What Gear Should an Automatic Transmission Car Be in When Towed?

[Jesse]

An automatic transmission car should be in the N (Neutral) gear when towed. This is because automatic transmission vehicles cannot be towed directly when on the road; all four wheels must be lifted to avoid damaging the transmission. In contrast, manual transmission cars can be towed directly when in neutral. Car owners should note that if an automatic transmission vehicle breaks down, it must never be soft-towed (e.g., using a steel cable). Instead, the front wheels must be lifted using a hard-towing method, or preferably, the car should be placed on a flatbed tow truck. The towing speed should not exceed 50 km/h, and the distance towed in neutral should not be too long. Generally, automatic transmission vehicles have several gear positions: P (Park), R (Reverse), N (Neutral), D (Drive), 3, 2, and 1. P is for parking, R for reversing, N for neutral, and D for driving forward.