If You Do Decide To Pull A Trailer

If you do, here are some important points:

• There are many different laws, including speed limit restrictions, having to do with trailering.

Make sure your rig will be legal, not only where you live but also where you’ll be driving.

A good source for this information can be state or provincial police.
• Consider using a sway control. See “Hitches” later in this section.
• Don’t tow a trailer at all during the first 500 miles (800 km) your new vehicle is driven.

Your engine, axle or other parts could be damaged.
• Then, during the first 500 miles (800 km) that you tow a trailer, don’t drive over 50 mph (80 km/h) and don’t make starts at full throttle.

This helps your engine and other parts of your vehicle wear in at the heavier loads.
• You can tow in DRIVE (D). You may want to shift the transmission to THIRD (3) or, if necessary, a lower gear selection if the transmission shifts too often (e.g., under heavy loads and/or hilly conditions).

Three important considerations have to do with weight:

• the weight of the trailer,
• the weight of the trailer tongue
• and the weight on your vehicle’s tires.

    See also:

    Lower Anchors
    Lower Anchors Lower anchors (A) are metal bars built into the vehicle. There are two lower anchors for each LATCH seating position that will accommodate a child restraint with lower attac ...

    Driving on Snow or Ice
    Drive carefully when there is snow or ice between the tires and the road, creating less traction or grip. Wet ice can occur at about 0°C (32°F) when freezing rain begins to fall, resulting in ev ...

    Chemical Paint Spotting
    Airborne pollutants can fall upon and attack painted vehicle surfaces causing blotchy, ring-shaped discolorations, and small, irregular dark spots etched into the paint surface. ...