Trailer hitch?

Now that the 2020 Prius Prime's are out, does anyone have a trailer hitch installed, or planning to do so?

Will the ones mentioned in this thread for 2017 Prime's work for a 2020?

I know the owner's manual says that the Prime is not supposed to tow a trailer or even have a tow-hitch installed.

 

There are no structural changes to the 2020 that I am aware of, so a hitch for any Prime should fit your 2020.

 

I did find some hitches at e-Trailer for the 2019 Prime, so no structural changes should mean that they would work for a 2020 too!

 

I purchased a hitch for my Prius Prime and installed it myself. I purchased it from Etrailer, an internet company. The installation is fairly simple and looks nice. I installed it to use a hitch mounted bike rack. Per Etrailer there are only specific racks that can be used due to the Primes configuration. They sell the bike racks that can be used on the Prime. I've purchased many items from this company over the years. I have found them to have great customer service and provide excellent products.

 

It would be appreciated if you could take a minute to describe the installation process. How long did it take? Did you need any specific tools? Were you able to work on your Prime using jack stands or did you have access to a lift?

I bought a bike rack hitch for my previous car from eTrailer and found them to be very helpful. Although I had a professional shop install the hitch, I showed them the eTrailer video which I had downloaded to my laptop computer. This was very useful and saved them shop time.

I still have the bike rack (which fits a small size hitch receiver) which I am hoping to be able to use with the Prime. Because of your helpful comment, I will check with eTrailer to see if this model bike rack will work with the Prime.

 

Mine needed an extender, but worked just fine... which ended up really nice, since I can open the hatch while carrying a load. See:

 

If you are still looking, I would recommend
2017-2020 TOYOTA PRIUS PRIME STEALTH ECOHITCH

https://torkliftcentral.com/2017-toyota-prius-prime-stealth-ecohitch

Yes, it is substantially more expensive than others but their quality, design and dimension (2" opening) seem superb.

 

Hi Roman,

I'm in France and I would like to install wires on my Prius IV PHV solar 2017 which is the the same as the prime. How to you to connect your lights? Did you use Curt connectors "Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector" from USA? Did you need to go to the dealer in order to have an up-date of the ODB.

Regards
Nico

 

Does anyone know the warrantee ramifications of putting a third party hitch on a Prius Prime? I know Toyota does not offer such a solution but does anyone have any experience with them saying it cancelled the warrantee?

 

i did not yet been abile to connect lights. I used hitch with thule bike rack but did not.connect lights couse i didnt finde a way to do it plug and play. I could cut wires and connect direct to rear instalation but i dont like that.

SM-G973F ?

 

I do have such experiences because I work in that industry, but not on the Prime.
In general, if the failure is in anyway related the hitch that you installed, then it will NOT be covered by the manufacturer.
Here is an example:
Let's say, your Prime's brake caliper piston seal got overheated and failed (leaking brake fluid) after you install the hitch, regardless whether you were actually towing anything or not, then they will "try" to blame that your hitch installation was the cause of the failure saying that the brake system was overworking due to the towing.

Another example: Let's say your power window stopped working because the actuator failed, since the failure has nothing to with the hitch installation, the repair will be covered by the warranty.

Also, any kind of warranty coverage vastly depends on the service writer/manager of the dealership that you go to. Make them your friends. They can make all the differences since they are the ones who (try to) determine what caused the failure and communicate with the manufacturer.

 

Good news!

The Curt 11473 hitch goes well with the curt 45503 system and a 2" ball (ref 40003), for France. As for connections, the universal 7-pin induction harness with its electronic box for multiplexed vehicles (Trail-tec, SENSOR7) works without having to cut the wires and without updating.
Everything works best to put a bike rack.

L'attelage Curt 11473 va bien avec le systeme curt 45503 et une boule en 2" (ref 40003) pour la france. Quant aux branchements, le faisceau universel 7 broches à induction + boitier électronique pour véhicules multiplexés (Trail-tec, SENSOR7) fonctionne sans avoir à couper les fils.

Tout fonctionne au mieux pour mettre un porte-vélo.

Prius PHV prime 2017

 

2" ball?
Does Curt 11473 has 2" opening or are you using an 1.25->2" adapter?

 

The Curt 40003 ball is a 2" ball, it fits in either a 1/14 or 2 " receiver.
Trailer Hitch Ball - Curt 40003

 

Yes, Trailer Hitch Ball - Curt 40003 has a 2" dia ball.
I was wondering what he meant was the Curt hitch receiver that he installed has a 2" square opening or not.
As far as I know Curt or any other company does NOT make a hitch receiver with the 2" square opening for Prime other than Torklift EcoHitch which is about 3 times more expensive. I'm sure their quality is exceptional.

 

Do you have one on your Prime? I wonder if it fits a regular Prius. And is that a chain coming down from the plastic panel?

 

Nico you are in France? I dont think lights harnes will work. USA and EU lights instalations are different.

SM-G973F ?

 

I just finished installing Draw tite hitch on my 2020 prime. One change I noticed compared to the video was the bumper beam has these metal plates sticking out which hook onto to the chassis in addition to the four bolts for support I guess. Once the hitch was sandwiched between the beam, it was impossible for me to line up the bolts. The plate was not hooked properly due to the added thickness. In the end I end up hammering these plates down to flatten it and finally it lined up.

That was the most painful part, otherwise I would’ve been done installing in an hour.

 

The E-Trailer video shows hammering down those tabs. I installed mine last week. For me, the painful part was that one of the fascia clips, when I pressed it to disengage it, went too far, and it's really hard to push it from the opposite side. I spent probably 30 minutes trying to rectify it. Ended up using a very thin metal tool from the outside to get that clip to release.