Availability of 2-Inch Hitches to Fit 2010 Mercury Mariner with an Exhaust Dampener

Expert Reply:

I called the manufacturers that make hitches for this vehicle to get some feed back on the Mariner/Escape exhaust dampener issue and the news is good, you have 2 options for a hitch.

Draw-Tite/Hidden Hitch created new hitches when they started seeing dampener problems so their part # 75751 should fit fine.

My contact at Curt said he thinks there might be interference when installing their # 13650, but that the dampener could be slightly bent out of the way to allow room for the hitch side plate. Due to this, in my opinion the Curt hitch would be the less desirable option of the two.

To complete your towing system, you might also need the following:

Trailer wiring harness, # 118551 for vehicles without the tow package or that have the back up sensors. For vehicles with the tow package that do not have the back up sensors, use # 118251
Ball Mount, # 2923
2 inch trailer ball, # 19247
1-7/8 inch trailer ball, # 19260
Pin and clip, # PC3
Locking hitch pin, # 40107

I have included links to install details and videos.