To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, Chevrolet Malibu trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.
Features:
Specs:
At etrailer.com we're committed to the products we sell, and to our customers. Our experienced and knowledgeable staff are available via both phone and email to address your questions and concerns for the lifetime of your hitch. The technicians at etrailer perform hitch installations on a daily basis, making them a valuable resource for do-it-yourselfers. The one-on-one, personal service you'll receive comes straight from an expert in the towing and automotive field. We've installed it, we've wired it and we've towed with it, so whatever your question, we can answer it.
Tech Tip
LTZ models have a 2-wire system with LED taillights. Drilling required for installation
Average Customer Rating: 4.6 out of 5 stars (18 Customer Reviews)
Perfect for light-duty towing, this custom, vehicle trailer hitch receiver features fully welded, gloss powder coated steel construction. Drawbar sold separately.A little drilling per the well-written instructions and a couple hours later this hitch was mounted. Perfectly suited for the college trunk of the college bound student and her car.
I ordered this hitch along with the wiring kit, drawbar and ball, for my 2012 Malibu, on a Friday evening and was towing my utility trailer by Wednesday afternoon. I was extremely impressed with how fast it was delivered. The quality of the products seems to be high quality. Once I stopped trying to put the larger bolt through the smaller hole, installation was a breeze. The fish wires made an impossible job crazy simple. It’s a pretty cut and dry install.
My only words of caution are... The hitch opening does sit back a bit, so if you’re planning on using it for a bike rack , you might need an extension. I’m not sure, so I would suggest asking etrailer prior to ordering. You must use the longer drawbar. I ordered the 11 1/4”, and it is a perfect fit. And don’t forget the hitch pin. It’s a 1/2” diameter pin, so my other pins didn’t work. I just went and bought one locally.
The wiring kit was just as simple. I did take the extra step and wrap my wires with black tape and harness tubing for extra protection against rubbing wires. (Lesson learned from past experiences)
Not to get into specifics, but I looked locally at having a hitch installed. I saved over 50% of the cost by doing it myself. And I had it done faster than if I took my car in and dropped it off for the day.
I am so pleased with my etrailer purchase, I am already looking at buying two more hitch sets for friends of mine.
Nice hitch, and fast shipping too!
Stephen
12/19/2022
i use my hitch every day. this is a great hitch for light towing. easy installation and looks good too. you can hardly notice it after installation.
Love the hitch, just wish it came out 3 inches further. Need to get an extension in order to fold my bike rack into the back of my car.
Great company! They followed up on every step of the way and I received my hitch very quickly.
Jack B.
1/16/2018
The trailer hitch is still great! It has rusted a bit which is expected, but otherwise in good shape.
I had to pick between the Curt and the Drawtite. I ended up going with Curt because it is advertised as made in the U.S.A. They both attach the same way, but the Curt comes with fancy shoulder nuts.
While the product was great, the e-trailer packaging was pretty weak. It arrived with some of the hitch sticking out of the box and while the ball I ordered was in a separate box inside the main box, the ball completely tore through the little box and was in the big box rattling around.
All of the parts I ordered did arrive, however, and none were lost.
The only damage were scuffs on the hitch and the main brackets were bent inward. The bends were subtle enough that I didn't notice until I tried installing it and the bolts would not line up. I ended up using a Hi Lift jack to pry the brackets outward about 1/2" and then it fit fine.
The instructions say to drill 17/32" holes for the 1/2" bolts that go under the rear subframe, but I was able to get by with only 1/2" holes as a 17/32" bit is not as common for people to have.
I heard some say that the metal is difficult to drill, but I have sharp HSS 135° split point bits and they cut through it like a hot knife through butter.
The fishing wires work great, but can be tricky to take off after the fishing is done. They are very stiff and can be pre-bent to make fishing easier. I can't really explain how to do it, but if you look up the install videos that will help.
My install was on a 2011 Malibu LS. Just a note, there are two drawbars that curt makes for 1 1/4" hitches. One is 2" shorter and 1" taller than the longer one. The hitch instructions recommend the longer one. I chose the shorter one for more tongue capacity even though it does not fit. I have to push the hitch into the plastic bumper cover to get the pin in. Since my car is just a beater, I'm not worried about damage to the bumper cover.
If you have a nicer car, be sure to get the longer drawbar.
Happy towing!
The hitch is fabricated well, weld quality is good, and the black powder coating seems to be good quality. Two minor negatives for the designers to consider: (1) Calling for the use of a hard-to-find 17/32" drill bit when increasing the hole size 0.031" to a common 9/16" is a bit out of touch from design desk to shop floor. This is not an aerospace or special application. Check the price & availability of a 135° split point drill that size in your area; now find a 9/16" drill with those same features. Please consider increasing the punch size from 0.531" to 0.562" in the two places this hole occurs to make life easier on the installation floor for end installer/users. (2) The physical dimension between the two mounting holes on the rear vertical flanges was about 0.150" to 0.250" too small, which required each punched slot to be at its outermost limit to install on the vehicle, which can be a sign of tolerance stack-up or simply that the dimension between the aforementioned two slots needs to be increased, as noted above.
If these two observations are addressed, this would be a 5-star hitch.
All in all, this is a well constructed hitch and I have no regrets choosing this company.
Great price, free shipping and quick delivery. What more could you ask for. Not sure how easy the hitch would have been to put on myself but got it installed and the car wired for $60. Would definitely recommend etrailer to anyone needing a hitch or related product.
The receiver is great. There was a minor fitment issue, but I'm not sure if that was from the factory or if it was due to handling during delivery. Nothing a dead-blow hammer could fix. Otherwise, installation was fairly straight forward. The video from E-trailer.com was easy to follow and was quite helpful. Thank you.
I'm totally happy with the product. I like that it doesn't stick out from back of car. Well worth the money and delivery and customer service was great. Used to pull 5x8 trailer and did fantastic. Thanks again ETrailer
I'm really pleased delivery was quick installation wasn't that hard and everything came out great I'm really satisfied thank u etrailer I'll be ordering again
This was nice. The rise was just right for my trailer
Thanks
Do you have a question about this Trailer Hitch?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
Joseph
7/24/2021
So, after a year of using my hitch to tow a 4x7 utility trailer, I’m still as happy as the day I installed it. I think I’ll have to replace my car, long before having to even think about the hitch giving me any concerns. The ONLY issue I’ve had, loading my tools in the trunk lowers the rear end to the point where the hitch occasionally drags exiting an uneven drive. I do NOT attribute this to any design flaw in the hitch. I mean, I’m using a Chevy Malibu as a utility truck. Haha On a side note, I also purchased the wiring harness but ran it differently that the instructions. I did not like the idea of the wire hanging out of my trunk. I had to disassemble the taillights, but it was totally worth it. When I’m not towing a trailer, I just tuck the pigtail up into the bumper. I’ve never had it fall out, yet. It works perfect!