They finally updated the website to include the 350. But they tagged the product as "350h" compatible, which is going to lead people to think the 350 gas (which is 72% of production) is not part of it. They should fix that ASAP.

Hey everyone. New member-first post. Reviewed this thread. I just installed an OEM hitch on my 2023 RX 350H 2 weeks ago. I had called a dozen vendors and couldn't find anything. I wasn't a huge fan of the aftermarket drop receiver. Also bought the Lexus roof rails which I am slightly nervous about- no where near as sturdy as my Thule. The tow hitch will be used for my 1up rack. After reading this thread, I feel the OEM Lexus hitch was the best fit. Tongue weight of 550. 1up Racks are super heavy. I can put 4 off back and 2 on roof if needed. Question... I took pictures of the instal and documented all of the fasteners removed. Yes, the kick sensor still works. A bit of cutting. Would it be helpful if I documented process? If so, should i do so here or start a new thread? Keep in mind... the parts department at your local lexus dealer will ask you for VIN. If your VIN didn't have the tow package, the will tell you there aren't any options. I learned this after calling 3 different dealers. The last one told me its purely liability. I can provide part numbers as well. Always remember to ask for 10-15% off... they will play the game.

Fasteners removed? Cutting? From what I read here, the after market solutions are direct bolt-on - no removal of anything or cutting.

You can't get the tow package from the factory, because there are no factory orders for this car - you have to take what they build, and they build nothing with the towing package at the factory (for the US market at least).

Correct on take what they build. However, Lexus does sell a trailer OEM hitch for the car. The aftermarket ones (other than stealth) sit under the bumper. The ones that sit under the bummer are a bit awkward (opinion). On a positive note... the aftermarket is direct bolt in. No removal of bumper skin. The Lexus OEM requires the lower bumper skin to be removed, 1 inch of material cut out... there is actually a guide molded into plastic (genius), and it requires cutting of the kick sensor plastic frame and relocation of 2 wires (1" move). I will write up a how to and start a new thread. It was easy to do. I had to have my 10 year old put in a clip on final skin instal... my hands were too big. Trust me... there is NO way to instal the OEM hitch without removing the skin. It sits much higher than the others.

Calling this a guide is a bit of a stretch. But it worked for me. Happy to hear constructive feedback.2023 Lexus RX Hybrid 2” Receiver Hitch Install

Skill set: Easy/Moderate

Time: 2 hours



Tools needed ;

17MM socket

Torque wrench

Philips screwdriver

Flat screwdriver

Pick (body fastener removal)

File

Sand paper

Jack stand (or paint can)

*A kid with small hands

*Ice Cream

3-4 New England IPA’s



Lexus OEM Part number: PT228-48262



Overview: These instructions are for adding a 2” OEM Lexus Tow hitch to a 2023 Lexus RX350H (should be same for gas). If you call a Lexus dealer, ask if they have the above part number in stock. Do not provide VIN as you will most likely hear “There is not a tow hitch available for this model”. These instructions do not cover installing wiring. My requirements were for using a 1up Bike rack. I will never tow with this vehicle and would not recommend anyone else tows unless you want to install Oil and transmission coolers. I am 100% sure that cutting and altering the kick sensor will void the warranty for that part (mine works fine). I am also sure any fastener warranty on lower bumper skin will be void as well. Move forward at your own risk. Make sure your wife (or significant other) is not home (if this is their car) before starting.



Steps:

1. Lower bumper skin removal.
2. Lower bumper skin material removal (hitch cut out)
3. Kick sensor (if applicable) material removal and wire re-route
4. Hitch install.
5. Lower bumper reinstall.
6. Kick Sensor install
7. Main Bolt torque

Step 1: Lower bumper skin removal: (put all clips into a bowl or bag to ensure they aren’t lost!)

1. Open beer.
2. Remove kick sensor. There is one philips screw and 5 black push pin fasteners (probably another name). Use a plastic pick, flatblade, or whatever you need to pop the center out. Never use force… massage it out. Pull it off gently and unplug wire connector (pick helps lift connector tab).
3. Remove 4 plugs (two per side) on subframe rail (see picture 1). This is where hitch mounts Most likely you can remove by twisting with fingers. If not, use standard (flat) screwdriver. It will twist out counterclockwise.
4. Remove 2 Philips screws (you can use 10MM socket as well) directly behind each wheel (labeled +) on clip diagram.
5. Remove all black push pin fasteners. There are a total of 8 of these (not counting kick sensor). These are labeled A-H on diagram.
6. Remove white slide clips. These are tough. I used a trampoline spring tool (able to hold tab down sturdy). You need to push the center of white tab down while pulling front away from hoop. Start with the front ones near wheels as you can see how they work. There are 10 of these labeled 1-10 on diagram. On final removal, be prepared to support skin so it doesn’t get scratched by falling off.
7. Pull skin down and out gently. There is a wire harness- push support tabs out of way using pick.

Step 2: Lower bumper skin material removal (hitch cut out)

1. Open beer.
2. Place bumper skin on soft material (I used shop chair). Blanket in yard or work bench would be best.
3. Find faint lines (see picture) and use a multi tool to cut out. Use the smaller of the two lines. Take off the minimum amount. Go slow. The bottom up cuts are simple. Do a plunge cut under top line and trim up to line. Do not try to cut the corners by arcing the blade. Instead, do several straight lines up to the line. You will sand it out later.
4. Use a cheap sanding block and slowly round off your cuts. I used a file too.

Step 3: Kick sensor (if applicable) material removal and wire re-route

1. Pull 2 of the lower center black plastic square tabs out. Pull the 2 lower wires aside. Place back on the lower bumper skin (still removed) and mark the minimum material you need to remove from the kick sensor (its not a lot).
2. Place 2 lower center black plastic square tab back in (without wires being retained)
3. Cut the section out using a multitool.
4. Remove 2 lower center black plastic square tabs and Place wires back in where the two squares were removed. Use quality zip ties to route the wires up around the hitch area. The wires should remain as close to parallel as possible. These are the sensor. (sorry for lack of picture).
5. Place aside and move to next step (do not reinstall yet).

Step 4: Hitch install.

1. Open beer.
2. Place jack stand or paint can on either side of mounting location.
3. Keeping 4 main bolts in hand or pocket, place the hitch on one side of jack and lifting into rough position on other side. The hitch has to be pretty damn close to bolt hole. Do not strip!!! Finger tighten first bolt into hole (at least a few turns). Repeat with next bolt. Switch sides. Finger tighten 2 bolts on other side. Do not torque yet.

Step 5. Lower bumper reinstall (hardest part- need to be able to massage the lower skin parts in as well as wiring harness- also need small hands).

1. With lower bumper skin in hands, sit down on ground with legs under car. Place lower bumper on thighs and use legs to support as close to upper bumper as possible. There is a wiring harness the supports the main wire to parking sensors. The wire has tabs that stick into the lower bumper skin. Snap them in (pretty easy to snap them in).
2. Reinstall clips- The lower bumper skin should be slightly secure via the above step. Gently place first 2 white clips on each side (1,2,3 and 4 from diagram). I would then work by placing each of the clips and pins in alternating left to right. The absolute hardest part for me were 4 center white clips 4,5,6 and 7. I torqued my hitch on during step 4. The gap between the subframe and the hitch bar is tiny. I had to have my 10 year old do it… which was really hard to walk through. He rocked it though… lots of ice cream.
3. Reinstall screws- screw in each of the two philips screws (you can use 10MM socket as well).

Step 6. Kick Sensor install

1. Open beer (optional)
2. Slide the modified kick sensor in above the hitch. It’s a tough fit, but will slid in on an upwards angle. Do not force, massage. Plug in.
3. Test kick sensor.

Step 7. Main Bolt torque

1. Torque 4 main hitch bolts to 77LBS (double check this- I pulled it from 3rd party site)

Uploading pictures from phone .. see next comment

I wanted this hitch not to tow, but mostly to install a WeatherTech bumpstep to protect the rear bumper. If the after market receivers sit lower than OEM one, will that bumpstep sit too low to protect the bumper?

I am sure your Lexus OEM product is far beyond excellent quality but Lexus OEM hitch is not for me heres why. The fact that Lexus cant sell you outright without giving liability reasonings but all aftermarket give you liability reasonings as well. I would hate to cut up my bumper sure very little cutting but still it is cutting and what happens if you dont want that hitch anymore, hello missing piece of bumper. Relocation of 2 wires, my aftermarket hitch dont require that. Yeah I would appreciate your write up but for the community as well. I love my Torklift hitch because theres no cutting, no relocation of 2 wires for kick sensor and the fact I can remove the receiver and gives me that stealth look is big plus for me, I had a visible hitch on my previous Rav4 and i hated looking at that receiver when not in use.

Can't say as I would be crazy about cutting the bumper, but props to you for tackling this. Looks great. That said, the factory and aftermarket hitches turn to rusted crap here in no time. The exception in the stainless steel Torklift hitch. Which I will get if our 350h ever arrives.

Thank you for the compliment! Lots of opinions here… which is great. I can’t imagine a car without a hitch… this will be permanent. I wouldn’t have cut the bumper if it would ever be removed. I drive my cars into the ground… hope to hit 200k in 10 years. With that said, you are correct about rust. Well, mostly correct. There are different grades of steel. I drive 6-7 hours from Boston to Vermont and back every weekend during ski season. In New England we blast our roads with salt. My 2011 Outback and my 2019 Tahoe both have OEM hitches. Both are fine. Ironically, the actual card have rust everywhere.

I love the idea of stainless… but believe the tongue weight was 200lbs less than oem.. 550 vs 350. Can anyone verify? Also, I wanted the receiver as high as possible. Tongue weight is huge… as mentioned… I have a 1up rack. The rack alone weighs 45 for 2 bikes. 75lbs for 4. That doesn’t include the 30lbs bikes. Bikes go everywhere I go. Side note: My Tahoe is 750lbs. The Tahoe also sucks down gas faster than I suck down beer.

quoting myself… (ha). This is a 1 up rack in 2 bike mode for tjoses who are curious.

Here's an NSR - loaded up.https://northshoreracks.com/wp-conte...-45-loaded.jpg

huge thx for correcting and providing detail. Nice rig(s)

Has anyone on the forum here seen their orders start to move yet? My order status has changed to "Processed" but I don't really know what that means. I sent a note to Torklift last week for an update but have not heard back yet. My sailboat is sitting at the edge of the water with no way to launch it unless I borrow a vehicle every time I want to use it....so I'm itching to get my hitch

Maybe someone on here with an order ahead of me has seen some movement?

My last email exchange with them - still waiting for the 350 (non-h) to be verified as compatible, it should be but until they get one to test, I guess they can't post that. Considering that the 350 is 72% of production, they aren't going to see alot of pre-orders until they get that model approved.