Verify flat tow ability

[sheridany]

I was ready to close a deal on a 2021 Sierra 1500 Denali truck 4WD and the specs indicated it could be flat towed and I verified it in the owners manual at least 2 times.

I had the sales person verify yesterday and today I went to close the purchase.

The sales person was off so I was handed off to a co worker. i asked him the flat tow question and he didn’t know but he took the vin went to service and they called GM and it turns out that particular model with the diesel engine could not be towed.

The morale of the story don’t trust but verify multiple times. That could have been a costly mistake and knowing how to identify a really subtle thing like this is a must. A real disappointment but relieved I didn’t make an expensive error.

 

[MapNerd]

I’m not sure I would trust that either. To me, the easiest way to verify is to follow the procedure outlined in the manual and actually try to put the vehicle in flat tow mode.

 

["EZ"]

I’m not sure I would trust that either. To me, the easiest way to verify is to follow the procedure outlined in the manual and actually try to put the vehicle in flat tow mode.

I agree. Most car dealership personnel have no clue about flat towing. I would only be satisfied with an answer directly from GM. I'd want to see it in writing too so when it doesn't work or tears something up you'll have something in writing to go back to the dealer with.

Another pretty good source is the FMCA. They publish a flat tow guide every Spring with every flat towable vehicle listed. It's quite extensive.

 

[MapNerd]

When we bought our Jeep in 2019 we grabbed the manual out of the glovebox and did it just to be certain. Did the same with the truck in 2020.

no better way to confirm than to do it yourself. Never trust a salesman. They’re usually good people but their interests do not always directly align with yours.

 

[TJ&LadyDi]

Sad and glad for you at the same time! Sad that you weren’t able to get the vehicle you were after; glad you found out before dropping a bunch of cash on it. Good luck on your continuing search.

TJ

 

[Joe Hogan]

Interesting topic... many manual transmission equipped vehicles can not be flat towed even in neutral. This is why when a large truck is towed the driveshaft is removed or the rear wheels lifted off the ground.
This has to do with lubrication or lack thereof of the parts turned by the driveshaft (differential). Many transmissions require the Primary shaft (the gear shaft connected to engine) to turn in order to lubricate the transmission. When you flat tow in neutral the counter shaft (connected to the drive shaft) will rotate without lubrication from the Primary shaft.

If you have a transfer case, as in a 4WD, and it is equipped with a Neutral position, the transfer case will disconnect the driveline from the transmission. Consequently keeping the transmission from turning when flat towing.

An example https://tremec-blog.com/how-to-prevent-manual-transmission-damage-while-flat-towing/

 

[bpaikman]

I was ready to close a deal on a 2021 Sierra 1500 Denali truck 4WD and the specs indicated it could be flat towed and I verified it in the owners manual at least 2 times.

I had the sales person verify yesterday and today I went to close the purchase.

The sales person was off so I was handed off to a co worker. i asked him the flat tow question and he didn’t know but he took the vin went to service and they called GM and it turns out that particular model with the diesel engine could not be towed.

The morale of the story don’t trust but verify multiple times. That could have been a costly mistake and knowing how to identify a really subtle thing like this is a must. A real disappointment but relieved I didn’t make an expensive error.

A few years ago we almost purchased a used Honda CR-V that I particularly loved for its aqua blue color. I thought I’d verified that year model was flat-towable, but the salesman was uncertain…and he went off to check (where, I don’t know). He came back with a long face to tell us no, it’s not, so he lost the sale.
Come to find out later, it was indeed flat-towable. Poor guy lost a sale, and I didn’t get my lovely blue honda. ( I still love that color - our neighbor has one parked in the driveway to taunt me.) I don’t mean to go on a rant, but it‘s strange to me that it’s so difficult to find pretty colors in cars these days.
We ended up with an orange subaru crosstrek- I guess we’ll keep it for a toad for now - it’s stick shift, flat tow, no restriction….but it has 83K miles on it.