Curt Trailer Hitch Receiver - Custom Fit - Class III - 2"

The only reason I am not returning this hitch is because I do not want to remove the rear fascia of my car again. The directions included are not sufficient on their own to be useful, I ended up watching an etrailer video for this receiver on YouTube and didn't touch Curt's directions. The openings for the holes on the right side are not properly aligned, I was only able to torque down the top 2 fasteners that hold the crash bar to the receiver (photos below). Believe me, I tried to get the receiver to align but it just wasn't possible. I have not seen any one else have this problem, maybe it is specific to 2019 Model 3 Performance vehicles. The only reasons it gets 2 stars instead of 1 is because of how stout the receiver itself is and because it was recommended by a towing shop who reinforces Tesla receivers and uses this receiver as their base.1754248

The hitch install went smoothly and it’s been great! I put it on my 2018 Model 3 LR AWD. I was very worried about ground clearance, but it’s been fine so far. I’ve had a 1UP rack on the car since installing the hitch three or four months ago. I’ve only had one occasion at the bottom of a particularly steep hill where I heard it scrape. I try to be cautious, though, of steep dips in the road. I would happily purchase the hitch again. The install was a little tricky with body panels, but nowhere near as hard as I expected. Using painters tape to be safe was a good tip.1423687

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Fitted all good my 2019 model 3, all holes lined up.

Taking the bumper off is quite easy with etrailer video, no issue there.
This hitch model requires to attach the aluminium shock absorber on the hitch before bolting the assembly to the car.
Using glue to hold the nylon washers on place makes it way easier.
Once the hitch is on, the bumper does not need extra trim to fit, the hitch hatch is big enough.
Was thinking it would be very easy but putting that bumper back on is way more finicky and took me a long time to get right.
Starting with lining up the under part and doing the bolts was a good first step. After that, you can clip the middle part and work your way out towards the sides.
Don’t forget to reconnect the sensor harness!
Definitely the best value out there, I trimmed the hatch to accommodate the permanent hitch and close off that big opening.818416

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by: RBoy04/17/2021

Perfect fit for the 2020 Tesla Model 3 (as promised by etrailer).
Easy installation, sturdy, and barely visible.

Very happy, will buy from etrailer again.1014443

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by: Henry01/24/2024

Exactly as shown! Thank you 1713735

by: Theresa 09/26/2021

This trailer hitch is extremely well-built. I especially like the fact that it was made in America I hate stuff made in China because China killed over 700,000 Americans.
The installation was done by an auto body shop in the job was perfectly done.1163186

Daniel

10/10/2022

My trailer hitch is working out very well on my Tesla model three. When I go down the driveway, it’s scrapes the street because it’s very low on the rear bumper. It took a body shop to have it professionally installed because you have to takeoff all the plastic that covers the metal parts underneath the smooth bumper. Not an easy chore unless you’re a body shop.

Was received promptly. Is a solid product with complete hardware and good instructions. Am very pleased.1511784

The reason I chose to award two stars to this product is because once installed it performs very well. The reason it does not warrant a higher rating is because the installation and the accompanying instructions are PITIFUL! My car is a 2018 Tesla Model 3. Removing the bumper cover, bottom cover, taillight assemblies, bumper and bumper mounting plates was quite involved, but there were no major surprises. Installing the bumper, too went fairly well. Then the s__t started hitting the fan. None of the factory pieces would line up. I and a friend who had a lift to make things easier, spent more than two hours trying to get the car back together to no avail.

It was just two days before I was scheduled to take a long trip and obviously needed the car to be back together. I was starting to fear that the only way I would have use of the car again was to remove the hitch and go back to stock. I tried calling Curt and couldn't get through to anyone. Their website allowed for email contact only with no indication of how long it would take for a response. I tried calling etrailer three times and each time got a recording saying their hold time was 25 minutes. So, we spent another three hours with a Dremel tool and several other otherwise unnecessary tools making new holes and forcing things to line up and go back together. I came to the conclusion that the problems were all a result of the hitch thickness being greater than the thickness of the factory mounting plates, causing several misalignments.

The bottom line is I will never buy another Curt product and unless etrailer reads this and does something to make it right I will not buy from them again either. There is no reason why they should not maintain better after-sale customer service, not to mention doing a better job of vetting the products they sell. Since doing the installation I've been on the Tesla Forum and found several other Model 3 owners who have had similar issues with the same hitch. These problems should have alerted etrailer and had them work with Curt to get them resolved.819668

So far so good. I installed the hitch a few days ago. It was a pain, but doable. I've installed a few hitches over the years, this one may have been the most complex, but that's mostly due to the car, not the specific hitch, they're all kind of a pain to install on the Model 3. The biggest issue is reinstalling the bumper plastic, it takes a lot of patience to get everything to snap back in, it is a very tight fit. It helps to bolt the black panels under the car into place and work the bumper back into place from there. The hitch itself if very sturdy, I don't plan to tow, just use to attach bike/cargo carriers. There is no sensor interference from the hitch itself, but expect to hear backup beeps when a bike rack is installed. With the bike rack on, I also see red arcs coming from the back of the car on the Model 3 screen, does not seem to mess with autopilot, car still "sees" cars approaching from the rear. 799665

The hitch installation was fairly straightforward. My 2019 SR+ required no drilling and only some eyeballing to get installed properly. Cutting the underbelly was the only irreversible modification I made to the car. This hitch does not have the removable reciever, which seems a bit stronger to me. Just add a Tekonsha no cut wiring kit and a 6 inch drop ball mount and the car tows great. 800394

The hitch installation was fairly straightforward. My 2019 SR+ required no drilling and only some eyeballing to get installed properly. Cutting the underbelly was the only irreversible modification I made to the car. This hitch does not have the removable reciever, which seems a bit stronger to me. Just add a Tekonsha no cut wiring kit and a 6 inch drop ball mount and the car tows great. 800393

Poor instructions. Missed torx screws. Check [online videos] for better step by step bumper removal. However the hitch does not fit correctly. You’ll need to install it in the highest position, then grind some plastic off the bumper for The corner to fit correctly. Attractive price but not worth the headaches.867280

by: Mike L09/29/2022

Tesla

Installed on Tesla for bike rack. Works very well1429820

by: Mark06/21/2022

Bought for our Tesla Model 3 and it works great. I had it professionally installed but there are [online] videos showing how to install it on your Tesla. Good product.1315373

by: Francis04/05/2022

Tesla

I think the product itself is good, but in my case I regret it. My underground garage is steep and the clearance is too low. I have to exit with an angle, otherwise the hitch hits the concrete. But I don't think the hitch design is in cause here, it's just what it is given the low clearance of the Tesla.1282167

by: Brandon07/19/2021

I got this hitch thinking it was the one that you can easily remove and add the hitch. Paid someone to install it and noticed after, (my fault). This hitch touches the floor on steep drive ways and fast forward one year, it caused the clips on my bumper to break so there’s a bigger gap than usual now on my rear bumper1098694

The hitch went together OK, but not great. I think that it was designed for older model 3s which I thought was limited to the cutting instructions for the undertray (the newer model 3 has a removable panel which you can take off and the hitch fits fine). However, it appears that there is an alignment pin for the black trim/body color facia line that hits the hitch. I ended up needing to trim the plastic and even then that joint hits the hitch hard enough that I almost couldn't get the bumper high enough and there is a larger body gap than prior.1209408

Like others have stated, putting the rear bumper back on is a major pain. It does not align correctly due to the hitch bracket being so thick. The hole that needs cut is much bigger than what's on the template due to the chain hooks. Other than that, it's a solid construction and appears to be well-made. I wish the fitment was better856828

Fairly easy to install, fitment is good. The washers provided are a little too thick and fitting the rear bumper was difficult. When I get spare time I'd remove the thick nylon washers and use a thinner stainless washers. 816100

The product itself appears extremely well built and feels extremely solid. However, fitment during installation was not perfect and required a bit of tightening back and forth on each side to get the hitch over the bolts from the vehicle, which was an unwelcome surprise. In the end, the install took a bit longer than it should have due to the slight fitment issue, but once installed it is a perfect solution to adding practicality to our Tesla. 814769

Holes did not line up correctly. Took a lot of filing and effort to install. Also video did not represent reality.1368874

I had this professionally installed on my Tesla 3 by my local body shop (Mainline of Santa Maria) for $300. Perfect fit and looks great.872391

Daniel

9/2/2021

Still perfect!

by: Jay 05/17/2021

Does the job! 1 year later...still can load my bikes up and go long distances!1039191

by: Cindy 03/20/2024

1750719

by: Michael 05/09/2021

1033107