Troubleshooting Curt C11474 Hitch Not Fitting 2017 Volkswagen Jetta

Updated 09/12/2025 | Published 08/28/2025

Question:

Hello, I have installed etrailer hitches on a few vehicles in the the past. Today I tried to install the Curt C11474 on a 2017 Jetta. Everything went fine until we put the hitch up to go over the bolts and the hitch mounts were not wide enough to fit to the bolts. You can tell it is the right hitch but it is not wide enough to fit over the passenger side frame rail. The hitch doesnt look bent, no cracking paint or anything. I tried several times and watched the videos.

asked by: Skip

Expert Reply:

Hey Skip, thanks for reaching out. About how much would you say the bolt spacing on the hitch was off by? The reason I ask is the Curt # C11474 is the correct hitch for the 2017 Jetta sedan. In most cases when the correct hitch is in hand, but it isn't wide enough, that means the flanges have been bent or flexed. These hitches are made of a mild flex steel so they are designed to bend under stress instead of crack. It doesn't necessarily take much for the flanges to bend without showing actual signs of damage, and flexed hitches are fairly common. It sounds like this may be the case with your hitch.

If so, the hitch can be flexed back into position, and it can be done fairly easily. I have found the best way to do this is by finding a sturdy staircase and putting the flange of the hitch under the step. Then lean back on the hitch to bend the flanges out slightly. If done carefully, you can correct the flex without compromising the strength of the hitch.

This happens so frequently in fact, that we wrote whole article on how to correct a flexed hitch. I have linked that article for you.

I hope this helps. Let me know if there is anything else I can do to assist.

expert reply by: Jesse M

Flexed Hitch Example
(click to enlarge)

Jesse M.

9/12/2025

Hey Skip, did you have a chance to try flexing the hitch back into position using the staircase method? I'm curious to know if that helped resolve the fit issue with your Jetta, as it could give others confidence when dealing with similar situations.