All-wheel drive vehicles are enormously popular in Ottawa and for good reason. The city’s winter road conditions, from the icy bridges over the Rideau River to the unplowed subdivision streets in Barrhaven and Kanata to the rural roads around Manotick and Stittsville, make the traction advantages of AWD genuinely useful for the better part of six months every year.
What most AWD vehicle owners in Ottawa do not know is that their vehicle has a specific towing requirement that, if ignored, can turn a routine breakdown into an expensive mechanical failure on top of an already stressful situation.
Why AWD Vehicles Cannot Be Towed the Same Way as Two-Wheel Drive Cars
A conventional two-wheel drive vehicle can be towed with a wheel lift device that raises either the front or rear wheels off the ground while the other two wheels roll on the road. This is a perfectly acceptable method for a vehicle where only two wheels are mechanically connected to the drivetrain.
An all-wheel drive vehicle has all four wheels mechanically connected to the drivetrain through a combination of differentials and a transfer case. When two of those wheels roll on the road during a wheel lift towing operation, the drivetrain engages as if the vehicle were being driven. The components spin, the fluids move, and the heat builds. If the drivetrain is not lubricated properly during this process, because the vehicle is not running and the fluid pump is not active, significant damage can occur to differentials, transfer cases, and CV joints.
The repair cost for this kind of damage, caused entirely by an improper tow, regularly runs into several thousand dollars.
The Solution Is Flatbed Towing
When an AWD vehicle needs to be towed anywhere in Ottawa, the correct method is flatbed transport. A flatbed truck loads the vehicle onto a platform with all four wheels completely off the ground. Nothing rolls, nothing engages, and the drivetrain is entirely protected for the duration of the trip, regardless of how far the vehicle needs to travel.
Ontario Towing dispatchers ask about vehicle type specifically to identify AWD and 4WD vehicles before sending a truck. When a caller from Kanata, Orleans, Barrhaven, or anywhere else in Ottawa identifies their vehicle as all-wheel or four-wheel drive, Ontario Towing sends a flatbed. This is not an upsell. It is the correct equipment for the vehicle, dispatched to avoid a damage situation that is entirely preventable.
How to Confirm Your Vehicle Is AWD
Many Ottawa drivers are not certain whether their vehicle is AWD or two-wheel drive, particularly for vehicles purchased used. Check the badge on the rear of your vehicle. Designations like AWD, 4WD, 4×4, xDrive, Quattro, SH-AWD, e-4MOTION, and ATTESA all indicate all-wheel or four-wheel drive systems that require flatbed towing. If you are unsure, tell the dispatcher your vehicle’s make and model, and they can confirm the correct towing method.
What to Do If a Company Tries to Wheel-Lift Your AWD Vehicle
If a towing company arrives with a wheel lift truck for your AWD vehicle and intends to tow it without all four wheels off the ground, decline. Ask directly whether they have a flatbed available. If they do not, call a different company.
This situation arises sometimes when drivers do not specify their vehicle type when calling, or when a company dispatches without asking. Knowing this requirement in advance and stating it clearly when you call eliminates the situation before the truck arrives.
