Draw-Tite Sportframe Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class I - 1-1/4"

I installed the Draw-Tite hitch on my 2020 VW Passat. The hitch fits perfectly under the rear bumper cover. My advice is that the entire rear bumper cover is removed which will include removing both rear tail light assemblies. The hitch then can be placed,aligned and torqued easily with two people. The installation could not be done on the ground using a jack which I did try at first. The bumper cover will be possibly damaged by trying to pry out the lower bumper panel trim and lifting the hitch into place. With the bumper cover removed the cutting of the cover can be done much easier and exact. Another suggestion is to only scribe the cover horizontally along the cover and the just fold the cover over top of the hitch. This way if the hitch is ever removed the cover can be folded back and not having the large cut out showing from the rear of the vehicle.1694193

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I watched the video posted on your site before I began. It was very helpful and the hitch went on smoothly! If you are installing it yourself as I was, I used my car jack while it was sitting on top of a bench to support the weight of the hitch while I tightened the bolts. Also, I did not remove the drain plugs in the spare well rather I drilled through them and then applied silicone to the bolts.1520843

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Very quick service. Competitive pricing. Haven't installed yet but appears to be okay and good quality.1573509

Ron

5/10/2024

The trailer hitch works fine. I mainly use it for a bicycle rack, but have pulled a small trailer with it also.

Here is my review and photos: 4 stars out of 5

2018 Passat SE w/ Technology pkg. Draw-Tite 24880

I have now installed at least 6 hitches from etrailer and their products and service has been great. I see another reviewer that has a 2018 Passat SE w/ Technology where the Hands-free Easy Open trunk no longer works after installing the hitch. ONE WORD OF CAUTION, if you use the instruction and cut the lower bumper fascia 5" by 2.5" as instructed, you will cut through the electronics unless you drop the bumper fascia and separate the wiring from the fascia, and relocate the wiring before cutting the fascia. After I relocated the wiring harness and installed the hitch and trimmed bumper fascia, everything works and looks great. This hitch with mounting plates that go over the bumper rail is much harder and takes longer to install than a hitch that bolts into factory mounting holes or welded nuts, but what are you to do if you own a 2018 VW Passat.

I have photos of the care needed when cutting the lower bumper fascia to avoid cutting the wire harness for the Technology package. For the fascia to clear the hitch and reach the factory mounting holes, I had to cut the fascia 6" wide to fir around the "drop-down". You can see it in the last two photos.

Thanks for all your help and great products,
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Eric M.

4/17/2020

The hitch is working great. With my previous notes on how to relocate the wires for the Technology pkg before cutting the fascia, my technology pkg works great, and you can still use your foot to open the trunk hands-free. Yes the hitch drags occasionally when going over curbs and driveways, but hey, this car sits lower than say, an SUV. Great job to etrailer.

I just bought a 2017 VW Passat 1.8L R-Line sedan as VW was buying back my TDI for twice the Blue Book value. No one else (Reese, UHaul, Pep BOys, the VW Dealer or website, even) had a hitch they'd spec'd that they could say would fit my car, but ETrailer told me their Draw Tite 24880 would. I got it Monday, installed it Tuesday, and it was easy and fits very well. The delivery was FAST, the website install directions and videos for each hitch and car wee VERY helpful, and I was and am extremely impressed with ETrailer from start to finish. Timely responses and follow-up, and a seamless experience with a great product. The TDI buyback is Tuesday, and I was worried I'd be without a hitch to put my Thule Helium bike rack on once the TDI was gone, but now I can plan on riding on the bike trail without a break. 323077

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Jim K.

12/7/2017

One year after installing the hitch, it is still like new and used every weekend for my bicycle rack. Great product.

I received my new Trailer Hitch from etrailer, I got busy and had it Bolted in place in no time at all, I got it back together quickly and hitched up the trailer and went for a test drive, it done great job, it was quick and easy to install, and recommend the folks at etrailer to handle towing supplies, and Noah was very helpful in getting the right stuff I needed to complete my project.679007

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Roger

8/1/2020

Working great and have towed many different things with it and happy overall with it, the only down side is the car is very low and sometimes turning into some driveways it scrapes the road, but not a big deal ??

The holes in the bracket on the hitch did not lineup evenly with the holes in the pan of the trunk. Also the hardware for those 2 holes in the pan (underneath the spare tire) is not as seen in the videos. The plate the bolts go through are too rectangular and need to be trimmed down or they will cause damage to the pan. Also the bolts are so long that they need to be cut due to them not allowing the undercarriage shroud to mesh with the pan underneath the trunk. Way too many adjustments and modifications needed for this to be considered a “bolt-on accessory”.1210919

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Jenny N.

12/3/2021

I recommend taking another look at the video installation that we have on the 2015 Volkswagen Passat. It shows the best way to install the longer bolts starting at mark 3:56. It also shows the installation of the trunk pan bolts at mark 5:12. I reached out to the manufacturer a bolt can be trimmed down as long as one thread is showing past the nut however it is not something that I would recommend. You can file down the plates if the edges are too sharp.

Helpful Links

tv-install-trailer-hitch-2015-volkswagen-passat-24880.aspx

I installed this Draw-Tite hitch on my 2017 VW Passat SE by myself. The hitch is heavy and well built. I followed the instruction videos which where very helpful. My 2017 passat has a rather large plastic shroud that had to be trimmed and made the job just a bit more time consuming, but not impossible. Measuring and trimming could have been more tidy on my part but I wanted the shroud to have extra room for reinstalling.
I was more precise when measuring for the two drilled holes allow the center brace bolts to fit through the shroud.
Tip: Harness 117842, when unplugging the left and right wires for the trailer lighting harness, pull the red clip out the depress the locking tab to disconnect the OEM plugs. Running power from the battery was the most time consuming.545908

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Great install looks super sturdy only took me about an hour. Didn’t remove number or fascia just pulled it down and was able to slide the hitch in! I only used ramps took me about an hour! Plan on using it this weekend.1128777

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We did get the hitch quickly, and now have it installed. Customer service was wonderful, and the hitch was as represented.84044

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Fantastic customer support as its great when someone answers the phone and assists with a delivery slips date and expedited delivery. Great Product also.1017866

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by: Dan 02/02/2020

Took my etrailer hitch to the local body shop and Anthony attached it without trouble. Have since driven from Northern PA to Texas and back (3200 mile round trip) with a Cargo Carrier attached to my hitch, and it was sturdy, quiet, and just fine. It has allowed me to carry extra gear (especially camping gear) when traveling overnight.

I also have attached a bike carrier to the hitch, and have been pleased with the results. No matter how careful you are, a bike rack that is NOT attached to a hitch always ends up scratching the car. So the hitch allows my bike to stay well away from the trunk and fender of the car to keep that from happening.
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Dan P.

2/3/2021

Couldnt be happier. Used it with a bike rack and cargo carrier with no trouble at all.

Took 6 weeks and three attempts to get the correct install kit for this trailer. The bolt plates were missing. Once I finally got all the parts the install was a bit challenging. Hard to do without a lift, especially on a small car. Aligning the bolt plates on the bumper rails is a challenge. The rest is easy. The final install works well. Sits somewhat low and can get snagged on speed bumps etc. Tips: pre thread the bolts onto the bolt plates to remove some of the coating on the plates . This will help tremendously. install the trunk bolts first to hold the hitch in place while you set up the bumper rail mounts.1387357

Well built hitch, outstanding customer service, fast delivery! Installation on the 2022 VW Passat required a second hand. It was a little tricky getting the hitch into place initially. Recommend!1240560

Installed by myself in 30 minutes, did not even loosen muffler hanger or remove lower valence no problem at all.. I am pleased with this hitch.. Instructions are very easy to follow. Product shipping tracking was awesome!!!478096

John

2/22/2019

I use the hitch and pull a trailer frequently. Never have an issue

Excellent product, but BETTER customer service. ETrailer has been on top of the order, delivery, follow up and ensuring my satisfaction. Great company, excellent video's for installation, and one I will continue to be a customer at! 111144

Mark S.

12/27/2014

I am very pleased with the product. It was really easy to put an install myself. And I have been towing regularly with the hitch. ETrailers directions are spot on and very easy to understand. The videos were very useful!

by: HalT09/05/2017

2014 Volkswagen Passat

This hitch has completely lived up to my expectations. I bought it for use with a bike rack and have not been disappointed. 428939

Halt

9/5/2018

My satisfaction with the hitch has not changed one bit through my use. I bought it for the purpose of a bike rack and it has worked splendidly. I have no intention to use it as a towing hitch. For towing I might have some concern over the vehicle VW Passat connections, but for my purposes, it has done exactly what I bought it to do.

My son and I installed the hitch today. By far the biggest challenge was the lower fascia. We were not able to undo the clips as was sort of shown in the videos and instructions, we were able to install without removing the fascia. Once the screws are removed there is a good bit of play and you can pull the fascia away from the car to get access.

The videos and instructions make it look like you just pop a screw driver in and you can release the fascia. Maybe I missed something but there really is not much room to access the clips holding the fascia in place.

Basic steps we took:
• Drove car up a couple Race Ramps I borrowed from a neighbor. Those things are awesome! A lot safer than my old school metal ramps.
• Pulled the plugs from the trunk with a pair of pliers. No need to use a razor to cut out as was shown in a couple videos.
• Removed two exhaust bolts so we could push the exhaust to the side when installing the long bolts. No need to remove the exhaust from the hanger .
• Removed the three screws that secured the fascia to the bumper.
• Removed three other screws on the passenger side to allow more movement of the fascia.
• My son helped me lift and slip the hitch in place. We had to pull the fascia back to get the hitch in place.
• Loosely secured the two bolts through the trunk then used a jack to raise the hitch so it was flush with the bottom of the bumper rails. The hitch needed to be more or less flush otherwise the bolts would not reach the nuts on the plate.
• Securing the plate on the driver side fairly easy.
• Securing the plate on the passenger side was more difficult. To help the bolt reach the nut we used an 8” socket extension, put the bolt in a socket and then fished it up to the nut.
• Once all six bolts were connected to the nuts we tightened everything up.
• I also put some sealant around the bolts in the trunk.

It took a bit of effort to install; having done it once next time would be a lot easier.

It looks like the hitch will meet my needs nicely! Glad I got it.
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by: Sonnie07/26/2018

Volkswagen Passat

This works well, and was easy to install, but on the Passat it hangs low and is located outboard the bumper. This causes frequent dragging on medium slopes in roads and driveways. Unfortunately many places i visit have slope transitions and I drag the hitch regularly unless I cross the transition diagonally. I had originally bought it to mount a bike hitch, but I have had an issue finding one that will not increase the tendency to drag at an affordable price (many are long and low).546114

by: Tony05/05/2020

When i needed to add a trailer hitch to my car for a move, i searched around and this was pretty much the cheapest priced hitch i could find( about a hundred cheaper than uhaul) so i got it and installed myself without taking the bumper off and im very pleased with my purchase. If i ever need to put a hitch on another car i will be coming here first, thanks!!793544

The hitch is as good as expected with 2 exceptions. If you're mounting this hitch on a 2018 Passat w/Technology, it will block the trunk release sensor beneath the bumper. At present, the bolts that clamp the hitch to the frame that DrawTite ships are about 1/2" too short.

However, the eTrailer customer service is outstanding. They found longer bolts and ship them right away. All is good now except for the trunk sensor. I'll live with it.501834

by: Shaun J02/26/2020

I’m on my 5th vehicle with an etrailer hitch and wiring harness. Each have worked perfectly, and I have never had an issue pulling or with lights on the trailer. Works perfectly out of the box. etrailer has a customer for life759254

by: Tyler G.03/23/2018

2017 Volkswagen Passat

I purchased ta hitch for my Passat so I could use a tray-style bicycle rack, and I chose this specific hitch because it doesn't require stabilizing straps. The hitch has performed well over the last year, with only minor surface rust. It's mostly unobtrusive appearance-wise, but it tends to scrape frequently on steep driveways.

All-in-all, it's a solid choice for a hitch that hasn't caused me any headaches.488184

HItch was easy to install and fits my Passat perfectly. Instructions were concise and easy to follow. One small design problem though. The stop to limit depth ball mount can slide back into trailer hitch needs to be moved back @ one inch. My Hitch Adapter (1-1/4" to 2" Trailer Hitch Receiver) would not fit far enough into the trailer hitch; It lacked @ 1/2 inch. 84118

by: Miles 04/06/2017

2013 Volkswagen Passat

Easy to install and it works great for my bike rack. I have a 2013 VW Passat TDI with adblue tank and it fit great. 363712

Miles

4/7/2018

It’s still a great hitch. Thanks