Car stuck in snow? Try these 5 tips before you get out and push

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Some people are able to maintain their calm and chill in the moments after finding out they’ve become stuck in the snow. I have nothing in common with these people.

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If you’re like me, it goes something like this: upon first realizing your car has become stuck in the snow, you find you’re dressed completely inappropriately for the situation, and running late for something important.

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Car stuck in snow? Try these 5 tips before you get out and push Back to video

This is called Murphy’s Law.

Next, you’ll be tempted to swear, flail, shout at your stupid car, and blame the universe for your inconvenience. This means you’re a normal human being.

You may feel a strong urge to channel your anger into the throttle pedal, smashing it to the floorboards to turn your frustration into forward momentum. This is a bad idea, and will probably make your problem worse.

Do not attempt to free a stuck car by spinning its wheels at 200 km/h. Sometimes, you’ll get lucky, and it works. Others, you grenade your differential. In general, there’s a smarter way to approach the situation.

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Below, we’ll cover the first things you should do when you realize you’re stuck. For these tips, we’re focusing specifically on the steps to take before you even take off your seat belt and exit the car to assess the situation.

If you’ve completely borked things and found yourself in the ditch, buried to the hood in powder, or sitting in a vehicle that has fewer than four of its wheels touching the ground, these tips won’t work for you — though they often do, if you’re fairly stuck but with a little hope remaining.

Here’s what to do next.

Straighten Out the Steering

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Science has proven it’s much easier for a vehicle to move when its wheels are all pointing straight ahead. So, step one, straighten out that steering wheel, and make sure those front wheels are pointing forwards. Depending on what you drive and how badly stuck you are, this step alone can be sufficient to regain enough traction to see the vehicle off.

In some situations, you may need to steer to one side or the other as you free your car. If that’s the case, just keep the steering input as slight as possible. Don’t steer any more than you need.

Do not underestimate the difference this vital step can make. I once came upon the Letterkenny cast shuttle stuck in a Tim Hortons parking lot in Sudbury (true story) and straightening the steering wheel was the trick that saved the day.

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Use Your AWD LOCK Mode

Many modern crossovers and SUVs with AWD have a ‘LOCK’ or ‘OFF-ROAD’ mode the driver can switch on with a button press. Hopefully you’ve familiarized yourself with this system on your specific vehicle, if equipped.

Now’s the time to give it a try. Activating these modes tells your vehicle traction is limited, and that you need more grip. Certain driveline parameters are modified in response, with the goal of boosting traction. In some situations, using this mode in conjunction with the tips above can help significantly to free a stuck vehicle.

Stay on the Throttle

While you shouldn’t smash the throttle pedal to kingdom come when you’re stuck in the snow, keeping some steady pressure on it can be helpful, especially in an AWD-equipped vehicle, or four-wheel-drive.

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Wheelspin when you’re stuck is a funny thing. Too much spinning of the wheels, and you can dig the vehicle in deeper, worsening the problem. Not enough, and you don’t give the electronic systems a chance to really solve your traction problem.

If you’re stuck in an AWD car or crossover, allowing some wheelspin for a moment or two, at a relatively low speed, can be beneficial. Let the wheels spin slowly, and give the electronics a chance to do their job. In effect, let the machine do the work, for a moment — while being conscious not to dig yourself in any deeper.

If you don’t feel any progress after a few attempts, try something else.

Turn Traction Control Off

Your vehicle probably has a completely automatic feature called Traction Control that’s designed to keep your wheels from slipping at too high a speed on slippery surfaces. For instance, when your vehicle’s wheels start to spin on some ice, the Traction Control system responds by cutting engine power and applying targeted braking to reduce the speed of the spinning wheels. This helps drivers control their car.

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Too much wheelspin, you can dig the vehicle in deeper; not enough, and the electronic systems can't solve your traction problem

However, in some situations, Traction Control can make it more difficult to free a stuck vehicle. In the previous tip, we mentioned how a moderate amount of wheelspin can be helpful if you’re stuck, for example.

Your Traction Control system is automatically turned on at engine startup, and if you’re stuck, you might need to turn it off.

If it feels like there’s nothing happening when you press the throttle, or if you have difficulty getting the wheels to spin a little, it’s probably the Traction Control system doing its job. For now, you’ll want to turn it off so you can spin the wheels more freely. Check your owner’s manual if you’re not sure how.

Try Out “the Rock”

After trying all of the steps above carefully, you may still be stuck.

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If any of the previous steps were even slightly successful, there’s a chance your car is now sitting a small distance from where it was originally stuck. This might be a few inches, or a foot or two. Visualize the distance in your mind, as we’ll be using it to try one last thing.

Let’s say your car was able to get a foot from where you started, but you’re still stuck. Place the vehicle in reverse, and back up, just slightly. Visualize the one-foot distance, and cut it in half. Use as little throttle as you can.

If you’re able to move backwards, even slightly, stop the vehicle immediately. Place the shifter in DRIVE, and take a little run forward, being mindful of the steps above. When you feel the vehicle getting stuck again, stop immediately. Shift to reverse, and repeat the process.

Eventually, rocking the vehicle back and forth like this can open up an escape path, but remember to be kind to your transmission, and never shift gears while the wheels are moving.

What’s Next

Hopefully, one of those steps will help get you moving again. If not, next steps may include adding sand or salt to the ground ahead of the tires and repeating the steps above, or shoveling out the vehicle underside, and the area around the wheels.

Keeping a shovel and some sand in your car is ideal for maximum wintertime peace of mind. Ditto a fully-charged phone, just in case you need to call for a rescue.