Hello, I got into an accident on my Prius v wagon. One of the rear tires got busted. The car was not drivable. The tow truck driver towed it from behind. That is, rear wheel raised and only the 2 front wheels touching the ground. The engine was ON while being towed. I think the tow truck driver set the transmission to Neutral. Are there any concerns towing from the back? Thank you.
With the car 'on' and in Neutral there should be no problem for a short time, but if left that way for a long time there's the risk of running the hybrid battery down below a safe level because there's no way for the engine to charge the battery if the car is in 'N'. Ideally you'd tow with the front wheels raised and the car off, but with a rear tire problem that wouldn't be possible.
This isn't preferred. Doing this spins the drivetrain components, in particular in the reverse direction. Toyota recommends that the vehicle be towed either on a flatbed, with the rear wheels on the ground and front on the tow truck, or front wheels on dollies with the rear on the tow truck. For a very short distance or low speeds, this is unlikely to cause any problems. Sometimes a towing service will have to hook the car and move it to get it into a position where they can either put in on a flatbed or get dollies under the front wheels.
He's doing engine-on in neutral because in most other cars, that allows the engine to spin the transmission oil pump, which protects the transaxle bearings. He may not have known about the risk of a discharged HV battery while operating in neutral, which is very specific to the Prius.
Amazing. Most tow truck operators produce a manual telling with vehicle specificity how each vehicle is to be towed. I know I've read the AAA manual and even carried a copy in my glove box for another make car.
