[chromal]

wow. im sorry, but thats INSANELY idiotic. that is extremely dangerous. what happens if a tire blows on your car or worse, on the trailer. ... you have a couple loose screws up there if you think thats safe

a friend of mine recently passed away while towing a flatbed trailer with an srt4 on it with his underpowered S10 pickup. tire blew on the trailer, sent the trailer sideways. truck shot over the cement barrier and flipped over, crushing him

I'm sorry for the loss of your friend, but, if you don't want to start arguments, then just don't start arguments. I don't remember making the claim that it was "safe," and so please don't put words in my mouth. Anyway, under what circumstances exactly do you envision it would be "safe" to have a tire blow out at highway speeds, much less while towing? It's bad news any time it happens, and that's really pretty much that.

I didn't set out knowing my curb weight, I discovered it en-route from PA to CO while in Indiana, just like I didn't notice uhaul gave me a trailer with expired plate tags until I was at my destination. It was far heavier than I would have thought possible, though I had noticed the need for heavy braking early on and kept my spacing wide behind other vehicles. I believe that most people who tow with a uhaul trailer, like me in this instance moving away from my college town after graduation with almost no budget to do it, do so once for a life event, like moving cross-country, and don't have a ton of prior experience towing, or plan to do it often. As has been discussed in PM, there's been some back pressure mounting on uhaul for encouraging consumers to do it with their products/services.

As always, give vehicles towing a trailer on or off the freeway a wide berth, because literally anything can happen. Even moreso if it's a rental, as the driver is likely not experienced or familiar with their trailer setup.

update: It is probably worth suggesting folks visit this site and think carefully about their future towing plans.

 

[Smalls]

I don't remember making the claim that it was "safe," and so please don't put words in my mouth.

then why did you do it if you knew it was unsafe?

 

[chromal]

then why did you do it if you knew it was unsafe?

I didn't do it knowing it was unsafe because I was operating under the misapprehension that I was under max weight as specified for that particular vehicle. Read what I wrote in my post. FWIW, I took reasonable precautions and arrived at my destination without mishap, but in retrospect there was certainly an element of luck involved, as apparently is too often the case with rental trailers, small cars, inexperienced towing drivers, and long trips.

No coilovers in this civic, you can maybe make out just how low its rear was sitting.

Well, I've had my say. Have at it with your unsolicited character assassination, or whatever this is supposed to be.

edit: I guess that's a bit overdramatic of me to have said.

 

[Smalls]

Well, I've had my say. Have at it with your unsolicited character assassination, or whatever this is supposed to be.

ha! this is the last post i'll be making in this thread. all i wanted to do is comment on this to make it known to everyone that it is extremely dangerous to do what you did. with everyone showing interest in a hitch on their fiestas, who knows what they plan to tow. yes, a small trailer containing wood and other light building supplies won't be that difficult to haul. but the fiesta just cant safely pull anything more. i dont want to see members on here go through the same thing my friend went through. it sucks.

 

[mrbirdman330]

He knew what he was doing but you don't understand the half of the situation. A lot of people do not read their owners manuals of their cars. When the owners manual says do not tow with, it means it. He made a mistake justified it and yes he joins the ranks of 1,000's of customers who have horror stories of mis-information and given faulty equipment from the company of U-Haul. Is this man going to make the same mistake twice? I think not. I will sum it up, you don't know half of what you're talking about when it comes to this situation. The reason why is people will ignore what the owners manual says and tow with this car because its what companies depend on.

 

[eurofordfan]

Electronics Impact of Wiring a Hitch

Hey all:

I found this article from an Australian site (actually a very good site) about wiring-up a car that has CAN-BUS (as the Fiesta has).

Now the Fiesta may not have all of the issues that the Peugeot in the article had / has ... but heads-up: Browser Warning

Incidentally, there are a very good series of articles (> four articles...) here on modifying your ESC system. Just search for "Electronic Stability Control" in the above article's Search provision... The main fellow who operates the site has an incredible number of articles on electronically modifying your car. For the Tuners out there, it's a pretty awesome source of info.

Eurofordfan

Vancouver, BC

 

[eurofordfan]

Messed up link...

Here is the link again: http: //autospeed.com/cms/A_111415/article .html

I have put in a number of spaces at the front, after the http colon fwd slash fwd slash -- and at the end, it ends in do html.

 

[tjl]

As always, give vehicles towing a trailer on or off the freeway a wide berth, because literally anything can happen. Even moreso if it's a rental, as the driver is likely not experienced or familiar with their trailer setup.

Any rental vehicle is likely to be more of a risk, since the driver is unlikely to be familiar with both the area and the vehicle (think of someone who got off a delayed airline flight and has only 30 minutes to make it to his/her business meeting in an unfamiliar area in an unfamiliar rental car while talking on the cell phone explaining why s/he will probably be late...).

Rental trucks and trailers may be more likely to have local drivers, but those trucks and trailers may be more unfamiliar if the driver is used to driving a car or other light vehicle (blind spots, handling, braking, etc.).

 

[larrylwill]

Anyone driving a new car Fiesta included are also included, also people talking on a cell phone about 1 in every 5 people I see, I find no facts to support towing a trailer causes any more accidents than about 1000 other causes.
There are about 1 million people towing campers every day but no significant rise in accident statistics. Accidents happen everyday you cant point your finger and say towing a trailer is a major problem because it isn't. Driving while impaired is no 1 that could be lack of sleep, alcohol or drugs. Teenage drivers teen age boys, etc etc.

 

[eurofordfan]

Folks, I stand corrected...

The article on wiring the trailer lights appears fine -- but in viewing the article on disabling the ESC -- I don't think it works... And CAN-BUS, additionally, may further complicate matters.

Sorry!

 

[mrbirdman330]

Anyone driving a new car Fiesta included are also included, also people talking on a cell phone about 1 in every 5 people I see, I find no facts to support towing a trailer causes any more accidents than about 1000 other causes.
There are about 1 million people towing campers every day but no significant rise in accident statistics. Accidents happen everyday you cant point your finger and say towing a trailer is a major problem because it isn't. Driving while impaired is no 1 that could be lack of sleep, alcohol or drugs. Teenage drivers teen age boys, etc etc.

Towing a trailer with a vehicle not specified to tow is dangerous period.

 

[larrylwill]

I would agree with you if there is a real legitimate reason not to tow with the fiesta other than their lawyers told them not to. At any rate I will still put on a hitch and tow my Harbor freight 1000 max load trailer with 100 lbs of wood from the lumber store 10 miles from here, rather than tie it on top of the roof.

 

[mrbirdman330]

I would agree with you if there is a real legitimate reason not to tow with the fiesta other than their lawyers told them not to. At any rate I will still put on a hitch and tow my Harbor freight 1000 max load trailer with 100 lbs of wood from the lumber store 10 miles from here, rather than tie it on top of the roof.

Who said it was the lawyers? If Ford like others say their cars are not to tow its not the lawyers saying it, its themselves. Towing tears up a vehicle immensely in more ways than you think, I'm willing to bet Ford never tested the DSG with towing because it wasn't practical. Two, the market the Fiesta is aimed at towing isn't a huge requirement.

 

[Norm201]

It's a matter of design. Either it was designed to to tow or not. No amount of lawyers are going to change that. The Fiesta class car is a niche car. You don't buy it to do all sorts of things. It's just transportation and that's all. Sure its OK to to bling it out but you can't change the basic design.

Tow with it and even a slight problem will void any possible warranty. Why would Ford or anybody warrant a machine for doing something it was not designed to do.

Tow with it and YOU take full responsibility. End of story.

 

[larrylwill]

Point 1, I never said it was the Lawyers I said.
" I would agree with you if there is a real legitimate reason not to tow with the fiesta other than their lawyers told them not to." I can not find a legitimate reason. Only Ford knows.
NOBODY here knows if this is the reason or not.

However here is what I found on the Ford Website about towing with the Fiesta, one can also go to a Europe website and find specifications on towing with a Fiesta.

Ford Fiesta - Ford manuals
WARNING:
Do not exceed the maximum gross train weight stated on the vehicle identification plate. See Vehicle identification plate.

CAUTIONS:
Do not exceed the maximum permissible nose weight, i.e. vertical weight on the tow ball, of 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds).

The electrical system is not suitable for towing trailers with more than one rear fog lamp.

Note: Not all vehicles are suitable or approved to have tow bars fitted. Check with your dealer first.

Place loads as low and central to the axle(s) of the trailer as possible. If you are towing with an unladen vehicle, the load in the trailer should be placed toward the nose, within the maximum nose load, as this gives the best stability.

The stability of the vehicle to trailer combination is very much dependant on the quality of the trailer.

In high altitude regions above 1 000 metres (3 281 feet), the stipulated maximum permitted gross train weight must be reduced by 10% for every additional 1 000 metres (3 281 feet).

Steep gradients

WARNING:
The overrun brake on a trailer is not controlled by ABS.

Change down a gear before you reach a steep downhill gradient.

Ahayee, I just spilled hot coffee in my lap I guess I have to sue the coffee maker for making the coffee too hot.

Ever wonder why the WARNINGS section of ANY manual these days is 2x larger than the instructions.?

 

[mrbirdman330]

Point 1, I never said it was the Lawyers I said.
" I would agree with you if there is a real legitimate reason not to tow with the fiesta other than their lawyers told them not to." I can not find a legitimate reason. Only Ford knows.
NOBODY here knows if this is the reason or not.

However here is what I found on the Ford Website about towing with the Fiesta, one can also go to a Europe website and find specifications on towing with a Fiesta.

Ford Fiesta - Ford manuals
WARNING:
Do not exceed the maximum gross train weight stated on the vehicle identification plate. See Vehicle identification plate.

CAUTIONS:
Do not exceed the maximum permissible nose weight, i.e. vertical weight on the tow ball, of 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds).

The electrical system is not suitable for towing trailers with more than one rear fog lamp.

Note: Not all vehicles are suitable or approved to have tow bars fitted. Check with your dealer first.

Place loads as low and central to the axle(s) of the trailer as possible. If you are towing with an unladen vehicle, the load in the trailer should be placed toward the nose, within the maximum nose load, as this gives the best stability.

The stability of the vehicle to trailer combination is very much dependant on the quality of the trailer.

In high altitude regions above 1 000 metres (3 281 feet), the stipulated maximum permitted gross train weight must be reduced by 10% for every additional 1 000 metres (3 281 feet).

Steep gradients

WARNING:
The overrun brake on a trailer is not controlled by ABS.

Change down a gear before you reach a steep downhill gradient.

Ahayee, I just spilled hot coffee in my lap I guess I have to sue the coffee maker for making the coffee too hot.

Ever wonder why the WARNINGS section of ANY manual these days is 2x larger than the instructions.?

This is Ford of North America not Ford of Europe, different suspension different engine and different transmissions. The car here is not specified to tow for various reasons either not being tested, or tested and found issues with towing that would have resulted in delays/modifications to the car that were too expensive. Its been pointed out putting a hitch on your Fiesta automatically voids the warranty, you get towed in with a blown transmission and a hitch on it, you're gonna be schilling out the dough for a new transmission. Ford won't, because it clearly states in the North American Owners Manual you ARE NOT TO TOW WITH THE VEHICLE PERIOD. Ford of North America is nothing like Ford of Europe get it through your head now. Just because they can tow doesn't mean we can not.

 

[larrylwill]

Thank you Henry

 

[Norm201]

However here is what I found on the Ford Website about towing with the Fiesta, one can also go to a Europe website and find specifications on towing with a Fiesta.

Ford Fiesta - Ford manuals
WARNING:
Do not exceed the maximum gross train weight stated on the vehicle identification plate. See Vehicle identification plate.

CAUTIONS:
Do not exceed the maximum permissible nose weight, i.e. vertical weight on the tow ball, of 50 kilogrammes (110 pounds).

The electrical system is not suitable for towing trailers with more than one rear fog lamp.

Note: Not all vehicles are suitable or approved to have tow bars fitted. Check with your dealer first.

Place loads as low and central to the axle(s) of the trailer as possible. If you are towing with an unladen vehicle, the load in the trailer should be placed toward the nose, within the maximum nose load, as this gives the best stability.

The stability of the vehicle to trailer combination is very much dependant on the quality of the trailer.

In high altitude regions above 1 000 metres (3 281 feet), the stipulated maximum permitted gross train weight must be reduced by 10% for every additional 1 000 metres (3 281 feet).

Steep gradients

WARNING:
The overrun brake on a trailer is not controlled by ABS.

Change down a gear before you reach a steep downhill gradient.

Ahayee, I just spilled hot coffee in my lap I guess I have to sue the coffee maker for making the coffee too hot.

Ever wonder why the WARNINGS section of ANY manual these days is 2x larger than the instructions.?

I don't mean to pick on your post specifically but even using the European model, the specs are so tight that Ford is trying to cover their butt so well that if you have a problem after or during a tow you'll be hard press to get warranty service. The car is just not designed to tow!

What some people don't understand is that just because it has an engine doesn't mean it can do everything.

You wouldn't expect your lawnmower to tow a trailer and you can't expect your Fiesta to cut the lawn.

 

[Emissary21]

Hi all, I have a Fiesta hatch on the way, should be at the dealer within 2 weeks. I need to get a hitch on it ASAP for my bike rack (1.25" Yakima Hold-Up), I ride multiple times a week and don't want to be throwing my dirty bike inside a brand new car. I was wondering if anyone had experience with the aftermarket hitches that are currently available for the Fiesta. etrailer.com has 3 available between $150 and 200, none require drilling, but there are a couple other concerns. The draw-tite one says "Hitch crosstube is visible beneath bumper", has anyone seen it? How much does it hang down? The hidden hitch says it requires a license plate adapter, anyone familiar with that? The Curt one doesn't say it hangs down and also doesn't say it requires the license plate adapter, so that sounds like it's the best bet, has anyone seen that one used?

2011 Ford Fiesta Trailer Hitch | etrailer.com

Thanks!

I, too, share the same concerns. As a cyclist, I'm trying to find a proper hidden hitch. Does anyone know why a license plate adapter is required, especially if a bike rack is being installed?

Update: I've emailed Curt Manufacturing in reference to their hitch system (product number 11067) and am currently waiting for a response with a few large images of their product installed. For what it's worth, there are a few small images of the hitch bracket installed in their installation guide, though they're rather small. You can find them here: CURT Manufacturing Installation Guide PDF

Second Update: Within thirty minutes of my initial email, Brad contacted me with a high-resolution image. I hope this clears any questions up regarding the looks. I don't want anything that shows too much and am really pleased with the way Curt Mfg. has designed their system. It's available on the initial poster's link to etrailer.com.

Since this thread has taken a left turn from the original posters question, i thought id take this opportunity to try and steer it back a little and ask if the original poster or other member who was able to provide us with above information has any updates on their progress regarding obtaining a trailer hitch for the PURPOSE of attaching a bike carrier.
Im interested since I too would like to get a hitch for this purpose.

 

[ronmelancon]

Please go to www.dangeroustrailers.org and see what is happening...

Yes towing is dangerous when anybody can build a trailer...8 States do not have a safety chain law...and Kentucky and South Carolina does not have a Registration for trailers.

Please know that a family was killed in front of their children by a loose runaway trailer in September and nobody knows who did it because they did not stop. See
YouTube - Safety activist Travel trailer regulations too lax in SC WIS News 10 Columb Dangeroustrailers
If almost 400 lives lost in 2009 and over 21,500 injured is not a wake up call then what is....? Only 32 Million Utility Trailers are registered...and nobody does nothing except us..

But we ask.....the Government acts when 240 million registered
cars and 279 people are back over and killed in 2009 along with 18,235 injuries and in 2014 every new car will have a back up camera and it will cost you $300-$400 more and you have no choice.


So in this example if we had 240 million Utility Trailers Registered we would have almost 3,000 lives lost verses 279 and over 122,350 Injured verses 18,235 and nothing is done?

We have people installing a hitch on a smart car...and now a Fiesta...you know this is wrong...shame on you.