Turn Signals When Towing a
Trailer
When you tow a trailer, your vehicle
may need a different turn signal
flasher and/or extra wiring. Check
with your dealer/retailer. The arrows
on your instrument panel will
flash whenever you signal a turn or
lane change. Properly hooked
up, the trailer lamps will also flash,
telling other drivers you are
about to turn, change lanes or stop.
When towing a trailer, the arrows
on your instrument panel will
flash for turns even if the bulbs on
the trailer are burned out. Thus, you
may think drivers behind you are
seeing your signal when they
are not. It is important to check
occasionally to be sure the trailer
bulbs are still working.
Your vehicle has bulb warning
lights. When you plug a trailer
lighting system into your vehicle’s
lighting system, its bulb warning
lights may not let you know if one of
your lamps goes out. So, when
you have a trailer lighting system
plugged in, be sure to check
your vehicle and trailer lamps from
time to time to be sure they are
all working. Once you disconnect the
trailer lamps, the bulb warning
lights again can tell you if one of
your vehicle lamps is out.
Driving On Grades
Reduce speed and shift to a lower
gear before you start down a
long or steep downgrade. If you do
not shift down, you might have
to use your brakes so much
that they would get hot and no
longer work well.
On a long uphill grade, shift down to
a lower gear and reduce your
speed to around 45 mph (70 km/h)
to reduce the possibility of engine
and transmission overheating.
Parking on Hills
{ CAUTION
You really should not park your
vehicle, with a trailer attached,
on a hill. If something goes
wrong, your rig could start to
move. People can be injured,
and both your vehicle and the
trailer can be damaged.
But if you ever have to park your rig
on a hill, here is how to do it:
1. Apply your regular brakes, but do
not shift into P (Park) yet.
2. Have someone place chocks
under the trailer wheels.
3. When the wheel chocks are in
place, release the regular
brakes until the chocks absorb
the load.
4. Reapply the regular brakes.
Then apply your parking
brake, and then shift to P (Park).
5. Release the regular brakes.
9-90 Vehicle Service and Care
2008 - Pontiac G8 Owner Manual