Hitch causing trim to melt?

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(climateguy @ Jun 27 2006, 11:17 AM) [snapback]277482[/snapback]</div>

Thanks. That should help! I sent them your pictures as well in my followup, so they should recognize them. I was a bit miffed about the implication that I'm the only one with the problem, so they can safely sweep me under the rug.

I tend to agree. I'm not looking for any hand-outs here, but I'm looking at paying more to FIX this problem than I originally paid for the hitch. And that sucks. Part of what we pay for when buying "brand name" is the assurance that the thing will function as can be reasonably expected.
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As for my situation, this is the longest trip I've yet taken in our "new" Prius. And by FAR the hottest. If I'd taken a long trip in more mild weather, I may have had the same problem

 

WOW! What a serious bummer. There is no doubt that this is caused by a design error. The answer that Curt gave is totally unacceptable. Although it may be too late for Darelldd and Climateguy. IMO, I highly suggest that until the design is changed, do not buy one of these hitches. And, If Curt doesn’t at least recall all the hitches out there for replacement with a new design, don’t buy anything from him. You pay top dollar, you should get top service. He has insurance to cover the damage, so it should be fixed at his expense. If he doesn’t have insurance, then he’s a fly by night dealer and we should keep our distance and our money away from him.

 

Hell of a lot better than the response I got. And my reply to the initial response has gone unanswered so far. But I'm taking solice in the assumption that my initial contact is what got their ears perked up at least.

So I couldn't stand my crappy stop-gap measure, so I made a permanent solution:


I hacked off the factory pipe, and welded on an extension that clearly points it out of harm's way. And yes, I did cheat and have a muffler shop flare and bend the tip for me. I just cut, ground and welded. For the price I paid for the piece, I should have had them do it all, though.

I then hustled down to my Toyota dealer and ordered up the new black piece called a rear "spoiler." $117.23 from your local Toyota dealer. PN: 76891-47010. This assumes you can still use the clips from the old one. Not only is my "spoiler" damaged, but the lower lip of the painted bumper is damaged as well, as some of the paint has melted and moved to form a visible crease.

I have now officially spent more on the solution/fix than I did on the hitch originally. And that doesn't even account for my time, of course.

 

OK... getting some more results here. I contacted my vendor (hitch-web.com) because I've done plenty of business with them before, and have discussed many aspects of hitch design with them in the past. They're good people, and wanted them to know what was up. I forwarded my conversation with Curt, and the hitch-web folks have taken this issue seriously. They have removed the product from their sales page until the issue is resolved, and they are in contact with the Curt folks to let them know that this isn't something to just sweep under the rug. Hitch-web is a HUGE retailer of their products, so I'm guessing Curt will be listening!

Here are some snippets from the last communication I had with hitch-web. I don't want to post verbatim as there is some personal info, and some info that isn't not G-rated.
-------------
Sorry to see you have an issue. Pictures make it look pretty ugly. I can't
imagine that the prototype vehicle they used had the same exhaust tip as
yours. This would or should have been an obvious problem to any hitch
designer.. If there are more than 1 configuraton of tail pipes on the Prius
they need to investigate a little deeper.. Not sure they have the ability to
do that easily but . something needs to be done....

I will forward a note to design guys that I think this Mike Brunner guy
needs to NOT be the responder to issues of this nature....

wait till one of these hitches sets the
backend of some guy's car on fire and kills somebody.. I am removing the
hitches from the site tonight.. and will not put them back on till this is
resolved.. Tomorrow the commercial users of our site will be treated to a
special warning about the exhaust issue...
------------------

Makes me feel good that somebody is taking me seriously finally!

 

Looking at the two mods done, I think it would be easier to tack a piece of sheet metal onto the hitch to keep the hot exhaust from going over the top and onto the plastic.

 

I'm an electrical engineer, so take my suppositions with a grain of salt...

It seems like this may cause undue wear and tear over the long term even if you don't drive in high heat, and not just to the rear plastic skirt. It seems like hot exhaust is probably not the best way to keep rear hitch from deteriorating.

Anyone mind taking pictures of the Coastal hitch in relation to the rear exhaust to get an idea of what it looks like? Thanks in advance.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ryogajyc @ Jun 29 2006, 02:25 PM) [snapback]278700[/snapback]</div>

[attachmentid=3977]

 

Wow, that was fast. Thanks for the pic, John!

If I decide to get one, it looks like the Coastal hitch is the way to go.

 

God I love PC! I read about this and checked out my Curt hitch (U-Haul) and found my plastic just barely starting to sag. I took my baby to Goldie's Exhaust today and they made the "turn-down" (end of the exhaust pipe) tilt down farther so the end was slightly below the hitch cross-member. It was only a matter of cutting a small wedge piece out of the original turn-down, bending it down, and welding it back up. It cost me $45 but it is clearly worth it. We'll have to add that to the cost of the hitch -- it makes it a bit more expensive than the Coastal solution.

Thank you all for the head's up on this issue. I'm headed to sunny Sac this weekend and I'm sure my bumper would have melted clean off from the drive there and back!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Whitestar @ Jun 29 2006, 07:26 AM) [snapback]278565[/snapback]</div>

Yeah... might be easier, but I don't think it is best! it would still have the hot exhuast blowing onto the cross bar all the time. Nothing good can come from that!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(ryogajyc @ Jun 29 2006, 02:22 PM) [snapback]278799[/snapback]</div>

The thing I did NOT like about the Coastal solution is that the receiver tube sticks out so far that a bike rack creates enough of a moment arm to really allow the thing to twist and sway. It is not as sturdy as the Curt. I also have heard of problems with the muffler vibrating against the cross bar even with the hokey pipe clamp that you're supposed to use to raise it. I hope that Curt can redesign this thing to work properly!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jbarnhart @ Jun 29 2006, 02:34 PM) [snapback]278806[/snapback]</div>

jbarnhart -

Could you share the love by going to http://www.curtmfg.com/ and clicking the "contact" button on the left and letting them know that you saw the beginnings of the problem as well... and spent money to avoid the fate that some of us have already suffered? Would help a lot to let them know that it isn't just me! Thanks.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jun 29 2006, 11:32 PM) [snapback]279003[/snapback]</div>

Message sent. I'm not expecting them to reimburse me or anything ('tho that would be nice). But I think I deserve *some* kind of reward.... Like maybe a nice Luxeon LED rear cargo light! B) Yeah, that's the ticket!

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(darelldd @ Jun 27 2006, 04:23 PM) [snapback]277613[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for the tip. Mine was starting to melt, too. I had a local muffler shop do a similar fix at a cost of $32.00.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jbarnhart @ Jun 30 2006, 01:15 AM) [snapback]279017[/snapback]</div>

Thanks for making the effort JB. Yeah... that sounds about right. I should definitely pay for Curt's design screw-up. Hey look! I already have!

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(nmrickie @ Jun 30 2006, 11:09 AM) [snapback]279215[/snapback]</div>

And can I ask that you too, please take a moment to send a brief message to Curt via the "contact" button on this page:
http://www.curtmfg.com/

Thanks!

 

Mesage sent to Curt.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(jbarnhart @ Jun 29 2006, 02:34 PM) [snapback]278806[/snapback]</div>

Welcome to the Matrix. We are Borg. Your experience will be assimilated.

 

I had the same issue with a 1 1/4 hitch I purchased at U-Haul. haven't contacted anyone yet though.

I had the hitch for about two months, then the temperature got to about 110 in Vegas and then I noticed the melting. It seemed to stop progressing after a week and I just hacked off the bubbled part of the plastic. I not very elegant, but unless you crawl up the tailpipe you can't see any damage.

the issue is definitely created by a design defect in the hitches, because they block the flow of exhaust. The Coastal tech hitch is definitely superior in this respect, but the U-Haul place was right next-door.

I will probably also do the tailpipe extension as shown in previous posts, but after I cut out a half circle shape of melted plastic the hot exhaust seems to be causing no further trouble. definitely keeping an eye on the rear valance though.

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Devil's Advocate @ Jun 30 2006, 04:02 PM) [snapback]279367[/snapback]</div>

Send a comment to Curt, please. Just takes a moment.