Consumer information and Reporting safety defects 13-11
suspension, axles and other parts of
the body.
Therefore, this means that the vehicle
cannot necessarily be loaded up to
the tires maximum load rating on the
tire sidewall.
Adverse safety consequenc-
es of overloading on handling
and stopping and on tires
Overloading could affect vehicle han-
dling, stopping distance, vehicle and
tire as shown in the following. This
could lead to an accident and possibly
result in severe personal injury.
Vehicle stability will deteriorate.
Heavy and/or high-mounted loads
could increase the risk of rollover.
Stopping distance will increase.
Brakes could overheat and fail.
Suspension, bearings, axles and
other body parts could break or expe-
rience accelerated wear that will
shorten vehicle life.
Tires could fail.
Tread separation could occur.
Tire could separate from its rim.
Steps for Determining Cor-
rect Load Limit
1. Locate the statement The com-
bined weight of occupants and cargo
should never exceed XXX pounds on
your vehicle s placard.
2. Determine the combined weight of
the driver and passengers that will be
riding in your vehicle.
3. Subtract the combined weight of
the driver and passengers from XXX
kilograms or XXX pounds.
4. The resulting figure equals the
available amount of cargo and lug-
gage load capacity. For example, if
the XXX amount equals 1,400 lbs
(635 kg) and there will be five- 150 lbs
(68 kg) passengers in your vehicle,
the amount of available cargo and
luggage load capacity is 650 lbs.
(1,400 750 (5
150) = 650 lbs.)
5. Determine the combined weight of
luggage and cargo being loaded on
the vehicle. That weight may not safe-
ly exceed the available cargo and lug-
gage load capacity calculated in Step
4.
6. If your vehicle will be towing a trail-
er, load from your trailer will be trans- ferred to your vehicle. Consult this
manual to determine how this reduc-
es the available cargo and luggage
load capacity of your vehicle.
