Draw-Tite 75876 Class 3 Trailer Hitch, 2 Inch Square Receiver, Compatible with 2014-2018 Subaru Forester.

Fits my 2017 Forester Perfectly at a reasonable cost compared to paying a professional shop or dealer. I self installed and even with a bad back so I'm a slow poke getting up and down off the ground and I had in done in several hours. I watched several of the installation videos available on YouTube and followed the best techniques without the use of a lift, but did use a large car jack to lift the hitch up in place to bolt on by using a receiver bar/plug to balance the hitch on the jack. This may be the best Kit because the washers and bolts that come with the Draw-Tite Hitch fit inside the Forester Pre-drilled frame rail holes (Fourth hole from the rear for bolt fishing) without modification. Other brands will require widening to fit the larger bolt heads through the fourth hole used for fishing the parts inside the frame rails. The fourth holes on the frame rails are just large enough for this kits bolts and rectangular washers without drilling or widening making for an easy install. No cutting of the bumper trim with this kit because the receiver has about 1/8" clearance from the trim - other kits require cutting trim. The muffler heat shield needs trimming because it covers two of the frame rail bolt holes, you could drill it but then you risk vibration noises from the shield as it would be touching the hitch so I trimmed it as in the directions but nobody will ever know it's trimmed except the installer because you would have to lay/look under the muffler to see it.The shipping box was dragged and dropped enough for the corners to poke through the shipping box and scrape some paint off, so be prepared you may have to touch up paint to keep the product from rusting or looking un finished/damaged. I would have asked customer service for some paint repair/replacement, but this was the second hitch that was sent since the first one was lost in shipment for weeks that I later found it had multiple shipping labels making a journey around the country before arriving at my address several weeks late, but that one was in perfect condition unfortunately I already had the paint damaged 2nd shipped unit installed and would of had to pay for a 2nd hitch if I didn't return the first. Thus I'll touch it up with spray can paint to keep it from rusting - see pictures. I was just happy that Customer service sent me another one in time to pickup a shipment I had coming in that I needed the hitch to retrieve one day after the install was completed.I gave the product 5 stars because it is a good product for the cost and is as described. I did not dock stars or down grade it because the shipping problems and slight paint damage or one cosmetic paint defect but I wrote it in my review to be fair and honest to others about my experience which should not effect most buyers.

Time will tell on if this stays 5-star, but as of right now it was great. It showed up very quickly and seems very sturdy. The paint was scraped in a couple spots like some people have said, which is kind of annoying. However touching up with a can of spray paint in those spots was no big deal. Most people were stating it took them 1.5hrs to install this, it only took me an hour, and that was with having to take the heat shield back off and cut out the spot for the bolts bigger and also talking with my buddy while doing it so I wasn't really getting into it and trying to get it done in a timely manner. It was a really straightforward install. You could do it without raising the car but it's just easier to not have to fight with the ground so raising the rear is definitely suggested. No modification to my car was required at all to install this other than trimming the heat shield. I did not need to make a cutout in my bumper cover or anything. I also like how far up under it is tucked , it is up to the car and out of the way but still definitely usable , really well-designed as far as that goes . So we will see how it holds up, but as of right now I highly recommend this product

Received the hitch quickly. Installation was very easy with no need to jack up the car. Fit was perfect. The included installation hardware and instructions were unbelievably correct & easy to read & follow. I'd recommend this and would purchase one again.The shipping box looked like it had really struggled to contain a 30 pound piece of metal bouncing around in it, which it had. Paint job on hitch looked like it had been bounced around in a container of other hitches & then slid across the concrete floor before I got it. Consequently I had to touch up a number of bare metal scrapes & scratches with some black Rustoleum prior to that easy installation I mentioned before. This wasn't much of a problem for me considering the significant price break coming from Amazon.BTW, I viewed 2 YouTube videos on installation on a similar 2017 Subaru Forester vehicle and although those were very helpful (Thanks guys!), I do have a couple of comments:First, on this car, remove the muffler completely. It's easy. Just remove the 2 nuts & bolts connecting it to the tail pipe & then wrestle a little with the 2 rubber muffler mounts. With that completely out of the way, the rest gets much easier.Second, the included instructions and the videos I watched indicated the muffler heat shield would have to be tin snipped to modify it for hitch installation. Once I removed & inspected the heat shield I noticed two dimples punched at the two locations where the hitch mounting bolts would need to go. Instead of cutting the heat shield all up, I simply drilled out the 2 pressed dimples in the aluminum with a 1/2" bit, remounted the heat shield, & finished up installing the hitch. My point here is to check your heat shield for marks indicating where the holes need to go since in my case this Subaru is rated for towing and has a quick connector in it for the wiring harness and these 2 dimples facilitate installation of a hitch. It's much easier than cutting up the aluminum. Reinstalled the muffler & I'm good to go and it looks great from the back of the car.

Came with the hardwear and some nice protective material (not visible bcs I took it out to flip over the receiver to access the hardware). I'm happy it came with instructions but a lil sad it didn't come with wiring harness but I have a harness laying around from another receiver I received b4.Also to add they gave me some Amazon credit for trouble with the shipping, just had to get it picked up from the post office.

As many others noted below, my hitch arrived in no packaging and had a few small paint chips in it. No big deal, I sprayed the problem spots with a few coats of rust paint and problem solved. It'll live forever under my Forester getting coated in mud anyways so not too worried about it. Installation wasn't too bad. Did it myself without the use of a jack. As many others wrote, I too drilled holes in the heat shield instead of omitting it or cutting out pieces. However, a word of warning, your hitch will be slightly tilted due to the thickness of the heatshield on one side and not on the other. You probably won't notice if you're planning to tow something but my bike rack is a tiny tiny tiny bit tilted. If this bothers you, I'd suggest to cut the heat shield like the instructions say. I don't think drilling even saves any time or is any easier. It would take 2 seconds to cut out a section of it. Anyways, I'm happy with the hitch and it holds my bike rack the way it's supposed to so two thumbs up from this guy.

Installed on a 2017 Forester. Instructions were easy, fit was perfect! Been towing a little camper no problem!Only needed 2 wrenches and tin snips to install, watch out if your muffler bolts are rusty, mine were seized and took some effort to remove. Recommend a deseizing agent there.

Like some previous reviewers’ experiences, my item came without any packaging - due to size and weight - had its paint scratched and peeling off. It was expected and I used anti rust paint to paint it before the install. Install was straightforward, a two person job. Holds up my 4 bikes carrier well.

It took me a couple of hours to install by myself. Great quality! Great value!

Pretty easy install, trailer hasn't pulled it off. Looks like it's supposed to be there.