Nissan Maxima Owners Manual: Towing a trailer

Flat towing

Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the ground is sometimes called flat towing. This method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor home.

CAUTION

• Failure to follow these guidelines can result in severe transmission damage.
• Whenever flat towing your vehicle, always tow forward, never backward.
• Never tow your front wheel drive vehicle with the front tires on the ground. Doing so may cause serious and expensive damage to the powertrain.
• DO NOT tow any continuously variable transmission vehicle with all four wheels on the ground (flat towing). Doing so WILL DAMAGE internal transmission parts due to lack of transmission lubrication.
• For emergency towing procedures refer to "Towing recommended by NISSAN" in the "In case of emergency" section of this manual.

Continuously Variable Transmission

To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle's drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer's recommendations when using their product.