Why Would Trailer Hitch Mounting Holes not Perfectly Line Up with Vehicle Frame

Updated 02/27/2017 | Published 02/25/2017

Question:

Received my Draw Tite receiver this week and tried to install it this evening. After cleaning out the threaded holes on my 2010 Nissan Frontier I loosely installed the center bolt on the drivers side and found that the slotted holes on the passenger side dont line up. It appears they are off about 1/4 inch. What do I do next?

asked by: Mark S

Expert Reply:

Sometimes hitches can get slightly bent during shipping and this can be fixed by bending the hitch back into place as long as the hitch only has a slight bend to it. If yours isn't lining up I can almost guarantee that is what happened. Some people will use open steps for leverage, vices and even car jacks to apply controlled force to bend the hitch back.

You will want to look for flaking paint and physical stress marks on the hitch before and after you attempt to bend the hitch back. If you see any of those signs on the hitch you should not use the hitch on your vehicle as it has been fatigued to the point of not being safe to use.

expert reply by: Jameson C