Fit of Curt 13149 Class III Receiver Hitch on 2018 Toyota Rav 4 Hybrid XLE

Published 08/24/2019

Question:

I tried to get this installed by Toyota and they said it did not fit. However / I see that others were able to do this. Toyota said it took them an hour to figure this out and that the instructions say this excludes the “electric” vehicle and he stated that meant hybrid. He showed me a picture and it looks like the bolt was slightly offline. Has anyone had this experience/is there a way to fix this/does this fit the hybrid model?

asked by: Emily

Helpful Expert Reply:

The Curt Class III receiver hitch, part # C13149 is indeed a confirmed fit for your 2018 Toyota Rav4 Hybrid XLE. The fit exclusion mentioned in the instructions refers to the fully electric model (EV) and not the hybrid. It's not entirely surprising that the mechanic at your dealer didn't know this, as the Rav4 EV was only available in California

When trailer hitches are manufactured, a softer steel is used in the side plates/ mounting flanges. Cars aren't as rigid as they used to be, and constructing the hitch like this allows it to flex a bit as the vehicle moves down the road. The downside to this flexibility is that during shipping and handling, sometimes the side plates can get slightly flexed out of position. This is a common occurrence that is easily fixed. I've linked you to a help article that explains how to do this.

expert reply by: Mike L