Towing a Toyota or Lexus hybrid — a flatbed, not a rope

In an ordinary car with a manual gearbox, towing on a rope is sometimes allowed. In a Toyota and Lexus hybrid the wheels are permanently coupled to the electric motors through the planetary gearset. When the hybrid system is off, those motors are not controlled, and the oil in the transmission does not circulate as it does while driving. That is why the manual specifies a flatbed, not dragging the car on all four wheels.

Why a rope does harm

• Spinning drive wheels turn MG1 and MG2 with no inverter control
• The transmission can overheat, because the oil pump is not working normally
• Voltage appears in the high-voltage circuit with the system switched off
• After such a tow a whine, metal in the oil or a Check Hybrid System message appears

How to tow correctly

The safe option is a flatbed platform: every wheel off the ground. With front-wheel drive, roadside assistance can also lift the front if the rear only rolls and that model’s manual allows it. On AWD and e-Four there is an extra electric motor at the rear — here all four wheels must be lifted.

Rolling the car a few metres, for example out of a parking space, is not the same as ten or more kilometres on a rope. Leave a longer distance to a flatbed. If the lever will not leave P with a flat 12 V battery, use the release procedure from the manual, not force.

What not to do

• Do not push-start or bump-start the hybrid
• Do not tow the car with the drive wheels on the road and READY off
• Do not assume position N protects the transmission the way it does in a conventional automatic

Towing a trailer with a healthy car is a separate matter: what counts is the permitted weight and more frequent checks of the oil in the e-CVT gearbox. This article is about a car that no longer drives itself.

Summary

Regular diagnostics and careful use keep a hybrid free of surprises. If you have questions after reading — see our hybrid service or contact us.