Mazda 2 towed

[F450]

Has anyone towed a 2013Mazda 2 4 wheels down? Mazda says you shouldn't. Why is that? How is it any different than any other from wheel drive car?

[eheading]

No the rear seat did not fold down. The only model offered with the manual transmission, at least in our town, was the base model, which is VERY plain!! If you can afford the extra $1000-2000 I would consider seriously the Versa Note. This is rated much better by Consumer's Report, has a better reliability record (although we had no problems with our sedan) and is not quite as "stark". Both are towable with the manual transmission.

Ed

[Gjac]

eheading wrote:
That is exactly what my manual said for the 2013 Versa sedan. So -- you should be able to tow it with no problem if you have the manual transmission. Isn't that the way you read it?????

Ed

. That is the way I read it also. I will have to revist the Versa at another dealership. Ed did your rear seat fold down on the manual Versa?

[avan]

:S :h :B

[eheading]

That is exactly what my manual said for the 2013 Versa sedan. So -- you should be able to tow it with no problem if you have the manual transmission. Isn't that the way you read it?????

Ed

[lryrob9301]

This is from the 2015 Nissan Versa Owners Manual page 9-17:
FLAT TOWING
Towing your vehicle with all four wheels on the
ground is sometimes called flat towing. This
method is sometimes used when towing a vehicle
behind a recreational vehicle, such as a motor
home.
CAUTION
? Failure to follow these guidelines can
result in severe transmission damage.
? Whenever flat towing your vehicle, always
tow forward, never backward.
? DO NOT tow any continuously variable
transmission vehicle with all four
wheels on the ground (flat towing). Doing
so WILL DAMAGE internal transmission
parts due to lack of transmission
lubrication.
? For emergency towing procedures refer
to “Towing recommended by NISSAN”
in the “In case of emergency” section of
this manual.

[COLOR=]Manual Transmission (if so equipped)
? Always tow with the manual transmission in
Neutral.
? After towing 500 miles (805 km), start and
idle the engine with the transmission in Neutral
for two minutes. Failure to idle the engine
after every 500 miles (805 km) of towing
may cause damage to internal transmission
parts.


Automatic Transmission (if so
equipped)
To tow a vehicle equipped with an automatic
transmission, an appropriate vehicle dolly MUST
be placed under the towed vehicle’s drive
wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer’s
recommendations when using their product.
Continuously Variable Transmission (if
so equipped)
To tow a vehicle equipped with a continuously
variable transmission, an appropriate vehicle
dolly MUST be placed under the towed vehicle’s
drive wheels. Always follow the dolly manufacturer’s
recommendations when using their product.

[eheading]

I was so surprised about the Nissan Versa that I went on-line and reviewed the latest Motorhome towing guide, which supposedly only lists vehicles that are approved for towing by the manufacturer (eg. my Mini is not listed). It states just what was true for our 2013 Versa sedan. For towing the manual transmission, it says to just make sure that the gear shift is in neutral, and idle it for 2 minutes every 500 miles. The car even has an intermediate position on the ignition switch where you can turn everything off but not lock the wheel. Are you absolutely sure that this isn't what the current owner's manual states?? It is a very basic car, but it made a great toad.

Ed

[Gjac]

eheading wrote:
I am surprised that you found the Nissan Versa with standard transmission as not towable. We had a 2013 standard Versa that was very towable, and said so in our manual. I was under the impression that all standard trans. Nissan's were towable. Our manual said when towing, make sure the transmission is in neutral, and stop to idle the engine for 2 minutes every 500 miles.

Now we are actually towing a standard transmission Mini Cooper Roadster with manual transmission. Mini does not recommend towing that, but Blue Ox has baseplates for it, and an number of people are towing them with no problems. (we just purchased ours and so have only towed it for about 250 miles so far)

As far as towing FWD cars, there are a number of cars that are definitely towable, including a number of Fords and GM products.

Ed Headington

I was surprised also Ed, I really thought it would make a great tow car. Usually the salesmen will say anything to make a sale. I test drove another tow car and really liked it it was the new Toyota scion IA, 2300 lbs, 42 mpg, 6 speed std transmission, same issue they were all confused about its ability to be flat towed even though it was a standard transmission. After a week of back and forth and not seeing it specified in the manual I got a call from the service mgr saying it could probably be flat towed but Toyota would not warranty it. Why take a chance on a brand new car.

[eheading]

I am surprised that you found the Nissan Versa with standard transmission as not towable. We had a 2013 standard Versa that was very towable, and said so in our manual. I was under the impression that all standard trans. Nissan's were towable. Our manual said when towing, make sure the transmission is in neutral, and stop to idle the engine for 2 minutes every 500 miles.

Now we are actually towing a standard transmission Mini Cooper Roadster with manual transmission. Mini does not recommend towing that, but Blue Ox has baseplates for it, and an number of people are towing them with no problems. (we just purchased ours and so have only towed it for about 250 miles so far)

As far as towing FWD cars, there are a number of cars that are definitely towable, including a number of Fords and GM products.

Ed Headington

[Gjac]

F450 wrote:

j-d wrote:
FMCA says they list only those vehicles whose manufacturer says are flat towable. In other words, you "Should" be able to find a page in the Owner's Manual that says flat towing is OK. Maybe with conditions, but OK.

That said, I'd want to see the factory owner's manual and satisfy myself that the manufacturer said flat towing was OK.

REMCO, purveyor of lube pumps, is another source that is usually correct. Still, Show Me the Manual!

Honda for years said that their cars couldn't be towed 4 wheels down but I have talked to many people who have towed them for thousands of miles without any trouble.

. JD has it right. I am looking for a new tow car and use the dingy tow guide to pick out several std trans car that can be towed flat. When I went to test drive the Nissan Versa there were many different options in the office. One guy even had a copy of the towing guide that said the Versa std can be towed 4 down. The service manager said no as well as the manual. Why buy a new car and have some thing fail and the company won't warrenty it?

[F450]

j-d wrote:
FMCA says they list only those vehicles whose manufacturer says are flat towable. In other words, you "Should" be able to find a page in the Owner's Manual that says flat towing is OK. Maybe with conditions, but OK.

That said, I'd want to see the factory owner's manual and satisfy myself that the manufacturer said flat towing was OK.

REMCO, purveyor of lube pumps, is another source that is usually correct. Still, Show Me the Manual!

Honda for years said that their cars couldn't be towed 4 wheels down but I have talked to many people who have towed them for thousands of miles without any trouble.

[j-d]

FMCA says they list only those vehicles whose manufacturer says are flat towable. In other words, you "Should" be able to find a page in the Owner's Manual that says flat towing is OK. Maybe with conditions, but OK.

That said, I'd want to see the factory owner's manual and satisfy myself that the manufacturer said flat towing was OK.

REMCO, purveyor of lube pumps, is another source that is usually correct. Still, Show Me the Manual!

[F450]

sch911 wrote:
Most front wheel drive cars are not towable 4 down. There are very few that are. You can yow on a dolly I suspect.

I am looking at FMCA's towing chart for front wheel drive cars and I see that there many cars that can be towed 4 wheels down. Is FMCA wrong?

[Y-Guy]

F450, in the future it's best not to double post, I'm going to close off yesterdays thread and link here. Good discussion is always good, but multiple posts aren't needed.

[ccxnola]

F450,
The reason most FWD vehicles are NOT towable 4-down is the way the transmission is operated and lubricated. SOME front-wheel drive vehicles ARE towable 4-down - you can review the various makes and models year by year with a simple search for the year in question. (My 2009 Saturn Outlook AWD is OK to be towed 4-down - but many other brands and models of various years are not - unless you invest in the addition of transmission fluid pumps or disconnect of the drive-train. (A major pain for either situation!)
So if your owner manual says not to do it - DON'T!! It could only take a few miles at high speed and you be looking at BIG $$$ to replace the tranny & perhaps other expensive stuff as well.