Hello Fellow Prius Owners! I have been reading some of the posts in PriusChat and it appears that, with a 2016 Prius, it is possible to tow a light trailer. Is this true? Here, let me be more specific: Is it permissable/possible to tow a trailer with a 2016 Prius 4 Touring here in the United States (I ask about the U.S. in specific because it appears that some of the trailering posts were from places other than the U.S.)? If so, what are the weight restrictions (total permitted weight of the trailer, tongue weight, etc.). Does anyone have any experience with a 2016 Prius and trailer towing? If so, please share what you know! I would like to purchase and tow a light/bare-bones "motorcycle" tent/camping trailer to pull behind my Prius. I do not want to have any warranty questions if something breaks. In other words, Toyota cannot use towing as an excuse for voiding any part of the new car and/or extended warranties. Thank you! Dave (aka: Pleasedpriusowner) Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
At that first sentence, I was sure you would continue saying how you don't care about warranty exceptions, you don't want to hear about it. The owner's's manual expressly warns against any kind of towing, it's pretty much a given: you're on your own if something happens.
Should you decide to ignore Toyota's admonition NOT to tow any thing with your Prius, here is a 255 pound trailer, so long as you do not add extra gear. Lightweight Pop-Up Tent Trailors | Pop Up Tent Trailers | Small Car Tent Trailors
Warranties nearly always deny coverage for failures from abuse. If a failure can reasonably to associated with the towing, they have plenty of grounds to deny coverage. But they cannot use it as a blanket excuse to deny all possible warranty coverage. It is up to them to show that a specific failure was related to your 'abusive' use. I.e. if the entertainment system breaks, they can't point to towing as a reason to deny coverage. This reply is specific to the U.S., not other countries such as the UK where auto insurance companies deny insurance claims for reasons that would not fly here.
I think even if you install a trailer hitch for a bike mount, it's a smoking gun to the service departments if they're assessing engine or transaxle damage and considering warranty eligibility; there's no way to prove you didn't tow with the hitch.
hi all, I just turned in a Prius lease with attached trailer hitch for my Hobie Wave. Before I turned it in, I asked the Service Department if an attached hitch would void the warranty. They said no, they see them all the time. They said that the mere presence of a hitch does not void the warranty. The 2016 manual (page 223) says ‘not recommended, even for bike racks’, but unless there is a drive train problem, Toyota will not make an issue with the hitch. I had no problem on my 2013 with tongue weight of less than 200# and towing weight of ~300#. 2016 Prius Trailer Hitch: etrailer: 24944 2016 Prius Trailer Wiring: etrailer: C56317 Now, can anyone help me figure out how to safely remove the rear cargo panels behind the lights in the 2016, so I can install the wiring for my new hitch? -michael
