2015 Nissan Xterra Owner's Manual - Page 381

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 percent of the trailer load is in the front half and 40 percent is in the back half. Also make sure the load is balanced side to side. ● Check your hitch, trailer tire pressure, vehicle 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 performance 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 inadvertently 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. 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 move the shift lever to 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. After the wheel blocks are in place, slowly release the brake pedal until the blocks absorb the vehicle load. 4. Apply the parking brake. 5. Shift the transmission into P (Park). indicator light (if so 6. Make sure the equipped) indicates the transfer case is in 4H, 4L, or 2H and that the ATP light is off. If indicator light is flashing, or the the ATP light is ON, make sure the transmission is in P (Park) (A/T) and turn the 4WD switch to 2WD or 4H. Refer to, "Automatic transmission park warning light" in the "Instruments and controls" section and "Using four wheel drive (4WD)" in the "Starting and driving" section of this manual. 7. Turn off the engine. 9-26 Technical and consumer information