A weekend family trip to Bryce Canyon National Park (Utah) turned into a multi-hour ordeal due to an overheated GMC engine while towing a rented camper. According to a TikTok user, the temperature was 37°C (98°F); another source reports 36°C. The three-hour drive took more than five hours.
Drivers had to turn the cabin heater to full power to draw heat away from the engine and stop at every pass to let it cool. After swapping trailers with another family driving a pickup, the GMC continued to overheat even with a lighter load.
According to hitch manufacturer BulletProof Hitches, high temperatures increase transmission load and can lead to overheating, especially when towing.