2023 Telluride Trailer Hitch Receiver availability

[LarryJordan]

It's 100% designed and ready for production. I can guarantee that. The question is if it is weeks or months away with the recall.

I believe I just found info that indicates Kia will not be releasing that 2023 Telluride hitch anytime soon. Consumer Reports says Kia has had another huge hitch-related recall since the one done for the Telluride in August. The recall is for 70,000 Sorento and Sportage SUVs. The issue is the same…fire in the electrical plug/harness.

I believe I am seeing a 3rd party hitch in my near future. Draw-Tite is now showing one available on eTrailer.

 

[Tiger65]

I believe I just found info that indicates Kia will not be releasing that 2023 Telluride hitch anytime soon. Consumer Reports says Kia has had another huge hitch-related recall since the one done for the Telluride in August. The recall is for 70,000 Sorento and Sportage SUVs. The issue is the same…fire in the electrical plug/harness.

I believe I am seeing a 3rd party hitch in my near future. Draw-Tite is now showing one available on eTrailer.

I just got a Curt hitch installed at U-Haul on my 23 SXP that came with a levelling kit (but no tow package due to the known issues). However they said there is no connector available for plugging in a tow wiring harness - wires would need to be spliced. And they will not do that...

Kia said it would be $300+ ... When the factory harnesses became available.

Etrailer was showing wiring harnesses were not available. I am not super handy with wiring, any suggestions?

 

[LarryJordan]

I just got a Curt hitch installed at U-Haul on my 23 SXP that came with a levelling kit (but no tow package due to the known issues). However they said there is no connector available for plugging in a tow wiring harness - wires would need to be spliced. And they will not do that...

Kia said it would be $300+ ... When the factory harnesses became available.

Etrailer was showing wiring harnesses were not available. I am not super handy with wiring, any suggestions?

That is good to know.

I checked further re the Draw-Tite hitch and found that several hitch companies are now saying part number 76420 fits the 2023 Tellurides. However, Draw-Tite has not actually made them yet. The company quoted an ETA of May 2023 to one local hitch installer. I will call U-Haul next as you suggest. They live and die on trailer hitches. They would be more likely to get one that fits before anyone else gets them.

 

[Tiger65]

That is good to know.

I checked further re the Draw-Tite hitch and found that several hitch companies are now saying part number 76420 fits the 2023 Tellurides. However, Draw-Tite has not actually made them yet. The company quoted an ETA of May 2023 to one local hitch installer. I will call U-Haul next as you suggest. They live and die on trailer hitches. They would be more likely to get one that fits before anyone else gets them.

Yes they had them in stock readily available. Got next day installation.


Just no idea on the harness situation

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[LarryJordan]

Yes they had them in stock readily available. Got next day installation.


Just no idea on the harness situation

I found a U-Haul hitch center not far from me that has the Draw-Tite 76420 (U-Haul part CQT76420) in stock. I have an appointment for installation on 12/2 at $310.25 parts and labor. They will not install a wiring harness because they say it could invalidate my warranty because of the wiring splices required. When an OEM harness comes available, they can install one without warranty impact.

 

[PittPa]

I rent from uhaul routinely. Are they same people you have installing your hitch the ones you work with at the counter? The last time I was there, I picked a trailer up earlier than the reservation and the tried to bill me for an entire day for the one hour. I wouldn't trust them for anything. The installation of the hitch is easy thank goodness.

 

[LarryJordan]

I rent from uhaul routinely. Are they same people you have installing your hitch the ones you work with at the counter? The last time I was there, I picked a trailer up earlier than the reservation and the tried to bill me for an entire day for the one hour. I wouldn't trust them for anything. The installation of the hitch is easy thank goodness.

The U-Haul place I am taking the Telluride to is a U-Haul Trailer Hitch Super Center that services a huge area north of Orlando, FL. They install a lot of hitches. I have never done business with them before, but I liked what the guy on the phone had to say. He said the installation only takes 30 minutes because there is no wiring involved. Unfortunately, there are no posted reviews for that U-Haul center. I am hoping for the best, and that is the only alternative that I have found.

 

[Tiger65]

U-Haul is the largest installer of hitches in the country. It's all about having number of installs so I think that Orlando center will be a safe bet.

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[LarryJordan]

U-Haul is the largest installer of hitches in the country. It's all about having number of installs so I think that Orlando center will be a safe bet.

I doubled checked with the U-Haul guys and they tell me I should be OK towing my fishing boat without trailer lights. The state of Florida does not require brake/turn lights on a towed trailer if the drivers behind can see your tow vehicle brake/turn lights. As you can see in the attached photo, my boat is a really low profile flats polling skiff and I have not been stopped for bad brake lights while towing it for 15 years…and my brake lights do not work half of the time.

 

[bgepner]

I just got a Curt hitch installed at U-Haul on my 23 SXP that came with a levelling kit (but no tow package due to the known issues). However they said there is no connector available for plugging in a tow wiring harness - wires would need to be spliced. And they will not do that...

Kia said it would be $300+ ... When the factory harnesses became available.

Etrailer was showing wiring harnesses were not available. I am not super handy with wiring, any suggestions?

So the Curt Part#13420 fit the 2023 Telluride?

 

[Tiger65]

So the Curt Part#13420 fit the 2023 Telluride?

Well upon closer inspection is was a drawtite. U-Haul put a "C" in front so I incorrectly assumed Curt.

Drawtite 76420

 

[LarryJordan]

Well upon closer inspection is was a drawtite. U-Haul put a "C" in front so I incorrectly assumed Curt.

Drawtite 76420

Did the installation require the 1/2” x 5” cut/removal of facia shown on the installation guide for that hitch on a Telluride?

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[Tiger65]

Did the installation require the 1/2” x 5” cut/removal of facia shown on the installation guide for that hitch on a Telluride?

Yes it did, and they did a great job with it

 

[Seated_Heats]

I am trying to be empathetic with Kia, but it just is not working.

The salesman's first offer on the SX X-line was $15,000 over MSRP plus $1,200 to install an OEM hitch & harness the following week. I got up and left the table more than once until he reached a reasonable price...that still included the hitch. The guy clearly understood that I had to have a hitch in order to tow my boat to the Gulf of Mexico every two weeks. He now refers to the lack of a hitch for my SX X-line as "my inconvenience."

My inconvenience means I have to rent or buy a vehicle to tow my boat or ask my friend with a truck to go with me every two weeks until Kia gets around to proving hitch kits...5 to 6 months if the rumors are correct. From what hitch sellers are telling me, they will not have 3rd party hitches either until Kia releases theirs.

I don't see a silver lining anywhere in all of this.

Blaming Kia for dealer markups isn't really fair. Kia isn't saying "XYZ dealership, if you want to sell a Telluride, then you need to mark it up $15k". That's a crappy dealer, not Kia.

 

[LarryJordan]

Yes it did, and they did a great job with it

U-Haul did a great job installing the Draw-Tite hitch. My multi-ball insert works perfectly…protecting my bumper cover from trailer tongue dings as a side benefit. I am really happy with these results. The installer says he can install a wiring harness when one comes available, but it will not be simple. Kia did not provide a harness plug point under the vehicle. It may be hidden in the driver-side taillight housing.

 

[bgepner]

Hey,
I am happy to report that etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver - Item # e45ZR fits the 2023 Kia Telluride SX - X Line.
I have just finished installing mine. It all fits very well. Same as 2020-2022 models.
The only thing you have to be careful with is the plastic bumper cover. It seems that the cover is of different size for 2023 (maybe only for X-lines), so if you go just by trimming instructions from the manual you will cut the hole off to the side and not in the center. However, this is easy to spot.

etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver seems like a good alternative if you can not find a Draw-Tite (I think etrailer is sold out) or you prefer something that sits a bit higher.

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[jpkia]

Hey,
I am happy to report that etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver - Item # e45ZR fits the 2023 Kia Telluride SX - X Line.
I have just finished installing mine. It all fits very well. Same as 2020-2022 models.
The only thing you have to be careful with is the plastic bumper cover. It seems that the cover is of different size for 2023 (maybe only for X-lines), so if you go just by trimming instructions from the manual you will cut the hole off to the side and not in the center. However, this is easy to spot.

etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver seems like a good alternative if you can not find a Draw-Tite (I think etrailer is sold out) or you prefer something that sits a bit higher.

Photos?

 

[bgepner]

Photos?

Attached

 

[tyger23]

Anyone reading this thread might also wish to reference this one:

The 2023 Telluride Towing Saga - Adding some data and pictures, and it's not great news

Hi all! Former 2022 and and now new 2023 SX-P owner here! I wanted to add some hard data to the 2023 Towing Hitch saga. I only know this because my 2022 was totaled by an F150 about 2 weeks ago, and I managed to jump on a 2023 SX-P X-Pro. Here's what I can add for you: 1. It appears by all...

tellurideforum.org

Basically - the 2022 tow bars will fit, but there's no good solution for wiring until Kia releases one.

 

[LarryJordan]

Attached

The eTrailer hitch does appear to be about 1 inch higher off the ground than the Draw-Tite 76420 hitch. That would be better for off-road treks. For small boat towing with good launch ramps (ramps not too steep at the top), the Draw-Tite should work fine.

Now we need to figure out what available electrical harness will also work. I am betting there is one on the market right now. It may be next summer before Kia releases the OEM model…way too long for me. Maybe we can find someone who has the installation instructions for the OEM harness; I am fairly certain Kia finished it before the hitch recall halted the production work.

BTW, there is a good discussion about this in the Exterior section of this blog site under the post title:

The 2023 Telluride Towing Saga​