Towing the Prius C

Hi everyone. I wanted to make a thread about towing the PriusC since I didn't see any other threads specifically about it. Here is my experience of towing it twice in the last 4 months. I rented a tow dolly and towed it from NC to LA and back, using a pickup truck. I loaded the car up, front first, just as recommended in the manual. I put it in park and secured it with the straps and chains on the dolly. The trip went fine. Despite the inevitable potholes and bumps, the car made it to LA in one piece. I don't recommend speeds more than 65 miles an hour, most of the time I was going 55-60.
When I got to my destination and turned the car on to back it off the dolly, I saw icons come up and stay on the screen! I thought, "Oh no, I broke my car". I can't remember exactly but I think it was the slip indicator, ABS, parking brake and power steering icons that were all showing. I backed it off the dolly and noticed the powersteering was not working, and the odometer had counted 800+ miles that I had towed the car. I left the car where it was and called the local dealership in Alexandria, LA and they arranged to have it towed to the dealership and repaired at no cost. I don't know what they actually did to fix or clear the problem, but I know they didn't have to replace any parts. They just told me to unhook the 12V battery under the backseat before I tow it on the rear wheels again. So for the return trip I did that. I'll say, it is a major pain to remove the access cover to the 12Volt battery under the back passenger seat. The clips that hold the cover in are poorly designed and were stuck and I ended up breaking 2 or 3 to get the cover off. The process of unhooking the negative (black) battery cable was relatively painless with a socket wrench and 10mm socket, though the work space is very tight. The second towing trip went fine as well and this time after I reconnected the negative battery cable, I had no problems with warning lights and the odometer did not count all the towed miles. So I hope this helps others who are planning to tow their PriusC! Disconnect the battery before towing. That should be in the manual.

 

No, that would be very bad, and would have to leave the keys in it.....