Exhaust Pipe of 2014 Ford Fiesta Rattles Against Trailer Hitch

Published 06/20/2015

Question:

I recently purchased a trailer hitch for my 2014 Ford fiesta ST. I installed the hitch yesterday and the fitment to the car was okay except that the exhaust will now hit the hitch over any kind of bumps. Is this something you have heard of before, and if so is there a fix for it? Is there maybe another hitch out there that wont have exhaust clearance issues? Thanks

asked by: Terry

Expert Reply:

What you describe is not an unusual occurrence that has some easy fixes, as you can see by clicking on the help article links I've provided for you.

When a hitch is installed, its location is fixed, because it's bolted to the vehicle. Exhaust systems, however use flexible rubber isolators or dampeners that mean the exact location of the exhaust can vary slightly (or not so slightly) from vehicle to vehicle. This can sometimes lead to the exhaust rattling against the hitch with varying degrees of severity. Since your rattle doesn't occur all the time, you'll probably just need to do a slight bend of the exhaust hangers to move the exhaust pipe further away from the hitch.

expert reply by: Mike L