Arrives before Christmas To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
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Say goodbye to complicated installs with the Curt Trailer Hitch C12198. It's custom-engineered for a seamless fit on your Subaru Forester models from 2019 to 2025. The bolt-on installation requires no welding, making it an effortless project for any do-it-yourselfer with modest tools at home. Enjoy the simplicity of a straightforward install and get on the road faster.
Worried about corrosion tarnishing your trailer hitch? The Curt hitch comes with a high-gloss black powder coat finish over a protective base coat, offering superior rust resistance that keeps it looking sharp season after season. It's designed to withstand the elements, ensuring your hitch stays as durable as the day you bought it.
Whether you're heading out with a lightweight trailer or attaching a hitch bike rack, there's no compromising strength. Feel secure towing up to 3,500 lbs of gross trailer weight and managing a tongue weight of 350 lbs with this Class II hitch. From hauling a small utility trailer to securely mounting bike carriers, it's built to handle your diverse towing needs.
Count on the strength and durability of a precisely welded, square-tube design. Engineered to enhance towing safety, this hitch minimizes flex and maintains strong, reliable connections. It’s not just about towing; it’s about peace of mind each time you hit the road.
Embrace a hitch design that works seamlessly with your bike racks, thanks to an innovative open-back receiver. This design simplifies maintenance, ensuring easy cleanup and continued ease of use. Whether commuting to trails or heading out for a family bike outing, the Curt hitch makes it seamless.
Drive with confidence knowing that your investment is protected by a limited lifetime warranty. With components like the fish wire included, guiding bolts into tight spaces is hassle-free. You’re not just buying a hitch; you’re ensuring a risk-free, long-term addition to your vehicle that delivers reliability every mile of the way.
My Kuat bike carrier works ok with my drawtite hitch on 2018 Mazda. Reviewed install videos for Subaru Forester to see if curt or drawtite hitch would give the max clearance for bikes from back of Forester when using the Kuat. In hindsight I should have purchased the better quality drawtite
Works great, looks good! Installation video helped a lot. Not that difficult to install.
great hitch; mechanic was willing to install it on my new Subaru because he was familiar with etrailer and their products. Installed in about an hour.
Excellent product. The videos were very helpful. I had no trouble with the installation. I chose to remove the muffler rather than lower the exhaust. This provided unobstructed access and did not put any strain on the rest of the exhaust system. I reinstalled the whole heat shield without trimming it. I just drilled 5/8" holes to match the hitch attachment bolts. I figure that Subaru had a reason for making the heat shield the size and shape that it was.
The Curt Hitch and quick service from eTrailer were excellent. I've mounted a hitch on every car we've owned since we bought a popup trailer in the late 90's. Without a doubt, this installation was the most difficult. That's no fault on the part of the hitch or eTrailer: the Forester has a few quirks that complicate things, and I was working on a 5 yr old car that has time for the heat shield and body panel nuts to rust. Enlarging the hole to fit the bolts and plates into proved too difficult with files and Dremel tool grinders. Eventually I found a cheap 'step bit' at Tractor Supply in the discount bin for ten bucks, and that made quick work of it. Tip: the heads of the bolts are a whisker wider than the plates, so allow for that when widening the hole. Another tip: if you live on a dirt road, wash the underside of the car before starting. I found (by watching a U-Haul video) that it's not necessary to completely remove the plastic panel on the driver's side. I was able to easily pull it aside by removing the two 10mm bolts. Finally, I was able to raise the hitch into position by myself using a car jack. All in all, I'm glad the "one hour" ordeal is over....but I stress my complaints are with the peculiarities of the car, not the hitch.
I've purchased and installed three other Hitch Receivers and they have all worked well, except for corrosion after a couple years.
eTrailer needs to do a better job of packing and shipping the hitches. They are not well secured in the box and cardboard is not thick enough to contain the product during shipping. My hitch arrived with one of the mounting flanges sticking out through the cardboard box. Some of the paint was scratched off which could have been a corrosion issue after installation. I got some black paint to touch up the scratched areas.
This is the third hitch I’ve purchased over the years and it is always a positive experience. The hitch for my 2019 Subaru Forester was nicely packaged and all parts were included.
I would highly recommend buying your hitch needs from etrailer. I installed this myself in about 90 minutes or so. I took my time.
Thank you for another positive experience etrailer.
Paul
10/2/2021
Still good no rust no chips
It is a great price for this trailer hitch. The install video made all the difference, without it I could not have installed it. I am a Registered Nurse and not a person that works on cars for a living. The install video made it possible for me to install this trailer.
Ruben
5/22/2021
After a year my hitch is still working great!
installation was easy and directions easy to follow.
Great hitch fit fine. Great videos, really help. The included instructions were good and nice to have.
Only complaint would be the packing. I don't think I've had one hitch out of four show up fully inside the packaging. Luckily no parts were missing.
Straight forward installation. The featured video shows the use of the fourth frame plug hole as the hardware fish point. I followed the instructions and enlarged the middle hole on each side. Used silicone under the heat shield and hitch bolt hole on exhaust side and between hitch and frame on driver’s side. Video was otherwise very helpful.
This hitch fits perfectly and is a high quality well made product. It does not affect ground clearance.I took my laptop out to the garage and just played/paused my way through the installation video - performing one step at a time. I did not run into any issues although it did take a couple of hours. I used a small metal file instead of a grinder to make the access hole larger (just to create a quarter inch notch for the bolt and bolt plate to fit through). I was hesitant to remove parts and to make modifications on my brand new 2023 Forester but am very happy with the results. I will be using this hitch for my small utility trailer that I use for mulch, trash, etc.
The best e-commerce business for all things towing. I’ve installed 7 hitches on Subarus (mine & friends). The best customer service, prices, and selection. Awesome videos and Q&A for products.
Great hitch hardest part for me was reinstalling the plastic trim. (Well it is heavy for a 70 year old to lift into place). But installed same day received.
The trailer hitch is high quality and fit perfect. Preview video before installation, it was extremely helpful. The fish wire comes with the kit. Highly recommend this product for your Forester.
Super fast delivery, Curt Products are always better than draw-tite. This is my 2nd forester an the install was easier as I remembered not to completely remove the trim box on the passenger side and just remove the screw from the head shield and drill out the shield material against the openings in the frame rail. Glad I opted for the class II 1 1/4 size as it is a cleaner look and I no longer need an adaptor for my bike rack.
Was easy to install and has worked well to pull a light trailer. Less expensive than one from the dealer. Instructions were good.
Installed easy and look great
I read the instructions and watched the video. It was beneficial to watch the video on the vehicle model I was installing the hitch on. I did not have a step drill bit, so I cut a notch in the hole the width of the spacer. The rubber plug was able to be placed back in the frame. See picture. Everything went smoothly. Thanks!
Brian K.
5/31/2024
The trailer hitch has worked great
The hitch appears to be an excellent product. I made the installation easier by modifying the provided instructions. If the muffler is decoupled from the exhaust pipe, only the most rear hanger needs to be removed. The muffler then hangs out of the way and allows access to the mounting holes. Also, only the two screws of the black plastic box on the driver side need to be removed. The box is flexible enough to be contorted and pushed up to allow access to the mounting holes. The plastic push plugs don't need to be removed.
Very easy to install because it was designed for the car I drive, not a one-size fits all.
Good company, very easy to do business with.
Excellent service and great installation instructions. Installation was straight forward and fit was perfect. Great job guys!
so far I have not installed, but looks good with all the parts. Only complaint, I did not receive any tracking info like promised. It did arrive promptly in 2 days as stated.
Fast shipping, product looks fantastic. I love that it comes with everything you need including fishing wires.
Wendy
3/4/2024
Working just fine, no surprises. Finish still looks like new after our hard winter with the use of salt on roads. Recommend having a stepped bit for the insulation.
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Gwendolyn Y.
5/9/2025
Thanks for sharing your install feedback along with the tips and tricks, Dave! I also agree that some things are made the way they are for a reason.