Toyota 2008 4Runner Owner's Manual page 399

07 12.25
DISCONNECTING A TRAILER (models
with rear height control air suspension)
Stop your vehicle and a trailer in line and
perform the following:
1. Put the rear height control air suspen-
sion in the "LO" (low) mode. (Make
sure the vehicle height is in the "LO"
(low) mode by pushing the height se-
lect switch on the " " side.)
2. Turn the engine switch off or push the
"HEIGHT CONTROL OFF" switch to
turn off the rear height control air sus-
pension.
3. Set the supporting leg of a trailer on
the ground and raise the hitch by 100
mm (4 in.).
4. Turn the engine switch on or push the
"HEIGHT CONTROL OFF" switch to
turn on the rear height control air sus-
pension.
5. Wait for about 20 seconds until the
rear vehicle height is lowered by the
automatic leveling function.
6. Make sure the hitch is disconnected. If
not, raise the hitch higher and repeat
steps 2 through 5.
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7. Move the vehicle forward in the "LO"
(low) mode where the hitch does not
touch anything in the "N" (normal)
mode.
8. Put the rear height control air suspen-
sion in the "N" (normal) mode.
PRE−TOWING SAFETY CHECK
Check that your vehicle remains level
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when a loaded or unloaded trailer is
hitched. Do not drive if the vehicle has
an abnormal nose−up or nose−down
condition, and check for improper
tongue load, overload, worn suspension
or other possible causes.
Make sure the trailer cargo is securely
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loaded so that it cannot shift.
Check that your rear view mirrors con-
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form to any applicable federal, state/
provincial or local regulations. If not,
install the rear view mirrors required
for towing purpose.
TRAILER TOWING TIPS
When towing a trailer, your vehicle will
handle differently than when not tow-
ing. The three main causes of vehicle−
trailer accidents are driver error, exces-
sive speed and improper trailer loading.
Keep these in mind when towing:
Before starting out, check operation of
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the lights and all vehicle−trailer connec-
tions. After driving a short distance,
stop and recheck the lights and con-
nections. Before actually towing a trail-
er, practice turning, stopping and back-
ing with a trailer in an area away from
traffic until you learn the feel.
Backing with a trailer is difficult and
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requires practice. Grip the bottom of
the steering wheel and move your hand
to the left to move the trailer to the
left. Move your hand to the right to
move the trailer to the right. (This pro-
cedure is generally opposite to that
when backing without a trailer.) Also,
just turn the steering wheel a little at
a time, avoiding sharp or prolonged
turning. Have someone guide you when
backing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.