Saturn 2009 VUE Hybrid User Manual

Page 218

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Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer

The arrows on the instrument panel
flash whenever signaling a turn
or lane change. Properly hooked up,
the trailer lamps also flash, telling
other drivers the vehicle is turning,
changing lanes or stopping.

When towing a trailer, the arrows on
the instrument panel flash for
turns even if the bulbs on the trailer
are burned out. For this reason
you may think other drivers
are seeing the signal when they are
not. It is important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.

Driving on Grades

Notice: Do not tow on steep
continuous grades exceeding 6
miles (9.6 km). Extended,
higher than normal engine and
transmission temperatures
may result and damage the
vehicle. Frequent stops are very
important to allow the engine
and transmission to cool.

Vehicles can tow in D (Drive). Shift
the transmission to a lower gear
if the transmission shifts too
often under heavy loads and/or hilly
conditions. Reduce speed and
shift to a lower gear before starting
down a long or steep downgrade.
If the transmission is not shifted
down, the brakes might have to be
used so much that they would
get hot and no longer work well.

On a long uphill grade, shift down
and reduce the vehicle’s speed
to around 45 mph (70 km/h)
to reduce the possibility of the
engine and the transmission
overheating.

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 the engine is
turned off immediately after towing
at high altitude on steep uphill
grades, the 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 P (Park) for a few
minutes before turning the
engine off. If the overheat warning
comes on, see Engine Overheating
on page 5-23.

4-32

Driving Your Vehicle

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