towing NISSAN TITAN 2011 Owner's Manual

4. Peel off the tape and connect the jumperharness to the connector
2.
5. Release the parking brake.
6. Install the aftermarket electric trailer brake controller according to the manufacturer’s
instructions.
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 inadvert-
ently 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.

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.
● 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.
Tow mode
Using tow mode is recommended when pulling a
heavy trailer or hauling a heavy load. Press the
TOW MODE switch to activate tow mode. The
indicator light on the TOW MODE switch illumi-
nates when tow mode is selected. Press the
TOW MODE switch again to turn tow mode off.
Tow mode is automatically cancelled when the
ignition switch is turned OFF.
Tow mode includes the following features:
● Grade logic — Adjusts transmission shifts
when pulling a trailer or hauling a load up a
grade.
● Downhill Speed Control (DSC) — automati-
cally 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 transmission/engine driving
characteristics may feel unusual.
Technical and consumer information9-41

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.

SteeringPower steering fluid .............8-11
Power steering system ...........5-31
Tilting steering wheel ............3-14
Steering wheel audio control switch ......4-54
Stop light .....................8-27
Storage ......................2-39
Lockable bedside storage compartment . .2-47
Overhead storage compartment ......2-43
Storage bin ....................2-44
Storage tray ...................2-39
Sun visors ....................3-15
Sunglasses case .................2-42
Sunroof ......................2-51
Sunroof (see Moonroof) .............2-51
Supplemental air bag warning labels ......1-61
Supplemental air bag warning light . . .1-62, 2-17
Supplemental front impact air bag system . . .1-54
Supplemental restraint system Information and warning labels .......1-61
Precautions on supplemental restraint
system ....................1-47
Supplemental restraint system
(Supplemental air bag system) .........1-47
Switch Autolight switch ...............2-30
Automatic power window switch ......2-49
Electronic locking rear differential
(E-Lock) system switch ...........2-35
Fog light switch ...............2-33
Hazard warning flasher switch .......2-33
Headlight and turn signal switch ......2-29
Headlight control switch ..........2-29
Ignition switch .................5-9
Power door lock switch ............3-4
Rear sonar system off switch ........2-36Rear window and outside mirror defroster
switch
.....................2-28
Turn signal switch ..............2-32
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off
switch .....................2-35
Windshield wiper and washer switch . . .2-27
T
Tachometer ....................2-6
Tailgate latch .................. .3-21
T

emperature gauge Engine coolant temperature gauge .....2-6
Engine oil pressure low/engine coolant
temperature high warning light .......2-15
Theft (NISSAN vehicle immobilizer system) ,
engine start .............2-26, 3-2, 5-11
Three-way catalyst ................5-2
Tie down hooks .................3-23
Tilting steering wheel ..............3-14
Tire Flat tire .....................6-2
Spare tire ...................6-3
Tire and Loading Information label .....9-12
Tire chains ..................8-38
Tire placard ..................9-12
Tire pressure .................8-31
Tire rotation ..................8-38
Tires of 4-wheel drive ............8-40
Types of tires .................8-37
Uniform tire quality grading .........9-43
Wheels and tires ...............8-31
Wheel/tire size .................9-9
Tire pressure Low tire pressure warning light .......2-16Tire pressure display
...............4-7
Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS) . . . .5-3
Tire rotation maintenance reminder .......4-7
Tow mode switch ................2-37
Towing 2-wheel drive models ............6-12
4-wheel drive models ............6-13
Flat towing ..................9-42
Tow truck towing ...............6-11
Towing load/specification ..........9-29
Trailer towing .................9-25
Transceiver HomeLink Universal Transceiver ......2-55
Transmission Driving with automatic transmission . . . .5-13
Selector lever lock release .........5-18
T

ravel (See registering your vehicle in another
country) ......................9-10
Trip button .....................4-4
Trip odometer ...................2-5
Truck - camper loading .............9-23
Turn signal switch ................2-32
U
Uniform tire quality grading ...........9-43
V
Vanity mirror ...................3-16
Variable voltage control system .........8-15
Vehicle dimensions and weights .........9-9
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) off switch . . .2-35
Vehicle dynamic control (VDC) system .....5-34
10-6