Emergency vehicle towing
Strictly speaking, the vehicle should be towed with the drive wheels off the ground (In front of them) wheels (best at all on a tow truck platform). If you have to tow your vehicle with the front wheels off, follow the guidelines below. Avoid towing the vehicle with all four wheels touching the ground for long distances.
The vehicle is towed using a special removable towing eyelet, which is stored together with the on-board tool kit in the luggage compartment. Holes of sockets for its installation on the right side of the front and rear bumpers are closed with decorative covers (see illustration 11).
11. Opening the cover of the socket for installing the towing eye
If the vehicle needs to be towed, open the cover of the mounting slot in the front bumper by turning it counterclockwise (see illustration 12) screw in the towing eye and tighten it until it stops, so that the eye of the eye is in a horizontal position. Use for towing only a cable specially designed for this purpose, and preferably a rigid bar.
12. Installing the towing eye
Attention! When choosing a cable or rod, make sure in advance that their design allows you to attach them to the eye of the towing eye!
Attach the towline/rigid bar to the eye.
Turn the ignition on to unlock the steering wheel and operate the brake lights, horn and wipers.
When towing on an emergency vehicle, the neutral gear must be engaged / the selector lever must be moved to the position «N». Remember to release the parking brake lever and turn on the hazard warning lights. Before driving, the drivers of both vehicles (towing and towed) the itinerary must be agreed upon.
Remember that when the engine is off, the braking efficiency of the car is noticeably reduced due to the fact that the vacuum brake booster stops functioning, and you should depress the foot brake pedal with a noticeably greater force than usual - the stopping distance will increase. When maneuvering, more effort will have to be applied to the steering wheel, since the power steering pump will also not function.
Activate the air circulation system if necessary (with appropriate equipment) and close the windows to prevent exhaust gases from the towing vehicle from entering the passenger compartment.
Movement should be carried out only at moderate speeds, along the shortest route and in compliance with the MPC. Avoid sudden braking, acceleration and maneuvering. Be aware that when towing your vehicle on the edge of a dirt road, there is always a risk of drifting to the side of the road. Models equipped with automatic transmission (AT), may be towed on all four wheels only in forward gear at a speed not exceeding 80 km/h and at a distanceno more than 100 km.
Attention! Failure to comply with the specified restrictions can lead to failure of the transmission! If it is necessary to exceed these figures, as well as in the event of a malfunction of the AT, towing is allowed only with a separation of the leading (front) wheels off the ground!
In the event that another vehicle needs help in towing, the towing eye is screwed into the socket on the rear bumper. The requirements for installing the eye are the same as when installing it in front. When starting off and changing gears, the driver of the towing vehicle must pay particular attention to the smoothness of the clutch release. The driver of the towed vehicle must try to keep the towing strap taut at all times in order to avoid jerks and collisions with the wheels (for these reasons, the use of a rigid rod is preferable).
Attention: Excessively high tractive force can cause damage to vehicles!
Towing to start the engine (emergency start)
Note: Towing start is not possible for AT equipped models.
Attention! All models covered in this manual are equipped with an exhaust gas catalytic converter - starting the engine by towing may damage it! This method of starting the engine should be used only when absolutely necessary, and the vehicle is allowed to move no more than 50 m.
Before towing the vehicle to start the engine, try to start the engine with an external auxiliary power source (see below).
On manual transmission models, gasoline engines can be started by towing - turn on the ignition, fully depress the clutch pedal and engage second or third gear, then signal the driver of the towing vehicle to start moving. When both vehicles start moving, gently release the clutch pedal. As soon as the engine starts, depress the clutch pedal and shift out of gear to avoid hitting the towing vehicle.
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