Q: If so, do the miles register on the odometer?
A: Hi, short answer is no. The Ford Escape/Mercury Mariner, in any configuration of standard or hybrid, are not true four-wheel drive vehicles and 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 and the computers are 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) and will lock up/freeze up several components, not just the tranny. When you 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 are able to be dingy towed, and what conditions are on those vehicles. For example, not all four-wheel drive vehicles can be dingy towed for unlimited miles, they must be started and driven for short distances to circulate the gear box fluids. Check the owner's manual, some say that a vehicle may be towed for short distances (25-50 miles) all wheels down in an emergency. Good luck.