towing NISSAN ALTIMA 2012 User Guide

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:

To drive away:1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle and trailer are clear from the blocks.
6. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
7. Have someone retrieve and store the blocks. ● While going downhill, the weight of the
trailer pushing on the tow vehicle may dete-
riorate overall handling characteristics.
Therefore, to maintain adequate control, re-
duce your speed and shift to a lower gear.
Avoid long or repeated use of the brakes
when descending a hill, as this reduces their
effectiveness and could cause overheating.
Shifting to a lower gear instead provides
“engine braking” and reduces the need to
brake as frequently.
● If the engine coolant temperature rises to a
high temperature, refer to “If your vehicle
overheats” in the “In case of emergency”
section of this owner’s manual.
● Trailer towing requires more fuel than normal
circumstances. ●
Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s first
500 miles (805 km) .
● For the first 500 miles (805 km) that you do
tow, do not drive over 50 MPH (80 km/h) .
● Have your vehicle serviced more often than
at intervals specified in the recommended
Maintenance Schedule in the “NISSAN Ser-
vice and Maintenance Guide”.
● When making a turn, your trailer wheels will
be closer to the inside of the turn than your
vehicle wheels. To compensate for this,
make a larger than normal turning radius
during the turn.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely
affect vehicle/trailer handling, possibly caus-
ing vehicle sway. When being passed by
larger vehicles, be prepared for possible
changes in crosswinds that could affect ve-
hicle handling.
Do the following if the trailer begins to sway: 1. Take your foot off the accelerator pedal to allow the vehicle to coast and steer as
straight ahead as the road conditions allow.
This combination will help stabilize the ve-
hicle
– Do not correct trailer sway by steering or applying the brakes. 2. When the trailer sway stops, gently apply the
brakes and pull to the side of the road in a
safe area.
3. Try to rearrange the trailer load so it is bal- anced as described earlier in this section.
● Be careful when passing other vehicles.
Passing while towing a trailer requires con-
siderably more distance than normal pass-
ing. Remember, the length of the trailer must
also pass the other vehicle before you can
safely change lanes.
● Use the Tow Mode or downshift the trans-
mission to a lower gear for engine braking
when driving down steep or long hills. This
will help slow the vehicle without applying
the brakes.
● Avoid holding the brake pedal down too long
or too frequently. This could cause the
brakes to overheat, resulting in reduced
braking efficiency.
● Increase your following distance to allow for
greater stopping distances while towing a
trailer. Anticipate stops and brake gradually.
● NISSAN recommends that the cruise con-
trol not be used while towing a trailer.
9-22Technical and consumer information

●Some states or provinces have specific
regulations and speed limits for vehicles that
are towing trailers. Obey the local speed
limits.
● Check your hitch, trailer wiring harness con-
nections, and trailer wheel lug nuts after 50
miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
● When launching a boat, don’t allow the wa-
ter level to go over the exhaust tail pipe or
rear bumper.
● Make sure you disconnect the trailer lights
before backing the trailer into the water or
the trailer lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, final drive gear oil
should be replaced and transmission
oil/fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see the
“Maintenance and do-it-yourself” section
earlier in this manual.
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.

Sunroof......................2-46
Sunroof (see Moonroof) .............2-46
Sun visors ....................3-28
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-56, 2-14
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-50
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .......1-56
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-41
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-41
Switch Autolight switch ...............2-31
Automatic power window switch ......2-45
Fog light switch ...............2-34
Hazard warning flasher switch .......2-34
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-29
Headlight control switch ..........2-31
Power door lock switch ............3-5
Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch .....................2-29
Turn signal switch ..............2-34
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch .....................2-36
Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-28
T
Tachometer ....................2-5
Temperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-5
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-27, 3-3, 5-10
Three-way catalyst ................5-2 Tire
Flat tire .....................6-2
Spare tire ................6-4, 8-49
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-11
Tire chains ..................8-46
Tire placard ..................9-11
Tire pressure .................8-38
Tire rotation ..................8-47
Types of tires .................8-45
Uniform tire quality grading .........9-24
Wheels and tires ...............8-38
Wheel/tire size .................9-8
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .......2-12
Tire

Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . .5-3
Towing Flat towing ..................9-23
Towing load/specification ..........9-19
Tow truck towing ...............6-11
Trailer towing .................9-16
Transceiver HomeLink Universal Transceiver ......2-51
Transmission Continuously Variable Transmission
(CVT) fluid ..................8-13
Driving with Continuously Variable
Transmission (CVT) .............5-12
Driving with manual transmission ......5-17
Shift selector lock release ..........5-16
Travel (See registering your vehicle in another
country) ......................9-9
Trip odometer ...................2-4
Trunk access through the rear seat .......1-8
Trunk lid lock opener lever ............3-23
Trunk light ....................2-50
Turn signal switch ................2-34 U
Uniform tire quality grading ...........9-24
USB interface Audio file operation ..........4-67, 4-69
Video file operation .............4-70
V
Vanity mirror ...................3-29
Variable voltage control system .........8-18
Vehicle dimensions and weights .........9-8
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off switch . . .2-36
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) system .....5-26
Vehicle identification ...............9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number) .................9-9
Vehicle identification number (VIN) plate . . . .9-9
Vehicle loading information ...........9-12
Vehicle recovery .................6-14
Vehicle security system .............2-26
Vehicle security system
(NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-27, 3-3, 5-10
Ventilators ....................4-18
Visors .......................3-28
V
oice recognition system ...........4-117
W
Warning Air bag warning light .........1-56, 2-14
Anti-lock brake warning light ........2-11
Battery charge warning light ........2-11
10-6