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EnglishVehicle Care -> Towing the Vehicle for your Chevrolet Silverado 1500 2018-2025
402
Vehicle Care
11. Start the vehicle with the good battery
and run the engine for a while.
Contact a professional towing service if the
disabled vehicle must be transported. GM
recommends a flatbed tow truck to
transport a disabled vehicle. Use ramps to
help reduce approach angles, if necessary.
Caution
The vehicle may be equipped with an
electric parking brake and/or an
12. Try to start the vehicle that had the
dead battery. If it will not start after a
few tries, it probably needs service.
electronic shifter. In the event of a loss of
12-volt battery power, the electric parking
brake cannot be released, and the vehicle
cannot be shifted to N (Neutral). Tire
skates or dollies must be used under the
non-rolling tires to prevent damage while
loading/unloading the vehicle. Dragging
the vehicle will cause damage not
If equipped, a tow eye may be located near
the spare tire or emergency jack. Do not use
the tow eye to pull the vehicle from the
snow, mud, sand, or ditch. Tow eye threads
may have right or left-hand threads. Use
caution when installing or removing the
tow eye.
Jumper Cable Removal
Reverse the sequence exactly when
removing the jumper cables.
After starting the disabled vehicle and
removing the jumper cables, allow it to idle
for several minutes.
covered by the vehicle warranty.
The vehicle must be in N (Neutral) and the
electric parking brake must be released
when loading the vehicle onto a flatbed tow
truck.
Towing the Vehicle
Transporting a Disabled Vehicle
Caution
Incorrectly transporting a disabled vehicle
may cause damage to the vehicle. Use
proper tire straps to secure the vehicle to
the flatbed tow truck. Do not strap or
hook to any frame, underbody,
Caution
The vehicle may be equipped with a tow
eye. Improper use of the tow eye may
cause damage to the vehicle and is not
covered by the vehicle warranty.
If equipped, use the tow eye to load the
vehicle onto a flatbed tow truck from a
flat road surface, or to move the vehicle
a very short distance at a walking pace.
The tow eye is not designed for off-road
recovery. The vehicle must be in
Vehicles Equipped with Electronic Shifter
The vehicle must be in N (Neutral) and the
electric parking brake must be released
when loading the vehicle onto a flatbed tow
truck.
.
If the vehicle is equipped with car wash
mode and has 12-volt battery power, refer
to “Car Wash Mode” under Automatic
Transmission (Electronic Shifter) 0 223 or
Automatic Transmission (Mechanical
Shifter) 0 220 to place the vehicle in
N (Neutral).
or suspension component not specified
below. Do not move vehicles with drive
axle tires on the ground. Damage is not
covered by the vehicle warranty.
N (Neutral) with the electric parking
brake released when using the tow eye.
Vehicle Care
403
.
If the 12-volt battery is dead and/or the
engine will not start, the vehicle will not
move. Try to jump start the vehicle. Refer
to Jump Starting - North America 0 399
and if the jump start is successful, retry
the “Car Wash Mode” procedure.
ground. Dolly towing is towing the vehicle
with two wheels on the ground and two
wheels on a dolly.
Front Attachment Points
Here are some important things to consider
before recreational vehicle towing:
.
Before towing the vehicle, become
familiar with the local laws that apply to
recreational vehicle towing. These laws
may vary by region.
Vehicles Equipped with Mechanical
Transmission Range Select Shifter
.
The vehicle must be in N (Neutral) and
the Electric Parking Brake must be
released when loading the vehicle onto a
flatbed tow truck. If the 12-volt battery is
dead and/or Electric Parking Brake is not
released, the vehicle will not move. Try to
jump start the vehicle with a known good
12-volt battery, shift the car into
.
.
.
The towing capacity of the towing
vehicle. Read the tow vehicle
manufacturer's recommendations.
How far the vehicle can be towed. Some
vehicles have restrictions on how far and
how long the vehicle can be towed.
Whether the vehicle has the proper
towing equipment. See your dealer or
trailering professional for additional
advice and equipment recommendations.
The vehicle is equipped with specific
attachment points to be used to pull the
vehicle onto a flatbed car carrier from a flat
road surface. Do not use these attachment
points to pull the vehicle from snow, mud
or sand.
N (Neutral), and release the Electric
Parking Brake. Refer to Jump Starting -
North America 0 399.
If jump starting is unsuccessful, the vehicle
will not move. Tire skates or dollies must be
used under the non-rolling tires to prevent
vehicle damage.
.
Whether the vehicle is ready to be towed.
Just as preparing the vehicle for a long
trip, make sure the vehicle is prepared to
be towed.
Recreational Vehicle Towing
Recreational vehicle towing means towing
the vehicle behind another vehicle, such as a
motor home. The two most common types
of recreational vehicle towing are dinghy
and dolly towing. Dinghy towing is towing
the vehicle with all four wheels on the
Follow the tow vehicle manufacturer’s
instructions. See your dealer or trailering
professional for additional advice and
equipment recommendations.
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Vehicle Care
Caution
Only dinghy tow four-wheel-drive vehicles
with a two-speed transfer case that have an
N (Neutral) and a 4 n (Four-Wheel Drive
Low) setting.
Caution
Use of a shield mounted in front of the
vehicle grille could restrict airflow and
cause damage to the transmission. The
repairs would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty. If using a shield, only
use one that attaches to the towing
vehicle.
If a vehicle with two-wheel drive or a
single-speed transfer case is towed with
all four wheels on the ground, the
drivetrain components could be damaged.
The repairs would not be covered by the
vehicle warranty.
Warning
{
Shifting a four-wheel-drive vehicle's
transfer case into N (Neutral) can allow
the vehicle to move even if the
Two-wheel-drive vehicles and vehicles with a
single-speed transfer case should not be
towed with all four wheels on the ground.
transmission is in P (Park). You or others
could be injured. Set the parking brake
and use wheel blocks before shifting the
transfer case to N (Neutral).
Dinghy Towing (Two-Wheel-Drive
Vehicles and Vehicles with a
Single-Speed Transfer Case)
Dinghy Towing (Vehicles with a
Two-Speed Transfer Case)
To dinghy tow:
1. Position the vehicle being towed behind
the tow vehicle, facing forward and on a
level surface.
2. Securely attach the vehicle being towed
to the tow vehicle.
3. Apply the parking brake and start the
engine.
4. Shift the transfer case to N (Neutral). See
“Shifting into N (Neutral)” under
Four-Wheel Drive 0 230.
5. With the engine running, release the
parking brake and verify that the
transfer case is in N (Neutral) by shifting
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405
the transmission to D (Drive) and then to
R (Reverse). There should be no
movement while shifting the
transmission.
10. Disconnect the negative (–) battery
cable. See “Negative Battery Cable
Disconnection” in Battery - North
America 0 352.
STOP for five seconds until the green
light comes on the button is illuminated.
See Ignition Positions 0 211.
4. Set the parking brake. See Electric
Parking Brake 0 236.
6. Shift the transmission to P (Park).
7. Release the parking brake.
8. Turn the vehicle off.
Caution
5. Disconnect from the tow vehicle.
6. Start the engine.
If the steering column is locked, vehicle
damage may occur.
9. Turn on the ignition without starting the
engine. To do this, take your foot off the
brake pedal then press and hold ENGINE
START/STOP for five seconds until the
green light on the button is illuminated.
See Ignition Positions 0 211.
7. Shift the transmission to N (Neutral).
11. Move the steering wheel to make sure
the steering column is unlocked.
8. Shift the transfer case to 2 m (Two-Wheel
Drive High). When the shift to 2 m
(Two-Wheel Drive High) is complete, the
light in the instrument cluster will stop
flashing and stay lit. See
12. For column shift transmissions, verify the
transmission is in P (Park). Failing to put
the transmission into Park before flat
towing can damage the transmission.
Four-Wheel-Drive Light 0 120.
Warning
{
13. Keep the remote key outside of the
vehicle and manually lock the doors.
Access the vehicle by using the key in
the door lock. See Door Locks 0 19.
9. Check that the vehicle is in 2 m
(Two-Wheel Drive High) by starting the
engine and shifting the transmission to
D (Drive) and then to R (Reverse). There
should be movement of the vehicle while
shifting.
To avoid death, serious injury,
or property damage, before dinghy
towing the vehicle, always disconnect and
secure the negative battery cable and
cover the negative battery post and cable
with a non-conductive material. If the
battery is left connected or the battery
cable contacts the post, the Electric
Parking Brake may activate during
towing, which could cause a crash.
Disconnecting the Towed Vehicle
Before disconnecting from the tow vehicle:
10. Shift the transmission to P (Park) and
turn off the ignition.
1. Park on a level surface. Secure the
vehicle with wheel blocks.
11. Release the parking brake and remove
the wheel blocks.
2. Re-connect the negative (–) battery. See
Battery - North America 0 352.
12. Reset any lost presets.
3. Turn on the ignition without starting the
engine. With your foot off the brake
pedal, press and hold ENGINE START/
406
Vehicle Care
The outside temperature display will
default to 0 °C (32 °F) but will reset with
normal usage.
Appearance Care
Exterior Care
Dolly Towing
Locks
Locks are lubricated at the factory. Use a
de-icing agent only when absolutely
necessary, and have the locks greased after
using. See Recommended Fluids and
Lubricants 0 421.
Washing the Vehicle
To preserve the vehicle's finish, wash it
often and out of direct sunlight.
Caution
Do not tow this vehicle with two wheels
on the ground, or vehicle damage could
occur. This damage would not be covered
by the vehicle warranty.
Warning
{
Do not power wash any part of the
vehicle’s interior, including the vinyl floor
covering. This could damage safety and
other systems in the vehicle, which
would not be covered by the vehicle
warranty.
Dolly towing this vehicle is not allowed with
either the front or the rear tires on the
ground for two-wheel drive or four-wheel
drive, regardless of transfer case.
