Seat Leon 5D Owner's Manual page 299

trailer, which could lead to accidents and
serious injuries.
Always load the trailer correctly.
●
Always secure the load properly using
●
belts or straps that are suitable and in
good condition.
Driving with a trailer
Adjusting the headlights
The front part of the vehicle may be raised
when the trailer is connected and the light
may dazzle the rest of the traffic.
Specific features of driving with a trailer
If your trailer has an overrun brake, brake
●
gently at first and then rapidly. This will pre-
vent the jerking that can be caused by the
locking of trailer wheels.
Due to the gross combination weight of the
●
towing vehicle and trailer, the braking dis-
tance increases.
When going down a slope, go into a lower
●
gear (if using a manual gearbox or the tip-
tronic automatic gearbox mode) to take ad-
vantage of the braking power provided by the
engine. Otherwise, the braking system could
overheat and even fail.
The trailer weight, as well as the gross com-
●
bination weight of the towing vehicle and
Towing bracket device*
trailer, change the centre of gravity and the
properties of the vehicle.
If the towing vehicle is empty and the trailer
●
is loaded, then the load distribution is incor-
rect. Under these conditions, drive slowly and
with extra caution.
Hill starts with a trailer
Depending on the slope of the hill and the
combination weight of the towing vehicle and
trailer, the vehicle might start rolling back-
wards slightly when you first start up.
For hill-starting with a trailer, do the following:
Press and hold the brake pedal.
●
Press the button once to disconnect the
● 
›››
electronic parking brake page
If the vehicle is equipped with a manual
●
gearbox, push the clutch pedal all the way
down.
Engage first gear or move the selector lever
●
to the position D/S.
Pull out the button and hold it in that po-
●

sition to immobilise the towing vehicle and
trailer with the electronic parking brake.
Release the brake pedal.
●
Start driving slowly. To do this, in the case of
●
a manual gearbox, slowly release the clutch
pedal.
Do not release the button until the en-
● 
gine has sufficient power to start driving.
WARNING
If a trailer is pulled incorrectly, this may
lead to loss of control of the vehicle and
serious injury.
Driving with a trailer and transporting
●
heavy or large objects will change the ve-
hicle handling and braking distances.
Always drive cautiously and carefully.
●
Brake earlier than usual.
Adapt your speed and driving style at all
●
times to suit visibility, weather, road and
traffic conditions. Slow down, especially
when driving down hills or slopes.
Accelerate with particular care and cau-
●
tion. Avoid sudden braking and manoeu-
vres.
270.
Take great care when overtaking. Reduce
●
speed immediately if you notice that the
trailer is swaying, however slightly.
Never attempt to "straighten" the towing
●
vehicle and trailer while accelerating.
Take into account the speed limit for vehi-
●
cles with a trailer, as it could be lower than
for vehicles without a trailer.
Stabilisation of the towing vehicle
and trailer combination
The stabilisation of the vehicle and trailer
combination is an additional function of the
electronic stability control (ESC).
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