trailer NISSAN ARMADA 2023 Service Manual

WAJ0208X
This graphic shows the suggested
boost levels for different trailer sizes
relative to the vehicle size.
WARNING
Do not exceed Gross Combined
Weight Rating (GVWR). See “Towing
load/specification” (P.10-23).
Technical and consumer information10-31

10-32Technical and consumer information
Pre-towing tips
.Be certain your vehicle maintains a
level position when a loaded or un-
loaded 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,
vehicle tire pressure, trailer light op-
eration, and trailer wheel lug nuts
every time you attach a trailer to the
vehicle.
. Be certain your rearview mirrors con-
form 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 understand-
ing 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
inadvertently becoming unlatched.
. Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or
stops.
. Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.
. Always drive your vehicle at a moder-
ate speed. Some states or provinces
have specific speed limits for vehicles
that are towing trailers. Obey the local
speed limits.
. 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 lever 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 absorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Shift the transmission into P (Park).
6. Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Make sure that the 4WD shift switch is
engaged in the AUTO, 4HI or 4LO
position and the Automatic Transmis-
sion (AT) park warning light is turned
off.
7. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Apply and hold the brake pedal.

2. Start the engine.
3. Shift the transmission into gear.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Drive slowly until the vehicle andtrailer 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
decrease overall stability. Therefore, to
maintain adequate control, reduce
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, see “If
your vehicle overheats” (P.6-14).
. Trailer towing requires more fuel than
normal circumstances.
. Avoid towing a trailer for your vehicle’s
first 500 miles (800 km).
. Have your vehicle serviced more often
than at intervals specified in the
recommended maintenance schedule
shown in the "9. Maintenance and schedules" section.
. 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 ad-
versely affect vehicle/trailer handling,
possibly causing vehicle sway. When
being passed by larger vehicles, be
prepared for possible changes in
crosswinds that could affect vehicle
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 combina-
tion will help stabilize the vehicle.
.Do not correct trailer sway bysteering 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 balanced as described earlier in this
section.
. Be careful when passing other vehi-
cles. Passing while towing a trailer requires considerably more distance
than normal passing. 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
transmission to a lower gear for en-
gine 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, result-
ing 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
control not be used while towing a
trailer.
. While towing a trailer, do not use the
following systems (if so equipped):
— the Lane Departure Warning (LDW)
system
(See “How to enable/disable the
LDW system” (P.5-28).)
— the Intelligent Lane Intervention (I- LI) system
(See “How to enable/disable the I-LI
system” (P.5-34).)
Technical and consumer information10-33

10-34Technical and consumer information
— the Blind Spot Warning (BSW) sys-tem
(See “How to enable/disable the I-
BSI system” (P.5-48).)
— the Intelligent Blind Spot Interven- tion (I-BSI) system
(See “How to enable/disable the I-
BSI system” (P.5-48).)
— the Intelligent Back-up Intervention (I-BI) system
(See “I-BI system operation” (P.5-
65).)
— the Intelligent Cruise Control (ICC) system
(See “Intelligent Cruise Control
(ICC)” (P.5-74).)
— the Rear Automatic Braking (RAB) system
(See “RAB system operation” (P.5-
118).)
— the Rear Cross Traffic Alert (RCTA) system
(See “How to enable/disable the
RCTA system” (P.5-59).)
. Some states or provinces have speci-
fic regulations and speed limits for
vehicles that are towing trailers. Obey
the local speed limits.
. Check your hitch, trailer wiring har-
ness connections, and trailer wheel
lug nuts after 50 miles (80 km) of travel and at every break.
. When launching a boat, do not allow
the water level to go over the exhaust
tail pipe or rear bumper.
. Make sure you disconnect the trailer
lights (if so equipped) before backing
the trailer into the water or the trailer
lights may burn out.
When towing a trailer, the transmission
fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information,
see the "9. Maintenance and schedules"
section.
TOW mode
Using TOW mode is recommended when
pulling a heavy trailer or hauling a heavy
load. Push the TOW MODE switch to
activate tow mode. The TOW MODE
indicator light in the meter illuminates
when TOW mode is selected. Push the
TOW MODE switch again to turn TOW
mode off. TOW mode is automatically
cancelled when the ignition switch is
placed in the OFF position.
TOW mode includes the following fea-
tures:
. Grade logic — Adjusts transmission
shifts when pulling a trailer or hauling
a load up a grade. .
Downhill Speed Control (DSC) — auto-
matically downshifts when driving
down a grade with a trailer or heavy
load to help control vehicle speed.
Driving the vehicle in the TOW mode with
no trailer/load or light trailer/light load
will not cause any damage. However, fuel
economy may be reduced and the trans-
mission/engine driving characteristics
may feel unusual.
When towing a trailer, the transmission
fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information,
see the "9. Maintenance and schedules"
section.Trailer Sway Control
To minimize trailer sway, your vehicle may
apply braking to individual wheels based
on input from your vehicle sensors and
vehicle speed. Trailer Sway Control is a
function of the Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system and is active when the VDC
function is enabled.
CAUTION
If the VDC OFF switch is on (meaning
VDC system OFF), the Trailer Sway
Control is also disabled.

When Trailer Sway Control is in operation,
the VDC warning light blinks. When vehi-
cle control is regained, VDC warning light
will turn OFF.
For additional information about the VDC
system, see “Vehicle Dynamic Control
(VDC) system” (P.5-144).
If Trailer Sway Control activates:
1. Take your foot off the acceleratorpedal to allow the vehicle to coast
and steer as straight ahead as the
road conditions allow. This combina-
tion will help stabilize the vehicle.
CAUTION
Do not try to 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 balanced.
NOTE:
Trailer Sway Control cannot reduce
trailer sway in all situations.
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 recrea-
tional vehicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
. Failure to follow these guidelines
can result in severe transmission
damage.
. Whenever flat towing your vehi-
cle, always tow forward, never
backward.
. DO NOT tow any automatic trans-
mission vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground (flat tow-
ing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE inter-
nal transmission parts due to lack
of transmission lubrication.
. DO NOT tow a Four-Wheel Drive
(4WD) vehicle with any of the
wheels on the ground. Doing so
may cause serious and expensive
damage to the powertrain.
. For emergency towing proce-
dures refer to “Towing recom-
mended by NISSAN” (P.6-17).
Automatic Transmission
Four-Wheel Drive (4WD) models:
Do not tow a 4WD vehicle with any of the
wheels on the ground.
Two-Wheel Drive (2WD) models:
To tow a vehicle equipped with an auto-
matic transmission, an appropriate vehi-
cle dolly MUSTbe placed under the towed
vehicle’s drive wheels. Alwaysfollow the
dolly manufacturer’s recommendations
when using their product.
Technical and consumer information10-35

11-6
Precautions when starting
and driving.................................................................... 5-4
Push starting............................................................ 6-14
Starting the engine............................................. 5-16
Status light, Front passenger air bag ......... 1-63
Steering Heated steering wheel ..................................... 2-54
Power steering ................................................... 5-141
Power steering fluid .............................................. 8-8
Tilt/telescopic steering .................................... 3-29
Storage ........................................................................\
........ 2-69
Sun visors ........................................................................\
.. 3-29
Sunglasses holder....................................................... 2-71
Supplemental air bag warning labels ......... 1-73
Supplemental air bag
warning light .................................................... 1-74, 2-14
Supplemental restraint system........................ 1-54 Precautions on supplemental
restraint system .................................................... 1-54
Switch Autolight switch .................................................... 2-48
Emergency Call (SOS) button ..................... 2-67
Fog light switch ..................................................... 2-54
Hazard warning flasher switch .................... 6-2
Headlight switch ................................................... 2-47
Ignition switch ........................................................ 5-18
Intelligent Auto Headlight switch ............ 2-47
Power door lock switch ..................................... 3-5
SNOW mode switch ............................................ 2-59
Turn signal switch ............................................... 2-53
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
OFF switch ................................................................. 2-60
T
Tachometer........................................................................\
.. 2-8 Temperature gauge, Engine coolant
temperature gauge ....................................................... 2-8
Theft (NISSAN Vehicle Immobilizer
System), Engine start ............................................... 2-41
Three-way catalyst......................................................... 5-4
Tilt/telescopic steering ........................................... 3-29
Tire
Pressure, Low tire pressure
warning light ............................................................ 2-16
Tires Flat tire........................................................................\
..... 6-3
Tire and Loading
information label................................ 8-30, 10-13
Tire chains.................................................................. 8-35
Tire dressing................................................................ 7-4
Tire pressure ............................................................ 8-28
Tire Pressure Monitoring
System (TPMS) ................................................ 5-5, 6-3
Tire rotation.............................................................. 8-36
Types of tires ........................................................... 8-34
Uniform tire quality grading .................... 10-36
Wheel/tire size ........................................................ 10-9
Wheels and tires .................................................... 8-28
Top Tether strap child restraints........................ 1-37
TOW mode ..................................................................... 5-134
TOW mode switch....................................................... 2-59
Towing Flat towing............................................................. 10-35
Tow truck towing................................................. 6-16
Towing a trailer.................................................. 10-19
Towing safety...................................................... 10-24
TPMS, Tire Pressure
Monitoring System ............................................. 5-5, 6-3 TPMS with Easy Fill Tire Alert......................... 5-8
Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)........................... 5-23
Trailer Brake Controller Unit (TBCU) ............ 2-60 Trailer towing .............................................................. 10-19
Transceiver
HomeLink®
Universal Transceiver ......................... 2-83, 2-87
Transmission Automatic Transmission Fluid (ATF) ........ 8-8
Driving with
automatic transmission .................................. 5-18
Transmission shift lever lock release ..... 5-22
Transmitter (See remote keyless
entry system) .................................................................. 3-15
Traveling or registering your vehicle in
another country ........................................................ 10-11
Trip computer ................................................................ 2-37
Trip odometer ................................................................ 2-37
Turn signal switch ...................................................... 2-53
U
Underbody cleaning ...................................................... 7-3
Uniform tire quality grading ............................ 10-36
USB (Universal Serial Bus)
charging connector................................................... 2-64
V
Vanity mirror ................................................................... 3-40
Vanity mirror lights .................................................... 2-83
Variable voltage control system ..................... 8-13
Vehicle Dimensions ............................................................ 10-10
Identification number (VIN)....................... 10-11
Loading information ...................................... 10-15
Recovery (freeing a stuck vehicle) .......... 6-19
Security system...................................................... 2-39
Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
OFF switch ................................................................. 2-60