RVB

On Thursday, May 10,2007, I picked up a new GX at a New England Dealer. While the salesman was explaining the car, pushing buttons, we heard a loud grinding noise from the rear. The salesman took the car back to the service dept where they pronounced the car ok. The next day the noise returned and I figured it came from the up/down height adjust. Arrangement was made to have my local dealer check it out. They found a shim on the trailer hitch was not properly installed and was rubbing against the compressor that changes the air pressure in the shocks. However, most alarming was that there was only one bolt instead of four that was holding the hitch to the car.
Not good! I could see someone hooking up a trailer and having a real disaster.
I gather the hitch is "port-installed" and I have no idea if that is out-sourced. However, I am probably not the only one with one bolt, so I would recommend having your dealer check out the hitch install before you haul that favorite boat or horse trailer!

BobsGX

Are you sure your dealer didn't install the hitch and forgot the 3 missing bolts? They have a knack for installing the hitch wrong and letting the hitch contact the air compressor for the rear springs, which will cause a loud buzzing noise when the compressor is activated. The folks who install the hitch at the port do this all the time so they will unlikely forget 3 of the 12 bolts that hold the hitch onto the vehicles frame. None of the factory hitches are installed at the assembly plant in Japan. They are all installed at the port or at the dealership. Same goes for the wheel locks, rear spoiler, XM Radio, chrome exhaust tip, floor mats and the owners manuals. Even the window sticker gets printed out and applied at the port.

RVB

I have no idea who goofed up. I only know the second dealer said only one of four bolts was installed.