Towing Prius behind a motorhome - Toyota Nation Forum : Toyota Car and Truck Forums

Prius1 · 09-24-2005, 07:13 PM

Hello Folks,

Does anyone know if a prius can be towed behind a motorhome with all four wheels down on the pavement?

Thanks,
Joe @ jgleason@comcast.net

Tideland Prius · 09-24-2005, 07:22 PM

Umm... my guess is no. You can't shift out of park with the car off like you can with a regular vehicle. Shifting to neutral then powering off the car will still engage the parking prawl.

Prius1 · 09-24-2005, 07:34 PM

Okay so if the parking "pawl" is my limitation - what if I disconnect it?

Tideland Prius · 09-25-2005, 01:22 AM

gl lol. The Prius doesn't have a transmission. It has a Power Split Device (PSD) which is essentially a planetary gear set and is based on a CVT type setup. It's also electronic. You press the "P" button to engage Park. I'm not sure how'd you disable that.

epinionator89 · 09-29-2005, 12:56 AM

If the "transmission" goes into Park whenever the engine is shut off, what happens when you're going down the road and the engine stalls? Or does it go into Park only when the key is not in the "ON" position? I've never been in a Prius, so I assume the most basic things are laid out like a normal car.

Tideland Prius · 09-29-2005, 02:20 PM

Well it doesn't have a key remember? (the new one, that is). If the engine stalled (which I imagine might freak some people out cause they'll think it just turned off as normal), I'm not sure what would happen. Come to think of it, I'm not sure how you can stall a Prius' engine. To turn "off" the car while in motion (e.g. in an emergency), you hold the POWER button for 3 secs or more. It'll shut down and slowly come to a halt, that's about it.

Prius1 · 09-30-2005, 08:33 PM

I don't own my Prius yet, waiting for the #3,150 tax credit on 1/1/06. What's the big deal with leaving the key in the ignition while towing? A motorhome can pull this thing down the road (assuming you take it out of park) and I'm assuming the "brain" in the prius would have to think that the thing is coasting down a big (very, very long) hill and simply charge the batteries! I have driven one and don't claim to be an expert yet but I know when I came to a red light and took my foot off of the gas pedal the thing free wheeled itself to the red light like nothing I had ever driven! It free wheeled with virtually no resistance for nearly 2 blocks before I had to eventually apply the brakes when I got to the light which was still red.

Tideland Prius · 10-01-2005, 02:40 AM

You can leave the car on and in neutral but you risk draining (actually, you will drain) the battery since the engine doesn't charge the battery when in neutral.