Trailer hitches for hybrid autos?
 

I just purchased a 2023 hybrid Honda Accord and have been dismayed to learn that there are no trailer hitches for this model. (I own a bike rack that needs a 1 3/4" receiver.) I'm wondering if installation is a problem for all hybrids or if this is just an issue with Honda Accord hybrids. I like the hybrid so would be bummed if I need to go back to non-hybrids for future autos. (For now, I'm taking off the wheels of my bike and putting it in the trunk).

Thanks for any information!

Take it from a former regional technical rep for an import auto manufacturer. READ YOUR MANUAL! Adding a trailer hitch can affect your vehicle warranty, even if all you are doing is attaching a bicycle hitch rack. You are putting your driveline warranty at risk.

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...3b2ef922e0.jpg

I am aware of this for the 2023 Accord Hybrid. That wasn't the point of my question. I'm asking whether this is an issue for all hybrids or just this particular model.

There are hitches for most hybrids. I put one on my Prius a month ago. It's quite possible that a hitch for a regular accord might fit, they probably just haven't done a check

Not all hybrids, why would it be?:foo: Anyway, you have what you have. I'd suggest removing the front wheel and standing the bike in the backseat foot well. I know several folks who transport their bikes this way.

I'm sorry, but I don't have the answer to your question for every hybrid model vehicle made. However, Mr. Google may. If you're curious about a specific model / year of hybrid, ask him.

My first Prius, Toyota warned against putting a hitch on, even for a bike rack. And said it might void the warranty. Except they gave a towing capacity for the same car if sold in Europe.
I'm not sure if they gave up on that, but I don't intend to tow anything with the car anyway. I was thinking of making the hitch totally stealth, you can take the receiver part off so the dealer doesn't need to know about it. But I had to cut a hole out of a plastic panel so it's pretty obvious.

NO, not all hybrids.

My 2023 Toyota Sequoia hybrid came with a 2” hitch.

:)

Barry

Go to a welding shop that makes hitches and ask them. Just because you can't buy one off the shelf doesn't mean something couldn't be fabricated.

Talk to your dealer about warranty concerns. It's up to the dealer if they are concerned about it.

Is a Dealer authorized to mitigate a disclaimer placed on a vehicle by the Manufacturer, I suspect not.
I would not trust whatever they “tell” you. It’s in writing or it never happened.

Likely the best they could offer is not to notice the hitch if you come in for transmission issues.

Barry

Mitigate? No, but the dealer technician is the only person who is going to see that hitch. Nobody is going to put anything in writing, either.

The last 30 years of my job was at new car dealers as a technician. For a warranty claim to be denied for something like a bike rack hitch would be unheard of and any dealer who did that would have to be a vengeful prick.

Found this "Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch which we will gladly fabricate for you. If you are able to bring your vehicle to our Tempe, AZ Research & Development facility we'll provide you with a free U-Haul custom trailer hitch, including free installation, and a lifetime unlimited warranty in exchange for the use of your vehicle to fabricate the trailer hitch. We'll need the vehicle for four to five days. If you are interested in this offer please complete the form below and we'll contact you to schedule your appointment. This offer is only valid until one customer per vehicle can fulfill our requirements."

Honda
 

I agree and have found Honda to be very accomodating.

2003 Honda Accord V6 had a lubrication issue in the automatic gearbox causing wear and failure.
Mine failed almost a year out of warranty. It took asking nicely & twice, but Honda agreed to replace the known faulty transmission for free.

Way to step up Honda !

YMMV

Barry

I found a source for a bolt-on hitch for my wife's Prius, though Toyota wasn't going to void the warranty for having it attached. I saved the tie-down hardware that was bolted where the hitch attached. If anybody cared, I'd have swapped the hitch back out before taking it in for warranty service. You could probably find something like that for your Accord (or ask your google-fu master friends/family to find it for you!).

Sounds like you need to get a Drifter sytle rack that goes up on the roof.

Good to hear you had a positive experience with a known problem. I worked mostly at GM dealers and we denied (in warranty) claims for various reasons, including engine modifications like superchargers, nitrous injection systems, and aftermarket programs and "power-up" devices. Also had customers modify the air intake on Corvettes which allowed the engine to ingest water when driving through a puddle and hydraulic the engine. Had them drill holes in the gas tanks when installing amplifiers or truck bed equipment.

A GMC dealer I worked at denied the brake rotors on a truck when the guy was towing a 35,000 pound trailer which was 3 times the rating. He sued and he won.
A Chevy dealer denied an engine repair on a Camaro with 30-some thousand miles because the customer had never changed the oil. The engine looked like roofing tar inside. The customer produced some reciepts for oil changes from an independent shop after about 6 weeks of fighting. Chevrolet finally said just give them an engine, rather than going to court.

I would expect that outcome if a claim was denied due to a hitch mounted on a car which was not supposed to tow. The customer would call the special number for Chevrolet and they would either resolve it over the phone or send a rep to look at the car and decide. I never worked at a Toyota or Honda store so ymmv.

Thank you for your various suggestions, but again, I wasn't asking for a solution to my situation: I was just curious to know whether the issue of not being able to install a receiver hitch was a problem with the car (a sedan) being a hybrid, or if it was unique to the 2023 hybrid Accord. A follow-up question would be, if it is unique to the 2023 hybrid Accord, then what about its design makes an installation not possible. From some of the responses above, it does seem like other hybrids can accommodate a hitch.

I also now realize that when I purchase a new car, I should explicitly ask if I can install a hitch for my bike rack!

In post 12 I quoted U-Haul basically saying they would design and install a hitch for free on that car so they can start making them for sale. It's not that it's impossible to install one, it just hasn't been done so nobody has one for sale yet.

The warranty thing is a different issue.

In a possibly-related issue, my boss has a late-model Accord hybrid and he tried to get a full-sized spare tire for it. Apparently there is room to store a full-sized tire there, but because the car is a hybrid the dealer refused to sell him one. Something about it being a hybrid meant the car couldn't have a full-sized spare (even though there was room for it). Maybe it's close to the battery or various important electric lines? Maybe they won't allow a hitch there for the same reason?

We have a 2" receiver on our Highlander, and a 1-1/4" receiver on our Prius. Both hybrids.

The highlander is rated to tow up to 3500 lbs, and the Prius is not rated to tow anything (the newer Prius is tow rated).

In some cases a very good idea.

10 PM News Last year over in Austin: A guy pulled into a Walmart for a few minutes after hitting the trails over at Rocky Hill (local mountain bike trails). He returned to find his 2200 USD and his buddies 1800 USD Mountain bikes gone along with his 1100 USD bike carrier. He was pretty upset and visibly expressing it to the police officer and cameras. The officer taking it all in then turned to the cameras and gave one of those Mehhh expressions.

Also just a few months ago over in Dallas a guy at a stop light in traffic had someone run up behind his car, remove his Trek bike and then ride off on it! He and several others that saw the incident tried to pursue. In Dallas traffic! That bike is gone, gone, gone... Ha...

Type this into a search engine. Plenty of hits on the subject.

"Why can't you put a hitch on a 2023 Accord hybrid"

And preferably before you buy it.

I didn't buy a hybrid, and at the time I was shopping I took the bike with me and made sure it fit into a hatchback without taking off the wheel, and also checked to make sure the car would at least take a 1-1/4 receiver. The 2013 Impreza checked both boxes as did the Prius at the time. I got the Impreza and it works great.

Afaik, there are no spares on certain cars to save weight. In order to meet CAFE standards, or to be able to claim certain fuel/battery mileage, they have to reduce weight. No spare generally means no jack or tools, either.

My hitch carrier locks onto the receiver. The carrier has simple cables to lock the bikes.

In traffic, that's a different story. I admit I don't lock the bikes onto the carrier except when I'm leaving them for any reason.