Hitch e98886 Not Wide Enough For 2014 Ford Escape

Question:

Im installing the hitch on a 2014 Ford Escape SE. I managed to get the hitch across the muffler, with all the fish wires in place. When I try to lift it into place as part of step 6, the hitch mounting does not appear to be wide enough to clear the frame rails. When I get one of the side bolts in place, the other side does not clear the frame rail so it can be lifted into place. Even though the one side is tight against the frame, the other side cannot clear. I tried both sides. I also tried to lift both sides at the same time, but that didnt with either. Where do I go from here?

asked by: Kevin S

Expert Reply:

Thank you for your purchase of the etrailer Trailer Hitch Receiver # e98866 for your 2014 Ford Escape. The issue you are seeing with the hitch not appearing wide enough is called "flexing" and can be an unfortunate byproduct of the what happens during the shipping process.

What happens is the mounting brackets get bent inward a bit during shipping, and while it doesn't affect the integrity of the hitch, it can make it seem like the hitch doesn't fit. So you will need to bend the brackets back slightly, and there are a number of ways to do this; I have added a link below to a help article called "My Trailer Hitch Doesn't Fit" which details some of the methods you can use.

expert reply by: Kyle S