Discovery 2017

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  • Gleilbh
    Member Since: 05 Apr 2026
    Location: Lothians
    Posts: 4
    United Kingdom 
    2018 Discovery Si6 HSE Santorini Black

    Deployable towbar seized

    Hi all. As the title suggests - the deployable towbar is not locking. With some persuasion manages to come out of its hiding spot and it 'looks' deployed but certainly not locked, gentle push and it goes down.

    Trying to action it again and it goes back in (again, with persuasion) and back out again. Same outcome.

    Always followed by a beeping sound which goes after a short while.

    And crucially that dreaded warning in the infotainment saying "Towbar not locked, lock before driving". Which comes back about 10 times every minute.

    Tried the reset function I found online - 10s press of the deploy button at the back. Nothing.
    Tried spraying WD40 everywhere. Nothing.
    Ensured that the connector is not in the way.
    Pushed the towbar back in, won't lock away. Tried to pull it out, also won't lock.

    The truth is I don't tow. And the on-screen warning is really distracting (and Censored me off TBH). I won't spend £1k - £2k to replace something I don't use.

    So my thinking is if I can't fix it, disconnect/disable it and get rid of the warning.

    A quick review of the rear,middle or front fuse panels don't reveal any obvious fuse I could just remove. I also don't want to disconnect the unit itself to prevent wire damage.

    Any thoughts?

    Thank you!
    27th Apr 2026 4:11 pm
  • Wolfpack
    Member Since: 25 May 2019
    Location: Norfolk, UK
    Posts: 547
    United Kingdom 
    2017 Discovery Si6 HSE Corris Grey

    Does it do the same when using the rear cargo area button, as when using the onscreen deployment?

    Probably needs diagnostic to see if there are error codes to clear but it sounds like the locking pin behind the ball, is not engaging. That could be dirt, wear ….or voltage.

    Have you tried deploying /stowing with engine running? Might give a bit more grunt?

    I just read that lifting the tow ball as you press button to stow may “do something”.

    Sadly most faults on a Discovery eventually may need witchcraft to fix them.
    28th Apr 2026 10:55 pm
  • Gleilbh
    Member Since: 05 Apr 2026
    Location: Lothians
    Posts: 4
    United Kingdom 
    2018 Discovery Si6 HSE Santorini Black

    Thanks for your response...

    Yes, both the button in the rear and the option in the infotainment have the same issue.

    Engine running/not running has the same effect.

    I also tried 'persuading' it by pushing/pulling as it moves. It doesn't lock in place, either deployed or hidden.

    I did do a scan but I don't think my scanner can actually go into the TBM (towbar module). I don't own an IID Tool.

    Because it's something I just don't ever use, I'd probably like to disable it. It's just not worth spending any money to replace/repair.

    My two theories to disable are:
    1. Find a suitable fuse and just disconnect. Except the TBM doesn't seem to have a dedicated fuse.
    2. Get an indy JLR to deprovision the module altogether.
    6th May 2026 4:22 pm
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