1999 Nissan Sentra Owner's Manual - Page 212

Trailer lights

Trailer lights should comply with federal

and/ or local regulations. When wiring the

vehicle for towing, connect the stop and tail

light pickup into the vehicle electrical circuit.

Trailer brakes

If your trailer is equipped with a braking

system, make sure it conforms to federal

and/or local regulations and that it is prop-

erly installed.

WARNING

Never connect a trailer brake system

directly to the vehicle brake system.

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 pos-

sible causes of either condition.

●

Always secure items in the trailer to

prevent load shift while driving.

●

Be certain your rear view mirrors con-

form to all federal, state or local regula-

tions. If not, install any mirrors required

for towing before driving the vehicle.

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,

stability,

and

braking

performance

are

somewhat different than under normal driv-

ing conditions.

●

Always secure items in the trailer to

prevent load shift while driving.

●

Avoid abrupt starts, acceleration or stops.

●

Avoid sharp turns or lane changes.

●

Always drive your vehicle at a moderate

speed.

●

Always block the wheels on both vehicle

and trailer when parking. Parking on a

slope is not recommended; however, if

you must do so, and if your vehicle is

equipped with an automatic transmission,

first block the wheels and apply the park-

ing brake, and then move the transmis-

sion shift selector lever into the P position.

If you move the shift selector lever to the P

position before blocking the wheels and

applying the parking brake, transmission

damage could occur.

●

When going down a hill, shift into a lower

gear and use the engine braking effect.

When ascending a long grade, down-

shift the transmission to a lower gear

and reduce speed to reduce chances of

engine overloading and/or overheating.

●

If the engine temperature coolant rises

to an extremely high temperature when

the air conditioning system is on, turn off

the air conditioner. Coolant heat can be

additionally vented by opening the win-

dows, switching the fan control to high

and setting the temperature control to

the HOT position.

●

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 recom-

mended Maintenance Schedule.

●

When making a turn, your trailer wheels

will be closer to the inside of the turn

than your vehicle wheels. To compen-

sate for this, make a larger than normal

turning radius during the turn.

Technical and consumer information

10-17

1999 Nissan Sentra Owner's Manual - Page 212

1999 Nissan Sentra Manual

Page 212 highlights