This really isn't a full how-to, more like a tips to the already included instructions.
Hitch: This was pretty easy as far as car stuff goes. The included instructions are great. Before installing the hitch, I used some rustoleum paint to touch-up the chipped places on the hitch. You will need a coin to unscrew the cover for the spare tire lowering cable. And I think it’s a 19mm, so I used a ratchet and extension. Like others have mentioned, I put the passenger side up on the exhaust, and then screwed in the M10 bolt on the driver’s side. I didn’t have to remove the frame plug from the driver’s side, too. It was really tough to get 110 lb-ft on the 17mm nuts even using my ½” torque wrench.
Wiring harness: I installed the wiring harness box on top of the metal bumper, using the included double-sided tape and added a zip tie to the included zip tie to also hold it down. I had some extra wiring harness loom to put around the 4 bare wires, too. I snapped some pictures in case anyone is interested.
Installed the Curt hitch yesterday. Easy if you have some mechanical aptitude and follow the instructions. A little difficult to position the hitch by yourself. A little more if laying on your back. E trailer has installation videos as well. Am going to install the wiring next weekend. The plug and play kit. Check for the connectors and get the correct wiring kit. The spare winch "nut" on our Sorento is 21mm. I ran the bolts in the threaded holes before installation. Had to chase one hole with a tap to clean the threads. The rear horizontal bolt on right/passenger side needed some "persuasion" to install as the hitch plate was impeded by the weld for the muffler hanger. Took about an hour to complete install. I like the Curt's extra weight rating. Wish it had a bracket to mount the wiring connector. Installed on 2.0 Turbo AWD.
What did you mean by "Like others have mentioned, I put the passenger side up on the exhaust, and then screwed in the M10 bolt on the driver’s side." ?
The rear/tailpipe section of the exhaust needs to be lowered to install the hitch. Propping the hitch on top of the lowered exhaust makes it easier to align the hitch to the left side mounting area to get bolts started.
Thanks for the info on the hitch install. I plan on undercoating my hitch to keep it from rusting. Mine is going in next Tuesday to have the factory hitch installed by the dealer. It was part of the original sales agreement. Apparently, the V6 SX comes with a wiring harness pre installed but the Turbo does not. The hitch was in stock but there was a long delay in getting the harness ordered in. I hope they do a proper job on the harness install. The Mazda dealer installed it wrong on my cx5, causing it to get against the exhaust system, melt and short out. Thankfully the fuse did it's job. They installed a new harness. That was typical of my experience with that dealer. I almost always had to go back and get something done a second time.
The Mazda dealer installed it wrong on my cx5, causing it to get against the exhaust system, melt and short out. Thankfully the fuse did it's job. They installed a new harness. That was typical of my experience with that dealer. I almost always had to go back and get something done a second time.
i believe our exhaust is on the passenger side. the oem kia harness is located driver side. right before the bumper cover. in fact its attached to the bumper cover.
installed the hitch & wiring today. it was pretty straight forward. the longest part was dragging the 12v+ wire from the rear harness to the battery up front. if you follow the horrible instructions on the harness install, it makes you do a lot of extra steps (removing trunk panels). i found a really easy way to do it. video coming soon. photos are up on instagram @ImStricken06
I installed one on my V6 EX a few weeks ago. Mine is prewired so the harness keep was easy. It is a tight starch for the two plugs with my kit but there is plenty of wire. It was just tapped up a little to tight.
I also had to encourage the rear bolt on the right side. I was laying on my back doing this job & I bet it was less then an hour to do the job. The hardest parts is getting a good position to tighten the bolts down & replacing the cover over the harness once the hitch is installed.
We'll see what mine looks like when it comes back from the dealer next week. So it sounds like the harness is in there for the 2.0 but you still have wiring from the hitch connector to the harness. That may be what they were waiting for at the dealer.
When I was negotiating for the car I thought the harness was included but the sales manager said it wasn't and was charging me extra for one. The sales brochure said it was included so after a bit of a heated discussion he agreed to subtract the cost off the price.
ImStricken06, nice video on the hitch. Can't wait for the video on the wiring harness. I'll be adding the exact same stuff on a V6 LX that I purchased this weekend.
I got the factory hitch installed yesterday. Guess what! It looks like the Kia factory hitch is a Curt hitch. The installation instructions were left in the car by the tech who installed it along with a 2" ball mount and pin as well as a cover for the receiver. The hitch instructions are Kia factory documents and it does not refer to the hitch as a Curt but the wiring harness adapter packaging/instructions were Curt and the hitch looks just like the Curt one that is referenced in this thread. So it looks like the Curt would be a sure bet as an aftermarket hitch. I'll try to get some pictures in a few days once my schedule allows. I think I paid 255$ Can. for it, at least that is what went down on the bottom line during negotiations. That's was about 200US$ at that time.
That's great for someone in the USA who is eligible for free shipping. We also have to pay brokerage fees and sometimes duty when importing items into Canada. I'm pretty sure based on past experience that my final cost for that item would have been at least as much as the dealer charged. You also need to figure in the wiring harness and the ball mount. Since I've always had Cat 2 hitches in the past I don't have any 2" mounts around and would have to buy a mount anyway.
I'll probably get a chance to try out the hitch in the next couple of weeks.
SX
That's a reasonable price & even cheap for installed. Just because you buy it from the dealer doesn't mean it is built by the car manufacture tho. They install aftermarket also.
no.
the vehicle manufacturer builds the car to tow a certain amount, as stock from the factory.
side-note: a cooler doesnt necessarily add to the vehicles ability to tow, as it simply helps cool the fluid which extends transmission lifespan. you can easily blow a transmission well before it reaches temps requiring a cooler. if anyone was to related a cooler to higher towing capacity, i'd say an extra 500lbs at MOST.
OK, so I just got my new Sorento the other night (!). 2016 EX FWD V6.
I'm going to open up the rear driver-side cover underneath tonight and find out whether or not the trailer wiring harness connectors are there or not. I am pretty sure that anyone in this thread with a V6 *AWD* has confirmed it's there. And while there was a mention that "any V6" should have it, I do not believe anyone else has yet confirmed it exists on the V6 FWD.
A Curt 56151 should be what you need, Amazon has one of their warehouse deals on one right now at $22.70 but even the new regular price is much cheaper than the dealer of you are installing yourself.
Finally got around to ordering my Curt Hitch c13195 & T-connector 56151. Only $163 and free shipping on Jet with 15% off code. Woohoo!
Hitch arrived quickly, but got busy so just got around to installing it this weekend. It arived with some pretty goods dings/chips in the finish, but a coat of primer/paint and it's fine. The harness was pretty simple, but the lead length from the actuator module was shorter than I wanted because of attaching it behind the wheel well panel to keep it dry.
The hitch install was a little bit of struggle due to the limited clearance under the Sorento. I didn't raise the rear of mine during the install. Getting the exhaust hangers off was a pain with limited leverage, but it was a must to get the hitch in. I watched some videos and the 13195 in the videos came with flat sided long shank bolts, however mine were not flat sided. And since the holes weren't perfectly lined up I had to tighten the short lower bolts to pull the hitch plates tight before I could get the longer shank bolts to go through. Also had to press on the flashing under the body to get the shank bolts to slide in. It all worked out in the end, looks good, and doesn't stick out from the body too far either.
My only concern is the receiver ground clearance. Only 10.5" to 10.75" without weight. Once loaded with us & the boat it's gonna be around 8". Will just have to be extra careful on the speed bumps and dock ramps. I attached some pics.
I just towed my Harley over 1300 miles with my 2016 Sorento. I used a 3.5 rise hitch and it let the Aluma motorcycle trailer sit almost perfectly level. My tongue weight must not be very heavy because the rear suspension did not sag at all. We had all the seats folded down and the back of the vehicle loaded pretty good also.
I was thrilled that it towed better than our 2014 Explorer.
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