Center Mounting Flange on Curt Trailer Hitch 13328 Not Lining Up with Holes in 2007 Honda Pilot EX

Published 02/04/2016

Question:

I purchased the trailer hitch #13328 and have had extreme difficulty aligning the holes on the bumper plate. Is this plate absolutely necessary to bolt up to the area provided? Im questioning this due to the problem Im having and also because I notice other manufactures products do not have the plate on their trailer hitches which also are recommended for the 2007 Honda Pilot EX. Thank you very for your help on this.

asked by: Rich

Expert Reply:

There are a couple of possible reasons why the center mounting flange on Curt trailer hitch # 13328 is not lining up with the holes in your 2007 Honda Pilot.

First, sometimes in the shipping process a hitch can flex. As long as there are no indications of stress the flange can be flexed into the correct position.

The other possibility is the order in which the hardware was tightened down. If you were to change the order of how the hardware was torqued down, say starting with the center attachment, then it might line up better. If the holes are off a little bit it will all straighten out once everything is torqued down. Just be sure to check the torque after a week or so after installation.

What you don't want to do is leave that center section unattached. This particular hitch was designed to attach at that point and was given its rating based on having all of those attachment points. If left off it will void the hitch warranty and could potentially be unsafe for use.

expert reply by: Michael H