Towing or being towed

[Roker]

Older none Hybrid cars can be towed but it's risky.  If the engine is not running, there  is no servo brakes and power steering.

What is the situation with hybrids, does the brakes and stearing work or do we risk running into the back of the tow car

[dannyboy413]

Just had a look at my manual. It does say that if your vehicle is being towed, it should have the front wheels, or all wheels, off the ground. It also states that in an emergency, the vehicle can be towed normally but "If the engine is not running, the power assist for the brakes and steering will not function, making steering and braking more difficult."

[Derek.w]

If you are towed in a hybrid with front wheel down you may damage overcharge the HV Battery or bamage the drivechain.

Power assist systems are electrical but thats still may not work depending on fault.

[Red_Corolla]

I would say it's a complete no-no due to the reasons already pointed out. Thanks to the demise of the mechanical handbrake at the hands of the bean-counters who preside over the mass-produced car industry, towing of any kind is a more complicated prospect than it used to be. The recovery method I've seen used these days is to fit bogeys to the trailing end wheels before picking the forward-facing end up using the truck's hydraulic lift. This way, none of the client vehicle wheels are required to rotate and the method is still pretty efficient, because the bogeys can be fitted using just a pry bar, no jacking.

[Roker]

Why do Toyota supply a tow bolt which screws directly into the chassis front and rear

[TonyHSD]

11 hours ago, Roker said:

Why do Toyota supply a tow bolt which screws directly into the chassis front and rear

For loading purposes only or towing out from been stuck in med, sand or deep snow. No cars with electric motors should be towed with driving wheels on the ground as this will cause overcharge and very high risk of catching fire 🔥. Permanent magnet motors. 

[Roker]

Not an expert here but the charge must be variable other wise it would be on or off, depending on the excitation voltage, I would think if there is no ignition on or in Neutral there will be no charge

[Red_Corolla]

My copy of the owner's manual gives the reasoning on p563:

Be sure to transport the vehicle with the front wheels raised or with all four wheels raised off the ground. If the vehicle is towed with the front wheels contacting the ground, the drivetrain and related parts may be damaged or electricity generated by the operation of the motor may cause a fire to occur depending on the nature of the damage or malfunction.

I believe it would be fine to tow with the rear axle grounded, provided that the parking brake could be disengaged and safely retained in that position.