[TheAirman]

I bought the just released Curt hitch # 13531. It is made to fit all the 2023 Niro line, including the HEV, PHEV and EV.

On the HEV and PHEV, you have to lower and support the rear of the exhaust pipe and lower and support that vapor canister. On the EV, I only had to remove the rear under body panel.

I bought it from etrailer, and of course when they ship from etrailer, they just throw it in a box unprotected, and when it arrives after the UPS people toss it around, it was all scratched up and half hanging out of the box. If you buy from etrailer, be prepared to get on the phone when it arrives damaged.

It will fit, but I had some slight problems with my install. Mine missed fitting perfectly by about .25". But it did finally fit and tighten down.

I called Curt and told them they were off by 1/4". They claimed it was someone else and my hitch was flexed.

I think it was either UPS, or etrailer just tossing a heavy metal item in a box.

Here is a picture using an inspection mirror showing the bolt at the rear drivers side. With the mirror you can see the front and back of the bolt contact with the hitch. (the silver is rust preventative. The gold bolt is the mounting bolt.):

Here is the bracket that contacts the bolt in my install. It is circled and with an arrow.

hitch.pdf

Here is what Curt sent me telling me how to fix my "flexed" hitch:

It did fit, but if that bracket was just a little bit lower or smaller, it would have fit right up. Maybe your experience might be different.

 

[TheAirman]

You always know who your friends are when you ask for help on something like this, so I installed it by myself.

I raised the hitch up slowly into place with my floor jack:

But first you have to remove the under body plastic panel on the EV. It will need cut with tin snips in the last step. Plus you have to cut the center mounting tab on the car that holds the under body panel. The panel is held up with quick release plastic rivets, some 10mm nuts, and these 2 odd "speed nuts" in the center of the panel. they are integral to the panel. Remove them last. They have no threads, so they just pull off as you twist them. Push them back on first on re-install. Here they are:

Here is the cut in the panel with tin snips and a razor blade:

Here is the install manual from Curt:




13531_INS.pdf


And finally my bike rack is usable again.

Here is a picture of the hitch. Of course it's a 2" receiver and I only need a 1 1/4" receiver for my rack, so I had to buy a reducer. Don't buy the high priced on from etrailer. I found mine on "flea-bay" for cheap. Plus I found an old logo Kia 2" plug there too.

 

[adhack]

Well done. It looks great and thanks for sharing the process!

 

[sighttomtom]

I have also installed trailer light adopter and have pulled 2000lb+ trailer to haul trash. it struggled on hills but it was short trips to the recycling facility and home depot without an issue. I have also used for bike rack and cargo hitch to really expand the cargo capacity. combine it with cargo top, I can do most activities I used my past RX350 for.

 

[vangone]

Just out of curiosity, how much clearance is there between the bottom of the hitch and the ground? Any issues with scraping?

 

[sighttomtom]

Just out of curiosity, how much clearance is there between the bottom of the hitch and the ground? Any issues with scraping?

I have a two inch riser and use it reverse mounted. no clearance issue on Uhaul trailers as it typically has higher mount level. for regular trailers, straight hitch should be ok as it has plenty of ground clearance. I also ran the power wires internally as to prevent exposer to the element. top of the cable comes out of one of the hole on the firewall and connect to the power source on the junction box. works perfectly when carrying cargo box that as brake/turn lights.

 

[vangone]

I have a two inch riser and use it reverse mounted. no clearance issue on Uhaul trailers as it typically has higher mount level. for regular trailers, straight hitch should be ok as it has plenty of ground clearance. I also ran the power wires internally as to prevent exposer to the element. top of the cable comes out of one of the hole on the firewall and connect to the power source on the junction box. works perfectly when carrying cargo box that as brake/turn lights.

Thank you for your reply! I had installed a Curt hitch on my Soul and was surprised how many times the hitch receiver (no drawbar inserted) scraped the asphalt/concrete when going up driveways. Seems like the Niro is closer to the ground than the Soul.

 

[sighttomtom]

Thank you for your reply! I had installed a Curt hitch on my Soul and was surprised how many times the hitch receiver (no drawbar inserted) scraped the asphalt/concrete when going up driveways. Seems like the Niro is closer to the ground than the Soul.

actual height may look differ? ground clearance is about the same for both Niro and Soul at about 6 inches. lowest point in the hitch mount to the ground is 9 inches on my Niro. this means hitch ball will be 11 inches off the ground. My other Lexus is about 12 inches off the ground and I use 1 inch drop hitch and uhaul will mount leveled with little lean inwards.

 

[TheAirman]

Just out of curiosity, how much clearance is there between the bottom of the hitch and the ground? Any issues with scraping?

I measured 9.5 inches clearance. About the same height of an exhaust pipe if it had one. Actually, the traction battery hangs down lower. I'll try to get a picture later.

 

[Techy]

I measured 9.5 inches clearance. About the same height of an exhaust pipe if it had one. Actually, the traction battery hangs down lower. I'll try to get a picture later.

9.5 inches is quite reasonable. While the traction battery is less, is does not hang over the end of the car so will not be subject to incline differences such as the entry to a driveway could be.

 

[TheAirman]

9.5 inches is quite reasonable. While the traction battery is less, is does not hang over the end of the car so will not be subject to incline differences such as the entry to a driveway could be.

Exactly right.

I live in a very hilly area with some steep streets and private driveways. I hope I never get into a situation where I scrape the hitch on my Niro. Maybe backing into something might be a possibility. Anyways, here's two pictures to illustrate.

The traction battery is the silver rectangle below the hitch:

 

[Zonyl]

I have also installed trailer light adopter and have pulled 2000lb+ trailer to haul trash. it struggled on hills but it was short trips to the recycling facility and home depot without an issue. I have also used for bike rack and cargo hitch to really expand the cargo capacity. combine it with cargo top, I can do most activities I used my past RX350 for.

Hi. What trailer wiring adapter did you use? I ordered one from etrailer and the plugs were different (6pin light harness instead of three pin on my 23 PHEV)

Even for diy wiring, in finding it difficult to get the trim off to even get to the indicator/ reverse harness.

 

[sighttomtom]

Hi. What trailer wiring adapter did you use? I ordered one from etrailer and the plugs were different (6pin light harness instead of three pin on my 23 PHEV)

Even for diy wiring, in finding it difficult to get the trim off to even get to the indicator/ reverse harness.

I have the standard 4 pin type from etrailer. most common plug type for light weight trailers. if you have newer 7 pin type, you can get an adopter for $20-$30. plastic cover removal is not too bad, it probably took about an hour or so from start to end. most time was taken removing side panels as I ran the cable inside the vehicle instead of outside as shown in etailer example.

 

[Zonyl]

I have the standard 4 pin type from etrailer. most common plug type for light weight trailers. if you have newer 7 pin type, you can get an adopter for $20-$30. plastic cover removal is not too bad, it probably took about an hour or so from start to end. most time was taken removing side panels as I ran the cable inside the vehicle instead of outside as shown in etailer example.

Thank you for responding so quickly!

I have the 4 pin trailer plug as well, i was actually referring to the taillight brake splice connector (three pin) wereas the spice connector has 6. I was assuming in order to get brake lights I would need to get at that harness. Is the brake signal on the turn indicator harness (lower plug?). I haven't been able to get at the yet.

Any advise on getting those panels in the rear off? I removed the two trim plugs from the lift gate bottom but it isn't obvious on how to get started pulling that off.

 

[Griswald]

Thank you for responding so quickly!

I have the 4 pin trailer plug as well, i was actually referring to the taillight brake splice connector (three pin) wereas the spice connector has 6. I was assuming in order to get brake lights I would need to get at that harness. Is the brake signal on the turn indicator harness (lower plug?). I haven't been able to get at the yet.

Any advise on getting those panels in the rear off? I removed the two trim plugs from the lift gate bottom but it isn't obvious on how to get started pulling that off.

Go to an auto parts store and get yourself a set of panel trim removers. There are usually 5 or 6 different types of nylon pry bars with different types of ends on them. It makes getting trim panel off much easier...but it is still difficult.

 

[vangone]

Harbor Freight has sets of cheap panel removal tools. Very helpful in removing exterior as well as interior trim panels. Not sure of the long term durability, but even as single use items probably worth the cost.

 

[Zonyl]

I actually have trim removal tools but this first bottom peice is not obvious how to come out. I got the two plugs out however pulling forward or up isn't working. Do I have to remove the sides first?

 

[sighttomtom]

I actually have trim removal tools but this first bottom peice is not obvious how to come out. I got the two plugs out however pulling forward or up isn't working. Do I have to remove the sides first?

2019 has the screw for tie down which I had to remove. you should also be able to see the other screws holding down the panels once you pull off the side using your hand. since yours is a newer vehicle, don't worry about breaking the trim clips so use some force when removing.

 

[Zonyl]

Ok.. I finally got access to the service manual and the approach to the connector I was taking was incorrect. They actually want you to take off the wheels, wheel wells, side brake lights, and bumper in order to replace the indicator and backup light bulb! The interior trim removal approach requires taking out the entire rear end trim and seats of the car...

This is insane. I am thinking about changing out those things to LED before I endeavor on trailer wiring. Honestly I may just take the easy route to get at brake light connector (for no nonsense brake lights) and rig up this for turn signals https://a.co/d/aFKLK8X Might actually be easier to hookup a photocell on top of the indicator lens

 

[TheAirman]

Ok.. I finally got access to the service manual and the approach to the connector I was taking was incorrect. They actually want you to take off the wheels, wheel wells, side brake lights, and bumper in order to replace the indicator and backup light bulb! The interior trim removal approach requires taking out the entire rear end trim and seats of the car...

This is insane. I am thinking about changing out those things to LED before I endeavor on trailer wiring. Honestly I may just take the easy route to get at brake light connector (for no nonsense brake lights) and rig up this for turn signals https://a.co/d/aFKLK8X Might actually be easier to hookup a photocell on top of the indicator lens

I've been following your posts. I was hoping you would be the guinea pig and take on the wiring. I didn't yet because I knew it would be a pain.

My new hitch is basically for the bike rack, but I do have a Harbor Freight small trailer with 8" wheels and old 12 Volt 1157 tail lights. There is the issue.

On the '23 Niro, the power for the LED tail lights comes from multiple sources. And I don't think it is even 12 volts. And the power for the turn signals is a whole different matter. Now, you have to find the power for the running lights.

I think before I even attempt to try trailer wiring, I need to update the trailer lights on my trailer from old 1157 bulbs to new LED tail lights. Maybe some cheap ones from Harbor Freight ?

That power for the tail lights is on a CAN bus. It's coming from some module somewhere. It'll take some searching to determine the sources.

As little as I ever used the Harbor Freight trailer, I was just going to risk it and not have any trailer lights.

If you figure it out......... post back.