Can Toyota Corolla Be Flat Towed? (Explained)
Understandably, towing your vehicle through long or short distances can be quite challenging.
Some cars we can flat tow; others can only be dinghy or trailer pulled, which is often dependent on the vehicle’s make. When it comes to Toyota Corolla, which is more appropriate?
I’ll discuss that in this article while guiding you on how to tow a Corolla.
The Toyota Corolla can only be flat tow if it has a manual transmission or without CTV (Continuous Variation Transmission). Toyota Corolla with transmissions other than these cannot be flat tow. Flat towing them will only lead to the damage of essential components of your car.
Is Toyota Corolla Flat Towable?
Toyota Corolla is flatly towable depending on the car’s year of manufacture. Your Toyota Corolla might be flat towable if manufactured between 1993-2019.
That is because these models come with a manual gearbox.
You can safely tow Toyota Corolla and other Toyota vehicles with a manual gearbox with all four wheels grounds with little or no damage caused to the car.
However, this is not the case with vehicles that operate on an automatic transmission. Flat towing them safely is near impossible as it often leads to damaging vital components in the car.
The primary reason for this is that most Toyota vehicles with automatic transmission require the lubrication of the engines and other moving parts when the car is moving.
So flat towing Toyota cars with automatic transmission cannot be possible.
It is impossible because the engines are not running and cannot pump lubricants.
It takes only a running engine to pump lubricants into the various parts of the car, which require lubrication during the movement of the vehicle where automatic transmission is employed.
And because this cannot be possible with automatic transmission. it is greatly discouraged in vehicles with automatic transmission to flat tow.
However, if flat towing your car becomes the only option available, specific devices must be placed and attached to the vehicle to ensure its safety.
You must connect devices such as a driveshaft decoupler and transmission lubrication pump to your car to lubricate the car engines to make the car function like normal.
Nevertheless, I will not advise this as your car is still prone to damage. I recommend alternate towing methods other than flat towing for automatic transmission vehicles.
Can you Dolly Tow a Toyota Corolla?
Towing Toyota Corolla on a dolly is possible if you carefully follow instructions from your car owner’s manual.
This guide ensures the compatibility of your car with the dolly to avoid unnecessary damage.
Dollies are usually used with front-wheel drive vehicles. And since most corollas are front-wheel ground vehicles, they can be easily towed on a dolly.
Ensure to consult the owner’s manual for specific instructions on how to safely hook up your vehicle with the dolly of your choice.
While towing Toyota Corolla on a dolly, ensure to hook up the vehicle’s front wheel to the dolly while the rear wheels remain on the ground.
Make sure the hook is firmly connected to your car and to the dolly to avoid any form of accident.
Some dolly comes with electrical connections such as electrical brakes and lights to help other road users know where the driver is using the brake or turning. So these electrical connections must be correctly placed.
While vehicles require the car’s steering to be locked during towing, others require the steering to be unlocked so the wheels can turn.
Ensure to always consult the owner’s manual to know how it works for your Corolla and stick entirely to it.
Your car’s manual must be your guide to how you handle your vehicle to ensure safety of your vehicle at every point in time.
Where Is the Tow Hook on A Toyota Corolla?
The tow hook on your towing Toyota Corolla can either be found at the front or back of your car, depending on the wheel drive of your vehicle. In case of doubt, consult the owner’s manual.
You can safely tow Toyota Corolla when they are correctly hooked.
Hooking your vehicle correctly to the dolly, car, or trailer goes a long way in ensuring the safety of your vehicle and its components, as well as the safety of the other vehicle hauling your vehicle.
You can find the hook hole underneath the lamp heads for a front-wheel-drive Toyota Corolla.
Look out for the two eyes cover close to the lamp head, and remove the covering to reveal the holes you can attach the hook.
For rear-wheel-drive Toyota vehicles or if you’re towing from the back part of your car, look out for the hook under your vehicle just after the bumper.
How to Tow a Toyota Corolla?
Toyota Corolla is one of the best-selling compact vehicles manufactured by Toyota. And towing Toyota Corolla can be done over long or short distances or wherever you desire.
Toyota Corolla, especially those with automatic transmission, requires precautions while towing. That is because not all Toyota vehicles are designed to be towed.
Nevertheless, if you must pull your car, you must follow certain basic precautions to avoid any form of damage.
Firstly, be sure the vehicle in use can carry the weight of the Toyota Corolla. All Toyota have their specified weight.
Ensure to check the Corolla’s weight and the capacity of the tow vehicle to be sure the tow vehicle can handle the weight of the Corolla.
Most corollas are front-wheel ground-drive vehicles. If yours belong to this category, ensure to hook your Corolla to the tow vehicle at the front wheel in preparation for towing Toyota Corolla.
Also, be sure to follow instructions as to how your Corolla can be hooked to the vehicle before pulling.
Make sure your vehicle and its parking brake are completely locked up. Also, make sure the alignment of the tow vehicle and the front wheel of your car are strongly connected.
Engaging these parts while towing will only lead to damage.
It is advisable to tow the vehicle in an open field for a few minutes before embarking on the main trip.
Doing this ensures everything is in place and adequately connected before moving on the highway.
Also, while on transit, ensure to stop frequently to check the tow lights and the tires of your vehicle just to be sure they are neither going flat nor overheating.
Overheating can equally damage your car hence the need to be careful.
What Toyota Cars Can be Flat Tow?
Toyota cars manufactured a few years back are flat tow Toyota. These Toyota Corollas are those with a manual transmission that supports flat towing.
Flat towing will be difficult with newer vehicles as they contain automatic gearbox or CVT.
Some of the models that you can use for flat towing Toyota Corolla (manual transmission) according to Toyota include:
- Toyota corolla 1993-2019
- Toyota Camry 1992-2011
- Toyota Celica 1994-1999
- Toyota Echo 2000-2005
- Toyota Rav4 2000-2005
- Toyota Solara 1999-2009
- Toyota Yaris 2007-2018
- 2001 Toyota Rav-4 with manual and automatic transmission
- 2001 Toyota Highlander with automatic transmission
As seen, most of the flat tow Toyotas according to Toyota, are those that have a manual gearbox.
Toyota is now producing more cars with automatic transmission implies fewer flat towable vehicles.
Conclusion
We can flat tow Toyota Corolla if it operates with a manual transmission or without a CVT. Flat towing Toyota Corolla with automatic transmission only leads to damage to the components of the cars.
If they must be flat tow, devices such as driveshaft decouplers and transmission lubrication pumps must be attached to the vehicle to ensure its safety.
