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This Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver gives you a solid 3,500 lbs gross trailer weight and 525 lbs tongue weight rating, so it’s ready for small trailers, campers, boats, bike racks, and cargo carriers. The 2" x 2" receiver opening is the standard size most accessories are built for, so your gear options stay wide open. Whether you’re hauling equipment for work or heading out on a weekend trip, this hitch provides dependable capacity without overcomplicating the setup.
The hitch uses a simple bolt-on installation that lines up with factory holes on your vehicle’s frame—no welding or advanced tools required. Everything you need comes in the complete hardware kit, along with clear installation instructions. It’s a design that makes garage installs completely reasonable without special equipment or professional tools.
Built from fully welded steel, this hitch is designed to handle everyday towing demands and rough road conditions. The gloss black powder coat finish sits over a protective base layer to keep rust and corrosion away over time. The round-tube design adds strength while maintaining a clean look under your bumper, so it feels sturdy without looking bulky.
The receiver is built for flexibility. You can pair it with a ball mount when towing a trailer or swap it out for a bike rack or cargo carrier when you need more space. Since it’s a Class III hitch with a 2" receiver, it works with most of the common towing and hauling accessories already out there—no adapters, no guesswork.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
98% were satisfied with this product
2% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Great product, perfectly design for the 2020 Subaru Forester, I just put mine on and it was so simple it was ridiculous. I used a rotary tool and a cylindrical diamond bit to cut a notch into the largest factory drilled hole in the frame, and the fish wire provided with the kit worked perfectly for getting the flanges and bolts into the appropriate holes present from the factory for bolting the trailer hitch to the frame. The wiring harness that can be added to this purchase also comes with all the parts necessary for an easy install.
The only thing I would recommend adding to this kit would be a small tube of thread lock as an added measure for the bolts.
This is my third hitch mount from etrailer for various cars/trucks I've owned. Quality is top-notch and instruction videos were very thorough. They also bolstered the packaging in response to some other reviews I saw where the box was damaged in shipping. Mine arrived in perfect condition. Special thanks to the other reviewers who suggested simply unbolting the muffler rather than dropping the entire exhaust and the ones who zip-tied the hitch to a floor jack for raising it into place. Just use 2+ zips if you do or the ties might break while you're raising it like mine lol.
Less than 3 hours from start to finish. I probably spent more time with setup/cleanup/and waiting for paint to dry on the frame holes I ground out than anything else.
Great fit and guidance for installation. I appreciate how easy they make everything.
Perfect fit. The installation video was great, much better than the manufacturer’s instructions. I installed the hitch on my 2020 Subaru Forester in my garage by myself. Took 2 1/2 hours. I used two 8” plastic boxes to support the hitch when I was ready to attach it to the frame. That made the last lift up to the bolts much easier because it was only a 3-4” lift. Only discrepancy I found in the 2019 video was that my 2020 Forester has an extra clip in the driver’s side wheel well holding up the plastic panel. It delayed me just a bit until I figured out why the panel was balky. I also installed the https://www.etrailer.com/Custom_Fit_Vehicle_Wiring/Curt/C56040.html wiring harness. It snapped right in and was a 10 minute job. Easy!
It works!
The packaging and instructions could be better. The package arrived damaged and opened. But I didn't lose anything.
The instructions steps were mostly clear. But they could be better, either picture, or recommended tools list for things like removing the muffler mount. The hardest part for me was removing the muffler mounts.
Trailer was received very quickly.
I just installed it a few weeks and and it went very smoothly. The videos on the eTrailer web site helped a lot.
Works well! Easy install. Perfect fit. See video on installation.
The overall quality of the receiver and the ease of installation was excellent. Your installation videos took all of the guesswork out of the process. Shipping was fast and although the box was damaged from the weight of the receiver, everything arrived intact. I am very pleased with this purchase and with all of my interactions with etrailer.
Appears complete have not installed yet on 2021 Subaru forester
Straight forward install. Video was key to making install seamless.
I ordered and attached the hitch receiver to my 2025 subaru Forester. It was a straight forward install including wiring.Because it’s under mount hitch receiver, I was able to retain the foot-activated rear hatch open/close function hitch comes in handy - that function is eliminated with a factory hitch/receiver installed. This is the 7th hitch/receiver i have purchased from etrailer. Ordering and shipping is straight forward with great customer support.
Had this hitch installed for me by Pit Stop Auto Repair. I was concerned about the hitch interfering with the kick sensor. It does clear the sensors and the kick function works normally. Big savings over Subaru part.
Simple,Solid Build. Watched install video retired mechanic 1 hour done.
Great. Worked out like other trailer hitches I’ve installed in the past.
I'm dissatisfied with packaging, install video and return. First, as you can see the box was not in good condition when I received it. I discarded the box before I decided to return the product as I did not think it was reusable. I have a 2024 Subaru Forester Wilderness. Second, You have to remove the plastic panel on the drivers side to access the frame rail. The video stops short for the reattachment of this panel which you can't do, and it's not a part you want half attached. You can't screw two important points of the panel back onto the frame rail because the hitch covers those holes. Third, I decided to return it and had to pay UPS $24 for a box. Customer service would not provide a pack and ship label. I won't be back to this site as a result of this experience.
Better pictures or video link I. I struction will be appreciated. The biggest difficulty with muffler hangers can be helped with stone soap water. Plastic cover has a hole that is occluded by hitch, but drilling the hitch body for that is almost hopeless since it will be very hard to align.
Ordering was very easy, the website pretty straight forward. I made an error ordering the wrong size anti-rattle clamp. I got a call letting me know and help getting the right part ordered. Kudos to customer service for checking and following up. Saved me a lot of trouble. The hardware is top notch and heavy duty. My only complaint is how the hitch was shipped. The hitch is very heavy and it was basically just placed in the box with nothing securing it or cushion on the pointy bits. The receiver was poking out and has paint scuffed off in a few spots. Everything is perfectly serviceable I'll jut have to watch out and maybe put some paint over the areas so it doesn't rust.
Fit perfectly on my 2026 Subaru Forester Wilderness. Install needed to people to lift it up and get the nuts on the hitch.
etrailer providing great products with fast shipping. 2nd Curr hitch bought from them and no issues.
The design should be changed to allow for a little more clearance between the gas tank and also one of the tail pipe hanger brackets. On the driver's side, the hitch just barely clears the gas tank, it's not touching the tank, but there only enough clearance to slide a sheet of paper between the tank and the sharp edge of the bracket. It is not possible to shift the hitch further away from the tank, because the opposite side hits against one of the tailpipe hanger brackets on the frame. It's installed and works, but it concerns me having the sharp edge of the hitch so ridiculously close to the tank.
Box arrived pretty badly damaged, fortunately the contents were banged up but serviceable Hitch went on great, wiring went well happy with the purchase
Installed this hitch on 2024 Forester. I spent 4 hours on this, but that included going to my neighbor twice and Home Depot once to get tools. Read on for tips to save time, especially if you install by yourself. You should be able to complete in about 1.5 hrs with the tips.
Overall: Curt hitch is high quality. Fast delivery (2 days)! Reasonable price. Good etrailer installation video. I took 1 star off for the bolt/nut which I will explain later.
Time saving tools: 2 floor jacks, 2 ramps, 1 inch hole saw, 1 step drill for up to 1.5 in diameter, 19 mm deep socket (very important)
Follow the etrailer video and add these time saving tips:
1. Lift the back of the car up with car ramp. More space to work with.
2. Instead of the strap in the video, use a floor jack to support the muffler and pipe. This way you can adjust the height of the support as needed.
3. The beginning part of the video asks you to take off the plastic shroud. You do not need to do that. Just remove the two bolts and push the plastic wall to the side to access the bolt holes.
4. Use 2023 Forester video which shows you to use hole saw to drill 2 holes on the metal heat shield. 2024 video has you snip off a portion of the heat shield, which I think is less OEM looking install.
5. Use the 2nd floor jack to lift up the hitch receiver, really helpful especially if you are the only person working on it.
6. Use the 19mm deep socket to tighten the nuts. When I first tried to tighten the nut with the torque wrench, I found the socket kept slipping. It turned out the nut/bolt combination is slightly too long for a standard socket. I ended up getting a 19mm deep socket at Home Depot after wasting 45 min trying to get it to work and driving back and forth to the neighbor. It took 2 min with the deep socket. 1 star off the review.
7. Use the 1st floor jack to lift up the muffler and pipe to the right height and put the back the rubber pieces.
Enjoy the install!
Easy installation. Fast shipping. Wish the 2 inch receiver was about an inch high. There was room induced bumper fascia but I can see about the cross bar is about as close as it can get to the hitch tub trailer harness access hole. Oh wish the passenger side of the hitch had a stud to mount the OEM Subaru bracket for the hitch harness connector. Will figure out something.
Oh the drivers side plastic behind the fender does not need to be removed on a Forester Hybrid.
The trailer hitch installed perfectly. Just as described in your extremely helpful installation video.
My only negative is with UPS shipping. They took longer than promised to deliver. And the package was extremely damaged. Thankfully the hitch wasn't damaged. Thank you etrailer for an excellent product and installation info. Very happy with my purchase
Steven
4/21/2026
Hitch is still working great ! I use it often. Im constantly being asked who installed your hitch I tell people how easy it was to install myself with the video help from etrailer.com !!!
Bolt heads were too big for th frame to fit in the feeder holes. Had to go buy new bolts. Otherwise great. Second hitch we have gotten from here. Regardless to the bolt issue. Would recommend to anyone.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/30/2026
Looks like you're all set to hit some trails, Matthew!
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Kate F.
10/8/2025
Glad we had the right fit for you John, and that our videos were helpful with the install. What do you mainly use the hitch for?