184 STARTING AND OPERATING R ECREATIONAL T OWING F OUR -W HEEL D RIVE M ODELS CAUTION! Shifting Into N (Neutral) Before recreational towing, the transfer case must be in N (Neutral). To be certain the transfer case is fully in N (Neutral), perform the procedure outlined under “Shifting Into N (Neutral)”. Internal transmission damage will result, if the transfer case is not in N (Neutral) during towing. Use the following procedure to prepare your vehicle for recreational towing. NOTE: Both the manual shift and electronically shifted transfer cases must be shifted into N (Neutral) for recreational towing. Automatic transmissions must be shifted into PARK for recreational towing.
Refer to the following for the proper transfer case N (Neutral) shifting procedure for your vehicle. WARNING! You or others could be injured or killed if you leave the vehicle unattended with the transfer case in the N (Neutral) position without first fully engaging the parking brake. The transfer case N (Neutral) position disengages both the front and rear driveshafts from the powertrain, and will allow the vehicle to roll, even if the automatic transmission is in PARK. The parking brake should always be applied when the driver is not in the vehicle. CAUTION! The transmission must be placed in PARK for recreational towing. DO NOT dolly tow any four-wheel drive vehicle.
Towing with only one set of wheels on the ground (front or rear) will cause severe trans mission and/or transfer case damage. Tow with all four wheels either ON the ground, or OFF the ground (using a vehicle trailer). Towing this vehicle in violation of the above requirements can cause severe transmission and/or transfer case damage. Damage from improper towing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty. Tow only in the forward direction. Towing this vehicle backwards can cause severe damage to the transfer case. Do not disconnect the rear driveshaft because fluid will leak from the transfer case, causing damage to internal parts.
It is necessary to follow these steps to be certain that the transfer case is fully in N (Neutral) before recreational towing to prevent damage to internal parts. CAUTION! Do not use a bumper-mounted clamp-on tow bar on your vehicle. The bumper face bar will be damaged. (Continued)