Roadside guides you can use.
Short driver-focused walkthroughs of the breakdown jobs every Phoenix driver should know. Each guide comes with step-by-step instructions and a clear line on when to stop and call a tow.
What roadside fixes can you handle yourself?
Change a flat tire on the side of the road
The difference between a 20-minute shoulder stop and an hour on the phone with a tow company is knowing where the spare and jack live before you need them.
Flooded wash or dust storm in Phoenix
Monsoon season turns a dry Phoenix wash into moving water in minutes, and a haboob can drop visibility to zero before you can react. First step: stop making it worse.
Prepare your vehicle for a tow
A few minutes of prep before the tow truck arrives saves time, avoids damage, and makes the whole call go faster.
Car will not start - what to check first
Before calling for a tow, check five things first. Most of the time the car is fine and you just need a boost, a fuse, or a key that talks to the transponder.
Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which is safer?
Both are legitimate tow methods, but the wrong one can wreck your car. Here's which method belongs on which vehicle, and when to refuse a wheel-lift.
Can a tow truck refuse to take my car in Phoenix?
Yes, but only in specific situations, and which rules apply depends entirely on who ordered the tow. Here is when an operator can refuse, and what you are owed either way.
How to verify a Phoenix tow company is legitimate
Arizona does not run a single statewide tow licence, which trips people up. Here is what you can actually check, and it takes five minutes.
Compare a towing route before you call.
Use the towing cost calculator to organize pickup, destination, and distance details.
When should you stop and call a tow truck?
Six signs that the problem is past DIY. Turn the system off and pick up the phone - running a system with these issues turns cheap repairs into expensive replacements.
- You are on the shoulder of a busy freeway
I-10 through the Broadway Curve, the I-17 Stack and the Loop 101 and Loop 202 merges are among the most dangerous places in this metro to stand, especially where there is no usable shoulder. Stay in the vehicle with seatbelts on and hazards flashing, and let an operator position a truck with warning lights as a buffer before anyone gets out.
- The vehicle was in any collision
Even light collisions can damage suspension, brakes, or the steering rack in ways you cannot see. Drive it after an accident only if law enforcement clears the scene and the vehicle is visibly intact.
- Ignition or dashboard is smoking
Electrical fires can progress from smoke to flames in under a minute. Pull over if you can, turn the engine off, get out, and call 911 plus a tow.
- Smoke or steam from under the hood
Overheating or a serious oil/coolant leak. In Phoenix summer heat this happens fast on grades like the I-17 Black Canyon climb. Continuing to drive can seize the engine, a repair that costs far more than a tow. Pull over safely and call for a tow.
- Vehicle is AWD, 4WD, or electric and the drive wheels will not spin freely
Dragging an AWD or EV on a wheel lift destroys the drivetrain. Always flatbed - no exceptions. Leave your make and model when you call.
- You are at a flooded wash or caught in a dust storm
During the monsoon a Phoenix wash fills faster and deeper than it looks, and about a foot of moving water floats most cars. Going around a flood barricade can make you liable for the rescue under Arizona's Stupid Motorist Law, capped at $2,000. In a haboob, pull fully off the road and turn all your lights off. Wait for a winch-out rather than driving into either one.
What towing laws and safety resources are available?
ARS 28-3511 - Removal and impoundment of a vehicle (the "20-day" law)
The Arizona statute behind a police-ordered impound: a 20-day mandatory hold (7 days for the human-smuggling subsection), triggered by driving on a suspended, revoked or unlicensed privilege, an interlock violation, Extreme or Aggravated DUI, and related offenses.
Arizona State LegislatureARS 9-499.05 - Private-property towing: signs and city rate authority
The statute that deems a lot open to public parking unless posted, sets what a compliant sign must say (restrictions, disposition, maximum cost including storage, and a phone and address to locate the vehicle), and lets each city set the maximum tow and storage rate. There is no statewide dollar cap.
Arizona State LegislatureARS 28-4836 - Notification when a vehicle is towed
Requires a private-property tower to telephone police within one hour of the tow, the agency to enter it in the Arizona Crime Information Center within three business days, and forfeits all towing and storage charges (a class 1 misdemeanor) if the tower fails to notify.
Arizona State LegislatureARS 28-4801 - Abandoned vehicles
Sets prima facie abandonment at 48 hours in a highway right-of-way and 72 hours on public or private property. ADOT does not tow; law enforcement arranges removal. A property owner clears a vehicle with Form 46-4402 after 10 days.
Arizona State LegislatureARS 28-4135 - Mandatory insurance and lapse penalties
Requires financial responsibility and evidence carried in the vehicle, with escalating civil penalties and license, registration and plate suspensions. A suspended registration driven on a suspended privilege is what leads to an ARS 28-3511 impound.
Arizona State LegislatureARS 28-910 - The "Stupid Motorist Law"
A driver who goes around a barricade onto a flooded roadway is liable for the cost of the emergency response, capped at $2,000 for a single incident. The reason to call a tow rather than drive into a flooded monsoon wash.
City of Phoenix Police DepartmentPhoenix Police - Vehicle Impoundment
The official Phoenix page for a police-ordered impound: the $150 administrative fee, storage caps, the Vehicle Impound Unit at 100 W. Washington St., (602) 495-2096, and the release process. Phoenix uses zone-contract tow yards, not a single city lot.
City of Phoenix Police DepartmentPhoenix Police - Vehicle Towing and non-consent rate caps
The city's towing page and the basis for the Phoenix City Code 36-6 non-consent caps: a $105 total tow charge for a vehicle that reached storage and $12 per day storage, plus the storage caps on police-ordered impounds.
Arizona Department of TransportationADOT - Abandoned Vehicles
How Arizona handles an abandoned vehicle: ADOT does not tow, law enforcement investigates, and a property owner files an Abandoned Vehicle Application (Form 46-4402) for a $10 fee, after which MVD gives the owner and lienholder 30 days to reclaim.
Arizona Department of TransportationADOT / ADEQ - Vehicle emissions testing
Arizona has no periodic safety inspection; the only recurring test is emissions, required in the Phoenix and Tucson metro areas. A failed or lapsed emissions test blocks registration renewal.
Arizona Department of TransportationADOT - Pull Aside, Stay Alive (dust-storm safety)
ADOT's official haboob safety campaign. If you can't see into it, don't drive into it: pull fully off the road, stop, turn off all your lights, and keep your seatbelt on so following drivers do not track your tail-lights into you.
City of Mesa Police DepartmentMesa Police - Towing and 20-Day Impound Information
Mesa's impound page: the $150 administrative fee, $25-per-day storage, the counter at Mesa Police Headquarters, 59 S. Hibbert, and the 10-day hearing-request window.
Chandler Police DepartmentChandler Police - Vehicle Impounds
Chandler's impound page: the $150 state administrative fee and walk-in hearings at the Chandler Police Downtown Precinct.
City of Tempe Police DepartmentTempe Police - Vehicle Impounds
Tempe's "20-Day Tow Law" page: the $150 administrative fee, the Vehicle Impound Unit and the tow-contractor information for a police-ordered impound.
City of Scottsdale Police DepartmentScottsdale Police - Vehicle Impound Unit
Scottsdale's impound page: the $150 administrative fee plus a $150 after-hours fee, storage rates, and walk-in hearings at the McKellips Station, 7601 E. McKellips Rd.
City of Glendale Police DepartmentGlendale Police - Towing Administration and Vehicle Impound
Glendale's impound page: the $150 administrative fee, storage capped at $25 per day, and the Tow Administrator at 6835 N. 57th Drive, (623) 930-3255.
Still stranded? Call the line.
If the guide didn't get you moving, we can. The line takes calls day and night.