[ChloeB]

Hey Everyone! Longtime visitor but new to being a member. I am taking delivery of my new Subaru Ascent next month and the dealer told me the bike rack hitch is backordered for months. Where the heck can you get a hitch? We don’t want to miss the summer. :crying:

 

[cjkenton]

Where are you located?

Try these guys...One of the largest dealers in the nation...I have no idea how/if that pertains to items they stock

https://parts.bestbuysubaru.com/accessories/Subaru__Ascent/Lifestyle.html

 

[FoRealz]

Hey Everyone! Longtime visitor but new to being a member. I am taking delivery of my new Subaru Ascent next month and the dealer told me the bike rack hitch is backordered for months. Where the heck can you get a hitch? We don’t want to miss the summer. :crying:

Are you referring to the hitch part itself or the bike rack?

 

[pilot1226]

I'd highly recommend the Thule Vertex 5 bike rack if that's what you're looking for. They're available at many, many locations - like outdoor or camping stores, etc.

 

[leky411]

Hey Everyone! Longtime visitor but new to being a member. I am taking delivery of my new Subaru Ascent next month and the dealer told me the bike rack hitch is backordered for months. Where the heck can you get a hitch? We don’t want to miss the summer. :crying:

You you mean a hitch mounted bike rack? or the actual hitch? There are many hitch racks. I love the Thule XT Pro's. You just need the 2inch one. The rack will probably be cheaper than at the dealer. I bought mine when Amazon had a sale for $125 under retail.

 

[jakenorton]

From what I just learned yesterday, there's apparently a recall on the hitches. I got a Limited last week, and made a deal with the salesman that I would get a hitch installed today. Got a call at 5pm yesterday telling me all hitches were recalled, and also a request for VIN's of vehicles that went out with hitches installed.

The parts manager went on to tell me he has no idea when new ones will come in. Frustrating to say the least, and no 3rd party is making them yet as far as I can tell.

Anyone else heard of this recall?

 

[lkram]

Ours has a factory hitch and no recall as of this morning in my account

 

[leky411]

I did notice that the hitch package has two part numbers now. L101SXC000 and L101SXC001 with a July version.

I had the hitched added on after the fact at the dealer 2 weeks ago. It was their first install on an Ascent. They did forget to put one of the pop in plastic rivets back on the bumper causing the passenger side of the bumper to rock back and forth.

Hopefully when I added the hitch they added it to the VIN. If anyone gets their hitched recalled let us know.

 

[Cfargione]

I called my dealer last week to ask about modifying our order to add the hitch. He told me that he didn't think we could modify the order but we could have it installed when it comes into the dealer. He did tell me that the hitch was backordered, but he didn't say anything about a recall. He said hopefully by the time our Ascent comes in (September ETA) they'll have some in stock. I guess we'll see what happens...

 

[ChloeB]

Hey Everyone - so sorry for the delay in reply but thank you for all the wonderful tips on bike racks! I actually meant the hitch portion that installs to the rear of the vehicle in order to use a bike rack.

@jakenorton - I’m super concerned that your factory hitch is being recalled. Did they say exactly what for? Has anyone else dealt with this yet or heard more news?*

I did see that there’s another hitch available now from Torklift - I’m going to check it out too. https://torkliftcentral.com/rving-and-towing/ecohitch/subaru/x7381

 

[Trey T]

Hey Everyone - so sorry for the delay in reply but thank you for all the wonderful tips on bike racks! I actually meant the hitch portion that installs to the rear of the vehicle in order to use a bike rack.

@jakenorton - I’m super concerned that your factory hitch is being recalled. Did they say exactly what for? Has anyone else dealt with this yet or heard more news?*

I did see that there’s another hitch available now from Torklift - I’m going to check it out too. https://torkliftcentral.com/rving-and-towing/ecohitch/subaru/x7381

The actual product is about $50 cheaper than OEM (MSRP), but it appears that it doesn't come w/ wiring harness though.

 

[MAGNUMB]

I did notice that the hitch package has two part numbers now. L101SXC000 and L101SXC001 with a July version.

I had the hitched added on after the fact at the dealer 2 weeks ago. It was their first install on an Ascent. They did forget to put one of the pop in plastic rivets back on the bumper causing the passenger side of the bumper to rock back and forth.

Hopefully when I added the hitch they added it to the VIN. If anyone gets their hitched recalled let us know.

There is now a 3rd variant ending in L101SXC002

 

[xydadx3]

I did notice that the hitch package has two part numbers now. L101SXC000 and L101SXC001 with a July version.

I had the hitched added on after the fact at the dealer 2 weeks ago. It was their first install on an Ascent. They did forget to put one of the pop in plastic rivets back on the bumper causing the passenger side of the bumper to rock back and forth.

Hopefully when I added the hitch they added it to the VIN. If anyone gets their hitched recalled let us know.

mind if i ask how much that hitch install cost? i got a quote from the dealer yesterday and i'm going to have to start saving $ i think

 

[leky411]

mind if i ask how much that hitch install cost? i got a quote from the dealer yesterday and i'm going to have to start saving $ i think

At the dealer I bought mine at the cost for parts and labor was $899.

I told them I would buy the car on the spot if they covered the labor on the hitch and I would pay the $499 for the hitch which was the cost to add it when built.

If you want to save some money. Buy the hitch online for $350-360 and have the dealer install it. I believe that the hitch install is roughly 3 labor hours.

The other option is to install it yourself. The install doesn't look complicated, but there are lots of pop tabs to remove and you have to disconnect the rear parking sensors.

Having the dealer do it also puts the liability on them which is a nice bonus if the part fails or wasn't installed correctly.

 

[xydadx3]

At the dealer I bought mine at the cost for parts and labor was $899.

I told them I would buy the car on the spot if they covered the labor on the hitch and I would pay the $499 for the hitch which was the cost to add it when built.

If you want to save some money. Buy the hitch online for $350-360 and have the dealer install it. I believe that the hitch install is roughly 3 labor hours.

The other option is to install it yourself. The install doesn't look complicated, but there are lots of pop tabs to remove and you have to disconnect the rear parking sensors.

Having the dealer do it also puts the liability on them which is a nice bonus if the part fails or wasn't installed correctly.

I completely agree with having the dealer installing it! And your price is pretty consistent with their quote which was basically purchase the kit and they'll install it for $300. Thanks for the input

 

[Subiesailor]

I have installed several hitches over the yrs. the Ascent hitch is actually pretty easy an experienced tech would take about 20 minutes to install it. The legacy/outback is actually far more involved took me an hour on both. By far the most complicated cars I’ve installed hitches on.

The Ascent even a driveway dad mechanic like me would be 30-40 minutes to install.

A dealer wanting over $800 to install must bd paying for two kids at Havard Law School.

My mom was Quoted $980 by her dealer for her Legacy by the way. The hitch was $132 and took me an hour.

 

[Nemesis099]

The Ascent I bought didn't have the hitch so I had the dealer order one and add it to the price of the vehicle. They originally said it would be a couple of weeks (purchased June 28th) then when I wrote them a week later they said they are on back order and they aren't sure when it would be in.

I talked to them this past Friday (8/17) and they said they had been recalled and that the delivery date for the hitch is October 1st due to so many orders needing to be filled.

So I'm going to miss biking this year.

 

[leky411]

I have installed several hitches over the yrs. the Ascent hitch is actually pretty easy an experienced tech would take about 20 minutes to install it. The legacy/outback is actually far more involved took me an hour on both. By far the most complicated cars I’ve installed hitches on.

The Ascent even a driveway dad mechanic like me would be 30-40 minutes to install.

A dealer wanting over $800 to install must bd paying for two kids at Havard Law School.

My mom was Quoted $980 by her dealer for her Legacy by the way. The hitch was $132 and took me an hour.

$899 includes the cost of the hitch. The build cost is $499 and it is done in port. You can find the hitch online for $360. This includes the wire harness and the 4pin and 7pin wiring harness. Labor cost on the hitch is $300 which is probably 2-ish labor hours on the book. The wiring harness is worth the money in itself if you plan on towing a trailer with a brakes since it integrates into the trailer brake controller plug underneath the dash. Nothing to splice, nice and clean install.

There are a number of pop tabs that need to be removed, along with the entire bumper valance, and the bumper cross member. Most of the effort is in that. If the hitch was an add-on item I would have no issue doing it in my garage, but because it replaced the cross member, I am okay spending the extra money and placing the liability on Subaru to get it done.

 

[leky411]

The Ascent I bought didn't have the hitch so I had the dealer order one and add it to the price of the vehicle. They originally said it would be a couple of weeks (purchased June 28th) then when I wrote them a week later they said they are on back order and they aren't sure when it would be in.

I talked to them this past Friday (8/17) and they said they had been recalled and that the delivery date for the hitch is October 1st due to so many orders needing to be filled.

So I'm going to miss biking this year.

I'm still trying to figure out what is actually being recalled. I asked Subaru Corp and they said that the already installed hitches are not being recalled/ there is nothing wrong with them. My guess is they are changing installation instructions and adding additional items to the "kits". So when a dealer says "recall" they are just having them send the kits back and they are updating them.

 

[JohnV11]

Is the Ascent's trailer hitch a class 2 or class 3?