Toyota CAMRY HYBRID Owner's Manual page 202

200
4-1. Before driving
Trailer towing tips
Your vehicle will handle differently when towing a trailer. In order to
avoid accident, death or serious injury, keep the following in mind
when towing:
● Before starting out, check the trailer lights and the vehicle-trailer
connections. Recheck after driving a short distance.
● Practice turning, stopping and reversing with the trailer attached in
an area away from traffic until you become accustomed to the feel
of the vehicle.
● Reversing with a trailer attached is difficult and 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 right. (This is generally opposite to reversing
without a trailer attached.) Avoid sharp or prolonged turning. Have
someone guide you when reversing to reduce the risk of an acci-
dent.
● As stopping distance is increased when towing a trailer, vehicle-to-
vehicle distance should be increased. For each 10 km/h (6 mph) of
speed, allow at least one vehicle and trailer length.
● Avoid sudden braking as you may skid, resulting in jackknifing and
loss of control. This is especially true on wet or slippery surfaces.
● Avoid jerky starts or sudden acceleration.
● Avoid jerky steering and sharp turns, and slow down before making
turns.
● Note that when making a turn, the trailer wheels will be closer than
the vehicle wheels to the inside of the turn. Compensate by making
a larger than normal turning radius.
● Crosswinds and rough roads will adversely affect handling of your
vehicle and trailer, causing sway. Periodically check the rear to pre-
pare for being passed by large trucks or buses, which may cause
your vehicle and trailer to sway. If swaying occurs, firmly grip the
steering wheel, reduce speed immediately but gradually, and steer
straight ahead. Never increase speed. If you make no extreme cor-
rection with the steering or brakes, your vehicle and trailer will stabi-
lize.