In modern days, cars are one of the most convenient modes of transportation for the majority of the population. Which is why it is so important that we diagnose and check our engines for any faults or malfunctions.
In the abstract below, you will get to know the relevant information regarding flat towing of your ford maverick.
Can you flat tow a ford maverick?
Most ford mavericks are not rated for flat-towing and doing so would damage the transmission, engine, drivetrain and cause your insurance to void. You can only tow those mavericks using a flatbed trailer. But hybrid ford mavericks can safely be flat towed since they have a front-wheel drivetrain.
Flat towing a vehicle is known as the process of towing a vehicle in which all the wheels of your vehicle stay in contact with the ground – also known as four-down towing, which is quite self-explanatory.
In order to flat tow a vehicle, you need to attach a tow bar between both the vehicles via a tow hitch and a tow hitch receiver.
Not all vehicles are compatible for flat towing and some of them may face critical damages if towed incorrectly.
Vehicles with manual transmission can be flat towed, but vehicles with front-wheel drive, rear wheel drive and others cannot be flat towed since doing so causes transmission damage.
Most Ford Mavericks cannot be flat towed and doing so will cause serious damage to the transmission as well as void your insurance. This is due to the motor type of most Ford Mavericks however; the hybrid edition can be flat towed.
Since flat towing is not usually recommended for Ford Mavericks, most owners resort to other methods of towing their Maverick behind RVs.
The hybrid edition of Ford Mavericks models can be flat towed because they contain a front-wheel drivetrain but most other Ford Mavericks contain all-wheel drivetrain – which isn’t compatible for flat towing.
Therefore, in order to determine whether your Ford Maverick can be flat towed, you need to check whether your Ford Maverick has a hybrid powertrain and front-wheel drive.
If so, then you can safely flat tow your Maverick without causing damage to the transmission and voiding the insurance.
If you want to tow your Ford Maverick and know that it is not a hybrid edition, then you can alternatively tow your Maverick using a flatbed trailer.
| Ford Maverick Model | Can be flat towed |
|---|---|
| 2022 Ford Maverick | Yes |
| 2023 Ford Maverick | No |
Can a Ford Maverick be towed by an RV?
A Ford Maverick can be towed by RV but in order to do so, you need to equip both the vehicles using the 4K Tow package which includes the following items:
Upgraded drive ratio, 7-pin trailer connector and your Ford Maverick should have a transmission cooler, heavy duty radiator, Hitch receiver. Make sure that the towing capacity is 4,000 lb.
Besides these basic requirements, you need to make sure that your Ford Maverick is compatible for flat towing – either from the manual or by contacting the manufacturer.
Ignoring this crucial aspect would mess with how the motor of the engine might operate the next time you start your Maverick up.
When deciding to flat tow your Ford Maverick with your RV, your RV’s engine should have the sufficient horsepower to tow without putting too much stress on the RV’s engine.
This is easily noticeable if your RV tows your Maverick at a very slow pace while the engine is running at its highest rpm.
Which Ford Maverick can be flat towed?
Below given is an extensive list on the which Ford vehicles that can be flat towed:
Ford Edge:
Ford Edge can be flat towed if the edition you bought was released in 2017 or earlier. Ford Edge models that were released between 2019 and 2022 are not safe for flat towing and doing so would void your insurance.
Ford Expedition:
Every 2019 release of Ford expedition can be safely flat towed without running the risk of voiding the insurance.
Ford Expedition Max:
Similar to Ford expedition, Ford Expedition Max can also be safely flat towed without causing the insurance to be void.
Ford Explorer:
Ford explorers cannot be flat towed, and doing so would void the insurance. Ford explorers were released in 2020 and all editions released later do not support flat towing.
Ford F-150:
Ford F-150 2WD cannot be flat towed, however Ford F-150 4WD, which was released in 2021, can be flat towed.
Ford F-250:
A 2018 edition of Ford F-250 can be flat-towed.
Ford F-350:
Any edition of Ford F-350 can be flat-towed without running the risk of voiding the insurance.
Ford F-450:
Any edition of Ford F-450 can be flat-towed without running the risk of voiding the insurance.
Ford Super Duty:
Any vehicle that belongs to Ford’s super duty series is excellent for high power activities such as flat-towing, off-road driving etc.
Ford Fiesta:
The 2019 edition of Ford Fiesta can be flat towed regardless of the trim, drivetrain or transmission type.
Ford Flex:
All models of Ford Flex can be flat towed regardless of the trim, drivetrain or transmission type.
3 reasons why you cannot always flat tow ford maverick
Below are few of the reasons why you cannot flat tow your ford maverick:
May damage the transmission:
If you flat tow your Ford Maverick in neutral, it will cause the wheels to rotate and thus cause various components in the output section of the transmission to spin.
When this spinning occurs due to the engine, lubrication runs through the moving parts from the internal pump – but since the engine is off, the internal pump isn’t running and no lubrication is being released.
Therefore, if you run your vehicle for a long distance then the moving parts will slowly be damaged due to friction and result in permanent damage to your transmission.
Not all mavericks have front-wheel drivetrain:
Front-wheel drivetrains receive power directly from the engine while the rear wheels remain free, since flat towing requires you to connect the tow bar to the front – it is necessary to make sure the vehicle’s wheels don’t freely turn.
Wheels of front-wheel drive seem to be perfect for flat towing since the wheels don’t have a tendency of turning while towing.
EcoBoost engines aren’t suited for flat towing:
EcoBoost engines are vulnerable to carbon buildup compared to the hybrid engine of many Fords Maverick models. The problem with this is that while towing, the carbon buildups may get in the way of the moving parts and thus cause wear and tear in them.
If this keeps up for a long time, the durability of your engine and its efficiency will be significantly reduced.
How to flat tow a ford maverick?
Below listed are the ways you can flat tow a ford maverick, but before that – make sure your ford maverick is suitable for flat towing, otherwise it may result in a long-term damage to the transmission:
Enable the Accessory Mode:
In order to enable the neutral or neutral tow mode of your vehicle, you first need to enable the accessory mode. You can find the instructions to do so on your vehicle’s manual since it may differ for each vehicle.
Enable Neutral or Neutral Tow Mode:
Once in accessory mode, you need to switch your vehicle to neutral or neutral tow mode. You can do this by pressing the menu button and then selecting settings – there you will see the neutral tow mode. Press on it to enable that and then your vehicle will be in tow mode.
Follow the Steps Stated in the Display Panel:
If there are additional instructions for towing, it will be shown in the display panel – you need to follow those steps accordingly. These steps may vary for different vehicles but they will be more or less the same.
Shift your car to Neutral:
When done with the steps in the display panel, press on the brake pedal to safely shift your car to neutral mode – enabling the wheels to move freely.
Turn off the Ignition:
To prevent unnecessary combustion of fuel, you should turn off the ignition and remove your keys.
Final Thoughts
The transmission, engine, drivetrain of most Ford Mavericks is not designed for flat-towing; doing so would ruin them and void your insurance. A flatbed trailer is used to tow those mavericks. However, hybrid ford mavericks can be flat towed without risk because they have a front-wheel drivetrain.
I am an automotive enthusiast and have been interested in cars since I was a little kid. I have worked in the automotive industry for many years and have extensive knowledge of vehicles and their engines. I am a father of two and I love spending time with my family.
Read more about the author here.
