Subraru - flat towing with a manual transmission

[skes]

Does anyone have experience with flat towing a Crosstrek with a manual transmission in the model years of 2015-2019? I see they (and other Subies) are listed in the Motorhome Magazine's annual dinghy towing guides. I looked at a couple subaru owners manuals for confirming information. All I could find was instructions on flat towing the automatic trans in an emergency situation. I see on etrailer.com that several companies make base plates, so I assume that it would be okay. Thought it was worth seeing if anyone on the forum had practical experience before I get super serious with buying one. Thanks in advance!

[creativepart]

This webpage on eTrailer will help some. It includes one response that claims to be direct word on this from Subaru:

https://www.etrailer.com/question-283080.html

finally received written response from Subaru Corporate stating that although Subaru doesn’t recommend flat towing their vehicles the restrictions only apply to AT and CVT’s. The 6sp. Crosstrek can be towed 4 wheels flat. The owners manual is quite vague and must have lost something in the Japanese to English translation. The Subaru rep. who I spoke with stated that this is a frequently asked question.

[edju]

Originally Posted by skes

Does anyone have experience with flat towing a Crosstrek with a manual transmission in the model years of 2015-2019? I see they (and other Subies) are listed in the Motorhome Magazine's annual dinghy towing guides. I looked at a couple subaru owners manuals for confirming information. All I could find was instructions on flat towing the automatic trans in an emergency situation. I see on etrailer.com that several companies make base plates, so I assume that it would be okay. Thought it was worth seeing if anyone on the forum had practical experience before I get super serious with buying one. Thanks in advance!

I've been wondering the same thing about the Crosstrek. I got mixed replies from Subaru using the manual transmission. Local dealer techs said it was ok, but one person from corporate customer support said yes and another said no. I noticed you posted this in May 2019, have you towed a Crosstrek? What else did you find out?

[skes]

edju,

Here is what I've learned in the last month or so (I posted this at the end of Nov). I looked at a few other sites like FMCA and joined a Subaru Crosstek forum. With no help from Subaru of America, there is no lack of confusion being posted out there. The last year that Subaru documented recreational flat towing a manual transmission was in 2015. In 2016 and later years it wasn't supported. Many folks believe it is due to a couple factors 1) Lawyers got involved from a liability standpoint and 2) Warranty claims due to user error. It did seem like there were a some number of people that have towed 2016 and later and report no problems, of course there are always a few who claim problems. The other big issue becomes where the key needs to be - Accessory position or is it okay in the off position.

Two weeks ago, i traded in the car that we loaded on the car dolly for a 2015 Crosstrek. I guess I went the safe route and it was at a price point I was willing to spend for third a car the gets towed around a couple months a year. Tomorrow I am having a two inch lift kit installed to get it a little closer to the height of the motorhome receiver (and it should make it look cool and will help getting to some of the remote hiking trailheads). As of today, I have all the parts on order to make it towable (baseplate, wiring, brake, etc). I expect that things will get installed in early January.

[edju]

Thank you Skes, I think the Crosstrek is a great option. I don't plan to do any 4 wheeling, just wanted to take some of the roads in National Parks that recommend 4WD. The service techs at the local dealer said it was ok for even a new vehicle, but Corporate says no. I talked with two folks at Corporate, one said yes, another no and I just got a written reply that was no. So I'll look around for a used one. Thanks for the feedback.

[Morich]

I might throw in some thoughts on the key position as it may be easy to figure when we think what happens.
When we flat tow, we want the front wheels to turn/ track with the car and RV wheels going the same way and same amount. We don't want the car wheels going straight ahead when the RV turns or it drags the car front tires sideways.
Part of the safety items is that the wheels lock pointed toward the curb, if the key is not in the right position.
So we want the key in a position which leaves the wheels unlocked and free to swivel as they need to turn and not get locked up when we do the first corner
! On the cars we have towed, that is often in the first step off the fully off position. Some call it accessories but some don't actually turn all the electronics gizmos on yet.
The way we test is to get the car ready for towing and the key set and then test if we can turn the steering wheel left or right without it locking up in the parked position. If it turns, we call it good.

[Kayak73]

We have towed the 2018 Subaru Forester now for two years. Of course light travel THIS year for some reason! So far there is no problem and it tows easily. I installed the base plate etc. myself. I liked the '18 Forester and still do. As Richard noted just make sure the key position leaves the steering free and you are in neutral.

I also observed that having the key on has a heck of a drain so it's off when we tow. Based on several issues I went with the LED lightbar and run that off my CPAP 100AH Battleborn when towing. I recharge it a few times every week on a long trip. The procedure is turn on the switch short of ignition, then back off. In my car that leaves the wheel free to move and shuts down the crazy electronics.

Prior to the 2019 models of Forester nothing has changed really except sheet metal and design - the running gear remained the same as the last year it was certified to be towed by the company. I took the gamble. Some dealers say you can't tow it and the mechanics reiterate what I just said. Lawyers abound. If you make a mistake towing anything it can be a big problem. Stuff can happen and does. If it makes sense to you, hook it up and pull it, it is your dollar - that's how I decided and haven't looked back. Great toad.

The AWD vehicles do require tire rotation so schedule your towed miles into the equation and rotate every 6k miles of road travel - powered or towed. There's another thought to think...you must replace all four tires in case of a problem with one. Circumference matters with AWD.