How To: Full Tow Hitch Install

[kiaklimber]

2020telly thanks for the information. Here are some photos.

Do you have pictures of what they installed? They should have put a fuse or an auto resetting breaker inline. That would prevent the wires from melting. The fuse should blow or the breaker trips before the wire melts. Maybe an exposed or stripped wire somewhere is touching metal possibly from pulling the wire through a small hole or rubbing? Any idea what gauged thickness wire they put in? I would think 12-guage would be enough to pass power without overheating. If they put a higher number wire then it would be thinner and that could result in it melting. If they put an inline fuse, what Amp rating is the fuse? The amperage rating on the fuse will depend on the thickness of the wire. For example, a 12-gauge wire might require a 20A fuse, while a 10-gauge wire might require a 30A fuse.

Sorry, that sent prematurely. I’m not sure what gauge the wire is. Looks like it’s running through plastic tubes all the way up front though.

 

[2020Telly]

Sorry, that sent prematurely. I’m not sure what gauge the wire is. Looks like it’s running through plastic tubes all the way up front though.

So you have two breakers, are they both being used for the 7-way? My first observation is that the one with the melted wires doesn't have a copper post like the other one. If I were to guess based on that picture, I think that it's a type 2 (manual reset) universal circuit breaker and not a type 1 that offers automatic resetting. Stamped on the side you should see 30A or something indicating the amperage.

I'm guessing they installed a CURT 58341 (15A), 58351 (20A), 58361 (30A), or 58371 (40A).

Based on the diagrams I found on this page I see why you have two breakers:

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring-7-way.aspx

• One is likely a 20 or 30A breaker for the lead that goes to the wired brake controller.
• The other should be a 40A that goes to the 12V hot wire on the 7-way connector.

Is it possible they got the two breakers mixed up?

 

[kiaklimber]

The

So you have two breakers, are they both being used for the 7-way? My first observation is that the one with the melted wires doesn't have a copper post like the other one. If I were to guess based on that picture, I think that it's a type 2 (manual reset) universal circuit breaker and not a type 1 that offers automatic resetting. Stamped on the side you should see 30A or something indicating the amperage.

I'm guessing they installed a CURT 58341 (15A), 58351 (20A), 58361 (30A), or 58371 (40A).

Based on the diagrams I found on this page I see why you have two breakers:

https://www.etrailer.com/faq-wiring-7-way.aspx

• One is likely a 20 or 30A breaker for the lead that goes to the wired brake controller.
• The other should be a 40A that goes to the 12V hot wire on the 7-way connector.

Is it possible they got the two breakers mixed up?

Im not sure if both are for the 7pin. The one with the melted wires is a 40A. The other is a 30A. Looks like 12g wire upon closer inspection. Questions I have are: should having the trailer plugged into an outlet in the garage while the trailer is also connected to the car 7pin be causing this type of thing? Should I just go to Kia and have them install something approved by them? Then it should be under warranty if this happens again. CW doesn’t seem to know what’s going on and they are charging me loads of money. Should I try to rig it up myself with a auto resetting breaker?

Thanks

 

[2020Telly]

The

Im not sure if both are for the 7pin. The one with the melted wires is a 40A. The other is a 30A. Looks like 12g wire upon closer inspection. Questions I have are: should having the trailer plugged into an outlet in the garage while the trailer is also connected to the car 7pin be causing this type of thing? Should I just go to Kia and have them install something approved by them? Then it should be under warranty if this happens again. CW doesn’t seem to know what’s going on and they are charging me loads of money. Should I try to rig it up myself with a auto resetting breaker?

Thanks

If you are talking about a travel trailer, I would think that the 12v DC electrical system for towing is completely separate from the 120v AC system. If there is an inverter somewhere in the trailer that is connecting the 12v system to the 120v system (or a converter that goes from 120v to 12v), then yes, I would be very suspicious that this could be causing the circuit to overload to the point of heating up and melting the wires if power is connected to both sides at the same time.

If it were me, I would start with the 40A circuit breaker that appears to be a type 2 manual reset. For less than $10 buy a better type 1 40A automatic reset with the copper color post. I would also cut all the melted 12 gauge wire, if you feel the need to replace, then consider going to a 10 gauge so it can handle more heat.

I looked on etrailer and it appears that every 40A circuit breaker they sell that is an automatic resetting (type 1) or it has an manual reset lever. I don't see anything that looks like a type 2 in 40A. When I google Curt 58371, I find no reference to it being an automatic resetting. eTrailer doesn't even sell that one and they sell just about every other Curt product.

https://www.etrailer.com/dept-pg-Accessories_and_Parts-pt-Circuit_Breaker.aspx

If you have a 2020 the options above are what make sense to me.

If you have a 2021 or 2022 then you do have the option get rid of the circuit breakers, and get the Kia 7-way harness (S9F67-AC500) for about $150 then you will be using the fuses in the fuse box. So instead of melted wires you will be blowing fuses. Keep in mind that your travel trailer probably needs a 7-way rv blade connection and I think the Kia 7-way round connectors. You will need an adapter or you can splice all the wires at the hitch. If the problems persist and the fuses continue to get blown, then the problem could be coming from the trailer that is causing the circuit to overload?

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[2020Telly]

@kiaklimber another thing to consider, the 40A circuit may have a marking that says "BAT" for the side that goes to the battery. On the ones with the copper colored post it's easy to identify because the copper color side goes to the battery. If there are no markings then it should not matter which side goes to the battery and which goes to the 12V hot on the 7-way.

Probably goes without saying, melted wires are never a good thing and you should not try to re-use any wires that have overheated as they have been compromised and you risk a fire in your engine.

 

[running dad]

No, and that's why I leave it off. I haven't found the smart lift gate to be wisely implemented - in fact more dangerous (potentially damaging vehicle) in indoor situations and parking garages. If the vehicle is always parked outside, then perhaps it could be useful.

It can even activate when just on side of vehicle near rear - not just when directly behind it.

Can you the smart liftgate “off” so it doesn’t open when parked in a garage for example and senses the garage door and thinks it’s a person…?

 

[jw_tx21]

Can you the smart liftgate “off” so it doesn’t open when parked in a garage for example and senses the garage door and thinks it’s a person…?

It's either "on" and will open when (1) locked and (2) a person with the key (perhaps in pocket) walks near rear of vehicle - on side or directly behind, or it's "off" and only opens with button or remote.

When on, it beeps rather quickly three times and then opens. The opening can be cancelled by pressing button on tailgate or remote - but if you're on the side of the vehicle and parked in a garage, it will be difficult to stop before it opens into your garage door.

Another time it opened in a parking garage and hit a cement beam in the parking garage.

Bottom line - for me, the smart liftgate wasn't smart enough and I disabled it. Can still open with pushbutton at rear of door above license plate, or with remote.

If you don't lock the vehicle in your garage, then you can leave it enabled, as it only works when the vehicle is locked.

 

[arattle]

Can you the smart liftgate “off” so it doesn’t open when parked in a garage for example and senses the garage door and thinks it’s a person…?

It only opens automatically if

1) you have the key in your pocket
2) you are directly behind the car or right next to the tail lights
3) the car is locked.

If you, like most people, don't lock your car in the garage, it won't open even if you walk by it with a key. It does not sense the garage door or any other object, it senses the key in a very small area behind the car, and if locked, and you remain behind for ~3 seconds, it will begin to open.

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[kiaklimber]

@kiaklimber another thing to consider, the 40A circuit may have a marking that says "BAT" for the side that goes to the battery. On the ones with the copper colored post it's easy to identify because the copper color side goes to the battery. If there are no markings then it should not matter which side goes to the battery and which goes to the 12V hot on the 7-way.

Probably goes without saying, melted wires are never a good thing and you should not try to re-use any wires that have overheated as they have been compromised and you risk a fire in your engine.

Thanks @2020Telly CW replaced the wiring without charge but advise me not to ever have shore power and the 7pin connected at the same time. They found this Kia warning (see pic attached) and think the surge has something to do with this? Now that they re-wired it, do you think I should have Kia check it out? Should I replace the wiring and circuit breakers or just follow their advice and hope for the best. Appreciate your advice and opinion. Thanks again!

 

[2020Telly]

Thanks @2020Telly CW replaced the wiring without charge but advise me not to ever have shore power and the 7pin connected at the same time. They found this Kia warning (see pic attached) and think the surge has something to do with this? Now that they re-wired it, do you think I should have Kia check it out? Should I replace the wiring and circuit breakers or just follow their advice and hope for the best. Appreciate your advice and opinion. Thanks again!

I don't think that warning is directly tied to your issue. I have the 4-pin harness for the 2020 and have the same warning but that's for draw on the box for the harness because if you get the aftermarket Curt 4-pin harness for the Telluride the max Amp rating is 7.5. The overload that resulted in melted wires was for the circuit that goes to the battery for the wires that exists on the 7-pin connector but not on the 4-pin. I believe the tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals draw power from those light circuits when they have power. The 12V hot lead is what burned up for you and that is connected to the battery. Reference post #184 above. In the diagram that box with the Max Current Draw warning of 5.5A is for the brown wire, and 4.2A per yellow and green wire. The overload that resulting in melting was the black 12V hot lead wire in that diagram.

So I don't think this has anything to do with the Telluride. I think your trailer's 110/120V shore power is somehow connected to the 12V circuitry that it gets from the hitch connection. Maybe the assumption is that when you connect to shore power you are disconnected from the hitch so it's not a likely scenario to be connected to both?

 

[surfecho]

Thanks for all the great information on this thread everyone. Installed a factory hitch today without a harness. Going to get a 7 pin harness tmrw from the dealer and get that knocked out next. Love the look of the stock hitch but wish the hitch cover had the new KIA logo on it. Also I bought a hanger tool on Amazon for $15. Made removing the hangers easy. Removed three hangers instead of only 2 and used my floor jack to raise and lower the muffler as needed. Here's a pic!

 

[PittPa]

I'm glad the hanger tool helped but it wasn't needed in my opinion. Nevertheless the oe hitch is the way to go. You might want to check a 3rd party harness if they are available. I saved tons on a Curt harness for my 2020 4 pin.

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[zachr4x4]

Is anyone able to find oem hitch? I’m not able to find any. Anyone here used curt 13420? Let me know

 

[asgalang]

Is anyone able to find oem hitch? I’m not able to find any. Anyone here used curt 13420? Let me know

I installed the curt hitch on my LX.



Haven't towed anything, yet. Just used for bikes so far.

 

[Ellenj]

I have the towing package on my '22 SX and I want to get a cargo carrier with a ramp. Has anyone purchased one and if so, any tips/advice/suggestions?

 

[RockOut]

I installed the Curt hitch on my 2021 using the instructions here with no issues. Thanks for this. I’m not understanding the comments about pre-wiring 12-pin though. I got confused and bought the Curt 57674 and promptly returned it to Amazon.

What do I buy to get a 4 pin trailer adapter on a 2021 without the tow package?

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[2020Telly]

I installed the Curt hitch on my 2021 using the instructions here with no issues. Thanks for this. I’m not understanding the comments about pre-wiring 12-pin though. I got confused and bought the Curt 57674 and promptly returned it to Amazon.

What do I buy to get a 4 pin trailer adapter on a 2021 without the tow package?

If all you need is a 4-pin flat trailer wiring connection then you have three options on any Telluride 2020-2022
Tekonsha #118784
Curt #56420
Kia OEM # S9F67 AC001 ( replaced # S9F67 AC000 )

The 12-pin adapter/connector reference is the orange part of the harness that gets connected to the vehicle's harness. Every Telluride has this wired to the back tucked underneath the car behind the left rear wheel even if you didn't get the tow option (or tow package). The 2020 has the 12-pin with fewer wires to support 4-pin flat (some spots are empty). The 2021-2022 will support either a 4-pin or a 7-pin, because it has more wires connected in that 12-pin orange connector for 7-pin at the trailer connection. The extra wires on the 2021-2022 are what gives power to the brake controller and feeds wires back into the cabin for a wired brake controller. But, if you are only interested in 4-pin and don't need an electronic brake controller, then you can just connect a 4-pin harness.

The Tekonsha and Curt are both half the price of the Kia. They are also rated for 5.0 Amps for Turn and Brake Circuits and 7.5 Amps for Tail Lights.

I don't know the specs on the Kia S9F67 AC001 since that's newer, but the older S9F67 AC000 might have only been 5.0 Amps for Tail Lights based on the instructions on the one I bought and reports on this forum. It's possible Kia realized the error for trailers with a lot of lights and came out with a higher amperage model. Either way, they can't justify the price being 2x or 3x the Curt and Tekonsha aftermarket plug-n-play options. It will not void your warranty by plugging one of these into the vehicle harness. And if they go bad you can replace it 2 times and still end up less than buying the Kia part.

You may also want to consider a 4-pin bracket (Curt 58300). But since you have a 4-pin you can also hide and tiewrap it out of sight when not in use.

 

[RockOut]

If all you need is a 4-pin flat trailer wiring connection then you have three options on any Telluride 2020-2022
Tekonsha #118784
Curt #56420
Kia OEM # S9F67 AC001 ( replaced # S9F67 AC000 )

The 12-pin adapter/connector reference is the orange part of the harness that gets connected to the vehicle's harness. Every Telluride has this wired to the back tucked underneath the car behind the left rear wheel even if you didn't get the tow option (or tow package). The 2020 has the 12-pin with fewer wires to support 4-pin flat (some spots are empty). The 2021-2022 will support either a 4-pin or a 7-pin, because it has more wires connected in that 12-pin orange connector for 7-pin at the trailer connection. The extra wires on the 2021-2022 are what gives power to the brake controller and feeds wires back into the cabin for a wired brake controller. But, if you are only interested in 4-pin and don't need an electronic brake controller, then you can just connect a 4-pin harness.

The Tekonsha and Curt are both half the price of the Kia. They are also rated for 5.0 Amps for Turn and Brake Circuits and 7.5 Amps for Tail Lights.

I don't know the specs on the Kia S9F67 AC001 since that's newer, but the older S9F67 AC000 might have only been 5.0 Amps for Tail Lights based on the instructions on the one I bought and reports on this forum. It's possible Kia realized the error for trailers with a lot of lights and came out with a higher amperage model. Either way, they can't justify the price being 2x or 3x the Curt and Tekonsha aftermarket plug-n-play options. It will not void your warranty by plugging one of these into the vehicle harness. And if they go bad you can replace it 2 times and still end up less than buying the Kia part.

You may also want to consider a 4-pin bracket (Curt 58300). But since you have a 4-pin you can also hide and tiewrap it out of sight when not in use.

Excellent, thank you!!

 

[Elchu1990]

This weekend I installed Kia's telluride tow hitch on my S. Attached are the instructions they provided. I wouldn't call myself a grease monkey, the extent of my expertise stops generally after oil changes and tire rotations and other minor activities, but this was still fairly easy. It took me about 2 hours taking my time.

I wasn't looking to tow anything of consequence so I didn't get any of the connecting wire parts. I only plan on putting a bike rack on there.

Basically you take the spare off.
Remove the current bumper cover.
Take a couple of the exhaust hangers off.
Put the tow hitch in position
Put the bolts in
Put in the new bumper cover part (another part required to purchase)
Put spare in.
Good to go.

I purchased from a local kia dealer. The parts guy there was great. I called months ago and he told me he would hold the parts for me and call me as soon as he got them in. He did indeed. Paid a little more than some of the stores online, but he called me right away - last wednesday, picked it up on thursday, and installed on Friday. Shoutout to Chris in parts at Kia of Sussex.

I know a couple people having been asking for the full instructions and wondering if it was worth a quoted $900 or so. I would say if you are a little handsy and want to take your time, I would go for it and cut that cost down in half.

Is the 4 pin oem

 

[HatfieldWoolsey]

This weekend I installed Kia's telluride tow hitch on my S. Attached are the instructions they provided. I wouldn't call myself a grease monkey, the extent of my expertise stops generally after oil changes and tire rotations and other minor activities, but this was still fairly easy. It took me about 2 hours taking my time.

I wasn't looking to tow anything of consequence so I didn't get any of the connecting wire parts. I only plan on putting a bike rack on there.

Basically you take the spare off.
Remove the current bumper cover.
Take a couple of the exhaust hangers off.
Put the tow hitch in position
Put the bolts in
Put in the new bumper cover part (another part required to purchase)
Put spare in.
Good to go.

I purchased from a local kia dealer. The parts guy there was great. I called months ago and he told me he would hold the parts for me and call me as soon as he got them in. He did indeed. Paid a little more than some of the stores online, but he called me right away - last wednesday, picked it up on thursday, and installed on Friday. Shoutout to Chris in parts at Kia of Sussex.

I know a couple people having been asking for the full instructions and wondering if it was worth a quoted $900 or so. I would say if you are a little handsy and want to take your time, I would go for it and cut that cost down in half.

This weekend I installed Kia's telluride tow hitch on my S. Attached are the instructions they provided. I wouldn't call myself a grease monkey, the extent of my expertise stops generally after oil changes and tire rotations and other minor activities, but this was still fairly easy. It took me about 2 hours taking my time.

I wasn't looking to tow anything of consequence so I didn't get any of the connecting wire parts. I only plan on putting a bike rack on there.

Basically you take the spare off.
Remove the current bumper cover.
Take a couple of the exhaust hangers off.
Put the tow hitch in position
Put the bolts in
Put in the new bumper cover part (another part required to purchase)
Put spare in.
Good to go.

I purchased from a local kia dealer. The parts guy there was great. I called months ago and he told me he would hold the parts for me and call me as soon as he got them in. He did indeed. Paid a little more than some of the stores online, but he called me right away - last wednesday, picked it up on thursday, and installed on Friday. Shoutout to Chris in parts at Kia of Sussex.

I know a couple people having been asking for the full instructions and wondering if it was worth a quoted $900 or so. I would say if you are a little handsy and want to take your time, I would go for it and cut that cost down in half.

Did you cable up the wiring too? I put an aftermarket receiver on myself but didn't do the wiring which i kind of regret b/c I needed it to tow a trailer a couple times. I looked up adding the wiring harness but it seemed pretty detailed and running wiring from engine compartment to back.