Towing a Trailer
Towing Safety
Your car will not stop as quickly with
a trailer in tow. Leave extra distance
between your car and other vehicles.
Avoid braking or turning suddenly.
This could cause the trailer to
jackknife or possibly turn over.
Keep in mind that your total vehicle
is now much longer. Leave more
room when making turns. The trailer
tracks a smaller arc than the car and
can hit or run over something that
the car misses. When passing
another vehicle, make sure the
trailer is clear before changing lanes.
The car/trailer combination is more
affected by crosswinds and buffeting.
When being passed by a large
vehicle, keep a constant speed and
steer straight ahead. If there is too
much wind buffeting, slow down to
get out of the other vehicle's air
turbulence.
Towing a trailer puts an extra load
on your car. You should have your
car serviced according to the
"Maintenance Schedule under
severe driving conditions" on page
143
.
This extra load is magnified when
you are driving in hilly terrain.
Watch the temperature gauge
closely when climbing hills. If it gets
near the hot area, turn off the air
conditioning (if it is on). If this does
not reduce the heat, it may be
necessary to pull to the side of the
road and wait for the engine to cool.
If the automatic transmission shifts
frequently between 3rd and 4th
gears, put it in D
3
.
This will help
prevent the transmission from
overheating. Help keep the brakes
from overheating by shifting to a
lower gear when going downhill.
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