If so, do the miles register on the odometer?

The audometer is activated with engine rpm to record hours of engine life and associates it with miles driven. If you tow the car l presume you will not have the engine running in which case you will not record the miles.

The miles will register on the odometer. To verify this, on an empty road, put the transmission in neutral, & watch the odometer click of the tenths of a mile.

l doubt that it would be good to flat tow it, & may void the warranty. Check the owners manual - if u have not purchased, visit a dealer, & ask to look at the owners manual.

The reason that l do not believe that it should be flat towed is the 4WD system that it uses - it does not have a traditional transfer case that u can shift into neutral for flat towing.

The Jeep Liberty & Dodge Nitro r similarily priced vehicled with a traditional transfer case.

l would suggest u consider a tow dolly; used ones can be had for under $1,000. A 4WD Mariner still probably should not be towed on a dolly for very great distances.

See: http://mercuryvehicles.com/mariner/specifications.asp
then click on the picture to the right of ''Intelligent 4WD System''

You cannot tow any vehicle with an automatic transmission. If you do, you will destroy the trans.

Hi,

short answer is no. The Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner, in any configuration of standard or hybrid, r not true four-wheel drive vehicles & can not be dingy towed (towed with all four wheels on the ground). They must be on a flat bed or raised one end on a third axle while the other end is lifted off the ground.

No miles will register unless the engine is running & the computers r controlling the advancement of the odometer as the wheels turn on the ground.

Full answer is no front wheel drive (ability to go into a four-wheel type system does not matter) with an automatic transmission should ever be towed with all four wheels down.

Doing so will damage multiple components that essentially control how each front wheel spins.

Towing with the wheels down prevents the wheels from turning at the correct speed for the damaged vehicle (not the vehicle towing) & will lock up/freeze up several components, not just the tranny.

When u see four-wheel drive vehicles like certain Jeeps or certain Suzukis being dingy towed behind motor homes, it is because those four-wheel drive vehicles have the ability to unlock or ''free wheel'' the axles, so there is no lock up.

The best thing to do is look online for guides that will list which vehicles r able to be dingy towed, & what conditions r on those vehicles. For example, not all four-wheel drive vehicles can be dingy towed for unlimited miles, they must be started & driven for short distances to circulate the gear box fluids.

Check the owner is manual, some say that a vehicle may be towed for short distances (25-50 miles) all wheels down in an emergency.

Good luck.