NISSAN 2012 Sentra User Manual

Page 350

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WARNING

Never connect a trailer brake system di-
rectly to the vehicle brake system.

Pre-towing tips

● Be certain your vehicle maintains a level

position when a loaded and/or unloaded
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, ve-

hicle tire pressure, trailer light operation, and
trailer wheel lug nuts every time you attach a
trailer to the vehicle.

● Be certain your rearview mirrors conform 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 understanding 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 inadver-
tently becoming unlatched.

● Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.
● Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
● Always drive your vehicle at a moderate

speed.

● 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 selector 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 ab-
sorb the vehicle load.

4. Apply the parking brake.

5. Shift the transmission into P (Park).

6. Turn off the engine.

Technical and consumer information

9-21

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