trailer hitch for 2019 UX FSport

[Greger1]

Hello!

I love road biking and was wondering if any owners of the 2019 UX 200 found a hitch for a bike rack? i cannot find any manufacturer that has one do you know of anyone? 

[1990LS400]

It can take a year or more for aftermarket hitch makers to market receiver hitches for new models ... if they ever do.  

I've bought several receiver hitches, including for Lexus LS, from etrailer but they don't yet have one for the UX.  I suppose you could contact them and ask if there is anything in the works:  https://www.etrailer.com/vehicle/2019/Lexus/UX+200

You could buy the roof rack cross rails for your UX if you don't already have them and use your choice of bike carrier attachments on them.  I've carried bikes only on hitch racks for the past 30 years but I used roof bike racks for many years before that.  As much as I dislike carrying bikes on the roof, sometimes that's the best way.  I dislike trunk/hatch mounted bike carriers even more due to the damage they can cause.    

Another possibility is to have a receiver hitch custom fabricated.  That can cost substantially more than an off-the-shelf hitch but there are numerous companies that do it.  Torklift near Seattle is one of the most well known nationally that custom fabricates hitches:  https://torkliftcentral.com/

It's not unusual that there was a tow hitch sold by Lexus dealers in the UK and Europe from the first day the UX was sold.  It's not shown on the Lexus UK website for the UX but there is also a bike carrier that fits the hitch.  Unfortunately, the UK/Europe tow hitch is not compatible with accessories for U.S. standard receiver hitches. 

For your amusement, the following Lexus UK web page shows the tow hitch and roof bike racks sold for the UX by Lexus dealers in the UK and Europe:  https://www.lexus.co.uk/car-models/ux/accessories/#choose-accessories

 

 

 

 

[J57]

Here is a response I received from Lexus 2 days ago.

 

Thank you for contacting Lexus, we regret to hear of your disappointment with not being able to add a tow-hitch on your 2019 UX 200 but do congratulate you on this purchase.

 

We are sorry; as you are correct we do not offer a tow hitch for your vehicle nor do not have any recommendations to a supplier or source that may. 

 

However, you may wish to inquire with your local Lexus dealers Parts Department to determine if they offer such a product, as our dealers may carry items that extend beyond the Genuine Lexus Parts and Accessories line. Your local Lexus dealer may be able to provide you with a referral to a company who may offer the product.

 

That being said still please be aware that Lexus recommends using only Genuine Lexus Parts and Accessories for your vehicle. Non-Genuine Lexus Parts, or any damage or failures resulting from their use, are not covered by any Lexus warranty.

 

If we can be of further assistance, please feel free to contact us.

 

 

[Scooter NJ]

I too am frustrated with Lexus. I ask the service department every 3-4 months about a hitch. I find it ironic that the UX was introduced as a urban adventure vehicle and yet no ability to use a hitch since none has been available since the release of the vehicle. I don’t want a roof rack; I had one  previously on a Mazda and had a vandal try to rip the bike off the roof, damaging the frame and fork of the bike and damaged my roof. 

[1990LS400]

On 3/27/2020 at 8:02 AM, Scooter NJ said:

I too am frustrated with Lexus. I ask the service department every 3-4 months about a hitch. I find it ironic that the UX was introduced as a urban adventure vehicle and yet no ability to use a hitch since none has been available since the release of the vehicle. I don’t want a roof rack; I had one  previously on a Mazda and had a vandal try to rip the bike off the roof, damaging the frame and fork of the bike and damaged my roof. 

I would be surprised if a hitch ever becomes available from Lexus USA.  They usually supply hitches at the time a vehicle is introduced as they did with the UX in the U.K. and the NX and RX in the U.S.   Maybe an aftermarket hitch will eventually become available but the UX is selling in pretty low numbers ... only a little over 16,000 in 2019 - might not be cost effective for an aftermarket hitch company for such a low volume vehicle.  I don't like carrying bikes on a roof either but I've sometimes done it.  I carried bikes on the room of a Mercedes for 11 years since a receiver hitch wasn't available and I wasn't about to trash the trunk lid with a trunk lid mount bike rack.

I now check on hitch availability before I buy a vehicle.  I even installed a 1 1/4 inch receiver hitch on my wife's Prius so she could plug in a 2-bike rack.  I'm planning to buy a 2-seat sports car next summer for which neither a roof rack or receiver hitch is available.  Although I'll buy the car even if I can't carry bikes on it, I'm already investigating having a class I 1 1/4 inch receiver hitch fabricated for it.

[Ty B]

We had a custom hitch built for our 2019 UX by Bombers Garage.

 

[Swalroth]

Ty B, what was the cost if you don’t mind sharing?

 

[Ellen12]

Ty B, what is the cost? Do they do hitch for everyone?

[maico1]

This from the Uhaul website.

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch

If U-Haul doesn't have a hitch for your vehicle, nobody does!

Your vehicle requires a custom-built hitch which we will gladly fabricate for you. If you are able to bring your vehicle to our Tempe, AZ Research & Development facility we'll provide you with a free U-Haul custom trailer hitch, including free installation, and a lifetime unlimited warranty in exchange for the use of your vehicle to fabricate the trailer hitch. We'll need the vehicle for two to three days. If you are interested in this offer please complete the form below and we'll contact you to schedule your appointment. This offer is only valid until one customer per vehicle can fulfill our requirements.

So, anyone near Tempe, AZ willing to get a free hitch and make it available for all?

 

[Kim Waddell]

Hi. I was able to get a custom hitch made in Orlando at http://www.ezhitchandtrailer.com/ . 
They did a great job. This is the main complaint I had with the car, other than the entertainment system layout and the cupholders. (Whoever designed this car needs to be fired.)

 

[Ellen12]

Torklift Central <support@torkliftcentral.com> 253-854-1832 can do customized hitch for you if  live in WI.

 

What about TX? Is anyone aware of someone who can do it in Texas? Can't find anyone😡

[1990LS400]

1 hour ago, Ellen12 said:

What about TX? Is anyone aware of someone who can do it in Texas? Can't find anyone😡

Here one in Austin that advertises custom hitches:  https://www.spillarhitchestx.com/

There might be others - try searching Google, Yelp, etc.

[Ellen12]

Just wonder how much apox. customized hitch can cost? I got quotes around $450😲 at least with installation. Could be worse?!

[Kim Waddell]

That sounds right

[Ellen12]

1 minute ago, Kim Waddell said:

That sounds right

Never again I will buy Lexus with no mass media hitch.

Another question,  warranty will not work on a car with this customized hitch?

[Kim Waddell]

Not sure but I had no choice. 

[1990LS400]

2 hours ago, Ellen12 said:

Never again I will buy Lexus with no mass media hitch.

Another question,  warranty will not work on a car with this customized hitch?

Warranties are not affected by the installation of tow hitches unless it can be proved that the hitch caused the failure of a vehicle component.  

If a hitch is super important to you then it's best to verify that a hitch is available before purchasing a vehicle.

The cost of custom fabricated hitches can vary wildly.  I suggest getting several bids.  I'm going to have a class II trailer hitch fabricated for a new mid-engine Corvette C8 convertible so I can plug a bike rack into it and I won't be surprised if the total cost is well over $1,000 but that's a nit considering it's an $80,000+ car.  I will provide a detailed design to the fabricator.

 

 

 

[happyUXowner]

CHICAGOLAND UX owners who need a hitch........

I just got a custom hitch installed on my UX by Advantage Trailer.  www.advantagetrailer.com

They are just west of the city.  It was a bit expensive (about $1200) as it took 10+ hours for them to install.  Most of the cost was for labor.  They did a fantastic job.

After considering alternatives, I feel the cost was well worth it:  The Thule cross bars and 2 bike mounts would have cost me up to $1000.  Years ago I had a roof rack for the bikes and I despised it -- looks horrible, pain to load the bikes, fear of pulling into a garage and ripping the bikes off, etc.  

The Thule trunk mounted racks were also not an option:  if you read the manual, they specifically call out the Lexus NX as not compatible.  There was not info for the UX, however due to the NX and UX being similar designs I was not comfortable with this solution.

I highly recommend Advantage Trailer. Worth the price.  

 

[Jeff Nerenberg]

Agree- very frustrated as I love to cycle- have Gr8 rack but no options for a hitch?? 
uhaul says they’ll build but go to Arizona for 3 days... 

lexus not helpful Re UX hitches 

pls let me know what if you have any options 

thx 

 

[1990LS400]

18 hours ago, Jeff Nerenberg said:

Agree- very frustrated as I love to cycle- have Gr8 rack but no options for a hitch?? 
uhaul says they’ll build but go to Arizona for 3 days... 

lexus not helpful Re UX hitches 

pls let me know what if you have any options 

thx 

 

 

Summarizing the three methods for carrying bikes that have been mentioned in this thread:  

1. Use a general purpose bike rack that attaches to the trunk/hatch door with straps.

2. Buy the UX cross bars and attachments for carrying bikes on the roof.

3. Have a custom receiver hitch fabricated and use a hitch mount bike rack.

I can think of a forth option but it would likely be the most expensive one.  Buy the European market hitch for the UX and the European market bike rack that can be mounted on it.  I bought European market parts from a Lexus dealer in London in the early 1990's by phone before the Internet was viable.  The London Lexus dealer appeared to have bypassed U.S. customs and I did not have to pay import duties.  Regardless, that Lexus dealership no longer exists and has been replaced by a BMW dealership at the same address.  Finding a U.K. or European Lexus dealer that ships to the U.S. might be difficult. 

If you really want to carry your bicycles on your UX, don't need a trailer hitch for anything else, and have the physical ability to lift your bicycles up to a roof rack, then why not carry them on a roof rack?  As much as I dislike carrying bikes on roofs, I did it for 11 years on a mid-size Mercedes sedan using a La Prealpina roof rack that had attachments for both bikes and snow skis.  The wind noise from the rack and bikes was unpleasant and worried that I might forget that the bikes were up there but that was the price of transporting our bikes. 

Have you investigated whether or not there are hitch fabricators near where you live?  There's one within 10 miles of my home here in Kansas.  At least I think they still fabricate hitches since they did 20 to 30 years ago.  That business was started in the 1930's and is still run by the same family.       

[steveinseattle]

Has anyone explored etrailer.com?  I own a 2016 RX350.   There are two class III receivers listed for ~$150.00.   A Draw-Tite and a Curt.   Both bolt to the frame.  They claim installation is easy.   Possible heat shield adjustment.  Has anyone had experience with these products? 

 

[1990LS400]

1 hour ago, steveinseattle said:

Has anyone explored etrailer.com?  I own a 2016 RX350.   There are two class III receivers listed for ~$150.00.   A Draw-Tite and a Curt.   Both bolt to the frame.  They claim installation is easy.   Possible heat shield adjustment.  Has anyone had experience with these products? 

 

There are a LOT of reviews for the gen 4 RX Curt and Draw-Tite hitches on the etrailer website.  People seem pleased with them.

I see that the installation difficulty rating for both is "3 out of 10" which is about the easiest rating that etrailer gives for installing receiver hitches.  I've bought a lot of stuff from etrailer including the receiver hitches on our current vehicles, wiring harnesses, bike racks, etc.

The appearance of the Curt hitches I've bought has held up a little better than the only Draw-Tite hitch I've bought but that may have been a coincidence.  There are a lot more reviews for the Curt hitch than the Draw-Tite hitch on the etrailer website.  There are installation videos for both products on the etrailer website.  

If you are going to install a trailer light wiring harness, what you need depends on whether or not your RX has the optional towing prep package.  And of course the towing capability without the optional towing prep package is sharply reduced.  The towing prep package for the 2016 RX350 included the following:  Heavy-duty radiator and cooling fan, engine and transmission oil coolers.

If you are don't know if your RX has the towing prep package, you can determine that by either looking for the engine and transmission oil coolers in the engine compartment (they are pretty easy to see if you know what they look like) or you can view the build specifications for your RX at https://drivers.lexus.com/lexusdrivers/resources/vehicle-specs

 

[Joeboy]

May be too late but torklift central may be able to help as they offer 1 for the 2021 ux250h

[Njmom]

On 3/27/2020 at 9:02 AM, Scooter NJ said:

I too am frustrated with Lexus. I ask the service department every 3-4 months about a hitch. I find it ironic that the UX was introduced as a urban adventure vehicle and yet no ability to use a hitch since none has been available since the release of the vehicle. I don’t want a roof rack; I had one  previously on a Mazda and had a vandal try to rip the bike off the roof, damaging the frame and fork of the bike and damaged my roof. 

The reason they haven’t made one is because they’re discontinuing the car either in 2021 or 2022. I have a 2020 UX200 and I’ve been looking into the back racks recently. Ended up learning that in 2023 they’re releasing the Lexus LSX which is larger. Covid shutdown def took a toll on production and I’m sure had that never happened, we would’ve all enjoyed a hitch of some sort.

[Marcgyver77]

U-HAUL has a hitch for the UX 200 for $250 as of Dec 16, 2023

Order online and ships next day.