[dugg914]

Has anyone actually managed to obtain a hitch for the Carnival? I ordered one almost a month ago and nothing has shown up. First the Curt Mfg site stated they had it, then they said it was out of stock, and tonight the website states "In Stock".

 

[CarnivalMike]

Keep me posted on this if you don't mind.

 

[dugg914]

Should the hitch ever actually arrive, I will post photos.

 

[sdj]

My hitch from Kia Stuff arrived. I installed it today. A little difficult- had to trim a piece of underside and lower the exhaust hanger temporarily.

 

[dugg914]

Thanks much for the photos. Was the hitch made by Curt, or a different company?

 

[sdj]

Thanks much for the photos. Was the hitch made by Curt, or a different company?

OEM Kia hitch-really expensive but it was the only one available - we are leaving for the summer next week. The etrailer.com one is a better deal but not available until July.

 

[dugg914]

Thanks! Well worth the money. Enjoy your summer!

 

[jki540]

Thank you for posting these photos. I am interested in the Carnival and plan to attach a hitch as well. What are your thoughts on the clearance after the hitch is attached? I'm worried that it will ride low and scrape when going down steep curbs. We have this problem on our 2006 Toyota Sienna, and I'm curious as to whether the Carnival will be any better. We just use the hitch to attach a bike rack and it "bottoms out" often while we are driving.

We also have a Toyota Highlander. The hitch for that is "integrated" into the bumper, so it sits higher. Does Kia have that option, or will the hitch be placed under the bumper?

Thx!!

 

[Leshemdoc]

Thank you for posting these photos. I am interested in the Carnival and plan to attach a hitch as well. What are your thoughts on the clearance after the hitch is attached? I'm worried that it will ride low and scrape when going down steep curbs. We have this problem on our 2006 Toyota Sienna, and I'm curious as to whether the Carnival will be any better. We just use the hitch to attach a bike rack and it "bottoms out" often while we are driving.

We also have a Toyota Highlander. The hitch for that is "integrated" into the bumper, so it sits higher. Does Kia have that option, or will the hitch be placed under the bumper?

Thx!!

Checkout SDJ's post on his hitch installation with more pics under Carnival drawbacks - his hitch clearance came out to over 9 inches and only and inch lower than my concealed bumper level hitch on the Honda Odyssey - the carnival is higher than both the Sienna and the Odyssey to begin with...

That said not sure if it leaves enough clearance. I saw a picture of a hitch from Australia that looks integrated - I might wait to see if the are other options than the current OEM

 

[sdj]

ordered this hitch riser for the bike rack! Hopefully I will have fewer problems going into a parking lot now! https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B081S3R929/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[babysteph13]

My hitch from Kia Stuff arrived. I installed it today. A little difficult- had to trim a piece of underside and lower the exhaust hanger temporarily. View attachment 306 View attachment 305 View attachment 304 View attachment 307 View attachment 304 View attachment 305 View attachment 306 View attachment 307 View attachment 304 View attachment 305 View attachment 307

What did you mean by trim the underside? I don't have any experience installing one but would like one only for bumper protection purposes (installing a Bumpstep from Weathertech). What tools did you use?

 

[sdj]

What did you mean by trim the underside? I don't have any experience installing one but would like one only for bumper protection purposes (installing a Bumpstep from Weathertech). What tools did you use?

There is a piece of plastic trim on the underside that needs to be cut. I used a little dremel tool, but any little saw would work. The hitch is heavy so its a two person job- and you need a good socket set.

 

[babysteph13]

There is a piece of plastic trim on the underside that needs to be cut. I used a little dremel tool, but any little saw would work. The hitch is heavy so its a two person job- and you need a good socket set.

Ok maybe I should have a pro do it then lol! Thanks!

 

[bmn78]

Hi, it seems VERY low, what is the ground clearance, lowest point of the hitch to the ground, with/without load? And, after you have some mileage experience with the hitch - would you say it touches the ground while parking on some non-even parking lots? I'm not planning off-road, just some typical city roads/parking. Thank you!

 

[Leshemdoc]

Hi, it seems VERY low, what is the ground clearance, lowest point of the hitch to the ground, with/without load? And, after you have some mileage experience with the hitch - would you say it touches the ground while parking on some non-even parking lots? I'm not planning off-road, just some typical city roads/parking. Thank you!

I asked the local dealership to measure the clearance of the OEM when they installed it on someones car. It measured at 7 inches without load which is very low.
My old Odyssey had an integrated to the bumper hitch with over 10 inches of clearance...

 

[cgmojoco]

I have the factory-installed hitch.
My hitch scrapes every time I come out of my perfectly normal average driveway grade.
If I have passengers in the 3rd row, I have to make them get out before I go into my own driveway.
I am scared to drive anywhere with it and may ask that they remove it.
It should be a recall. I can see where this could cause an accident in certain perfectly normal situations where the drivers gets distracted or hung up by the scraping hitch...i.e.