24/7 towing and roadside help
Towing in Honolulu, HI: Oahu Tow Trucks and Roadside Help
Stuck in Honolulu? Call 1-888-TOW-1213. We lock your price by text, send the nearest available partner tow company and check on you until help arrives.
If anyone is hurt or you're stopped in a live lane, call 911 first.
- Check-ins until help arrives
- Driver card and truck tracking
- Price locked by text
- Photo-protected tow
How it works in Honolulu. Sentinel Towing is a network, not a tow company. A vetted local partner in the Honolulu area does the job. We stay with you by text and hold them to your locked price. Not in Honolulu? Find a tow truck near you.
Towing in Honolulu
Towing in Honolulu Means Towing on Oahu
Honolulu is the most remote big city in the country. For a tow, that changes one thing: everything happens on this island. Your car gets picked up on Oahu and dropped off on Oahu, at your home, your shop or a shop we suggest.
Within that, the calls look like anywhere else, just with island roads. A battery that quits in a Kaimuki lot. A flat on the H-1 viaduct past the airport. A car that stalls climbing toward the Pali Tunnels. Keys locked inside at Ala Moana Beach Park.
Call, tell us where you are, and we text a price that's locked before anyone drives out. Then the nearest available partner comes to you: a lockout service, a spare put on, or a tow across town.
What we can't do from Oahu
- Tow a car to Maui, Kauai, the Big Island or any other island
- Arrange shipping for a car between islands
- Long-distance moves of any kind
Moving a car between islands is shipping, not towing. If that's what you need, we'll tell you on the call instead of taking your money.
Tricky spots on Oahu
Stuck on a Viaduct, in a Tunnel or in the Zipper Lane
Oahu's freeways run through valleys, over viaducts and under mountains. A breakdown in one of those spots needs a little extra care. Here's what to do in each.
H-1 on the viaduct above Nimitz Highway, near the airport
Hazards on and stay buckled. Don't get out on a viaduct. Tell us your direction and the last exit you passed.
The H-1 zipper lane during the weekday morning commute
The movable barrier leaves nowhere to go. Call 911 first so traffic can be managed, then call us.
Inside the Tetsuo Harano Tunnels on H-3, or the Pali or Wilson tunnels
Try to coast out of the tunnel if the car still rolls. If it won't, hazards on, stay in the car and call 911, then us.
H-3 on the long viaducts through Halawa or Haiku Valley
Stay in the car. Give us the nearest interchange: Halawa, Kaneohe, Halekou or Mokapu.
H-2 between Waipio and Mililani
Pull as far right as you can. Tell us if you're in the HOV lanes. Your driver needs to know which side to come in on.
Hawaii law and road info
Hawaii's Law Protects the Tow Truck on the Shoulder
Under HRS 291C-27, drivers coming up on a stopped emergency vehicle with flashing lights must slow to a safe speed. If it's safe, they must change into the next lane over, or two lanes over where they can. Tow trucks and freeway service patrol vehicles count as emergency vehicles under that law.
That covers your partner while they hook up your car. It doesn't cover you standing next to it, so stay in the car or get well off the road. For closures and traffic cameras, use GoAkamai from the Hawaii Department of Transportation.
Heat and winter rain
Honolulu never freezes, so cold-battery trouble isn't a thing here. Heat and sun are. NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals for the airport show about 19 days a year at 90°F or more. Most of the rain falls from October into early April. Wet roads and worn tires are a bad mix, so check your tread before the winter rains start.
Areas we cover around Honolulu
From Kapolei to Hawaii Kai
The City and County of Honolulu is the whole island. These are the areas we cover:
- TownDowntown, Chinatown, Kakaako, Ala Moana, Kalihi and Palama.
- Waikiki and eastWaikiki, Kaimuki, Palolo, Kahala, Aina Haina, Niu Valley and Hawaii Kai.
- Valleys and west HonoluluManoa, Makiki, Moiliili, Nuuanu, Pauoa, Moanalua and Salt Lake.
- Central, west and windwardAiea, Pearl City, Waipahu, Mililani, Kapolei, Ewa Beach, Kaneohe and Kailua.
Honolulu questions
Questions From Oahu Drivers
Can you tow my car to another island?
No. Tows happen on Oahu only. Moving a car to Maui, Kauai or the Big Island takes a shipping company. We'll say so up front instead of sending a truck that can't finish the job.
How far will you tow on Oahu?
Trips on the island, like from Kapolei to a shop in town, are local tows. Tell us where the car should go, and the texted price covers that trip.
My rental car died in Waikiki. Can you help?
Check your rental agreement first. Some rental companies want you to call their own roadside line. If you'd rather use us, we'll text a price and send a partner. You'll get the driver's name and photo, and you can track the truck as it heads your way.
What does the Stay-With-You Promise mean on Oahu?
We check on you by text until the truck arrives, text a family member your location if you want, photograph your car before hookup and hold the partner to your texted price. The full list is on the promise page.
Roadside help in Honolulu, HI
Tow Truck and Roadside Services in Honolulu
Sentinel is a 24-hour towing and roadside assistance network for Honolulu drivers. Tell us what happened, and we send a vetted local towing company near you with a truck suited to the job: a tow truck for a car that can't be driven (a flatbed where the vehicle needs one, like many all-wheel-drive cars), or a service truck for a jump start, lockout, flat tire, fuel delivery or winch-out.
Car towing
Cars, SUVs, minivans and light pickups. Price locked by text, photos before hookup.
Car towing
Jump starts
Clicks, dim dash lights or nothing at all? A dead battery jump, day or night.
Jump starts
Car lockouts
Keys locked inside, on the seat or in the trunk. A partner works to get you back in without damage.
Car lockouts
Flat tire changes
Got a spare but no safe way to put it on? A partner swaps it for you.
Flat tire changes
Fuel delivery
Ran out of gas? Enough fuel to get you to the nearest station.
Fuel delivery
Winch-outs
Stuck in snow, mud or a shallow ditch near the road? A partner can usually pull you out.
Winch-outsThe Sentinel Stay-With-You Promise
Seven Promises on Every Honolulu Call
Read the fine print on the promise page.
We stay with you. From your call until the truck arrives, we check on you by text.
See your driver before they arrive. You get their name, photo and truck by text, and you can track your truck on a map.
Your family knows too. Give us one number, and we text them your location and arrival time.
Photo-protected tow. Before hookup, your driver photographs all 4 sides of your vehicle. We text you the photos.
Price locked by text. You get your price by text before we dispatch. That price is the most you pay for the job. If the job changes, we text a new price first and you decide.
Never stranded after. Ride along in the truck when it's safe and allowed, or we help you get a ride. We also point you to a good repair shop.
Free Sentinel Circle. After your first job, your vehicle is on file. Next time, just text "TOW" for priority dispatch.
How it works
From Your Call to Your Driver
- 01You call
Our 24/7 line answers
Call 1-888-TOW-1213. Tell us where you are, what you drive and what went wrong.
- 02We lock it in
Your price, by text
We text your price before anyone is sent. That's the most you'll pay for the job you described.
- 03A partner accepts
The nearest truck takes it
The nearest available partner tow company accepts your job. They're vetted for insurance and licensing.
- 04You see who's coming
Driver card and tracking
You get your driver's name, photo and truck, plus a link to track your truck. We check in until they arrive.
Nearby cities
Honolulu roadside guides
Honolulu, HI
Stuck in Honolulu? Call and We'll Stay With You.
Our line answers 24/7. Your price is locked by text before we send anyone.