We towed the Element for several years. In fact, it was a 2003. We retired it and our daughter continues to drive it. Excellent towed vehicle. Hang the rear seats up on the sides and there is lots of storage there.
Crank it and let it run for a few minutes. Put it in all the gears EXCEPT reverse. If you go to reverse you have to start over. After the fluid is warm and circulating well, put in in neutral, leave the key in place to make sure the steering doesn't lock, release the parking brake lever and you are ready.
We usually stopped a few times during the day and repeated the procedure just for insurance. We towed this little car all over the nation and had no trouble at all. The Element of that era had a tendency for a lot of road noise when driving. I was having trouble from too much shooting back then and it affected my hearing (I now have hearing aids) and we traded up to the Jeep.
If I could buy a brand new Element like the one we had, I would buy it this afternoon.
horsedoc
2008 Damon Essence
2013 Jeep Sahara Unlimited
Blue Ox tow