How to Install a Tow Hitch & Wiring Harness on a 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe

This week we tackle installing a Curt Trailer Hitch and Curt Wiring Harness on Dana's 2022 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy.
With knowing that the Santa Fe has a very good towing capacity, we're going to be using it in July to tow a U-Haul trailer and that will require a towing hitch to be installed. These are so easy to install now a days, there is no reason to pay someone let alone the dealer to do it for you. With the right tools and a couple of hours, you can install this as well.
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Equipment Used:
Curt Class 3 Tow Hitch 13473: amzn.to/3u8XkF7
Curt Wiring Harness 56420: amzn.to/39WcOFN
CURT 58300 Vehicle-Side Trailer Wiring Harness Mounting Bracket : amzn.to/3HXpj0g
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Contact:
For business inquiries, sponsorships or collaborations , please contact us at [e-mail]
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#HyundaiSantaFe
#SantaFeCalligraphy
#CurtTowHitch
DISCLAIMER: This video and description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, I’ll receive a small commission (at no cost to YOU). This helps support the channel and allows us to continue to make videos like this. Thank you for the support!

[@darrensmith8673]

Great tutorial... Fitted this on my 2023 Hybrid and your instructions really helped. As others have mentioned there is a plastic cover for the wiring plug that covers it. One thing I did was to rest one side of the hitch on the muffler while leaving on one hanger, with a towel to protect and then hand tight the bolts on the opposite side and then remove the hanger and bolt the muffler side. This allowed me to do this on my own. Also got a bracket (curt 57204) for the plug mount for a clean look.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Darren. Thanks for watching as well as sharing the kind words and tips for the community. We greatly appreciate it. Glad the video was helpful as you were installing yours. Stay safe out there!

[@gregscharenbroch8040]

Thanks for the helpful video!

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Thank you Greg for watching and sharing the kind words. We greatly appreciate it. Stay safe out there! Go Pack Go!

[@YellowJacketGarage]

Looks fantastic! Years of trouble free service in the future...except the wiring, trailer wiring is the car gods way of keeping us humble.🤣

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Thank you for watching. LOL. You are so right on the wiring. Ugh. I hate dealing with electrical. Another reason why I wanted to cover the connections up. Knowing my luck that would be the fail point. :-)

[@TheLanternOfShame]

Great job installing! Plus, there were some great one-liners! I watch you guys because you own the exact model, color and all, that I have. Great work!

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Nate. Thank you so much for watching, sharing the kind words and being a part of our journey long term. We really appreciate that and stoked to hear you have the same Santa Fe. We have more things planned with her for sure. Stay safe out there!

[@lewislavender987]

Great video. With all the projects you have going on, you definitely need a hitch on everything. See you next time.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

LOL. You are so correct with that. The projects are not going to grow beyond what we have. I can barely fit these in. Thank you for watching.

[@EvanWells07]

Nice clean install! I've installed a bunch of hitches on newer stuff, and always makes me nervous to cut into the bumper covers... Glad you guys didn't have to mess with all that!

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Thank you for watching and the kind words. Agreed, I hate drilling into a perfect body panel and dropping the value of the car not to mention that it doesn't last that long there.

[@dropitnjax]

Agreed, Clean install, fitment is great and the fabricated cover is a smart idea. Great vid

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Thank you for watching and sharing the kind words.

[@user-ms9cq1iu8t]

as usual great video will be doing it this weekend

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi John. Thank you so much for watching and sharing the kind words. We really appreciate you. So happy to hear you're getting ready to tackle this. Come back and let us know how the install went. Stay safe!

[@philsmall8298]

I have 22 Santa Fe Calli, the wiring mount WAS enclosed with a cover, held in place with push pins and nylon push nuts.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Phil. Thank you very much for watching and sharing. Interesting that you had a cover and it makes sense. It appears Hyundai's QC wasn't working when ours rolled off the line then. LOL. Oh well, problem solved on our end. Was yours a plastic cover or metal? We really appreciate you sharing that.

[@Real-Tecnica]

FYI where you place the cardboard to cover the the vehicle wiring harness there is supposed to be an ABS piece of plastic that covers that entire area. As my vehicle came with it

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Tecnica T, thanks for watching and sharing. Yes, we learned that from another viewer. Clearly there was no QC when ours was rolling off the line. Not sure if you watched it fully, but the cardboard was just a template. We made an aluminum cover plate for it in that episode and we love it. Much better than plastic in our opinion. Stay safe out there in your Santa Fe!

[@Real-Tecnica]

@@SpiritedWrenchers on the passenger side the threaded taps where not centered but at a slight angle talk about oops lol but love the car none of the less considering adding black wheel well extenders and going with wider tires like the Mercedes GLK series

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@Tecnica T what threaded taps weren't centered? Would be interested in seeing how yours will look like if you decide to go that route.

[@DM-fv7hw]

Nice job, I've seen another vid with a factory cover, but I guess supply chain issues. May be picking one up (Santa Fe) in a week or two.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi D M . Thank you very much for watching and sharing the kind words. We appreciate that. Glad to hear someone has actually seen that cover. I'd love to see what it looks like but I'm pretty happy with our alternative. LOL. That's exciting. What color and trim are you going with?

[@MyMeade12]

Great job guys !

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Brian. Thank you for watching and sharing the kind words. We appreciate you and hope you're doing well!

[@FixItFrench]

“Only a few F-bombs were dropped”That reminds of when I changed an alternator on my aunts KIA Sorento.😂 Also I just got the whiskey glass, my mailman miss delivered it, but we finally got it! Looks fantastic 🤙🏼🤙🏼

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Awesome. I was wondering if you received it but kept forgetting to ask. LOL. Oh I can imagine with the Kia. Hahahaha. Thank you for watching. We appreciate you and glad you like the glass!

[@rjackson64840]

Thanks!

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Russ, thank you so very much for the Super Thanks. That means a great deal to us. We're thankful the video was of value to you. Take care and stay safe out there!

[@williamsmith7914]

Very nice video thank you

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi William. Thank you for watching and sharing the kind words. We appreciate it. Stay safe!

[@larryhogan1748]

Excellent video guys. The reason for watching is that I am trying to determine if the 2023 Ultimate Calligraphy has a different bumper clearance than other Santa Fe models. The Hyundai dealership has informed me that they will not install the OEM hitch, as it does not fit properly (sits too low). So now I am going aftermarket to find a correct hitch. Looking at the hitch installation specs from Hyundai, I see that the hitch looks very similar to the Curt 13473 hitch. So I am wondering if your Santa Fe is the Calligraphy or another model (since your hitch appears to fit perfectly to the bumper). Thanks.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Larry, thanks for watching and asking. We have the 2022 Santa Fe Calligraphy with AWD. It seems odd that your dealer would be against installing the OEM hitch on basis of clearance alone because the Hyundai/Kia 4-pin harness has been recalled, which would be a much more plausible reason to deny install. Either way, we do have links to the products we used in the description of this video, and we have used our hitch a few times without any issues. We hope this helps; take care and stay safe!!

[@larryhogan1748]

@@SpiritedWrenchers I've been in contact with another dealer who didn't understand why they wouldn't install it either. So I think I'd deal with them from now on. Thanks for responding!

[@got_to_roll]

Thought for a video... Have you considered adding a spare tire carrier and spare to yours? Would it not fit with AWD and a trailer hitch? I really don't like leaving pavement without a spare. I also don't like the limitations of paved roads only. Thanks for any consideration.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Todd. Thanks for asking and sharing the video idea. We did actually think about it, but with the parts, the cost wasn't too appealing for us to make it happen. Also not sure it would work with the tow hitch now that we have that added. Who knows as it may be something we reevaluate later. Stay safe out there.

[@MuvaSlim]

I’m looking to do this to my car but now there is a recall on the tow hitch. Has your tow hitch been affected or did you decide to remove it?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Britany. Thank you for watching and asking. We really appreciate it. Hyundai's particular recall was on their towing harness not on the hitch itself. Since ours were not Hyundai OEM, they were not affected by this recall. We have kept ours on and it still works great. Just towed a motorcycle & trailer last week. Hope that helps you and good luck!

[@YvonneLapierre]

it is fit for santa fee 2020

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Yvonne, thanks for watching and asking! This specific CURT hitch (#13473) is only rated for Santa Fe years 2021-2023. For your 2020 Santa Fe, you will want the CURT 13195, per the CURT website. Installation would be very similar, but may differ slightly. Hope this helps; take care and stay safe!

[@jjhi2760]

I just go a 2023 Santa Fe Calligraphy and was going to install the same trailer hitch. I look under the car a I have the plastic panel covering the wiring. I think somehow somebody removed your cover that did come on the vehicle.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Thank you for watching and sharing. We greatly appreciate it and congrats on your 2023. We've heard from a few others after this video that theirs also came with a cover. I guess QC was asleep when ours rolled off the line. LOL. Oh well, I enjoyed making a custom one for it anyway. Enjoy your ride and we hope you subscribe for more Santa Fe content. Stay safe out there.

[@jjhi2760]

We’re you able to install the hitch without jacking up the car simply sliding yourself under the back end? We’re you able to get at the muffler brackets easily I couldn’t tell in your video

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi JJ. Thanks for watching. We appreciate it. Yes, I used a creeper where I could and on my back for the rest. No ramps or lift was needed. Hope that helps. Cheers!

[@scenicroutetravelers3655]

I just got a quote of $1100 for a Hyundai brand /dealer install. Pricey for sure. I just wonder if there is ever an electrical issue, they would try to blame it on the aftermarket hitch. My dealership gave me lifetime warranty. I sure would hate to jeopardize it.... Any thoughts on this? Thanks for your time.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi ScenicRouteTravelers365. Thanks for watching and asking. We greatly appreciate it. That is quite a heft tab they're charging for this job. To be honest, this can come down to your mileage may vary depending on your dealership and whether they could trace an issue back to you plugging an aftermarket adapter into the OEM port. It's not like you're cutting wires or making it unsafe. These are sold all the time for all makes/models. It's just not something we could advise on though because when it comes down to it, if you're concerned heavily on it, and paying the extra money allows you to sleep at night, that's what you have to do. For us, we never thought twice about it because of the amount these are used in the industry. Hope that helps some. Stay safe out there on your travels.

[@scenicroutetravelers3655]

Update. I just finished my install. I used your link and bought the Clark Hitch, but did pay the $180 for the 7 way dealer harness. I did have to go get a plug bracket from AutoZone, but everything was super easy. Mine had the plastic cover for the wires. 2023 Cali. Anyway, your video was very helpful and I appreciate y'all posting it up

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Apologies on the late reply but YT didn't notify me of your update. That is fantastic and so happy you were able to get everything installed. Congrats on the DIY and we hope you have many safe miles out of your Cali!

[@aayushpatel8355]

Thanks for the video! What did you use for coating the bolts?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Aayush. Thanks for watching and sharing. We appreciate it. The bolts were either a grade 5 or 8(can't remember exactly which one), but they didn't need a coating. Hope that helps.

[@aayushpatel8355]

@@SpiritedWrenchershanks for reply! Apologies for confusion. At 11:00 you mentioned you coated the holes for protection after drilling. is there anything specific you used for protecting after drilling?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@aayushpatel8355 ahhh, yes. Thanks for the timestamp. That helps. So I painted the holes with a black paint to cover the exposed metal in the screw holes.. Trying to keep rust from attacking it as much as possible. Hope that helps.

[@aayushpatel8355]

@@SpiritedWrenchers definitely! Thank you so much! I put my mount today but didn’t paint it so will get some tomorrow

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@@aayushpatel8355 our pleasure. Congrats on getting it installed. Stay safe out there!

[@gangastyle7324]

hey buddy, did you know something about the recall related with this ???? 😮😮

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Gangastyle7324, thanks for watching and asking. We appreciate that. Based on what info we could find online, it looks like the recall is only for Hyundai & Kia OEM wire harnesses. Our wire harness is by Kurt, but we have an appt at our dealer at the end of this week to check all the same. This is what we recommend everyone to do for their safety as well as Carfax records. Hope this helps and that you subscribe for more Santa Fe episodes. Cheers.

[@dubarnik]

Is this the Wiring Harness that sparked the recall that was announced on March 23, 2023?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Dubarnik. Thank you for watching and asking. We greatly appreciate it. We actually just learned about that today and it's funny you ask because when were installing this, I told Dana that the location is so incredibly stupid. We're going to look into the recall to see if ours is part of it. We'll circle back once we have it confirmed. Cheers!

[@dubarnik]

@@SpiritedWrenchers I have a 2022 Santa Fe XRT and I found your video while searching about the recall. I used your description of the where the harness gets installed to determine that I don't have the harness on my XRT. As a point of interest, my XRT is a bit more rugged than a standard Santa Fe - it has a plastic cowling that covers the harness installation point. But still - give us an update on what you find out about your harness. Oh - I like your channel and subscribed.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@dubarnik very nice. I have yet to see one of those. Thank you very much for subscribing. We really appreciate that and hope you enjoy our other episodes. We did more digging on the recall and it appears that it's the harness itself that you connect the trailer into. Ours is from Curt not, Hyundai. Although it appears we are not affected, we'll be checking with our dealer to be 100% certain.

[@QuadTap]

Did you lift it for access or?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi QuadTap, thanks for watching and asking! We didn't end up lifting our Santa Fe to perform the install, but I think it sure would have been a lot easier if we could have used our lift (it was occupied at the time of this video)! There's plenty of room to work around underneath since our Santa Fe did not come with a spare tire. Hope this helps; take care and stay safe!

[@daveokun8648]

Does this hitch interfere with removing the spare tire?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Dave, thanks for watching and asking! Our 2022 Santa Fe Calligraphy is AWD and did not come with a spare tire from the factory. We have heard of some folks ordering the parts and installing one themselves, but we have not done this yet. If we ever do, we will definitely be coming back to make note of it in this video's comments! Hope this helps a little bit; take care and stay safe!

[@michaeldillon2987]

Not sure why they told you that. My 22 limited has a cover in that corner.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Michael, Thanks for watching. After talking with other owners , we realized that we must have just had poor QC when ours was built. It's ok as I like the cover we made for ours. Stay safe out there. ✌️

[@michaeldillon2987]

@@SpiritedWrenchers good job on the custom cover. That'll probably last longer than the factory one.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@@michaeldillon2987 Thank you for that sir. What is your favorite feature on the Santa Fe?

[@michaeldillon2987]

@@SpiritedWrenchers we have the all wheel drive turbo. I'd have to say the turbo really kicks it up a notch. Interior wise... the massive sun roof is a kit with the kids.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@@michaeldillon2987 Very nice. We feel the same. Not sure where you live but we've enjoy the snow mode here in OH and our visits to Nebraska. Gives the right amount of torque without feeling like you're going to lose footing. Funny you mention that about the sunroof. Out 3 yr old granddaughter is not a fan. She is still a little afraid of seeing everything above. LOL.

[@travelwilder]

Do you recommend OEM of after market Hitch ?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Alfred! Thanks for watching and the question; from our research both the OEM and aftermarket trailer hitches will function the same. The key difference for us was cost. We found enough of a cost savings to install the Curt hitch and wiring harness over the OEM that we went with aftermarket. We don't recommend one over the other, but for us the cost savings was worth it. Note that Hyundai does have an active recall on their trailer hitch wiring harness, so be sure to check with your local dealer before buying any OEM parts that they aren't affected by the recall. Take care and stay safe!

[@travelwilder]

@@SpiritedWrenchers Thank you for your expert opinion. Much appreciated.

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@@travelwilder Our pleasure. Happy to help!

[@mushfiqulislam1118]

Any plan to install ambient lights?

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Mushfiqul. Thanks for watching and asking. We appreciate it. When you say ambient lights, what specifically are you thinking about?

[@mushfiqulislam1118]

@@SpiritedWrenchers RGB lights on the dashboard and door panels

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

@@mushfiqulislam1118 ahhh. No. We like the nice ambient lighting that is already there on the dash by the factory and at this time we don't see a need to modify the doors.

[@mlm398]

Whats the towing capacity with that tower hitch unit. Its obvious hubby knows a thing or two about lube and slide when it's dry🤣😂🤣😂

[@SpiritedWrenchers]

Hi Ray & Lori! Thanks for watching, and you're absolutely right lube is super important! 😂 The hitch is a Class III, which has a hitch weight and towing capacity greater than what is recommended by Hyundai. It's always best not to exceed the manufacturer's recommended towing weight and capacity so you dont risk blowing the engine or transmission, even if you've installed an aftermarket hitch system that has a greater capacity.