I own a 06 Honda Civic &wanted to put a trailer hitch on it for towing a small utility trailer. The local honda dealer e-mailed me back today &said they don't install them & thathonda canada does not recommend them, no reason given. Any ideas why or is this a warranty issue on a new car. Seems odd.

 

Its not a good idea because it puts extra strain on the car. Honda won't put one on because if they do and your car has problems you could blame them. you know the whole "well you put it on so there should have not been a problem" ordeal. I know my car (A 2001 ex coupe)can only carry up to 800lbs including passengers and cargo weight andanymore weight would cause more wear and tear. Thesmall utility trailer at least would be 175lbs. Basically...i think the reason they wontinstall and recomend themis becausethey don't want to be held somewhat accountable if you overload your car.

 

that is exactly the reason....using a trailer would overload the car....heck, get someover weightpeople and a trunk full of cargo and you can exceed that rating....if you want to hual a trailer...get a truck. can i recomend the ford f-150 toyota tundra, or nissan titian? all pretty good trucks and with the exception of the f-150. get pretty good gas milage (for a truck) and i guess the new f series isnt too bad either.

 

"....heck, get some fat people and a trunk full of cargo and you can exceed that rating...."

I take personal offense to that! hahaha

 

I've got a receiver hitch rated to tow 2,000lb on my '00 sedan, but the owner's manual clearly states that the car is not designed to tow anything. I use the hitch to mount a bike rack (w/adapter)so I can still access the trunk with the bikesloaded and I don't have to lift muddy bikes onto the roof either. The same rack also fits the hitch on my Jeep.

The '00 Civic suspension doesn't seem beefy enough to handle much tongue-weight on a hitch, the unibody may not take the stress of pulling very well, the light car may be tossed around by the extra weight, and I couldn't have imagined pulling a trailer in the rain before I got my new tires. Even without a trailer, I was breaking traction in the rain just by resting my foot on the gas when starting off. Your '06 may have a little better weight up front.

I'm not saying you couldn't tow a trailer. I've seen a CRX back ina jetski on an unimproved ramp, and I've seen a mid-size motorcycle tow a trailer with a smaller cycle on it. I just wouldn't recommend it. You'd probably void your warranty, but they'd have to prove misuse/abuse on your part. Seeing as how people frequently tow small trailers with their Goldwing motorcycles, they don't have much of a leg to stand on if you're being mild though. In addition to the hitch, you'd also likely need to get an adapater for hooking up the wiring. Many Civics have adelicate electrical system and do not work properly if you just plug the trailer wires directly in. U-Haul or an online hitch vendor should be able to supply you with the necessary adapter and a non-splice wiring harness if you do a search on Google. I bought my hitch online and installed it myself. The most difficult part was that I did the installin the dark.

 

if you need to tow someting you shoulda ot a truck or a 4WD SUV, somethin bigger. A Civic doesnt have enough torque and horsepower man

 

Excellent feed back on this topic for sure. Thanks alot to all of you, I think I willnot get one installed there are too many variables.

 

i wouldnt...but thats just me. now sure, you COULD get a hitch and tow some small things every once an a while...but its not recomended! ive seen some little cars pull trailers....but like Kommandosaid....your car is going to get thrown around and stuff..... also "that guy" what has been up with you latley? i hope you were just kidding...but ill fix that. in a minute.

 

I was totally joking... I'm about 6ft, 190lbs.

I'm also in the middle of exam week and have been fighting some serious insomnia (not kidding). I do feel bad about that other thread though, I kinda went off on that dude for being a jerk and I should have let it go.

As for the hitch idea, it is really a good idea to not put one on there. I convinced my Dad not to put one on his 05 EX sedan. Just too much risk to that. Take a look around and try to find a small truck or SUV. If you're doing some light towing, that'd be just the thing for you. They're getting cheap now because of gas prices being so high, and it makes sense economically if it's not your DD. They're inexpensive to have around and to insure as well.

 

I put a small trailer on 05 civic but need a wire harness for it. Any ideas? Please,I can't seem to locate any .
Joe