Trailer Hitch Availability for 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata with Appearance Package

Question:

Hi: Can you tell me why a trailer hitch is not available for the 2009 Mazda Miata with Appearance Package? Is it strictly due to the trim? Or is there something about the frame that is different? Have you ever modified the trim to install the hitch? I really want a hitch to carry a very light weight bike. That I all Id use it for. I am also okay to cut a hitch hole in the rear trim. My car is not under warranty. Thank you.

asked by: Jill B

Helpful Expert Reply:

I spoke with my contact at Curt about the fitment of the Class I Receiver Hitch # C11028 on your 2009 Mazda MX-5 Miata with the Appearance Package and he said that although it does fit up to the frame, there is a significant amount of fascia trimming that needs to be done for you to have access to the hitch receiver. Normally these would be somewhere around 3" holes that would need to be cut but he said for this particular application the holes would need to be somewhere in the ballpark of 6" - 8" wide and tall. So you can fit it on your vehicle but it will definitely affect the appearance. Since you are wanting to use this to carry a bike rack you will also need to utilize the support strap # 18050 per the Curt warranty.

For a bike rack I highly recommend going with the Kuat Beta # B202-114 because it only weighs a mere 12.6 lbs meaning that with a very light bike you won't have very much weight at the rear of your vehicle. This bike rack comes completely assembled, has a distance of 8" between the arms (reducing the need for an adapter bar # UB01 for step-through frames), and comes with a lifetime warranty. To add locks to this bike rack you just need the hitch lock # HL1 and cable lock # e98891.

expert reply by: Jon G