trailer VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG 2014 2.G Owners Manual

Side view

Fig. 1 Vehicle side overview.
Key to fig. 1:
(1) Fuel filler flap
(2) Roof antenna for:
– Mobile phone
– Navigation
(3) Outside door handles
(4) Outside mirror
– Additional turn signal light
– Area view
(5) Lift points for the jack
(6) Roof rack
(7) Side window with window diversity antenna for:
– Radio
– Central locking
(8) Trailer hitch/ball mount receiver

Rear view

Fig. 3 Vehicle rear overview.
Key to fig. 3:
(1) Rear window:
– Rear window defroster
(2) High-mounted brake light
(3) Taillights (on left and right) ,
(4) Area of:
– Button to open the rear hatch
– Rear Assist camera
– License plate lighting
(5) Rear towing eye mount behind a cover (on left and right)
(6) Roof antenna for:
– Mobile phone
– Navigation
(7) Rear window wiper
(8) Sensors for rear Park Distance Control
(9) Receiver for the trailer hitch

d Properly adjust front seats, all head restraints and mirrors to the correct height ⇒ Adjusting the seating position.
d Wear shoes that give your feet a good grip, and that give you a feel for the pedals.
d Make sure that the floor mat on the driver side is properly fastened and cannot interfere with the pedals.
d Assume a proper seating position before the vehicle starts to move and keep this position while
driving. Make sure that all passengers do the same ⇒ Adjusting the seating position.
d Properly fasten your safety belt before driving the vehicle and wear your safety belt properly at all
times while driving. Make sure that all passengers do the same ⇒ Safety belts.
d Only transport as many passengers as there are seats and safety belts available.
d Never drive if your driving ability has been impaired, for example by medication, alcohol or illegal drugs.
d Never let passengers or phone calls distract you while driving and never take your attention off the road while using vehicle software or adjusting vehicle equipment or accessories.
d Always adapt your speed and driving style to visibility, weather, road, and traffic conditions.
d Always obey traffic laws and speed limits.
d On long trips make frequent rest stops – at least once every 2 hours.
d Secure animals in the vehicle with a system that corresponds to the animals weight and size.
WARNING
Always observe posted speed limits and use common sense. Your good judgment can mean the difference between arriving safely at your destination and being seriously injured in a crash or other kind of accident.
Regular service and maintenance of your vehicle is important both for operational and driving safety and to help prolong your vehicle's service life. Always follow the scheduled maintenance
intervals in the ⇒ booklet Warranty and Maintenance, especially for changing the brake fluid. Hard use, frequent stop-and-go driving, driving in very dusty areas, trailer towing, and other factors may make it necessary to have the vehicle serviced more frequently. Ask an authorized Volkswagen dealer or an authorized Volkswagen Service Facility for more information.
Driving in other countries

x Switch off the ignition and remove any vehicle key in the ignition.
x Stand in front of the middle of the rear bumper.
x Quickly move your foot and shin as close to the bumper as possible. Your shin must be in the upper part of the sensor’s range and your foot in the lower part (1)
x Quickly move your shin out of range (2). The rear hatch opens automatically.
If the luggage compartment lid does not open, wait a few seconds and try again.
The high-mounted brake light and the turn signals flash once to show that the Easy Open feature is opening the rear hatch.
The rear hatch locks automatically after closing if the vehicle was locked before and a valid vehicle key is not inside the vehicle.
Easy Open may not work properly or at all in the following situations (examples):
x If the rear bumper is very dirty.
x If the rear bumper has salty water on it after driving on salted roads.
x If a trailer hitch has been retrofit on the vehicle.
Easy Open may be automatically deactivated in heavy rain to help prevent unintentional deployment caused by water running down the vehicle, for example.
CAUTION
If a valid vehicle key is within range of the rear hatch, the Easy Open feature can deploy unintentionally in some cases and open the rear hatch: for example, when sweeping the ground or floor below the rear bumper, if there is a strong stream of water or steam or when carrying out maintenance or repairs around the rear bumper. If the rear hatch opens unintentionally, it can injure anyone or damage anything in its way.
x Never leave a valid vehicle key within range of the rear hatch unattended.
Anti-theft alarm system

The cargo payload may not be increased by using a roof rack without commensurately reducing the
weight from vehicle occupants ⇒ . Determining the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating ⇒ Tires.
Vehicle payload consists of the combined weight of the following:
x Passengers.
x Total luggage and other cargo.
x Factory-installed or retrofitted accessories.
x Roof load including roof rack system.
x Hitch weight and tongue weight for trailer towing operation.
Please refer to the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) and the Gross front and rear Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) for your vehicle, which are printed on the vehicle's Safety Compliance Certification Label on the driver door jamb.
WARNING
Exceeding maximum permissible weight ratings can result in vehicle damage, accidents, and serious personal injury.
x Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed the permissible Gross Axle Weight Rating. Also, never let the total of these actual weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
x Always remember that the vehicle's handling and braking will be affected by extra load and the distribution of this load. Adjust your speed accordingly.
NOTICE
x Always distribute the load evenly and as low as possible in the vehicle. The vehicle capacity weight figures apply when the load is distributed evenly in the vehicle (passengers and luggage).
x When transporting a heavy load in the luggage compartment, carry the load as close to the rear axle (as far forward) as possible so that the vehicle's handling and braking are affected as little as possible.

Trailer towing

WARNING
Improper use of the trailer hitch can cause accidents and injuries. An improperly installed, incorrect, or damaged trailer hitch can cause the trailer to separate from the towing vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
x Only use an undamaged, properly mounted trailer hitch.
x Never repair or modify the trailer hitch.
x To reduce the risk of injury in rear-end collisions, and the risk to pedestrians and cyclists when the vehicle is parked, always remove the ball mount when you are not towing a trailer.
x Never install a “weight distributing” or “load equalizing” trailer hitch on your vehicle. The vehicle was not designed for these kinds of trailer hitches. The trailer hitch attachment can fail, causing the trailer to tear loose from the vehicle.
WARNING
Improper trailer towing can cause loss of vehicle control and serious personal injury.
x Driving with a trailer and carrying heavy or large things can change the way the vehicle handles, increase the distance it needs to stop safely, and cause accidents.
x Always secure the load properly with suitable and undamaged straps so that the load will not shift.
x Always adapt your speed and driving to the heavier load and the weight distribution in the vehicle. Take road, weather, traffic, and visibility conditions into account as well.
x Reduce your speed even more than you otherwise would when going downhill and under unfavorable load, weather, or wind conditions.
x Trailers with a high center of gravity tip more easily than trailers with a low center of gravity.
x Always avoid sudden maneuvers and hard braking.
x Be especially careful when passing other vehicles.
x Reduce speed immediately if the trailer shows the slightest sign of swaying.
x Never try to stop the swaying by accelerating.
x Always obey speed limits. In some areas, the speed limits for vehicles towing trailers are lower than for vehicles without trailers. Never drive faster than 50 mph - 80 km/h (under exceptional circumstances 60 mph - 100 km/h) when towing a trailer. This applies even if the local speed limit is higher.
If you are driving a new vehicle or a vehicle with a new or rebuilt engine, do not tow a trailer
during the break-in period, about 600 miles (1,000 km) ⇒ Parts, accessories, repairs and modifications.
If you tow a trailer, your vehicle may need maintenance more often because of the extra load it has to move.
When you are not towing, remove the trailer hitch ball. This helps keep the trailer hitch from causing damage to your vehicle and to others if your vehicle is hit from behind.
Some models need a trailer hitch to tow or tow-start other vehicles. You may want to always carry the ball mount in the vehicle after it has been removed. Be sure to stow it securely.

Electrical load Maximum power
Turn signals per side 54 watts
Side marker lights total 108 watts
Taillights total 54 watts
WARNING
x An improperly installed or incorrect trailer hitch can cause a trailer to separate from the tow vehicle and cause serious personal injuries.
x If you don't have to tow a trailer any more, remove the entire trailer hitch. Always seal all bolt holes to prevent water and deadly exhaust fumes from getting into the vehicle.
NOTICE
x If the trailer lights are not connected properly, the vehicle's electronics may be damaged.
x If the trailer uses too much electricity, the vehicle's electronics may be damaged.
x Never connect the electrical system for the trailer directly to the electrical connections for the rear lights or to any other unsuitable power sources. Use only a suitable connector to provide power to the trailer.
If you tow a trailer frequently, Volkswagen recommends having the vehicle serviced between the regular maintenance and inspection intervals because of the extra load it has to pull.
In some countries an additional fire extinguisher must be carried if the total weight of the trailer exceeds 5,512 lbs. (2,500 kg).
Hitching up and connecting a trailer

WARNING
Improper connections to the vehicle electrical system can cause malfunctions that affect the entire vehicle electrical system, which can lead to accidents and serious personal injury.
x Have any work on the electrical system done by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
x Never connect the electrical system for the trailer directly to the electrical connections for the rear lights or to any other unsuitable power sources. Use only a suitable connector to provide power to the trailer.
NOTICE
Never attach a trailer to the vehicle or leave it attached to the vehicle when the trailer is supported by a trailer jack or blocks. Various things (such as a change in trailer or vehicle load or a flat tire) can lower or raise the vehicle. This subjects the trailer hitch and the trailer to strong forces that can damage the vehicle or the trailer.
Any problems with the vehicle's electrical system when attached to a trailer should be checked by an authorized Volkswagen dealer or authorized Volkswagen Service Facility.
If the engine is switched off and accessories in the trailer are on and use electricity from the vehicle, the vehicle battery will be drained as long as the electrical systems of the vehicle and the trailer are connected.
Loading the trailer

This vehicle has not been designed to tow a Class III trailer and must never be retrofitted to tow a Class III trailer. Always make sure that your vehicle has been designed to tow the trailer you want to use and that is legal to tow the trailer where you will be driving.
Loading the trailer
The weight distribution in the vehicle and trailer must be balanced. Use the maximum permissible tongue weight and make sure that the load in the trailer is evenly distributed and that it is not front-heavy or tail-heavy:
x Distribute the load in the trailer so that heavy objects are directly above the axle or as close as possible to the axle.
x Secure loads properly on the trailer.
Tire pressure
Always follow the trailer manufacturer's tire pressure recommendations for the trailer tires.
When towing, inflate the towing vehicle's tires to the maximum permissible pressure listed on the tire
pressure label ⇒ Tires and wheels.
WARNING
Exceeding the gross weight ratings for axle, tongue, vehicle, trailer or combined weight can cause accidents and serious personal injury.
x Never exceed the specified values.
x Never let the actual weights at the front and rear axles exceed the Gross Axle Weight Ratings. Never let the combined front and rear weights exceed the Gross Vehicle Weight Rating.
WARNING
Trailer loads that are not properly secured can shift when the vehicle is moving or braking and suddenly change the way the vehicle handles, causing accidents and severe injuries.
x Always load the trailer properly.
x Always secure the load properly with suitable, undamaged straps that can be tightened so that the load cannot shift.
Driving with a trailer