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This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.
Features:
Specs:
At etrailer.com we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
Average Customer Rating: 4.7 out of 5 stars (368 Customer Reviews)
This fully welded trailer hitch receiver bolts onto your vehicle's frame with no welding required. Powder coated steel is sturdy and corrosion resistant.Installation wasn’t so easy as expected (took 1hr +) in a well equipped garage. I wouldn’t try a DIY If you don’t have the proper and safe installation to do it. The Curt hitch receiver C13381 was installed on a 2018 Tiguan SEL
We put this hitch on my 2023 Tiguan. We’ve only used it to put a basket on there but it has worked out great. It was easy to install also.
Highly reco etrailer. All the bits were in the box and the install video was spot on. In fact they made it seem TOO easy. And that was my downfall. I needed a buddy to help and shared him on the video (he has the space and tools - I live in Brooklyn and don’t even have a garage). The two of us watched the install video and we’re like ‘no problem! I ordered the hitch and about a month later (not due to delivery but schedules) we finally tackled the job. And it did not go well, all ‘user error’. I meant to rewatch the video right before we did the install but we had some minor crisis so I forgot. Bad idea. Everything we did wrong was pointed out in the video: to start the hitch was really, really well built and engineered. So it doesn’t have a lot of tolerances, it basically fits perfectly. So the part in the video about cleaning off the bolt seal, that’s super important. Us idiots didn’t do that. So we struggled to get the hitch in place to line up with the bolt holes. We also did not have a lift or even decent jack to give us more space. It’s doable, but not ideal. Given how we were struggling to line up the holes we made a really stupid decision to use a jack to lift the hitch up. Kinda force it up and into place. Dumb rookie mistake that we could have avoided had we rewatched the video and re-learnt that the bumper rails are what the bolts are attached to. So is pushing it up misaligned the holes, resulting in us stripping one of the damn nuts. Luckily there was a mechanic down the road who had a set of metric taps and a lift and he kindly helped us fix our mistake. The whole exercise could have been done in less than 40 min, had it not been for our bravado and that silly expression ‘when all else fails, read the instruction manual!’
But if you watch and follow the instructions from etrailer, installing a Curt hitch on a VW 2020 Tiguan will actually be really easy. I can’t imagine how much eye-rolling their techs will do when they read this!
I do want to add that the purpose of installing this hitch was to make it easy to put bikes on the car. We also bought an Allen 3 bike hanger with an adapter for 2” hitches. Please do not buy this thing. It’s well made but poorly engineered. I’m returning it after driving the bikes around the block. Very unstable. And the adaptor has broken in many folks experiences on [line].Such a pity, because as I said, it’s well made but poorly engineered.
If anyone has a great 3 bike rack they would reco, I’m here. Really need something I can trust.
The trailer hitch is working well. My mechanic attached it to a 2020 Tiguan SE and had to use lock-tight bolts rather than the regular ones provided but otherwise everything provided with the order was used in the install. It has been useful as a hitch for a bike rack and held up three bikes with no issues on a long road trip.
Patrick
12/19/2023
The hitch is still performing well with no adjustments needed.
Fairly easy to install! I did take us 2 hours vs 30 minutes haha, but that is to be expected. I would recommend lifting your Tiguan on two jacks with weights behind the front wheels to give more room to work on the hitch installation.
If you can change a tire, you can install this hitch. No need to cut the rear valance which I did not want to do.
Bought this for my bike rack and it works great. Just have to turn off the rear back up collision avoidance when your bike is on the rack.
If you need a decent departure angle this is not the hitch for you.
Tony C.
7/28/2020
Works great for a bike rack mount! I use this every week to transport my bike to the park. No rattling or anything like that noticed and the receiver still looks good, not rusted or anything after a year.
Just what I needed. Not going to be hauling a trailer with it but excellent for cargo rack. Definitely did take note during the install video where he said to have a helping hand. Bench pressing this bad boy while trying to thread a screw was a B! Get someone to help definitely.
Seth
8/23/2020
It’s been a year and still great. Hooked a trailer up to it to just move it down the road with no issues. Mostly use it for bike and cargo rack. Highly recommend this hitch.
If you have the arrangement without factory hardware, where you need to use the fishwires...lots of luck to you. I spent two hours trying to get the fishwire through the rear frame hole without success, before finally giving up. As I procrastinated too long I'm beyond the return window and now I own a very large, very expensive paperweight.
This hitch was so easy to install. Might have been quicker if I would have had an extra set of hands. But a couple of jacks and it slid right in place. It has been on about a year and the only issue I have encountered is that it is already starting to rust. A little paint and it will be as good as new. Would definitely recommend this hitch.
Receiver works great. Makes going camping with extra gear so much easier.
We bought this hitch to use a carrier basket for when we go on vacation. It installed in about 20 minutes with no modification needed. It’s a very well-made excellent product I highly recommend it!
Marteka E.
6/8/2019
Great product!! Still wonderful!!
I like the hitch a lot but it took me more than 30 minutes to put it in! I did it by myself in a little over an hour. I used a little 2 ton bottle jack to hold it in place and get it around into the right position.
The directions provided were clear - it's quite straightforward.
Once the bracket is in close to the right place, if it's quite tight like mine was, I recommend you use a mallet or something to bump the brackets so the mounting holes are centered as much as possible. That will help make replacing the bolts easier. Then, to replace those bolts, put one hand on the bumper (the metal tube - not the plastic bumper cover) and move the bumper up and down and in and out. around so the bolt threads nicely. You can reach the that bumper easily in the center of the car under the license plate. Move that around until your bolt is threaded nicely, then you should be good to go. I got one of the back ones started but left it quite loose. Then I worked around and got them all in loose, then simply tightened them up and moved the exhaust back up.
It looks great. There's no cutting of the bumper cover, which is good. I was concerned about it being really low but I'm not sure it goes much below the muffler and I don't think it's the "low point" of the undercarriage.
Everything has been great. The Receiver install took about an hour.
Longest part of the wiring install was running the power cable. Everything else just plugged into the factory wiring and was very straight forward.
Hauling a 5x10 trailer with a 2020 VW Tiguan using a 2" rise hitch mount. The trailer sits level.
I installed the hitch yesterday on my 2022 VW Tiguan.
I had put one of these on my 2019 VW Tiguan earlier this year and it worked and fit perfectly.
I was a bit disappointed this time.
First, not having the factory bolts and having to do the fishwiring wasn't ideal. That's certainly not etrailers concern, I understand.
Second, I had to remove a large piece of trim from under the car (presumably a splash guard) in picture . It was in the way of the hitch but also covered 2 of the bolt holes as well as the access holes for fishwiring.
Third, and probably most importantly, as you can see in images, the trim on the bumper is compressed and is now bowed with the hitch installed. I even cut 2 slits into the underside of this trim to allow it to flex. In order for it to truly fit, I think I would have to do some pretty invasive surgery on that piece of bumper, which I'm not really comfortable doing. And I'd have to remove the hitch to try it, which isn't a small task.
It doesn't look that noticeable, but I'm a bit concerned the pressure the hitch is putting on the bumper will warp it over time and/or even lead to cracking.
The hitch receiver fits my 2018 VW Tiguan R Line after I did some mods, I also prefer the 2" receiver on this hitch to the 1 1/4" receiver that VW offers. The installation was not easy because they said that CURT did not test it on 2018 R Line Tiguan package. I had to lower a little bit the exhaust after installation because it was a little interference with the exhaust pipe, but after that incovinient was solved, every thing just fit good, I´m very happy to use my THULE rack on it. The receiver looks great on my Tiguan R Line, check it out the pictures.
Good quality. Solid and heavy. Easy to install. No drilling, no welding, no cutting.
My only concern is that the distance between the mounting square and the ground is only 8 3/4". This is why I've put only 4 stars.
Easy install by professional once I showed them the videos.
This Curt hitch from etrailer is great. I bought it for my SUV to carry bikes, this hitch works perfectly. What I like about it is the precise fit and easy installation. I really appreciate the custom fit for my vehicle.
The hitch is great! It arrived quickly after I ordered it. The installation is straight forward, however, you will need a helper or some jack stands to hold the hitch in place for the installation. I installed this on my wife's 2018 VW Tiguan and it took about a half-hour. I chose the Curt brand because did does not require cutting the bumper trim. Yes, it sits lower than the other brands' model, but the loss of ground clearance is very minimal and unlikely to ever be an issue. She plans on using it with a hitch receiver bike rack.
So far so good. Install was slightly harder than shown due to the bumper bar. However, once you line it up properly it's fairly easy to get it installed. I would strongly recommend 2 people to install as the hitch is hard to set in place. I ended up using 2 jacks and moved the bumper bar lined up so we could put in the default 16mm bolt / washer in. My wife didn't complain and said it was barely noticeable so I think we have a winner. Hopefully it doesn't drag and hit anything but we live in a major city so hopefully that isn't an issue. Fits my rack nicely and we're excited to hit the local trails.
Finally had our hitch nstalled today! We showed the mechanic your video of installation and he had it installed within 1/2 hour!! Great video! Very pleased with the promptness for the delivery and ease of installation! Our Volkswagen dealer wanted $900 for hitch and installation... we did it for under $300!! Thank you!!!! Finally have a bike rack!!! Yeah!
Great product and great service. However this is the 2nd hitch I ordered from etrailer that has come in a box that gets destroyed in shipping. Looks like UPS attempted to retape the box but once it was delivered parts of the hitch were completely exposed. See photos.
Hitch is solid and works great on my 2019 VW Tiguan! It does appear to sit a little low to fit around the rear fender, but I have not scraped the pavement with it backing out of my driveway. I had it installed from my local service gas station. I use it all the time to carry up to 4 bikes around with no issues.
Easy to install. It took me a little bit longer to install it than 30 min. After removing factory bolts brackets inside frame had a little tension and misaligned with openings in frame. Hitch openings are perfectly aligned with openings in frame. Once bolts were guided the installation went smooth. Great product. It will be used for bike rack.
No issues with installation. Instructions were pretty straight forward so no trouble installing it with the wife. Installed it in the garage with rear wheels on a ramp for better clearance.. I drive a 2019 Tiguan SEL R-line so the design of the hitch is what works for the model.
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Sierra K.
6/29/2022
Thanks for your entertaining review. As far as the bike rack, we do not carry the Allen 3 so I looked it up to see the price point and if it was a hanging rack. The bad thing about hanging racks is the bikes tend to rattle around more, but it is the most cost effective option. If you want a 3 bike rack that will do the job go with item # MPG2130. If you want an upgraded hanging style, go with item # TH9043PRO. If you want to try a platform rack they are heavier but hold onto your bike wheels instead of the frame, so no contact, less movement, and more secure, go with item # HR4000.
Helpful Links
Hitch-Bike-RacksHollywood-RacksHR4000.html
Hitch-Bike-RacksMaloneMPG2130.html
Hitch-Bike-RacksThuleTH9043PRO.html