trailer NISSAN PATHFINDER 2022 Owner´s Manual

equipped with a 7-pin trailer harness con-
nector. If your trailer is equipped with a flat
4-pin connector, an adapter will be needed
to connect the trailer lights to the vehicle.
Adapters are available at auto parts stores
and hitch retailers.
Trailer brakes
When towing a trailer load of 3,500 lbs.
(1,587 kg) or more, trailers with a brake
system MUST be used.However, most
states require a separate braking system
on trailers with a loaded weight above a
specific amount. Make sure the trailer
meets the local regulations and the regu-
lations where you plan to tow.
Several types of braking systems are
available.
Surge Brakes - The surge brake actuator is
mounted on the trailer tongue with a hy-
draulic line running to each trailer wheel.
Surge brakes are activated by the trailer
pushing against the hitch ball when the
tow vehicle is braking. Hydraulic surge
brakes are common on rental trailers and
some boat trailers. In this type of system,
there is no hydraulic or electric connection
for brake operation between the tow ve-
hicle and the trailer. Electric Trailer Brakes -
Electric braking
systems are activated by an electronic sig-
nal sent from a trailer brake controller (spe-
cial brake-sensing module). For additional
information, see “Electric trailer brake con-
troller” (P. 10-27).
Have a professional supplier of towing
equipment make sure the trailer brakes are
properly installed and demonstrate proper
brake function testing.
WARNING
Never connect a trailer brake system
directly to the vehicle brake system.
Electric trailer brake controller
(if so equipped)
Trailers equipped with electric brakes may
require the installation of an af termarket
trailer brake controller.
Your vehicle may be equipped with a con-
nector and jumper harness that is specifi-
cally designed to be used when installing
an af termarket brake controller.
To install the electric trailer brake controller
jumper harness, perform the following
procedure:
1. Open the driver door. Move the seat to the rearmost position.
LTI0117
Jumper Harness
Technical and consumer information10-27

2. Locate the jumper harness connectorunder the lower portion of the instru-
ment panel. The connector is taped to
the wiring harness
O1as indicated.
• The connector is marked with a white tag with “elec brake conn”.
If you have trouble locating the wiring har-
ness, it is recommended that you visit a
NISSAN dealer for assistance.
Wire color designation for electric trailer
brake controller jumper harness.
WIRE COLOR NOTE
WHITE Vehicle stop lamp
switch to trailer brake
controller.
BLACK Brake controller ground
(-).
WHITE Trailer brake controller
switched output.
RED/BLUE Not used
GREEN Fused trailer brake con-
troller battery feed (B+).
3. Peel off the tape and connect the jumper harness to the connector.
4. Release the parking brake.
5. Install the af termarket electric trailer brake controller according to the manu-
facturer's instructions.
Pre-towing tips
• Be certain your vehicle maintains a levelposition 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 pre- vent load shif t while driving.
LTI2555
Connector Location
LTI2046
Connector
10-28Technical and consumer information

• Keep the cargo load as low as possible inthe 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 ve- hicle 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 prac-
tice turning, stopping and backing up in an
area which is free from traffic. Steering sta-
bility and braking performance will be
somewhat different than under normal
driving conditions.
• Always secure items in the trailer to pre-vent load shif t 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 back-
ing 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 push the park button to engage
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. Af ter the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the
blocks absorb the vehicle load.
4. Apply the parking brake.
5. Push the park button to engage the P (Park) position.
6. Turn off the engine.
To drive away:
1. Start the vehicle.
2. Apply and hold the brake pedal.
3. Shif t 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.
Technical and consumer information10-29

• While going downhill, the weight of thetrailer pushing on the tow vehicle may
decrease overall stability. Therefore, to
maintain adequate control, reduce your
speed and shif t to a lower gear. Avoid
long or repeated use of the brakes when
descending a hill, as this reduces their
effectiveness and could cause overheat-
ing. Shif ting to a lower gear instead pro-
vides “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. 6-13).
• 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 of ten than at intervals specified in the recom-
mended maintenance schedule in the
“Maintenance and schedules” section of
this manual. • 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 be-
ing passed by larger vehicles, be pre-
pared 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 combination will help stabilize
the vehicle.
– 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 balanced. For additional information,
see “Pre-towing tips” (P. 10-28). • Be careful when passing other vehicles.
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.
• Downshif t the transmission 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 re-
duced braking efficiency.
• Increase your following distance to allow for greater stopping distances while tow-
ing a trailer. Anticipate stops and brake
gradually.
• NISSAN recommends that the cruise control not be used while towing a trailer.
• 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 connections, and trailer wheel lug nuts
af ter 50 miles (80 km) of travel and at
every break.
10-30Technical and consumer information

• When launching a boat, don't allow thewater 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, differential gear
oil, transfer fluid and transmission oil/
fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see
the “Maintenance and schedules” sec-
tion of this manual.
Tow mode
Using tow mode is recommended when
pulling a heavy trailer or hauling a heavy
load. Push or turn the Drive Mode Selector
switch to activate tow mode. Push or turn
the Drive Mode Selector switch again to
turn tow mode off. Tow mode is automati-
cally canceled when the ignition switch is
turned off.
Tow mode disables the Idling Stop System.
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
transmission/engine driving characteris-
tics may feel unusual. When towing a trailer, differential gear
oil, transfer fluid and transmission oil/
fluid should be changed more fre-
quently. For additional information, see
the “Maintenance and schedules” sec-
tion of this manual.
FLAT TOWING FOR 4–WHEEL DRIVE
VEHICLE (if so equipped)
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 ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
• Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission
damage.
• Never flat tow your 4-wheel drive
(4WD) vehicle.
• DO NOT tow your 4-wheel drive (4WD)
vehicle with any wheels on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious
and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
• For emergency towing procedures,
see “Towing recommended by
NISSAN” (P. 6-15).
FLAT TOWING FOR FRONT WHEEL
DRIVE VEHICLE (if so equipped)
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 ve-
hicle, such as a motor home.
CAUTION
• Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission
damage.
• Whenever flat towing your vehicle,
always tow forward, never backward.
• Never tow your front wheel drive ve-
hicle with the front tires on the
ground. Doing so may cause serious
and expensive damage to the
powertrain.
• DO NOT tow your front wheel drive
automatic transmission vehicle with
all four wheels on the ground (flat
towing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE inter-
nal transmission parts due to lack of
transmission lubrication.
• For emergency towing procedures,
see “Towing recommended by
NISSAN” (P. 6-15).
Technical and consumer information10-31

Three-way catalyst...............5-4TireFlat tire................. .6-3, 6-4Spare tire................6-5, 8-41Tire and Loading Information label. .10-13Tire chains..................8-37Tire pressure................8-29Tire rotation.................8-38Tires of 4-wheel drive...........8-41Types of tires................8-36Uniform tire quality grading......10-32Wheel/tire size...............10-10Wheels and tires..........8-29,10-10Tire pressure
Low tire pressure warning light.....2-18Tire Pressure Monitoring System
(TPMS)...................... .5-5Top tether strap child restraint.......1-41Towing
2-wheel drive models...........6-164-wheel drive models...........6-15Flat towing................ .10-31Tow truck towing..............6-14Towing load/specification.......10-23Trailer towing...............10-20Towing a trailer................10-20Traffic Sign Recognition (TSR)........5-32Transceiver
HomeLink® Universal
Transceiver
.....2- 118, 2-119, 2-121, 2-122Transmission
Driving with automatic
transmission
................5-18
Travel (See registering a vehicle in another
country).................... .10-11Trip odometer..................2-8Turn signal switch...............2-83
U
Uniform tire quality grading........10-32USB/iPod® Charging Ports.........2-97
V
Vanity mirror..................3-32Variable voltage control system......8-16Vehicle dimensions and weights.....10-10Vehicle Dynamic Control (VDC)
system.....................5-177Vehicle identification.............10-11Vehicle identification number (VIN). . . .10-11Vehicle identification number (VIN)
(Chassis number)...............10-11Vehicle identification number (VIN)
plate...................... .10-11Vehicle immobilizer system.....2-72,5-16Vehicle information display.....2-22,2-45Vehicle loading information........10-15Vehicle recovery................6-17Vehicle security system...........2-71Vehicle security system (NISSAN Vehicle
Immobilizer System), engine start. .2-72, 5-16Vents...................... .4-31Visors......................3-32
W
Warning
Air bag warning light........1-81, 2-16Battery charge warning light......2-14Brake warning light............2-13Engine oil pressure warning light. . . .2-15Hazard warning flasher switch......6-2Low fuel warning light.......2-39, 2-63Low tire pressure warning light.....2-18Low windshield-washer fluid warning
light................. .2-39, 2-64Seat belt warning light.......1-23,2-15Supplemental air bag warning
light.................. .1-81, 2-16Vehicle security system..........2-71Warning labels (for SRS)..........1-81Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders..................2-12Warning lights.................2-12Warning lights, indicator lights and audible
reminders....................2-12Warning/indicator lights and audible
reminders....................2-12Audible reminders.............2-12Indicator lights...............2-12Warning lights................2-12Washer switch
Rear window wiper and washer
switches
...................2-76Weights
(See dimensions and weights)......10-10Wheel/tire size................10-10Wheels and tires............8-29,10-10
11-7