I don't think EyeSight is being impacted by your hitch. The EyeSight warning is in white text which generally means the camera temporarily has no view, if you try driving for a bit it should go away, I get that exact warning sometimes when first turning on my car but it goes away as soon as I start driving. If the EyeSight text was in orange text that would indicate an electrical/mechanical failure of the system.

Definitely need to get the dealer to redo the hitch install though

 

My eyesight shuts down looking in to full sun, heavy rain, fog and snow. Basically any time its hard for a human to see. Leaves stuck to the top of windshield turn it off too.

Ya that hitch trim is a mess. Looks like they cut too much and the push pins have nothing to go into.

 

I highly recommend to be sure start an email of facts n subaru loyalty attitude for which you will notify SOA and inform them of this dealers failure and also to get comp'd in some sort of fashion for the hassle.

 

Yep, them screwing up the install is very common. Subaru had to replace the bumper on my 23 OBW a few months ago because the dealer made the same mistake of cutting the hole too big. They tried to still install the trim piece but you could tell, the lines were all off. I just calmly explained to the service manager that the installation was subpar for a new vehicle. It took them a few weeks to get a new bumper in and painted, then they put me in a loaner for the day while they made sure to get it right. I was worried about the paint matching but it looks perfect.

He said they lost $2K on that job. Hopefully they complain to Subaru enough and Subaru makes the installation easier on the next gen.

 

Uh, yeah. That's a terrible job that they just tried to patch with a trim piece. This is not the install as indicated in the installation instructions from Subaru. I'd definitely talk to the service manager.

I, too, have had experiences with my EyeSight throwing an error when I first start the car. Almost always because the windshield is foggy, dirty or has water on it. Has always cleared after running the wipers and before I travel more than about a 1/4 mile.

 

It actually is the included trim piece with the subaru hitch kit. The issue is the template that comes in the instructions is too large. I have a similar issue with mine (did it myself) although not nearly this bad. Good news is that since the OP had subaru install his, it should be under some sort of warranty and they should get this resolved.

I certainly agree with other comments already made.... this kit should never need to include cutting the factory bumper. Subaru should have made this a removable piece of the factory bumper

 

I think the bumper needs to be designed better if a good portion of customers will use a tow hitch.

 

Although it's unfortunately not all all uncommon for this to happen, your photo shows what I would say is the worst workmanship ever documented here. It looks like they cut out the bumper cover opening with a sawzall blade that was way too coarse for the plastic material, and the opening is too large for the plastic rivets to set into anything solid that can hold them. You can see one rivet broke out, and another totally missed the cutout.

This demands a new bumper cover, done by someone who is competent, to make it right.

 

... why I have not got a trailer hitch installed, after 2 years. I'm too old and frail to do it myself.

the Subaru hitch clearly isn't designed well. what is this freehand bumper cutting bullshit!? can't even include a paper template for the svc ape to follow!?! my $15 model rocket kits often have a paper template with the instructions.

this is so unlike the factory hitches I put on 4 other cars and trucks, 4 different makes and models, which bolted on the frame and cleared the spare and bumper perfectly. and the electrics just snapped in, no hassle.

the salesman told me to get an aftermarket hitch, but those don't bolt to the frame rails.

my sailboat weights 175 pounds, the trailer is 150 pounds. I'm not asking for much.

 

... why I have not got a trailer hitch installed, after 2 years. I'm too old and frail to do it myself.

the Subaru hitch clearly isn't designed well. what is this freehand bumper cutting bullshit!? can't even include a paper template for the svc ape to follow!?! my $15 model rocket kits often have a paper template with the instructions.

this is so unlike the factory hitches I put on 4 other cars and trucks, 4 different makes and models, which bolted on the frame and cleared the spare and bumper perfectly. and the electrics just snapped in, no hassle.

the salesman told me to get an aftermarket hitch, but those don't bolt to the frame rails.

my sailboat weights 175 pounds, the trailer is 150 pounds. I'm not asking for much.

My curt hitchy inserted into the frame rails and bolted into them.
Very little trim needed to be removed from the bottom trim part and cant be seen unless laying under the car. It fits nice enough that a person could use black rtv silicone and go around it to really clean it up.
The oem hitch seems to hack the large what would be the plastic bumper part as well as the lower part, that is held on by 5 push pins. Isnt painted.

 

Given the number of Outback owners getting a hitch, I do not understand why they do not have a larger removable panel for the hitch receiver area. Then have 2 SKUs, one with a cutout and one without for a no hitch car. That would mean no cutting and trim application, just the hitch panel with 4-6 fastener pins. If designed right, it could even fit into a moulded slot on the top and only have pins on the bottom for a cleaner fit. You could have them in black and silver, or a body color option. If the panel shapes were standardized they could be used on Outback AND Wilderness versions.

 

Yeah I don't get it either. The Ascent comes with a removable panel for the hitch. They just refreshed the 24 Wilderness and you think they could of easily redesigned the rear bumper to add one, they redesigned the front bumper just for aesthetics... Dumb. Maybe the dealers just aren't complaining enough. You think they would be losing $2K a pop replacing bumpers.

 

Not quite that bad, but yep. In my case, one of the pins popped out overnight the day it was installed. They had to replace the bumper cover which requires the new one to be sent out to be painted to match the car color. Second attempt was not perfect either but good enough. Then while I was out in the middle of a 6000 mile trip to some national parks one of the sonar sensor broke off and fell into the bumper cover. So one more trip back to the dealer. They covered everything as they knew they had screwed it up.

Good luck.

 

It would be very easy for them to design the bumper molds to have a shallow relief on the back as a template for cutting for the hitch.

 

The 05-09 Outback required zero cutting to install a factory hitch. I did it myself in maybe 30 minutes. It fits just below the bumper cover. The only bad part of THAT hitch is that the bracing is too close together so you can't easily put a socket between to tighten the hitch tongue bolt.

'95-99 OBs needed a small square cut out of the middle of the bumper cover, about 4" up from the bottom, but I think that car was designed before anyone thought about adding a hitch -- two of its mounting points were the tiedown loops welded to the frame!

[RICHR]

 

It would be very easy for them to design the bumper molds to have a shallow relief on the back as a template for cutting for the hitch.

It would be very easy for them to design the bumper molds to have a shallow relief on the back as a template for cutting for the hitch.

yep it really is a piss poor design. Designed by an engineer who never had to cut one himself.

Probably the same guy who okayed the clearance for changing the spark plugs.

 

but has anyone seen a disaster this epic?

Yep, and even worse than that. And that's why I installed it myself. Just hope your hitch was installed and torqued correctly. And yes, after so many years of the Outback being a sales success, Subaru is still using the stupid platform of the Legacy, instead of making a platform for a proper SUV, which outsells the Legacy 20 to 1, I believe. Until they fully redesigned it (not just mild changes), it'll continue to be a disaster to install a hitch. It not pleasant to look at your brand new car half dismantled. But at least I did the job right, with minimum cutting.

 

You're just showing off.

 

I wish hitches were included vs these stupid sun roofs-

 

Completely agree. I looked for a OBW without option package 22 but no one around me had one unless I wanted to order one. It was cheaper to take one off the lot that already had discounts applied. I've used mine once and it was only because my fiance loves sunroofs. I'm bald so they usually stay shut or my dome gets roasted by the sun LOL.

 

Amen to that, brother. I'll never use that darn thing, but the possibility of broken glass, roof leaks, noise, etc., not to mention the extra weight where you least want it, will always be there.

 

This is shocking and a complete betrayal of trust that customers put into a dealer believing that they are experts because they wear the official Subaru badge. I am so disgusted for you. I hope they make this right ASAP.

 

This is exactly why I took my car to the same installer that my local Subaru uses. Once I read the installation process involved removing the bumper cover, it was clear the process was kluge at best. Especially considering all the sensors involved.
So, I did not want to 'pop' the cover. The installer was very familiar with the Subaru design and highly recommended NOT cutting the bumper cover. They installed the Curt hitch which drops below the bumper. They ran the wires up through the trunk so when needed, I can easily flip them out.
Cost was $450 including the wiring. BTW, that is less than half what my Subaru Dealer quoted.

 

I think what is very disturbing is Subaru installing a 3500 lb hitch with no trailer braking option and only a 4-pin instead of 7 7-pin. The owners' manual states do not operate a trailer over 1000 lbs without having trailer brakes. This is the law in many states.

 

Why does Subaru only install a 4-pin harness with no trailer braking option when in the owner's manual it says not to tow a trailer more than 1000 lbs without a braking option?

 

They installed the Curt hitch which drops below the bumper.

Several drawbacks with that approach. First, you severely reduced your departure angle, and could hit the hitch on an inclined driveway, or something. By lowering the hitch, you're adding tremendous strain on the frame, and your suspension, since your torque arm is longer now (makes sense?). And the longer the ball mount, the worse you exacerbate that problem. Oh, and even the revised Curt, it still uses the undesirable crash beam bolts, and only a small 'arm' into the frame rails. It's better than the previous model with just the 3 crash beam bolts, but I wouldn't install one even if free. But of course, to each his own. If you're only going to carry a bicycle rack, maybe no harm. But if you plan to get closer to the towing limit, then you'd be exceeding the stress Subaru calculated with the OEM hitch. That's also why I bit the bullet and paid for the OEM ball mount, since it has the ball at least a couple of inches closer to the bumper than the shortest aftermarket ball mount I found (which I already had from my ex-Santa Fe Calligraphy -with a Curt hitch), minimizing the stress on frame and suspension.

Why does Subaru only install a 4-pin harness with no trailer braking option when in the owner's manual it says not to tow a trailer more than 1000 lbs without a braking option?

Because most trailers less than 3,500 lbs have 'surge brakes', which require no wiring. The braking is achieved when the master cylinder is pressurized by the weight of the trailer against the ball. But yes, it'd be nice if Subaru pre-wired the vehicle for a 7-pin harness, and a connector for a brake controller somewhere in the front, like Hyundai does.

 

The only trailers i have seen with surge brakes are U=haul, very few boats, and someone tried it on some of the trailers at work, an electric company i worked for. I am a retired electric lineman.
They arent very nice to back up with,, loaded very bad, they drag/brake. Towing a trailer with said surge brakes in the winter with snow and or ice on the road. Not good. I have done it plenty with bucket trucks/utility trucks.
Surge brake trailers, i havent seen any with the break away braking, or they would just be electric brakes.
My Curt hitch isnt any lower than other stuff under the car, if anything, higher. I will/would take the beefy hitch hitting instead of ripping off the plastic bumper held on by push pins, any day.
Giving the suby some credit. They,, at least have the setup for the 4 prong plug and are set up to,,, install a hitch. OEM or choice of aftermarket. Perfect for those that might not tow, but use a rear rack and or bikes on the back, that can opt for adding lights blocked by shhtuff on the rack or the bikes.
I have had vehicles that could tow lots more, with no plug and play light set up.
Now,, i leave it to those that ( will ) be towing with,,, brakes to look up the info for the blue tooth brake controller, and what kind of power, said trailer brakes may need. Thennnnn, look up what power is available fused with the wire already run, to plug and play into the rear lighter socket for brake power.
For $25, a person can make a 4 to 7 plug and bounce of the lighter plug at the back to use a blue tooth brake controller with plenty of power to run brakes. NOW, running the camper fridge and charging lithium batts on the camper, not so much. Brakes only, just fine.
Point proven, the trailers at work, double axel all wheels very heavy brakes. Rated for very heavy stuff. All backed up with a cheep solar charger, on the trailer batt, that was a same thing used in a lawn mower.

 

The only trailers i have seen with surge brakes are U=haul, very few boats, and someone tried it on some of the trailers at work, an electric company i worked for. I am a retired electric lineman.
They arent very nice to back up with,, loaded very bad, they drag/brake. Towing a trailer with said surge brakes in the winter with snow and or ice on the road. Not good. I have done it plenty with bucket trucks/utility trucks.
Surge brake trailers, i havent seen any with the break away braking, or they would just be electric brakes.

Agreed. Surge brakes are much less useful for electric brakes at best, and a real pain at worst.
Until recently, besides U-Haul (because of the simplicity of hooking their rental trailers to cars), it was mostly boat trailers that still used surge brakes because of concerns of immersing electric actuated drums in salt-water.
Nowadays, boat trailers are equipped with what-are-called "electric over hydraulic" brakes, which is what I have on my boat trailer. These are controlled by regular electric connections (through a traditional in-cab brake controller and 7-pin hookup, with all its advantages such as trailer-only braking, adjustable trailer brake effort, etc.). But itstead of directly actuating the axles' brakes with electricity going into submerged axle hubs, the electric component on the trailer pressurizes hydraulic lines (like a surge brake would) to actuate the axles' brakes, thus there's no electricity in the water -- short circuits, corrosion, are no longer concerns.

 

Is the Factory-installed hitch on an XT or Wilderness a Class II (2" receiver) or does Subaru only offer Class I (1-1/4" receiver) hitches), even from the factory?

Years ago I remember the comment of never buying a car that had a trailer hitch installed as the transmission may have been abused. It's true as I onetime bought a used car with a hitch - and Yep!, I needed the trans rebuilt eventually.

 

My dealer installed mine without a hitch. (Nyuk nyuk).

 

per the Original Post - and the poorly cut opening/trim piece.

I had the exact same issue on my '23 OBW. I had hitch installed prior to delivery back in early May. Had them repair it last week, when it was in for first maint/check, etc. it required a new back bumper, etc.

From what I was told - the actual template for the cutout is wrong.

 

My rear bumper also had to replaced after a year.