I recently had to have my Journey towed and the tow driver assured me he could tow it even though it is an AWD vehicle because it has a "computerized AWD assist" system. When he pulled away with the back tires on the ground and front tires lifted, the back wheels rolled easily and it didn't appear there were issues. I just got my car back and the back wheels are not engaging and my front tires spin out on loose gravel which never happened before. I had the tow company look at it and they said the rear axle fluid was extremely low and smelled burnt up and that this was a pre-existing problem that had nothing to do with the tow.

Does anyone have any information on this vehicles AWD system and if what the tow company is saying is correct.

 

Towing requirements are clearly stated in the owners manual.

Per the owners manual:

The manufacturer requires towing with all four wheels OFF the ground. Acceptable methods are to tow the vehicle on a flatbed, or with one end of vehicle raised and the opposite end on a towing dolly.
Towing this vehicle in violation of the above requirements can cause severe transmission damage. Damage from improper towing is not covered under the New Vehicle Limited Warranty.

The towing company f'up and they should be held responsible for the damage they caused.

 

Awesome

Have you ever heard of the rear axle fluid burning up over time in AWD vehicles?

The tow truck company told me that this is a known common problems in AWD Journeys. I have had this vehicle since there was only 5 miles on it - have done all scheduled maintenance and taken very good care of it... but it does have high miles on it. Any ammo (aside from the owners manual) you may have for my upcoming battle would be greatly appreciated!

 

The ammo would be the owners manual stating the towing requirements. You could take it to the dealer, explain what happened, have them inspect and report the findings. Might cost you to do that though. Show the towing company what the dealer said, see what they say. If they still play dumb, take it up the corporate ladder, use social media to call them out (I've found that works wonders), leave bad review on their website (if they have one), etc. If all else fails, time to take them to court if the repair turns out to be an expensive one.