Can You Tow An Automatic Car In Neutral?

It doesn't happen all the time, but every now and then your car may need to be towed. The thing is, regardless of whether you got stuck, ran out of gas, or had a fender bender, the rules are a bit different if you're driving a car with an automatic transmission.

That's because towing can indeed damage an automatic transmission if it's not done right. This is because the way automatic transmissions work calls for cooling and lubrication from transmission fluids while in motion. These fluids will not be properly distributed throughout the transmission system when the car is being towed, because the engine isn't running and circulating them.

Setting up a manual transmission for towing is straightforward: just put it in neutral. So the expectation would be that neutral is also necessary for towing an automatic, right? Well, not really. You will want to put it in neutral when the car is being moved into position for towing and leave it there, but once proper towing begins, the car's orientation — which wheels are on the road — is most important. And this orientation is what will make the difference between a relatively smooth trip to the shop or possibly adding transmission troubles on top of whatever necessitated the tow in the first place.

While it's perfectly understandable that someone would assume it would make getting towed easier, towing isn't the time to use neutral gear in an automatic. It's about as helpful (or harmful) as leaving the car in reverse. The problem is that neutral in an automatic doesn't actually disconnect the drive wheels from the transmission. So, when the drive wheels move, other parts of the transmission move with them, possibly damaging the transmission.

Now, some (big emphasis on "some") rear-wheel drive vehicles with automatic transmissions have a switch that can be flipped to disconnect the driveshaft, but this is a very specific feature, and you shouldn't assume your car can do it. Check the manual to be safe. Front- and four-wheel-drive automatics, as well as those without a disconnect switch, will need to be towed with the drive wheels off the ground.

This means rolling on the front wheels for rear-wheel drive, the rear wheels for front-wheel drive, and using a flatbed trailer for four-wheel drive — although a flatbed would work for any of them. Aside from when roadside services moves the car into position for proper towing, you never want the drive wheels of an automatic on the ground while getting a tow to a garage, neutral or not.