear (or, as
you
need
to,
a
lower gear).
When towing at high altitude
on
steep uphill grades, consider the following:
Engine coolant will boil at a lower temperature than at normal altitudes. If
you
turn your engine off immediately after towing at high altitude on steep
uphill grades, your vehicle may show signs similar
to
engine overheating.
To
avoid this, let the engine run while parked (preferably on
level
ground)
with the automatic transmission
in
PARK (P) (or the manual transmission
out
of
gear and the parking brake applied) for a few minutes before turning
the engine off.
If
you
do get the overheat warning, see “Engine
Overheating” in the Index.
Parking
on
Hills
You really should
not
park your vehicle, with a trailer attached,
on
a
hill.
If
something goes wrong, your rig could start to move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and
the
trailer can be damaged.
But
if
you ever have
to
park your rig
on
a
hill,
here’s how
to
do it:
1.
Apply your regular brakes, but don’t
shift
into
PARK (P) yet, or
in
gear
for a manual transmission.