Community Forums

laplaya · 05-13-2012, 07:05 PM

Well the title pretty much says it all. Can I tow my 2004 Honda Civic with automatic transmission? I am hoping that I can tow it 4 down rather than on a dolly. Thanks

Wanabee FTer · 05-13-2012, 09:17 PM

American Honda does not endorse towing 4 wheel down on the Civic although I have seen many people that do.

Having said that, I have towed a 2000 Honda Accord a/t for 2 years without issue. It also is a non recommended model by American Honda for 4 down towing.

Remco sells towing equipment for 4 down towing and has an application/model page to see what is recommended to tow your vehicle 4 down.

Stevegd007 · 05-13-2012, 09:36 PM

I DID tow a 04 Honda Civic automatic, 4 down (for 2 years) with no problems ever. Traded it for a standard 06 Civic. My Honda Service Manager said it was fine to tow. So it was brand new and so then I had a local RV service shop install the hitch and sell me a tow bar. You HAVE to follow the HONDA requirements for "setup" prior to towing. Search on this site for the correct method. MY only problem was having a dead battery after towing all day. Happened twice...so I purchased a product called "Toad Charger" and never has this happen again.

laplaya · 05-14-2012, 10:48 AM

Thanks for the replies. I would like to talk to anyone who is currently towing a Civic and learn more about their setup..

hooverbill · 05-14-2012, 05:56 PM

I'm skeptical about towing anything the manufacturer says you can't tow. All the "I've done it for years with no problem" posts really don't tell you much. You can't tell whether or not there is any long term damage. If you like Hondas, get a CRV.

laplaya · 05-14-2012, 07:16 PM

It's a 2004 civic. If I kill it by towing it then I am not losing much. It is the vehicle I have right now and am not ready to buy a tow vehicle just yet so if I can tow it, that would be great. I am saving up for a jeep 4wd. I am pretty sure those can be towed 4 down with no issues.

Stevegd007 · 05-14-2012, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hooverbill

I'm skeptical about towing anything the manufacturer says you can't tow. All the "I've done it for years with no problem" posts really don't tell you much. You can't tell whether or not there is any long term damage. If you like Hondas, get a CRV.

Well I was told by Honda that the 04 Civic could be towed...an I towed it for 2 years with no problems.

Mr_D · 05-14-2012, 11:36 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Wanabee FTer

American Honda does not endorse towing 4 wheel down on the Civic although I have seen many people that do.

Up through the 2004 model year Honda didn't officially allow anything but the CR-V to be towed four down. At that time the rest were "we don't know of any reason not to but be sure and follow the recommended towing procedure" (same as the CR-V is).
Then in 2005 the started allowing only the CR-V and a few of the Pilots. We bought our '05 Ody under the written promise that it was towable four down. Honda later paid us about $2,200 in repayment for what we spent on getting it ready to tow four down.
In 2008 Honda said the 2007 and newer Fit's were towable four down.
Now it's still only the Fit and CR-V.
However, if you do tow four down you probably void any warranty if you have any left and and service policy too as you didn't follow Honda's recommendations.
I've towed our Ody both ways, going to CA and AZ four down cost me a front end alignment and various new chips in the paint, going back to dolly towing.

You can pretty much tow anything you want, just remember that you will void any factory warranty and probably any service policy you might have.