Can a Front Wheel Drive 2016 Ford Explorer be Flat Towed

Published 07/28/2016

Products Featured in This Question

Roadmaster Direct-Connect Base Plate Kit - Removable Arms

(3324)

$575.00

Blue Ox Patriot Portable Flat Tow Brake System - Proportional

(396)

$1482.94

Roadmaster 4-Diode Universal Wiring Kit for Towed Vehicles - 7-Way to 6-Way Coiled Adapter Cord

(3183)

$179.84

Roadmaster Falcon 2 Tow Bar - RV Mount - 2" Hitch - 6,000 lbs

(401)

$850.00

RoadMaster 68" Single Hook, Coiled Safety Cables - 6,000 lbs

(654)

$71.02

Question:

I see that my owners manual says to dolly my 2016 explorer fwd, however they just published a 2016 towing guide and on page 11 it says you can with either 3.5 liter engines . Ford is sending mixed messages one says you can the other says you cant. You can buy the kit for it. Im confused. Thanks,

asked by: Kenneth J

Expert Reply:

In the towing guide you mentioned it does say that your 2016 Ford Explorer can be towed with all four wheels on the ground as long as you keep it under 65 mph. I would trust that since it comes straight from Ford and they could have changed their stance since the printing of your owners manual. It still wouldn't hurt to contact a Ford dealer to be 100 percent sure.

The Roadmaster Kit part # RM-524445-5 that you mentioned is a confirmed fit for your vehicle and would be the correct base plate kit to use.

In addition to the base plates, you will also need a compatible tow bar, safety cables, lighting, and supplemental braking to flat tow your vehicle. The most popular compatible tow bar is the Falcon 2, # RM-520. For safety cables you can use # RM-643. The coiled design helps keep the cables off of the ground.

For lighting you can use the diode kit, # RM-15267, and not have to worry about cutting into the taillight housing. This will splice into your taillight wiring to allow your tow vehicle to control the taillight assemblies of the towed vehicle. This comes with a round 6-way connector that you will install on the front of your towed vehicle and enough coiled wire to go from there to the RV.

And finally, most states now require supplemental braking in the vehicle being flat towed. The easiest system to set up and use is the Blue Ox Patriot # BLU37TR, that applies the vehicle brakes in proportion to how much the tow vehicle is braking. This is the safest way to stop and it reduces wear and tear on both vehicles.

Most likely you will also need a high low adapter so that the tow bar will be level when you are flat towing. I attached a link to a page that has all of the ones we carry.

I have included a couple of helpful links to our articles on flat towing for you.