Owners of trailer hitches compatible with the tenth generation Corolla such as the Curt # 11265, 11266, 11295, 112651, 112652, 112653, 112661, 112662, 112663, 112951, 112952 and 112953, Reese Towpower # 51171 or 77186, Hidden Hitch 60200, and Draw-Tite 24814 may also find these instructions to be helpful.

The procedure is also the same for the 9th generation (2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008) Corolla and the new 11th generation 2014 and 2015 Corolla sedans.

I purchased this Curt trailer hitch and the Inno INH305 bike rack from Amazon. By doing the labor myself, I saved just over $200 compared to a quote from a local shop.

Please allow the car to cool off for at least an hour after driving so that you don't burn yourself on the hot exhaust pipes.

First check to see if the tow loop from the factory is still attached to the passenger side frame rail on the underside of your Corolla. If the tow loop is there, remove it by turning the two 19mm bolts counterclockwise.

The tools needed to install the hitch include a can of compressed air, a small brush, Loctite blue bolt locker liquid, a 19mm socket, a 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench, a 9" extension bar, a few cable ties, safety glasses and a torque wrench.

The chances are good that you'll just see the two weld nut holes on both the driver and passenger side frame rails.

For a trouble free installation of the trailer hitch, it's best to clean out the bolt holes with compressed air and or a brush.

I first sprayed compressed air in to each bolt hole to clean out any loose debris.

Loop the cable ties over the cold exhaust support and around the trailer hitch. Tighten the cable ties until the passenger side of the trailer hitch is close to the frame rail.

I had thin "light duty" cable ties, so I used two sets of ties for extra support.

As long as you tighten the bolts to the appropriate torque, you don't need to use Loctite. I just wanted a bit of extra peace of mind that the bolts wouldn't vibrate loose.

Lift the driver side of the trailer hitch up towards the frame rail and line up the bolt holes with the weldnuts.

Apply a small amount of Loctite to the two bolts with their conical washers attached.

Spin in the two bolts on the passenger side by hand a few turns in the clockwise direction to prevent them from becoming cross threaded.

Tighten the four bolts with the 19mm socket attached to an extension bar and the 3/8" drive ratcheting wrench by turning them clockwise until they are hand tight.

Double check that the four bolts are tight before moving on to the bike rack installation.

If you also only plan on using your trailer hitch for a bike rack, you can save a few dollars by ordering Curt trailer hitch # 11265 which only includes the hitch bar and mounting hardware but not the tow bar, pin and retaining clip.

I attached the included tow bar (with out mounting ball) just to check the fit of the trailer hitch receiver.

This Class 1 trailer hitch has a towing capacity of 2,000 lbs and a tongue weight of 200 lbs. Our two bikes (carbon fiber Trek road bike and an aluminum Diamondback hybrid) plus the Inno INH305 bike rack should be around 100 lbs total.

Curt Manufacturing recommends that all "non-trailer" loads should also be supported by their load stabilizing straps (part # 18050).

From what I've read online in various forums, most people don't bother with the straps since the whole purpose of a trailer hitch is to avoid having straps marring or scuffing your car's paint job.

We've used the hitch and bike rack a few times already and they work great. We love how easy it is to get a bike in and out of the Inno INH305 bike carriers. When the all black bike rack is folded up for storage, it blends in nicely with the rear of my car and isn't an eye sore like some of the other racks I have seen.

I really like how the Inno INH305 comes with a locking trailer hitch pin to keep someone from disconnecting the entire rack and stealing it. There are locks on each each bike carrier. Inno also included a braided metal cable that can be run through the frames of each bike to lock them to the rack.

For more, check out my other Corolla DIY tutorials at the links below -

2009-2013 Toyota Corolla Repair & Maintenance Guides

2003-2008 Toyota Corolla Repair & Maintenance Guides