Best Subaru Forester Trailer Hitches

It was delivered in no time and I started to install it. Thanks to several videos and recommendations here on reviews, I already knew the process. I used Rhino ramps for installation - do not forget to chock your front wheels. The most difficult process was removing the exhaust, other than that it was a straight forward application, if you are handy. Having and using proper tools is the key. The only complaint that I have is I got four fish wires for the bolts instead of six. When I was installing the hitch receiver, one of the bolts was pushed back and stuck in the channel. I was lucky to have a telescopic magnet to push them out from access hole and use fish wire to put it back to the correct hole. I did not cut the exhaust heat shield(thanks to one of the reviewers here) I drilled two holes that has been indicated on the heat shield and run the bolts through that two holes. It is solid. I used jack stands when I am installing the hitch receiver for additional support. I did 90% of the work by myself. Having second pair of hands when installing the receiver is almost a must. Overall, I am happy with the instructions. Thank you all!

I watched numerous instructional videos before installing. Fortunately, the nut/bolt parts package was well secured, as the box was damaged in transit. I had a little damage to the heat shield plus stripped retainer bolts — but I just connected the two frozen bolts with some support hanger wire. Whether you have a hitch lift or not, you should probably have second hand available to at least get the first nuts threaded. It’s a very substantial and nicely designed accessory. It’s secured and ready for the bike rack or some trailing.

This is the third hitch I have purchased from etrailer and each purchase has gone smoothly. I will say the two Curt Hitches did install and line up better than another brand I purchased from them but don't recall the brand on that one.

Good trailer hitch. Bought it to attach a bike rack. Installation was fairly straightforward. Hardest part was enlarging the frame holes. A step bit was the way to go. Fits perfectly without interference and is not obtrusive. Very beefy too. Very happy with my purchase.

This was exactly what I needed. This high quality hitch was very easy to install. Instructions were pretty easy to follow. The YouTube installation video was a lot easier to follow. Now I can move up to 4 mountain bikes on this bike rack with confidence to any place I want to go. Thanks etrailer.com!!!

Trailer hitch for my 2012 Subaru Forester had a good price and is very good quality. It fit perfect and looks good. Service and instruction video were great. I have bought 2 hitches for my cars and am pleased with both of them.

Trailer hitch is easy to install and is still holding strong one year later. I've used it to haul lawn equipment, 4 wheelers, or hold a bike rack. It also doesn't get in the way when off roading.

So, I’m not a person who is big on complaining and negative feedback. I go with the “ not getting my business again” way of doing that. This trailer hitch isn’t a fit for my vehicle. Those hitch has a square hole cut into it to accommodate the muffler bracket it seems, so there’s room for its movement so there’s no Noise from the vibration against the hitch. But the hole is to low so it noisy anyway. I hope this helps anyone who is thinking about this model to make a better choice because this really stinks.

A 19 mm socket is required not listed on the installation paperwork also the muffler has to be lowered from the passenger side holder it went on well the holes were aligned accurately a 19 mm wrench is needed for the canister bolt

I went from zero hitches to exactly one hitch using this direct bolt-on Class-II hitch from etrailer!!!! Now I can rock my shins on it when I'm not paying attention and also tow things. If you want to tow stuff, 11 out of 10 people recommend having a hitch on the car to do so. eTrailer has these, and sells them to the general public. Buy one. Do it now.

It installed exactly per the video and fit perfectly. I test fit my 2" receiver bike rack which was also perfect. Though I haven't used it yet, I'm sure it will be plenty strong to handle the rated loads.

Came in packaged well with everything needed for install. Powder coat finish looks amazing, not that it matters to much cuz this model stays hidden pretty well. Highly recommend and almost essential for my 2009 Subaru Forester xt living in Colorado.

I am delighted with the hitch for my 2015 Forester, from ordering over the phone to prompt delivery, to unpacking and discovering it is made in America and of high quality. Installation took longer than expected mainly due to the slow and awkward process of enlarging the center access holes on each side with a rat tail file. Additionally, I was able to retain the heat shield, intact, by mounting it OVER the hitch mtg flange with just the addition of a couple of 1/2" holes (location dimples already there) and some light shaping with a hammer (pix attached). I elected to remove the muffler for installation, an easy job. Installing wiring harness was straight forward, once how to loosen the side panel was understood. The installation looks great! Thank you eTrailer.

Great little hitch. Compact in appearance but good tongue and pull capabilities. I saved over a lot using etrailer and towpro. Very pleased and wish I would've discovered the site before having a hitch put on the van at the place that sounds like youhaul.

Hitch arrived quickly with minimal damage to the box. Installation was simple and a bit time consuming. Feeding the little guide wires with the bolts into the frame was tricky but eventually worked out. Hitch is well made and sturdy. It hugs the contours of the car really well. Draw tube does not project past the edge of the bumper face which is why I choose the Draw-tite over the other available brands.

This really is as easy to install as they say it is. I just backed my Forester up onto a set of ramps and there was plenty of room work. I watched etrailer.com’s installation video multiple times and it helped tremendously. For what it’s worth, I found that you don’t have to completely remove the plastic underbody tray on the driver’s side (at least not on my 2024), just the two small bolts where it attaches to the subframe (10mm). So you can save a little time there and not have to fiddle with reattaching all the panel fasteners. Even dropping the exhaust wasn’t that bad. Just strap it (or use a piece of rope) like they show in their video, a medium prybar is perfectly adequate, and silicone spray is your friend.

Install easy enough and looks good. The fit was a little off - the right side mounting plate pushes on the exhaust hanger (why not add a notch there?) and the uprights squeeze the spare tire bay a little. As I tightened the bolts it all drew up but I wish there wasn't interference. It'd be cool if you linked to the step-drill needed (your store or another) so I could have just bought it at the same time. Instead I used small drill / file combo which was the worst part of the install...

The hitch was easy to install and over the last year has been rock solid. No complaints and I would absolutely order this hitch again if I need another trailer hitch.

Hitch arrived exactly when it was supposed to. Customer service was excellent. I got at least 3 follow up emails from Etrailer and they upgraded me to a faster shipping for no charge. There was one tiny flaw in the hitch from shipping which is why I didnt' give it an excellent but I just put a little black gloss paint to prevent rust and now you cant even tell it was there. I did not install it myself. It was done by a professional for 50 bucks. Took him 20 minutes and came out perfect. Used the hitch this weekend for my bike rack. Very pleased with etrailer and the Curt Hitch.

This is my second hitch provided by etrailer. I put one one on each of my Foresters. This Curt Class II-1 1/4" hitch was fairly easy to install. The electrical hook up was a breeze with the wiring harness also purchased from etrailer. I am especially impressed with the employees of this company. I accidentally ordered two hitches and received a phone call within 24 hours just checking to see if this was an error. Can't beat their prices to boot.

The hitch is advertised as working for 2015 Subaru Forrester and "technically" it fits as in the bolt holes all line up, however, what they don't tell you is the trailer hitch will not clear the bumper (see attached photos). I also have a bike rack that will not clear the bumper either. The hitch and bike rack work perfectly fine on my Ford Focus and Chevy Cavalier (where the trailer hitch extends out to the bumper). Solution is to spend another $xx.xx to buy a hitch extender which according to the information from the manufacturer reduces the towing capability by 50%. Clearly the wrong item for this car. Not a happy camper!

Nice hitch when done but the install was more difficult than it should have been. I had first thought of removing the muffler but when I saw the rust on the muffler bolts with a two-year-old car, I decided not to risk that. Dropping the exhaust system went fine. Removing the heat shield was difficult because of the rust on the screws which resulted in bending up the outboard attachments. Fortunately, they did not break and could be bent back. So far, the problems weren't the fault of the hitch. Then I followed the instructions to enlarge the center mounting hole. Sure the piece with the square hole will go through but the bolt won't. Fortunately, I found that out in time. Apparently, the instructions are written for the class I hitch with smaller bolt heads as the 3/4" hole needs to be enlarged to 7/8" to get these bolt heads through. So I followed the method in the video and used the fourth hole, toward the front, that is already 7/8" diameter and only needed a little filing to work. The hitch went on fine but it unnecessarily blocked attaching the inboard muffler hanger. My hanger attachment may have less clearance than most of these cars but this is still inexcusable. The interference is inboard of the large hole on each side of the hitch and having that metal there serves no purpose. Looking at the other hitches sold by etrailer, this is the only one with metal there. It was difficult to file the hitch in those close quarters but with that and a little trim on the hanger, I got things back together. This is the third etrailer hitch that I've installed and definitely the most difficult. If the instructions were correct and the hitch was made right, the install would have been pretty easy, especially on a new car without rust. Inexcusable.

Seems average to good for the price. A small amount of bumper triming was required which was not indicated in the install instructions but looking at other's photos appears to be common. The install instructions did not detail removing the exhaust to a point where the mounting location is are accessible, the instructions just said "lower exhaust." I ended up removing both mufflers (un bolted from the rest of the system).

Reviewed the video before installation. Excellent video for installation. Fit is tight but everything lines up. Bumper cut out does not give the proper cut out dimensions. Width is ok but length should be 3 1/2 inches. Adding another 1/4" might work better as 3 1/2" puts the plastic right on the top of hitch. You may run into problems with the plastic clips on the bottom of the bumper. Plastic was brittle and tabs broke off. Used a zip tie until I can replace clips. Did the installation by myself. Having help to position the hitch will be helpful.

I'm dissatisfied with packaging, install video and return. First, as you can see the box was not in good condition when I received it. I discarded the box before I decided to return the product as I did not think it was reusable. I have a 2024 Subaru Forester Wilderness. Second, You have to remove the plastic panel on the drivers side to access the frame rail. The video stops short for the reattachment of this panel which you can't do, and it's not a part you want half attached. You can't screw two important points of the panel back onto the frame rail because the hitch covers those holes. Third, I decided to return it and had to pay UPS $24 for a box. Customer service would not provide a pack and ship label. I won't be back to this site as a result of this experience.

Hitch receiver arrived quickly and without damage. The etrailer videos are very helpful. Successfully installed on 2020 Subaru. Took longer than expected due to my available tools (particularly needing to have a metal grinding dremel bit to widen the access hole on the frame). But overall straightforward. Tip: leave the fishing wires on the bolts (all 6 of them) for the next steps after you get your carriage bolts seated. Had to put them all back on. Very helpful to have another person hold the hitch receiver up when bolting it on.

The short and sweet of it is the product feels very well made, the installation went smoothly, and everything you need—parts-wise—is included in the kit (even the little fishing wire for the bolt.) One thing I'd highly recommend is watching the videos. They are very well made and helped a ton! From start to finish it took me about 3 hours with normal hand tools. As long as you have a metric deep socket set and a torque wrench you should be able to get everything off and re-installed. The only other tool that might be helpful is a Dremel or some tin snips for cutting the heat shield and bumper. When cutting the bumper I found it helpful to create a positive template out of cardboard first, place that on the bumper, and trace around it with a sharpie. I'd say the only "negative" in this whole experience was the way it was packaged. It doesn't affect the product itself, which is why I'm still giving it 5 Stars, but it felt a little chintzy. They did their best to wrap it up, but some areas of the plastic/bubble wrap did wear away to the metal. Again, no fault of the product or how it performs, but it definitely could have been packaged with a little more care. All in all I highly recommend this hitch receiver if you like a clean, hidden look.

Only reasons for the four star rating is the hitch arrived slightly scuffed/scratched on a couple corner from shipping, this is not a big deal to me as the majority of the hitch is well hidden, used some good paint to touch up the scratches to prevent rust and corrosion, also two of the lock washers deformed and broke while tightening the fasteners to spec, again not a big deal to me as I had some on hand to replace them.

I am very happy w this hitch. It was a great value and the video was very helpful and accurate. The cutout of the body trim turned out to be WAY large (see photo).

Read the reviews and here’s my experience. Packaging - considering the only thing you see is the receiver it doesn’t matter. Hit it with a rattle can if you’re concerned. The frame that goes into the rear sticks out of the box and is wrapped. Eco-friendly as a ton of styrofoam would be needed to protect something you don’t see. Instructions-be careful with the cutout on the bumper, one person said the opening was too big. That will happen if you follow the instructions. Cut the 3in section about 1.5 Vs 2.5 or to the bend in the bumper. Time-plan for 3 hours Tools-just use hand tools. You risk stripping a bolt, even on removal.

I installed this Hitch on a 2025 Forester Premium, installation went smooth and it took me about 4 hours to complete, the installation videos were a great help. The quality of Hitch Receiver and supplied Hardware are excellent.

Great hitch for the price and yes there are a couple of extra modifications that are needed for a clean installation but to be honest if you are taking on this install yourself you should be able to perform the additional tasks. (I did not have an extra set of hands and I learned from prior installations to utilize an auto jack to hold the hitch while I threaded on the nuts)

Was easy to install and has worked well to pull a light trailer. Less expensive than one from the dealer. Instructions were good.

I read the instructions and watched the video. It was beneficial to watch the video on the vehicle model I was installing the hitch on. I did not have a step drill bit, so I cut a notch in the hole the width of the spacer. The rubber plug was able to be placed back in the frame. See picture. Everything went smoothly. Thanks!

The customer service department at etrailer is

Wanted a 2” receiver (out of stock) but had to get this 1 1/4” one instead. Installation was straightforward (watch the videos) and fairly easy. This is the 4-5 hitch that I have gotten from etrailer. Super simple ordering process and they are always happy to answer any questions that a person might have. Thanks again for the great service & products!!

This Curt hitch is really well built and I was able to install it myself on my 2017 Subaru Forester XT. I watched the etrailer install video multiple times to learn how to install it, found the instructions very useful, especially as it showed how to install it without removing the entire rear bumper skin. I won’t say it was a piece of cake. You need to know your way around tools and have some experience working on cars. Especially if, like me, you don’t have access to a vehicle lift and will be installing this with the rear of your car elevated and crawling around on the ground underneath it. I’d also recommend having a helper. Otherwise be prepared to work like a turtle flipped upside down on its shell and have straps, wire, zip ties, clamps, twine or some such thing nearby to hold things in place while you maneuver this heavy, cumbersome, and unwieldy hunk of metal into place. That’s not a criticism, it’s a massive chunk if steel that was fabricated into a weird shape to mate with the rear of your car. At any rate, this hitch went in like a champ. Even better and faster than I expected. The hardware is cleverly designed to assist with the ease of install. So, why four stars? I don’t like doing this because it really is a top notch product, but this hitch was clearly not designed with the Forester XT in mind. In fact, I’d be willing to to bet it was never test fitted to an XT. If it was, it wasn’t test driven for any length of time. Had that been done, the designers would have learned very quickly that the dual mufflers on the XT fit very closely to a critical structural piece of the hitch and when reinstalled, the rubber exhaust hangers get smashed between the hitch and the exhaust hanger. This defeats all of the vibration dampening properties of the hanger and causes a reverberation through the car that you feel in your teeth and fills the interior of car with an echoing groan that sounds like the transmission is about to fly apart. It took me weeks of trying combinations of different exhaust hangers and bending the muffler hangers to finally create the space needed to allow the hangers to do their job of dampening vibration, allowing a little movement, and anchoring the exhaust while maintaining the proper clearance of the exhaust tips below the bumper. Someone with less experience with cars and metal would not have been able to remedy this and it could have been avoided with small changes to design and fabrication. So, five star fabrication, build quality, look, durability and function, four star design and advertisement as universal for all 2017 Foresters. Also of note: when disconnecting your exhaust and lowering it, there is a metal exhaust bracket near the transmission that needs to be disconnected. I didn’t see it, so it snapped and for a couple of weeks I kept hearing this high pitched screeching while accelerating caused by the snapped metal edges rubbing together rapidly. It was an $8 part and easy to replace, but SO ANNOYING until I figured it out

Arrived quickly. Quality product. All parts were there. Video helpful but still took me longer (5 hours) mainly because I did not have a way to raise the car and I am 78 years old. Retired 18 years ago from industrial mechanic job but still have all the tools.

This Curt hitch has more towing capacity than my 2017 Subaru Outback Wagon can handle, but felt this 2 inch receiver would offer extra stability for a loaded bike rack. The install was straightforward following the directions & videos. Took me more like 2+ hours as I didn't want to make a mistake. One big recommendation is to buy a tapered drill bit as recommended. I first tried drilling a 1/2" hole & attempted to enlarge it with various abrasive/cutting bits chucked in the drill. That makes a sloppy hole & takes lots of time as the frame's steel is much harder than expected. So bought a tapered bit which made a perfect hole in seconds. If I recall correctly you need a 5/8" hole. Also bought some plastic plugs and glued them in the unused holes with silicone caulking. Connected the wiring harness ground wire to an existing bolt (secured with an extra nut) rather than drill a new hole for a screw. Have used the hitch for the bike rack, and for towing a small boat, and it works as it should.

Went with the Curt 13206 for our 2014 Outback after researching prices and weighing options for factory vs. aftermarket hitches and wiring. Our intended uses -- some light trailer and camper towing, plus cargo carriers and bike racks -- were a good match for the Curt's ratings (which exceed the Outback's ratings, just a bit of extra assurance). We also liked the more-rearward placement of the hitch opening. The hitch and accessories arrived quickly from etrailer, with no shipping damage. We were pleased with the aesthetics of the Curt hitch in person (rounded tubing, good finish, quality welds). It might not be the most "stealth" offering out there, but appears very solid and not at all conspicuous once installed. The installation was fairly straightforward, got it done solo in the garage in a couple of hours. The hitch was a tight fit around the spare tire well, had to scrape down a bit of the factory undercoating on each side to get it into place (something a few other customers mentioned). The rubber exhaust hangers also took some awkward wrestling -- probably would have been easier if I'd had access to a lift. Also installed the Curt 56040 wiring harness and Tow Ready mounting brackets (18140 + 18144) for the flat-four plug. Again, relatively easy jobs with the how-to demos on etrailer. Since I had the rear flooring pulled out to put in the wiring, I decided to enlarge a couple of existing taped-over holes in the cargo area to fish the hitch mounting hardware into place (rather than enlarging holes on the underside of the vehicle), as suggested by previous reviewers. Similarly, I routed the flat-four harness down through an existing rubber plug in the spare tire well (added some split-loom), and connected it to the Tow Ready brackets on the hitch. I thought this would be a cleaner and more convenient solution than running wiring through the rear hatch when towing. Have to say that the how-to videos and notes from etrailer, along with the tips, tweaks and suggestions from other customers, made these tasks much, much easier and saved a lot of time. Thanks again for the thorough product selection and documentation, and great service.