etrailer | Installation: Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver on a 2022 Subaru Forester

[@tongpopyro2691]

i've done this twice, once to my 17 forester xt and now to my 24 forester wilderness. Fyi, i used a floor jack to lift the hitch into place, made it an effortless one man job. there was no need to even jack the car up

[@etrailer]

That's a good idea using the jack! Thanks for passing that along. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@markko1968]

Thank you for this video. Much simplified versus the instruction sheet. I also found the hangers the worst part. I happened to have the hitch huge before installing the muffler heat shield. Installed the shield after. It seems it works better to replace the heat shield in the future. I live in a heavily salted/brined, dirt road area. I oiled sprayed everything. I found the gromets on the spare tire area worked for me to fill the oversized holes. Replace later. I'm a smaller person. I did manage to install it myself. I did not jack the car up. I squeezed under the hitch to mount it. This took me most of the day. Old and slow. Update. Amazon sent me the wrong trailer wiring harness. Phoned the dealership and they won't sell just the harness. Subaru Canada sent messaging that stated an after market hitch "may" void warranty on basically the entire driveline. For now the dealer is installing a Subaru hitch and 4 pin harness. They provide nothing for a 7 pin for brakes. 3000lb tow rating with a 3360lb car and you can't have brakes. So wrong.

[@rickduncan362]

I have a 2025 Forrester and it is a new body style. Working by myself it was gonna take much longer than 4 hours for me to do this.

[@etrailer]

Curt lists the install time as being about an hour for a novice installer, once we get a 2025 Forester into our facility we'll be able to figure out and get some footage of what exactly makes the install different than the earlier generation. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@rickduncan362]

@@etrailer Most of the videos show the cars up on a lift. That is great if you have one. Most of us just lie on the floor and use our basic hand tools to do the install.

[@etrailer]

That's true. When I installed mine at home, I borrowed a set of ramps like # CA24AJ from my neighbor. Using ramps definitely made the install much easier. Also, if you go that route don't forget to chock the front tires. www.etrailer.com/Car-Ramps/Caliber/CA24AJ.html

[@rickduncan362]

Wish I had found this video before I installed mine on my Forrester. I took the bumper off, struggled with getting the heat shield off as the bolts did not want to move. Took me about 10 hours total.

[@etrailer]

Yikes! Sorry you had so much trouble... www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@walkingmonument]

Any rattling on this one after muffler heats up?

[@etrailer]

Typically not, but you'll want to keep in mind that the precise position where the exhaust sits on a vehicle can vary a bit from vehicle to vehicle because of the rubber isolators used on the exhaust hangers. Because the hitch is bolted to the frame, its position will not vary. Because of this, sometimes there is some hitch rattle. The good news is that this is pretty easily fixed. I'll link to an article that explains this. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@Advntrwrx]

Ive seen some forums that say this fits a 22 VB wrx, can that be confirmed? I have an F1 light and want to retain that

[@etrailer]

Per Curt, it isn't a fit for the 2022 Subaru WRX. Instead, you'll want to use the Curt # C84ZV which you can check out using this link: www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Subaru/WRX/2022/C84ZV.html

[@Ironfeet996]

Does this fit 2023?

[@etrailer]

Sure does! It'll fit the 2019 - 2024 Subaru Forester... www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@jeffbourgeois3971]

Will this C13409 hitch also fit the 2016 Forester?

[@etrailer]

It won't. The hitch is a fit for the 5th generation Forester (2019-Present), and won't fit your 2016 model. For your vehicle, use # CU64FR. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Subaru/Forester/2016/CU64FR.html?VehicleID=20165001630

[@pullon7]

When do you replace the driver side wheel well piece?

[@etrailer]

Our installer discusses this at the 14:30 minute mark. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@FOZ23]

Would this hitch work for all 5th gen foresters (2019-2023) and sub-models (sport, wilderness, touring, etc.)?

[@etrailer]

Sure does! We've confirmed with Curt that the # C13409 fits all models and trim levels of the 2019-2023 Subaru Forester. www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html

[@jhuggz193]

Appreciate these videos, but why not include the wiring installation also? It’s essentially mandatory isn’t it? Especially on class 2 and up rated hitches assuming they’re hauling a large enough trailer needing lighting.

[@etrailer]

We show those separately, because not everyone uses a hitch for towing, on smaller vehicles many folks use them as an attachment point for a bike rack or cargo carrying tray. We'd recommend # 118467, use this link to see the install: www.etrailer.com/tv-install-tekonsha-4-pole-trailer-wiring-harness-2022-subaru-forester-118467.aspx

[@MichiganTrailz]

Followed this step by step and it took me about 3 hrs from jacking the car up to dropping it back down. Hardest part was removing the exhaust hangers, no lie!!! I did it by myself, but having an extra pair of hands to hold it up would have been a lot easier.

[@etrailer]

We're glad to hear that your install was successful! www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/CURT/C13409.html