Watch This Before Installing a Hitch on Your 2023 Kia Sportage
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 4 ก.ค. 2024
- Hitch:
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Wiring Harness:
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Kia Sportage Parts/Accessories I use:
Cabin Air Filter - amzn.to/3FB1Bqa
Engine Air Filter - amzn.to/3QzZzNx
Oil Filter Kit - amzn.to/41P0ZqL
Oil - amzn.to/3IWBf34
Hitch - amzn.to/3mvCnmX
Wiring Harness - amzn.to/3msX2YK
Trailer Connector - amzn.to/3IPCwct
Hitch Tightener - amzn.to/3Mfpfwj
Wheel locks - amzn.to/46Zwdxy
Dual hitch for trailer and accessory - amzn.to/46N2doO
Rear cargo mat - amzn.to/3Moqwl0
Floor mats - amzn.to/3pwrOkW
Power Inverter - amzn.to/49eolds
As of now (Summer 2022), there aren't any plug and play wiring harnesses so you will be using a universal kit and splicing wires from your brake light and then running a cable under the car to the battery in the engine bay.
#kiasportage #sportagehybrid #hitch #diy #hitchinstall - กีฬา
Check out my wiring harness install overview here: th-cam.com/video/w-uFKG6uvS0/w-d-xo.html
I read the comments through the website I bought the hitch from and none of that plastic has to come off. I put in the lower bolts and then used my floor jack on the reciever to ever so slightly bend that rear plastic and it slid right into spot. Saves a lot of time
Yeah I figured you could use a floor jack. Good to know! Mine was upstairs at the time and didn't feel like lugging it down.
Thanks for the great video RivermanTV and thank you Greg for this response. We got the dealer to throw in the hitch and had it installed today (via U-Haul). I relayed this information to the installer and lo and behold he said he didn't need to take the plastic off! Nice!
However, I don't know if it's just my paranoia but the hitch seems just slightly pointing lower, not quite parallel to the ground. Does that make sense and can you confirm the same? I'm sure that if the holes matched up it has to be on there correct, right? With the curvature of the bumper it might be throwing me off. Thanks in advance to you both!
When you say none of the plastic needs to come off are you taking about the cut outs he made in the plastic pieces or are you somehow installing w/o removing the plastic pieces? both?
@@RivermanTV-lol, did feel like getting the jack but didn't mind removing the piece , cutting it... installing.. .
@@henrycruz45cal 3 flights of stairs with a 5 ton jack, nah no thanks.
What did you do with the wiring.
Thanks for the video
Just picked one of these myself. Thanks for the video. Good to see it’s an essay process.
Happy to help. I plan to make a video going over the wire harness process soon even though I've already installed mine.
Very helpful video!!! Thanks!!
Great videos. Easy to understand. Thanks for the tips on everything too.
My pleasure. Glad they're helpful.
And done! Thanks for the video!
Thanks to your great video and tip I installed a similar Curt hitch in 50 minutes. Hardest part was figuring out where to cut the plastic piece since my hitch is not exactly the same shape as yours
Glad it helped you out
Great tips!!! Thank you for showing us that it was a simple install instead of paying someone else to install it for you and may not do certain things (like putting back the plastic shield) that you need.
Was the wiring easy to do too?
Glad it was helpful. Both the hitch install and wiring harness install can be done in a reasonable amount of time. Definitely not worth paying anyone to do it.
Thanks much for the video. Definitely thinking of trading in my Carnival for this vehicle. Did you lose any angle of approach/departure or ground clearance with the hitch?
I haven't noticed any loss. I don't think I've scraped on anything yet in this vehicle.
Great video and tips man.
Are you also making an electrical video?
I was in a hurry to get the harness installed so I didn't do any video. There are a lot of videos out there for wiring a universal harness. It's basically the same process for every car that can use one.
Hey man! Thanks for making a video about this. So, I had a hitch installed at Kia and when I got home and attached my trailer, the lights were all wrong (marker lights were acting like turn signals, brake lights weren't working properly, etc.). So, I brought it back to Kia and I'm actually sitting here right now. Unfortunately they can't figure it out! I have an SX trim. Did you have to splice the wiring to make this work properly? I don't know that they did that. I don't know where else to turn... even the dealership can't figure it out.
It's very surprising that they couldn't figure that out. I'm 99% sure they didn't follow instructions for installing a universal kit. Specifically, they just assumed that the wires with specific functions (and colors) were the same as the wiring harness. This is not the case. Before splicing, one must determine the function of each color wire on the car by using a circuit tester when actually using each function (brake lights, running lights, turn signals). After determining the function of each wire on the car, you need to consult the instructions which clarify the function of each different wire on the harness. Then you make note of what color goes to what so that you splice the correct wires together. What the novices at dealership did is splice the incorrect wires together and now you're getting signals sent from the correct source that end up in the wrong destination wire which is activating the wrong function.
If they had read the directions for the harness, they would have known to include the step I mentioned.
Hello! I got the wiring harness by curt. It was supposed to fit my Kia 2023 sportage, but the connectors for the passenger side were too short. Did you have any problems with the tekonsha wiring harness?
The Tekonsha harness was also too short and I had to use extra wire + a connector to add enough length for it to reach the passenger side brake light assembly
Thank for responding. I think I am going to go a different route. The hitch would have been for a rack to transport a power chair for my mother. I believe I am going to get a ramp instead. That way the Hoveround will be protected out of the elements and secure inside the SUV. Plus I will have a ramp to get it in and out of homes without a ramp when visiting. Thank you again.
Would you tell me what is the height from the ground to the top of your hitch receiver on you 2023 Sportage? I need to find a hitch ball mount that levels my jet ski trailer when hitch to the Sportage. Thank you
The ground to the top of the receiver is about 14 and 3/4 inches
Thanks for sharing. The item which Amazon link you provide is Curt not Draw-Tite 76509. Could you confirm which hitch should I purchase?
The Draw Tite was not available as of posting so I shared the available equivalent in the Curt model. It is compatible with the 23 Sportage Hybrid.
Did you install the trailer wiring kit or did the dealer. I'm trying to find a good install video.
I did it myself using a universal kit but I think there are kits available now with the Kia sockets which makes the install very easy. You basically just have to take apart the tail light assembly and plug in the correct sockets. This one is probably what you want if you haven't already purchased the harness: www.etrailer.com/Custom-Fit-Vehicle-Wiring/Kia/Sportage/2023/TK32VR.html?VehicleID=202357982
Hello, thank you for the tip. What wiring harness did you use? Same as 2022 Hyundai Tucson?
I used a universal kit but I believe there are kits specifically for the Sportage now on etrailer.com that shouldn't require as much or any wire splicing.
@@RivermanTV- did you see a plug when hiu did it? I was watching a video from uhaul on tge 2022 tucson. Parts look same for hitch receiver. Thst's why I'm thinking wiring harness would be same also. I cannot find a harness specific to the 23 sportage.
@@nooraneemahamoodally6382 there are plugs in the taillight assembly and one a little further down in the wiring. When I looked for matching plugs, I couldn't find any that were a 100% match so I was afraid to try a harness for another model.
Could anyone tell me if this hitch fits a Hyundai Tuscan 2022 model ?
Hi. Bro. Nice video. Do you think it's possible to install the hitch without removing the rear panel. ? I mean forcing the hitch to place it?
Another commentor said that they used a car jack to apply pressure and get it on without removing the panel itself.
I’m picking up the same Hybrid Sportage next week (matte gray/red int). It comes with the tow hitch option and I don’t need it. I figure I’ll sell it to recoup maybe half of the $500 cost. How is it taking off or maybe I’ll ask the dealer to. Also, any mechanical or electrical issues? My PHEV Sportage has nothing but issues the past 3 months of ownership and now Kia is installing a new transmission. Thanks!
If it's attached using the threaded slots in the rear of the frame, it would be about a 15 min job. On my model, you don't even have to drop the muffler which saves a lot of time.
No issues of any kind at this point and I've got 14k miles on it.
I asked my local Kia dealership the cost to remove it, and they said $600 with 4 hours of labor!
I might have missed it somewhere but what trim level is your Sportage? Uhaul installed a hitch on my EX Hybrid but couldn't figure out how to install the wiring.
I have the LX trim. The process for the wiring harness is the same for both. I'm really surprised they said they couldn't figure it out. It requires a universal wiring harness that can be used on any number of makes and models. The process is a bit tedious at first but easy overall.
First you have to access the tail light wiring, figure out the function of each wire based on its color, splice said wire and match it to the correct color on the harness, and then you have to run one cable up to the battery and then another to the other tail light to make it a complete circuit. In order to access the tail light wires, you have to remove the tail lights on both sides of the car. You'll also need to remove some tape this is sealing all of the tail light wires so you can see their color.
@@RivermanTV- Thank you very much, that's the first answer I've gotten from anyone about this. I *think* their big hangup was accessing the battery itself. I'm pretty useless under a car so I wasn't much help, is getting to the battery actually that tricky? Thank you again for taking the time to answer our questions and make these videos, very much appreciate it
@@cz6968 no problem at all. Getting to the battery isn't tricky at all. You just need to make sure you feed the wires above/over the rear suspension parts. After that, there is a long plastic cover that runs along the driver side that can be opened on the driver side by taking out a few clips. Feeding the wire under that provides protection and there is nothing that will cause it problems along this route. Once you get close to the front, route the wire towards the driver side wheel well and over the suspension again. When you're down there, you will notice a path or two up to the engine bay where the battery is. The cord has plenty of length to reach the battery but I did have to add more wire in order to get signal/running light wire to the rear passenger side lights.
What that plastic does? U hall removed that part and told me that not necessary to be put it back. I’m just wondering if it will cost any issues for my car?
Thank you
The instructions say it can be removed but it doesn't have to be. It just keeps out the elements from the lower rear portion of the car.
Is the hitch specific to the Sportage, or are they a standard part? I've never owned an SUV/hitch capable vehicle until the Sportage.
It's somewhat standard in the sense that it also fits some other makes/models like Hyundais, but you still need to get one that is the right size for the frame. Sites like Etrailer.com are really great for finding all the accessories that fit a given vehicle.
The Hyundai 2022 Tucson hitch also fits the 2023 sportage.
Can you provide a link to the hitch you installed?
www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Hitch/Kia/Sportage/2023/DT22MR.html?VehicleID=20236009115
What size bolts are they and how many? Never received any.
17mm
I had an issue with one of the bottom threads not accepting the bolt straight no matter what. Couldn't install my mount. Might have to have it rethreaded
Did you try threading it in without the other bolts/mount in place? I remember that I had to loosen some of my other bolts so that I could align that last one properly and thread it in.
How did you get the plastic shroud off? we bought the hitch from kia and we are unable to get the plastic bolts off in order to remove the plastic cover from the bumper. Did you break them off or unscrew them. Everything else seems straightforward. Appreciate this video.
You mean the plastic piece on the passenger side right? If I remember correctly I used a flat head screw driver to press in towards the center and compress it so that the plastic could slide over the top. I managed not to break them but they were kind of awkward to work with.
I just pulled down with a little bit of forced and they pulled right off. On the first one I kind of reached up the side and pushed down from the top.
I am talking about the white ones further back. This was once I removed the black ones along the bumper.
Is a hitch with a 2” receiver available for this SUV?
A 2" is what I have installed here.
sweet Districts shirt!
Love em
Is it the same for a Sportage Pro X? Just gas, not hybred
I would assume it's the same but I'm not sure as I haven't seen the gas version underneath.
Is your Hybrid an LX trim? If you look up the specs on Kia's website, it says the factory hitch is only available for the SX-Prestige trim. I called my dealer and they said the EX and LX frames can't be bolted to, and adding an aftermarket hitch would void the warranty. This sounds bogus to me!
It is.
Definitely a bogus claim. There are threaded slots in the rear frame made specifically for mounting a hitch. They are the same that would be used to mount an OEM hitch so I'm not sure where they are getting that nonsense.
On the Kia website, I thought you could add a hitch to the lower trims too but it was like $700 or something ridiculous.
What did you do for lights??? Maybe another video????
I installed a universal wiring harness over the summer. I am considering doing a quick overview since it is already installed.
The Bolt inlet cutouts were not enough to allow clearance. Had to trim ~half inch + of the entire top of the plastic rear panel. Otherwise the metal hitch prevents the plastic panel from sliding in deeper. This was for a curt hitch # #13485
Thanks for sharing
Mine came with it already installed
Ours did not come with nuts and bolts. Can you tell us how many to buy and the size? Called the company and will take 3 to 4 days to get back with us!! We want to install it now!! Thanks in advance.
You'll need six total but there's no way for me to tell now that they are installed. The head size was 17 metric but that's all I know for sure.
What did you use for wiring?
www.etrailer.com/Trailer-Wiring/Kia/Sportage/2023/119190KIT.html?vehicleid=20236004704
@@RivermanTV- are there instructions anywhere on installing the wiring?
@@KidStartSpanish there are quite a few on TH-cam and a few on the etrailer website. Since it is a universal harness, the wiring is basically the same for each car. First you have to access the tail light wiring, figure out the function of each wire based on its color, splice said wire and match it to the correct color on the harness, and then you have to run one cable up to the battery and then another to the other tail light to make it a complete circuit.
u gana love the MPG
Already do!
Where did you buy it and how much?
www.ebay.com/itm/234586162410
$285 plus tax and it includes the wiring harness
@@RivermanTV- no longer available anywhere on eBay :(
I didn't need to remove any of those. I used a jack stand on one side and a hydraulic jack on the other. 20 minutes and the job was done.
Hi. Bro. So it's not necessary to remove any of the panels to install that hitch,? Any other tips ? Mine is fwd ex It's the same installation process?
How about the car’s warranty? Can it affected the warranty?
Adding a hitch doesn't affect the warranty
My dealer told me it will void warrenty if it's not oem or installed by dealer
No Mention of the Electrics?
Didn't have time to film a video on wiring before a trip. Plan on doing a brief overview once I get a day that's open and the temps aren't in the single digits.
It would be easier if you had eradicated the rear bumper. So it's written in the mounting instructions.
I disagree that it would be easier. Taking off two plastic panels is much quicker/easier than removing the bumper or muffler, even if doing so requires extra force or slight modification of the panel.
For the life of me I thought hitches were welded on a car; this seems pretty easy!
This is the easiest car I've ever done an install on. The wiring harness install takes a little more thought but it is easy as well.
Didn't need to remove anything on a 2023 Kia Sportage .
Good job! But I'd rather pay the extra $500 to have this factory installed when I buy the car.
If you're getting the X line trim, sure. But the two lower trims don't even have a hitch as an option. Even worse, the OEM hitch sold by Kia is more expensive than the other off brand makes and it is a 1.25" receiver (gross). Might as well do it yourself and get a real hitch.