Flat Towing Subaru Forester

200

Asked by GuruYLY7D Mar 08, 2018 at 05:21 PM about the 2018 Subaru Forester 2.5i Premium

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Can a 2018 Subaru Forester 2.5 with manual transmission be flat towed long
distance with the ignition key in the ACC position or should it be in the ON
position?

15 Answers

Ask your Subaru dealer or read that book in the glove box.

5 people found this helpful.

If you send me a $100 and your owners manual I will read it for you and tell you what it says;) Are people really this lazy that they cannot read their own owners manual? Apparently so.

7 people found this helpful.
200

Here's my suggestion....Change the name of this site from "Car Gurus" to "Read the %%##% Manual". It would be less aggravating and not waste everyone's time.

13 people found this helpful.

"Read the Manual" is the best possible advice you can give people for issues like this and many, may more. People could save themselves all sorts of PROBLEMS, AGGRAVATION and EXPENSE if they just read the damn manual.

1 people found this helpful.
40

Nowhere in the 2017 Forester owners manual does it say anything at all about dingy towing my manual tran Forester. I leased them car last year from Reliable Subaru in Springfield mo. They assured me at that time it was fine to tow. I informed them from the beguiling I was getting to dingy tow. Took it in for service and upon seeing my tow gear on front the service manager told me If I dingy towed Subaru would not honor my powertrain warranties. I was lied to to make a sale. SCAM

4 people found this helpful.
47,950

What is a "dingy" tow? Do you mean a small sailboat (dinghy)? But you mention tow gear "on front". So do you mean towing the CAR itself?

3 people found this helpful.

Dingy towing is flat towing (all 4 wheels on the ground).

1 people found this helpful.
47,950

Ah! No, do NOT "dingy" tow, as you are unable to completely disengage both driven axles, and will fry either the transfer case or the rear diff. If you're stuck in a ditch then keep it to less than 10 mph, eh?

30

Earlier models of the Subaru Forester made this set of lists (http://www.motorhome.com/download-dinghy-guides/) as being OK for flat (dinghy) towing. However, none of the 2018 Subarus are on the list. -- Not a guru

3 people found this helpful.
3,210

History proves that the viscous link can be permanently damaged if towed at speed. I just wouldn't do it.

1 people found this helpful.

Just a thought to all the snarky comments, yes, people can read the manual, -if it exists. ALL used cars locally do not have a manual in the glovebox, apparently there is an eBay market.

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