Does Tow Mater have Aspergers?

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Does Tow Mater the sweet innocent tow truck off of Disney Pixar Cars and Cars 2 have a form of high functioning Autism (or Aspergers)?
He does have average intelligence which I read that people with aspergers have average or above average intelligence. Here is his symptoms.

One of Mater's most endearing qualities is his gullibility and his child-like innocence and faith in everyone. The playful way he sees the world is one of the things that catches McQueen's attention.

He has a very narrow interest in things. He is savant-like in his knowledge of all things towing, salvage and auto repair. Mater's a very smart guy. But he has this brilliant idiotic cover. He has a quiet intelligence when you see him at first glance. He's not dim-witted but he acts dim-witted only because he wants to make people happy. He wants them to laugh with him and have a good time and be happy.

He does odd things and has odd behavior. Mater is pure friendship and love, he's the definition of true friendship. Mater is like your happy, excited, faithful overgrown puppy who is there to always greet you when you come home no matter what kind of a day you've had.
There’s not even any mean bone in his body (which means that not only is this person not mean, but he is never ever mean, not even to the slightest extent.)”

As the film unfolds we discover hidden facets in Mater, such as a sly humor born of quiet intelligence, sensivity, and an honest appraisal of people and their foibles; plus there's a joy of life exuberantly expressed by wildly driving backward through the town (adapted from the Oklahoma fellow's trick leg). There is Mater's endearing loyalty to his friends and his childlike willingness to find the good in people and seek their friendship openly. There is his warmth mixed with mischievousness and forthrightness.

Mater IS the consummate or ultimate friend. He’s very faithful and loyal. He’s forever kind and honest to a fault. He’ll do ANYTHING you want him to do beyond comprehension. He’s unchanging and consistent. All he wants from you is just to be your buddy. If you want a true best friend, choose Mater cause he’s the ultimate friend that you’ll ever meet and that anyone could ever have on Earth!

Mater is one of those “salt of the earth” types (he’s one of God’s special people). He’s not the sharpest guy in the classroom but he’s far from being dumb (he’s not the smartest guy in the world but he’s nowhere near being dumb neither). He DOES have special needs though. He has many fine and great character qualities. Not quick on the uptake, but he does understand things (everyday things but he’s socially inept, not rocket science) eventually. Heart of gold guy, well liked/loved by those who take time to know him (like the citizens of Radiator Springs and his best bud Lightning McQueen). He’s fun loving, corn-ball humorist. He HAS a job, does it well, and is proud of it (he’s a tow truck after all, absolutely essential when needed). There is NO envy in him. He knows he’s not the shiniest car on the road, but he has earned every dent, scratch, and pit in his rusty hide as a sign of friendship for McQueen. He also knows that physical appearance isn’t everything (he’s more of a spiritual being) and loves himself just the way he is. He knows he doesn’t understand everything, but is confident in himself. He has no malice toward any being, and has a very and constantly forgiving nature and heart (he could never harm any soul, he’s a lover and a pacifist not violent). He loves everyone unconditionally and considers himself a good friend to all. Tow Mater is defiantly a great guy! And if he does get the girl at the end, it’s the girl who appreciates the fine great qualities more than most, and can look under that rusty exterior and find that true shiny heart of gold within.

Mater is genuinely sweet and good-hearted enough to not really comprehend the depths to which Bubba will sink (will behave very badly), but it doesn't really come across as naivety/innocence. It’s more like he truly wants to believe Bubba – and everybody else – is basically good at heart, and as such will be forgiving to a fault in the hopes of finding the good in all of them. He’s a tow truck who brings out the best in everyone. This basically means that he doesn't possess any badness in cars. He only possesses all goodness in every car and creature.

Tow Mater has a joy of life exuberantly expressed by happily wildly driving backward through the town. He lives in a state of sheer exuberant joy of being alive, living in every moment for what it is. He cherishes all the good moments.


Owen Wilson says “Mater is like one of those overgrown puppies that you love so much, and that has such pure, true unconditional loyalty and love. But he kind of drives you crazy sometimes, too. His heart is in the right place, but when trying to help, he just creates more chaos/trouble.” That just means he has the love and loyalty and forgivness like a dog. But Owen is really trying to say that Mater is autistic and is emotionally age delayed. Mater is very much like an overgrown toddler with perceptions and judgment of a 2 year old but he often needs to be watched or kept an eye on so he won’t cause trouble. His heart is always in the right place but when trying to help with things, he goes overboard and just doesn't know how to help because of his special needs. He just ends up creating more chaos.
Heart in the right place means, to be very kindhearted and sympatric even when the outcomes aren't good and you don’t mean to make a mistake or cause someone trouble but it didn't turn out like you planned it would..

He wants more than anything just to make other people happy and enjoy life to the very fullest. Which is why he’s genuinely funny all the time and he acts dumb (when he’s truly not dumb at all) just to make people happy.

There's a scene when Mater has an "accident" and leaks oil (really it was Miles but he blamed Mater) at an embarrassing moment (for McQueen). What would be a throw-away moment in any other film has resonance because there's a moment when you realize Mater isn't simpleminded because he's a tow truck (or mechanic) - or because he grew up in a tiny Southwestern country town - Mater actually would be considered somebody with a ‘disability’ and it's heart-wrenching to see the confusion, fright and disappointment in his sad eyes. Anyone who has been around young children with special needs will be affected.
When getting to the part with Mater's scene in Japan at the Tokyo Party here, I actually realized that the "accident" (leaking oil) is actually parallel to real-life disabilities human beings have like in high functioning autism and ASD.

What does all this sound like to you? What kind of disability does he have?

Tow Mater is a fictional cartoon character! He can be no more of an Aspie than any painting that hangs in the Louvre.

HE'S NOT FICTIONAL. HE'S A REAL PERSON! GOD TOLD ME! AND GOD DOESN'T LIE! MATER IS NOT A CARTOON! Never say that

I know people that are a lot like him, none of them are autistic as far as anyone knows, although 2 may be mentally challenged. But I do see the asd aspect of his character.
I know 1 person who is like lightning McQueen, he has aspergers diagnosis.
Drove 2 cars same type as lizzy,
Kids call my daily driver lightning McQueen even though it isn't red,
And my truck is often called tow mater, although it looks more like grave digger, which kids also call it.
Rode In a Hudson similar to doc Hudson.
Rode in, drove, saw cars similar to other characters.
Know people similar to other characters,

Surprised lightning McQueen wasn't a mustang, he was named after Steve McQueen who is associated with mustang because of the movie bullet.

I suspect temperance brennon (bones) is an aspie.
Jake is autistic,
Characters on Andy Griffith, possibilities, Gomer Pyle, goober, Barney, Ernest t,
Petticoat junction, green acres, dick van dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, happy days, Sanford and son, most shows, movies, etc have 1 or more characters with traits that are asd like, most spongbob characters, asd seems fairly common, and mostly unnoticed even by people with it, most are close enough to "normal", or somewhat normal.
Every show, movie, etc has a character who isn't fully normal.
I dont fit in, never have, never will. Ain't my fault! Or is it?
Not always considered normal, often read / hear the whispers, what's he on? What's his problem? What's with him?, apd affects my hearing, but higher frequency speech comes in clearer, so sometimes I can hear the whispers. I don't let on, but get on a topic to make them uneasy, or make a remark to embarrass them.
Have had people ask me if I had aspergers, didn't know at the time, still don't know for sure, but researching the symptoms, I fit almost all. Getting a pro diagnosis at the moment isn't worth the cost

GIT-R-DONE!! !

Nope, doesn't make sense. Kinda does too, but haven't seen either of the two movies well enough.

Tow Mater is simply a tow truck personna of the blue collar comedian Larry the Cable Guy, so if Tow Mater has AS then so does Larry and its safe to say I think that Larry is NT so therefore so is Tow Mater.

Now Larry's act is based on a group of people who stereotypicly have poor social skills among other issues including driving old beat up trucks.

A tow truck ( or any motor vehicle) can only be diagnosed with aspergers after being lifted up on a grease rack, and being thoroughly tested by a team of trained mechanics doing the stringent battery of tests. And that battery of tests includes interviews with the Tow trucks loved ones who have known the tow truck for a long time (ideally including the tow truck's parents). So none of us are qualified to dx him from afar here on a website!

I know I’m replying to an 8-year-old thread, but at any rate I think this is a decent theory.

Some people on the spectrum are apt to take OP's question a bit too literally.
I can rephrase the question to allow for both literal thinking and for OP to get an answer: I have watched the movie Cars. The creators of Cars used aspects of real life people they knew to create the character. Some of the behavior of the character (who is admittedly both fictional, and visually depicted not with photographs of a real human being, or even an animal, but with a computer generated artistic depiction of an anthropomorphic car) remind me of real people that I know, and sometimes even of myself. This is not entirely unexpected, as that was the intention of the artists who worked on the film.

Does anyone else notice aspects of the character "Tow Mater" in the Disney Movie Cars that remind you of a real person you know with Asperger's or Autism or even of your own Asperger's or Autism?

Also: another question:
Do you think it was done intentionally by the creators?

One thing I notice about Mater is that he does sometime take things literally what were not intended to be taken literally. He also sometimes blurts out socially inappropriate things and seems to be unaware of some social context (to comic effect). Also, in the second Cars movie it is shown that he is much better with technical things than some social situations - the reminds me of myself who is more at home with computers than people. He also seems to have trouble with dating, unless it is with another person of similar special interests.
He seems more comfortable with with concrete things than with abstract things. Some people notice that he is different and either become bullying or babying - depending on the personality. Also he has good intentions but can still try the patience of his friends at times. His idea of friendship is very simple - he presumes a greater friendship with McQueen than (originally) McQueen feels towards him, and seems unaware of the disconnect.

These things remind me of myself or of other real people with Asperger's or Autism.