Driving your vehicle
VEHICLE WEIGHT
Two labels on your driver’s door sill show
how much weight your vehicle was
designed to carry: the Tire and Loading
Information Label and the Certification
Label.
Before loading your vehicle, familiarize
yourself with the following terms for
determining your vehicle's weight ratings,
from the vehicle's specifications and the
Certification Label:
GAW (Gross Axle Weight)
Overloading
This is the total weight placed on each
axle (front and rear) - including vehicle
curb weight and all payload.
WARNING
The Gross Axle Weight Rating
(GAWR) and the Gross Vehicle
Weight Rating (GVWR) for your
vehicle are on the Certification
Label attached to the driver's (or
front passenger’s) door. Exceeding
these ratings can cause an acci-
dent or vehicle damage. You can
calculate the weight of your load by
weighing the items (and people)
before putting them in the vehicle.
Be careful not to overload your
vehicle.
GAWR (Gross Axle Weight Rating)
This is the maximum allowable weight
that can be carried by a single axle (front
or rear). These numbers are shown on
the Certification Label. The total load on
each axle must never exceed its GAWR.
Base Curb Weight
This is the weight of the vehicle including
a full tank of fuel and all standard equip-
ment. It does not include passengers,
cargo, or optional equipment.
GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight)
This is the Base Curb Weight plus actual
Cargo Weight plus passengers weight.
GVWR (Gross Vehicle Weight Rating)
Vehicle Curb Weight
This is the maximum allowable weight of
the fully loaded vehicle (including all
options, equipment, passengers and
cargo). The GVWR is shown on the
Certification Label located on the driver’s
door sill.
This is the weight of your new vehicle
when you picked it up from your dealer
plus any aftermarket equipment.
Cargo Weight
This figure includes all weight added to
the Base Curb Weight, including cargo
and optional equipment.
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