[tomaszmajewski]

Hello All!

Looking for input regarding the installation of a towing option on my 2012 EX I-4 FWD. All I plan to tow is a small trailer from Harbor Freight that will be used for hauling stuff from Ikea, light landscaping material and the occasional Craigslist find. Best guesstimate for longest round trip is 100 miles.

The question is, should I get the Honda OEM option:
http://automobiles.honda.com/crosstour/accessory-detail.aspx?Accessory=CROSS13015

...or the Uhaul option:
http://www.uhaul.com/Locations/Trailer-hitches/726065

Bonus question:
How do either of these affect access to the spare tire?

Thank you!!

--Tom

 

[pshivers]

I would go for the U-Haul unit based on the price, unless you want a more hidden hitch like the Honda hitch will provide (2010-2012 only). The 2013 CT Honda hitch is exposed just like the U-haul.

Ignore the U-Haul claim of 2,000lb capacity, The Crosstour can only handle 1,500lbs for the V6 and 1,000lbs for the 4-cyl all years.

There should be no spare-tire clearance problems, I don't know for certain.

 

[L8Apex]

You have a lot of options. I don't think that any of them interfere with the spare.

Hidden Hitch
Curt Manufacturing
Draw Tite

 

[tjtupack]

Have you pull the trigger on any of the two ???

 

[J. Peterman]

I just purchased a Curt Hitch for our 2013 CT EX-L. I had read another thread and had seen pictures of the hitch installed on a 2013 model. I bought the hitch through Amazon for $131.84. The hitch arrived but had obviously been out of the original box and dragged across a rough concrete surface so the powdercoating was roughed up pretty badly. I had it returned to Amazon and they immediately shipped a new one. I'm pretty mechanically adept but have a broken ankle that's in a cast for another week so I got my two adult sons to come over an do the actual installation while I read the instructions to them. We also installed the Honda Factory Wiring Harness. Everything lined up perfectly with the pre-drilled holes in the hitch to the four mounting points on the car but after tightening everything down, we noticed that the hitch sits 5/16" lower on the left side when compared to the right. This makes it look crooked. We re-checked everything with the instructions and there were no installation mistakes. I have contacted Curt through their web based email but it's Saturday and Monday is a holiday so I don't expect to hear anything until next week. I have 30 days to return the hitch to Amazon so I'm going to see if Curt has an explanation for the discrepancy in height. Otherwise, the hitch looks fine and was not difficult to install. The hitch installation took almost exactly one hour and the wiring harness took another hour to complete. Here's some pictures

 

[tjtupack]

I am going to U-Haul this weekend and if I do pull the trigger I will post pics !!, any updates with the Curt hitch ??
TJ

 

[J. Peterman]

I've exchanged several emails with Curt Hitches and sent them around ten pictures from underneath, the sides, rear, etc. I sent the pictures yesterday but they haven't replied since I sent them. If they don't do something positive to rectify this problem by Monday or Tuesday of next week, I'm going to remove the hitch and contact Amazon for a pickup & refund. The finish and appearance of the Curt Hitch is excellent (IMHO) but there's something wrong with the one that was sent to me. If I return this one, I'm going to be looking at buying another brand. Hopefully, they'll offer a solution.

 

[J. Peterman]

After sending the pictures that Curt Hitches requested of all of the installation points and hearing nothing back from them for over five days, I sent an email to them yesterday, asking them for a response. When none came, I removed the hitch from the car and took measurements while it was sitting on level concrete. As I had thought (and had told them), the left side is still 5/16" lower on the left when measured from the bottom of the left side tube where the bend begins. It's very clear that when the right & left tubes were welded to the center receiver tube, the left side was twisted down slightly and as you move across the left side the measurement from the bottom of the left side tube to the ground becomes greater. It's simply a manufacturing defect that Curt was attempting to tell me "just wasn't possible". Well, it was. I contacted Amazon and they're taking this one back too and I agreed to let them send another replacement. This time, as soon as it comes out of the box, I will take measurements to insure that it won't have the same problem. Hopefully, it won't but if it does, I will have had enough of Curt Hitches. I am very disappointed in their customer service department and their lack of care that they made a defective product. The powder coated finish was excellent and the weld joints were done very cleanly..........they just didn't line up the parts properly before welding. I like the look of the Curt Hitch for the Crosstour so I'm hopeful that the replacement is going to be okay.

 

[J. Peterman]

Update 9-12-2013

*Update. Amazon replaced the improperly manufactured hitch with one-day shipping so it arrived yesterday and I installed it this morning. I took measurements before installing it and this one also sits lower on the left side.............but it's only lower by 1/4" rather than 5/16" like the last one so I can live with it. *BTW, Curt Hitches never did reply after they told me in an email (quote: "The chances of it being manufactured incorrectly in that manner is slim to none") and I sent them pictures to prove that it was. I even followed up with two more emails to them asking for a reply but was totally ignored.

The bottom line is that the Curt hitch is built to last and finished well but if you intend to purchase one, I would strongly suggest that you buy it through Amazon where you'll have a strong remedy at no extra cost to you if you receive a hitch that was not manufactured correctly. Customer service at Curt Hitch is essentially non-existent so had I purchased it directly from Curt, I would have been stuck with a hitch that was very crooked when mounted on the Crosstour.

 

[J. Peterman]

***Correction: Old age and senility setting in. I have been posting that the first hitch that was welded incorrectly was 5/16" lower on the left when in fact, it was 9/16" off. The latest one that I decided to keep is only off by 1/4". When I re-read my posts, I saw the error.

 

[Focus791]

***Correction: Old age and senility setting in. I have been posting that the first hitch that was welded incorrectly was 5/16" lower on the left when in fact, it was 9/16" off. The latest one that I decided to keep is only off by 1/4". When I re-read my posts, I saw the error.

Thanks so much for posting this helpful info! Def good to know.

 

[frank621]

any update yet from Curt?
I have the exact same set-up that I put on my 13' and bought from Amazon about 3 mo. ago. I thought it was just me always thinking that it looked crooked but now after reading this...

 

[J. Peterman]

any update yet from Curt?
I have the exact same set-up that I put on my 13' and bought from Amazon about 3 mo. ago. I thought it was just me always thinking that it looked crooked but now after reading this...

Nope. Curt quit communicating once I sent the pictures. They were trying to tell me that it was my car but the pictures showed that everything lined up and that it was lower on the left side. I sent the hitch that was off by 9/16" back to Amazon and they replaced it. The new one is off by 1/4" but it's not nearly as noticeable as the one that I returned to Amazon. I don't understand why Curt can't seem to get these hitches welded correctly but I can live with it since it's only 1/4" off.
*If you measure from the bottom of the hitch to the ground on each side (at the same point on the left and right sides), you'll see if yours is level.

 

[Focus791]

Any update on the U-haul hitch? It's about the same price as the Curt model, and I'm a bit reluctant to go with Curt with multiple people experiencing the uneven manufacturing...

 

[bek]

I also had problems with the Curt hitch

Hi, I'm a new Crosstour owner, having just bought a certified 2010 EX-L.

I have a hitch mounted bike rack and occasionally tow light loads.

I have used Curt hitches on other cars and they have always installed flawlessly.

Curt has a MAJOR problem with the production of their Crosstour hitches. The first hitch I bought had 5 of the 6 holes line up, but one that goes into the frame simply was off by 1/4 to 1/2 inch. I called the supplier who sent me to Curt customer service. They shipped me a new hitch. It was drastically worse in that it would not even fit under the car.

I ended up going to a local hitch shop who was able to modify the original hitch I bought. They had to heat it up, bend the one arm that attaches to the frame and over drill the hole. They said they had installed hitches on 2 other Crosstours in the previous month and every Curt hitch they got was defective. They reported this to their Curt rep but have heard nothing in response.

I love Curt products but this one is screwed up.

 

[bek]

Where have others run the wiring?

Also, I'm curious where others have run the trailer hitch wiring. Through the trunk and hanging out the back, or is there a way to get it out and under the car? Thanks.

 

[J. Peterman]

bek, If you read my posts in this thread, you'll see that I received three hitches and all three had problems. The last one (that is presently on the car) was the best of the three but it wasn't manufactured correctly. Curt Hitches and I were emailing until I sent them pictures that proved that the hitch was not manufactured correctly and then they suddenly stopped corresponding so I complained to Amazon and the third hitch was sent. Without Amazon, I would have had to pay someone to attempt to correct the problems on the first two hitches and it would have destroyed the powder coated finish.
*As to your question re. the wiring, I have a 2013 and the wiring comes out on the right rear quarter panel through a removable rubber plug that is replaced with a rubber grommet with a hole for the wires. Then, I wire tied it to the hitch supports and ran it directly next to receiver tube. I've read where the 2010-2012 models had the wiring on the opposite (left side). If the earlier models are otherwise identical, there will be a removable plug that will be visible once you've removed all of the panels that are required to install the wiring. It's not difficult but it will take a full hour of your time to take apart, install the loom and reassemble the panels.

 

[sxlova07]

I know I'm bumping an old thread. However my question is relevant: where are people getting the honda factory wiring harness from?


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

[J. Peterman]

I bought mine from a Honda dealer in 2013:
08L91-P6-100A HARNESS, TRAILER HITCH $105.11

 

[Jagermiker]

Does the Honda harness use a flat 4 pin connector?