Trailer Towing Safety Precautions

The braking distance of a vehicle towing a trailer increases. Therefore, when driving with a trailer, maintain a greater following distance from the vehicle ahead. Avoid sudden braking and sharp steering. This may cause the trailer to sway or even cause the trailer to overturn.

Remember that the length of the trailer combination is considerably greater than the length of a single vehicle. When turning right, leave a much greater distance than usual between the edge of the road and the right-side wheels of the vehicle to prevent the trailer wheels from striking the curb. Note that when turning, the trailer travels on a smaller radius arc than the vehicle and may strike or collide with an obstacle that the vehicle passed freely. When overtaking another vehicle, do not hurry to return to your lane, as this may cause the overtaken vehicle to collide with the trailer.

Compared to a single vehicle, a trailer combination is more sensitive to crosswinds and aerodynamic disturbances from other vehicles. If a heavy truck or trailer combination overtakes you at high speed, try to maintain a straight and steady course. To reduce the aerodynamic disturbances acting on the trailer combination from a vehicle ahead, reduce speed to leave the turbulent airflow.

When towing a trailer, the load on all major components and systems of the vehicle increases. Therefore, if the vehicle is frequently used for towing a trailer, perform periodic maintenance in accordance with the schedule for severe operating conditions (refer to the Maintenance and Adjustments chapter).

The additional load on the vehicle increases even further when operating the trailer combination in hilly terrain. When climbing long grades, closely monitor the engine temperature using the temperature gauge on the instrument panel. When the gauge needle approaches the overheating zone, turn off the air conditioner (if equipped and switched on) and continue driving. If the engine coolant temperature does not decrease or continues to rise, stop on the shoulder of the road and allow the engine to cool. Note: The air conditioner should also be turned off during rapid acceleration on a downhill grade when driving in hilly or mountainous terrain. If the engine coolant temperature continuously rises when driving in second gear, reduce speed below 60 km/h.

When driving in hilly or mountainous terrain, the automatic transmission may cycle between third and fourth gears. In this case, shift to the "D3" range to prevent overheating and excessive wear of the AT friction elements. To avoid overheating the brakes when driving down long grades, use engine braking. For effective engine braking, select a lower range or one of the lower gears of the automatic transmission.

When stopping the trailer combination on a grade, do not hold it in place by pressing the accelerator pedal, as this may overheat the AT. Use the service brake or the parking brake.

When operating the automatic transmission in manual mode, use third, second and first gears, depending on vehicle speed and road conditions. When towing a trailer, do not select fourth gear. The Specifications section lists the recommended speed ranges for using the various transmission gears.

When parking the trailer combination for an extended period, especially on a downhill or uphill grade, take all precautions to securely hold the vehicle and trailer. Turn the front wheels of the vehicle so that if the combination rolls, they contact the curb. Fully apply the parking brake and move the selector lever to the "P" position. On models equipped with a manual transmission, engage first or reverse gear. Additionally, place wheel chocks under both trailer wheels.

Driving the trailer combination in reverse presents certain difficulties and requires special skill and practice from the driver. Reverse slowly and carefully, and do not turn the steering wheel excessively quickly. When maneuvering in reverse in confined spaces, it is helpful to have someone stand outside to monitor the trailer's movement and guide your actions. Keep in mind that when the steering wheel is turned clockwise (to the right), the trailer moves to the left, and vice versa. When maneuvering the trailer combination in reverse, it is recommended to hold the steering wheel rim from below (rather than from above, as is customary when driving forward). With this grip, the usual correspondence between the steering wheel direction and trailer movement is maintained: moving your hand to the left turns the trailer to the left, and vice versa.