Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

The hitch is awesome and bolted up perfectly to my 2014 Outback. Took me 3 hours to install it solo. The second video on the product page is very helpful. I watched it about 5 times before starting. I also recommend buying a bag of new push fasteners in advance of starting the installation. The cut out in the bumper cover to clear the hitch ended up being 3 5/8" wide x 5 1/4" deep, and dead center on the center mounting tab hole. That less than 1/4" gap all around. Check the fit over the receiver and the bottom push fasteners before completely re-installing the bumper cover. Awesome product!1325114

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Tony Z.

7/12/2023

It has worked out great, and exceeded my expectations. My Kuat bike rack is on most all the time, and I use it 2-3 times per week.

by: Jordan08/02/2023

2018 Subaru Outback Wagon

This was an easy install and was super glad I made the decision to install myself and go with this particular one. It’s flush underneath and looks sleek. I use it with two e-bikes and it’s worked perfectly. Also used it to tow small trailers. Excellent product.1637713

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The product arrived in a timely fashion and it was professionally boxed. I inspected the hitch and it appears to be welded really well and is strong. No issues with the look either as there was no damage to it at all.

Though I have not installed it yet, the instructions are clear and there are plenty of online videos to help, so if there is anything wrong with the installation that should be on me. Overall, impressed with the product and will update if there are any major issues.1452774

Ryan

10/21/2023

It’s been working out great. I only use it for a bike rack so can’t talk about any experience towing, , but it is still solid and I would still trust it to this day.

by: Nathaniel04/27/2023

Hitch went on well, and required minimal trimming (as expected). I've used it to tow a small teardrop trailer (2k+ lbs) about 8-10 times so far in 12 months. No issues at all.1565524

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by: Caleb 09/09/2023

Installed pretty well, hardest part was trimming a portion of the bumper for clearance. Only thing i noticed was the hitch inside the receiver has a tad bit of room to move with a trailer being pulled causing noise from the gap. I may try wrapping the hitch with tape to take the gap up. It may be because the hitch sits low on the bumper which causes this not exactly the hitch's design...overall a good hitch system. vehicle connector works great and plugged in easily1664155

Followed the video for the 2012 outback for my 2014 outback and the install went smooth. About 90-120 minutes. Only hang up was you need to trim more around the hitch than you would think you will, but I'd rather cut 1 inch at a time than too much1514421

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Easy install with video instructions on '17 Outback! I did this myself in about two hours, taking my time. A helper would have been really beneficial at times. As others noted, I opted to not hammer up the bumper clip bracket so I could re-use it. I filed off a corner of the bracket, but may not have needed to. Then I simply cut around the flanges of the hitch (took a few test fits to get it right). Take your time and cut less than you think - you can always cut more, but you can't put it back! I kept the foam pad in (some throw it out), the bumper gets pushed out by the thickness of the receiver plate, and it took a little finagling to get the bumper cover back on, but worth it in the end.

etrailer shipping and packing was great!1052202

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J

6/18/2022

Still very pleased after one year of use!

Hitch went onto my 2019 Subaru Outback „without a hitch“. The part fit exactly and the video instructions on the etrailer site were first rate especially with regard to the removal and replacement of the back end cladding. I installed on a warm day which no doubt helped, especially with getting the plastic padding back in place!1326082

Davem

7/13/2023

No problems! As mentioned in initial review, be sure to install on a warm day or in a heated space!

I bought this for a 2016 2.5L Outback for a family member to tow a UHaul 5x8 trailer 1600 miles, NC to NM. I had bought the car used and it had a bumper-mounted 1 inch hitch on it which had to be removed, so got this one since had to do the removal, vs the under car, frame mounted hitch.
Status so far--Products received quickly and in fine condition. Had my subaru mechanic do the hitch swap-out, no issues. Bought a shank and ball, hitched up the trailer and the trip is underway. So far, all good; if I can, I'll post a followup here after the trip is completed.1640535

Order the Curt trailer hitch and it arrived in a couple days. I watched the video, got together my tools and Bam was done in a couple of hours.
Super easy process and it looks super nice.
Enjoy.1688313

Unreal how the installation directions & video made this task a very doable project. Saved me time & a lot of money for sure. And all the reviews were super helpful. Having the bumper off was a little terrifying for a minute but it was smooth sailing!1526368

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I chose this design for the hidden crossbar and solid construction. Though I've not attached anything yet, the installation went well thanks to the helpful video! It took me about 8 hours, but I had to struggle with rusted-on bolts, and I meticulously cleaned dirt from everything I uncovered during the process.

I'm now looking for an adapter to reduce the 2" receiver down to 1.25", to temporarily attach my old bike rack, hoping to get a sturdier rack in the future that requires the 2" receiver. I found this adapter: # HT02
as the only one that is not an extender (I don't want the bike rack hanging any further out than it must). However, the Brophy HT02 is just too expensive for my temporary use.

A couple notes on the instruction sheet:

1) The bumper cover trim diagram seems to be viewing the cover from the underside, since the center mounting tab is shown to the right of the center line. It would be less error-prone if the diagram showed the top (inside) view of the bumper cover, since most people would do the cutting with the cover sitting right-side-up on a bench, as in one of my pictures. At least indicate in the drawing which view is shown.

2) Step 7 says "Torque all 10mm fasteners to 48 lb-ft.". The 10mm fasteners attach the plastic tail light lenses to the frame, and could be damaged with that much force. Instead, I think you intended to say, "Torque all 14mm fasteners to 48 lb-ft.". The 14mm fasteners attach the bumper bar to the frame, and that force seems appropriate.1646740

Easy install and the hitch fit well.
Quick shipping and good communication.1540316

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Amazon was quicker shipping and same price after 5% amazon visa credit , but no installation video (and it was specific to my model year Subaru), no knowledgeable customer support. So being a loyal Amazon customer, i purchased it at etrailer because, why wouldn't you.
For me to install, 12 minutes to get to bumper support, 5 minutes to install hitch and bumper support. IDK what i did wrong, but 1.5 hours to put bumper cover back on, a particular retention clip on both sides, was for me, frustratingly problematic to snap on. Oh yeah looks great, no horizontal bar of trailer hitch hanging below bumper, a much cleaner looking install. Worth whatever frustration i had putting the cover back on.1624325

The hitch arrived the next day! I got exactly what I asked for and I'm excited to install it to use with my bike rack. Pleased to be able to find quality hitches at a great deal.1683473

From the packaging, the installation videos, instructions, etc. etrailer makes it sooooo damn easy. Thank you 5/51669027

The product was as advertised, and the instructional video from etrailer was quite helpful. You will need an above average Mechanical ability as you will have to remove and replace trim panels around the bumper without breaking anything. As it was, the installation went smoothly and without any problems.
I also purchased the T1 connector for the Subaru wagon and we're wagon and again the instructional video was excellent and it was excellent and I had that installed in 15 minutes.
Every part of the experience from the online website, the competitive pricing, free shipping, to the installation videos, were top notch.1261936

William

2/14/2023

The hitch is rock solid and we really enjoy the way that it is mostly recessed and out of the way when the hitch is not attached.

I have used Curt products in the past and was pleased to see the same quality and function as before. This hitch came in 5 days and installed as expected. I will use etrailer and Curt products in the future I'm sure.1290544

Daniel

4/26/2023

The Curt hitch has performed well for us. We use primarily for a bike rack and it has worked well. Still looks like the day it was installed. Very pleased.

Pretty easy to install. Wish the directions were a bit more clear on tools I would need, since you either need to remove the wheel or have some specialty screwdrivers. Luckily I had what I needed. Watch the video first, read the direction, then watch the video again and you’ll be good to go.1692076

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Arrived quick and despite the 10/10 rating for install was actually pretty straight forward to bolt on. It was a little scary to have to remove the bumper cover but following the video I got this done in about 1 hour. Very nice looking hitch with the cross bar totally hidden and the receiver tucked in there. Would recommend to any Subaru owner, over the factory hitch.1325702

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Hitched arrived fast and was in good condition.

Two issues were encountered. The notch specified for the cover is too big. I undercut mine and tested the fit. i ended up with 3 1/2 x 5 inches and DID NOT curt through the center push pin hole. The push pin fit correctly after install and there was about 3/16 inch clearance around the receiver frame.

The bigger issue involved the internal bumper that sits on the bumper frame. There is no compensation for adding the hitch. The hitch pushes the internal bumper to the rear by the thickness of the hitch mounting surface. Doesn't seem like much but it has a MAJOR impact on seating the cosmetic bumper later.

I ended up fabricating my own frame brace bumper using a shop floor tile. This reduced the chance of a cover crack during in a minor collision. You could leave the factory bumper off and take the risk. The floor tile was half the thickness of the factory internal bumper.

The cosmetic cover should not require big forces to re-seat. If it does something is WRONG. Proper seating only requires medium finger pressure producing audible clicks along the quarter panel. If there is any misalignment it will not seat correctly.829822

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Rick P.

7/18/2021

Works excellent and has been trouble free since the install issues were solved

Just installed yesterday, haven't had a chance to try out yet, but quality is there, feels solid. Install was straightforward as others have shared, similar hangups with foam on bumper being too thick making reinstall of fascia difficult. As my car is three years old, removing bumper fasteners was a bit precarious (be very careful or have spares available). Bumper bar had also seized to bolts a bit on one side but after removing all nuts and a little wiggling it came free easy. I just held the bumper up to figure out cut, had to cut a little deeper as some stated in order to fit. With this particular hitch you could get away with cutting two narrow slits that will fit around hitch since it is not one solid bar where it elbows but two plates. Overall very happy with this purchase, can't wait to put it to use!802487

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Michael A.

5/24/2021

One year later and my trailer hitch is still holding strong and ready to go! Havent had any problems with it loosening, rusting, or even scratching really. Very happy with this purchase!

Great product arrived fast. Installed as per the excellent video, except I didn't mess with the plastic body fasteners like the expert. As soon as a fastener was mildly annoying I turned it into plastic shrapnel with a 1/4" drill on an impact driver. Wear safety glasses when you eviscerate fasteners because their plastic entrails will rain down on your head. Also I just set up props under both ends and did it solo.1617344

Easy installation. The hardest part was removing the old OEM 1.25in hitch receiver which was a royal pain. My only concern is that the old hitch not only attaches at the crash bumper mounts but also attaches inside the box channel at multiple points. The OEM attachment seems stronger but also significantly more complicated to install.1586439

I’m an OTR truck driver so I suckered a friend into installing it for me while I was out. He’s a pretty lazy/distracted guy and he still raved about the quality and ease of install.1686671