Will Installing a Trailer Hitch on a 2016 Ford Edge Cause Hands-Free Liftgate to Open Randomly

Question:

Good Morning, I would like to install a hitch on my 2016 Ford Edge Titanium with the rear cargo door foot sensor. How do I go about installing a hitch that would not enable to sensor to open the rear door randomly? The dealer says that I cannot install a hitch because of this? I do not want to have a bike rack that hooks onto the edge of the door because it will cause paint chips. So I would like to be able to use my trailer hitch bike rack. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

asked by: Scott G

Helpful Expert Reply:

The dealer is wrong. The way the rear sensors work on the 2016 Ford Edge is a little more complicated then just a sensor underneath. In fact there are sensors both underneath pointed down and some in the rear bumper that point straight back. To trip the sensors to open the rear hatch both of these sensors have to sense your foot and leg moving in front of them at the same time. The presence of a trailer hitch therefore would not open the rear hatch on the vehicle.

Now with that said it is possible that the trailer hitch will partially block the bottom sensors and limit the area the sensors can see to a spot that is about in the middle between the hitch receiver and the exhaust tips at the back. Some people have trouble and others do not so it would seem that the sensors are not uniformly positioned on all of the vehicles.

The most popular hitch for your 2016 Ford Edge is # 75234. This is a Class III trailer hitch with a 2 inch receiver. I have included a link to a video showing an example installation of this hitch for you.

expert reply by: Michael H