2007 Compass towing question

[geezer1]

I have a 2007 Compass, 2 wheel drive, 5 speed standard transmission. The owners manual says not to tow with 4 wheels on the ground. In fact, it says to make sure all 4 wheels are off the ground before towing. Otherwise, damage will occur to the drive train. This makes absolutely no sense to me. I've asked 3 separate dealerships service departments about this & none have any idea why the owners manual states what it does & why any damage would occur. Are there any guru's here that can offer insight into why towing 4 wheels down is a problem for this car?

[IRSmart]

there is no neutral on the 4wd transfer case. that's the only thing that i can think of.

[geezer1]

Originally Posted by IRSmart

there is no neutral on the 4wd transfer case. that's the only thing that i can think of.

Well, okay, but mine is a 2 wheel drive.

[IRSmart]

ah, i didn't see that. i got nothing then lol. what i will tell you is that a lot of things in the owners manual is flat out wrong. it shows pictures of the wrong key, says that the base model has lumbar support, and points to the wrong handles on the seats when explaining their functions. i wouldn't be surprised if this was wrong as well.

[tripplec]

Normally you would not want the front axle (FWD is up front) working all the time while in tow. Its best to have the front off. Since yours is a 2WD the rear trailing would be fine. I've seen a lot tow with trailing wheels and its more stable with the front tow dolly or whatever they use to support the front.

[geezer1]

I heard that the '09 and up were okay for 4 wheels flat towing (2 WD, standard transmission). If I could find out what the differences between my '07 and a '09 are, maybe I could mod mine. Anyway... still fishing for info / thoughts. I appreciate the responses I've received.