This hitch did not properly fit my 2007 Mazda 3 Hatchback even though it is designed to fit. The mounting plates were bent and there is a big gap between the carbody and hitch bracket. With the gap that is present I doubt the proper clamp load is achieved... not pleased.

This works great for my 2008 Mazda 3. Install took a couple hours but was pretty straight forward with couple challenges. You must have items and tools not included in this purchase to install this hitch. 1/2 inch drill bit, drill, cutting fluid, adjustable torque wrench, and if you plan to tow, a ball mount is needed. This hitch only has the receiver to install the ball mount into.I took off the all the paneling inside my trunk first. Then I jacked up the rear of the car and placed it on jack stands. Next step was removing the bumper cover. I recommend having a detailed service book of your car as it makes the removal of any trim and the bumper cover much easier than guessing where all visible and hidden retaining clips are located. I decided to leave one retaining clip fastened on each side of the bumper cover in the corners in the rear wheel wells. This way, since I was doing this by myself, I could detach the bumper cover and rest it on the ground under the car with only a slight flex on the corner retaining clips still holding it (this made a world of difference when I went to reinstall the cover and only had to lift it right back into place). I then had to remove the styrofoam from the bumper. Now it's time to install the Curt trailer hitch. I had read other reviews prior to buying that had mentioned what a pain it is to drop one of the bolts provided inside the bumper and having to get it out. Using the fishing wire provided, you thread it on to the threads of the bolt. It holds very well and I did not have any trouble fishing each bolt through the sides of the bumper and out through the holes (Note: you must have a 1/2 inch drill bit to make the stock holes in your bumper larger to accept the bolts - it is a must to have cutting fluid). The bolts all went in easy and I thought I must have been lucky compared to others that ran into problems. Then it happened. Perhaps related to me trying to do this by myself, when I lifted the Curt hitch into place and lined up the holes in the hitch with the bolts I had fished out through the holes in the bumper, I pushed one of the bolts backwards out of the hole, and fell inside the bumper. Crap. There is no real easy way to get the bolt all the way out in order to start over. Do yourself a favor and have an extendable magnet pickup tool. Without out it I don't know how I would have retrieved the bolt. Once retrieved, I was back at it. The hitch is very sturdy and has some weight to it. If you do this by yourself like I did, you will get a good arm workout from trying to hold the hitch in place with one hand while you set the locking nut on one bolt and then the next. Once you have two nuts on, one each side, you can let go of the hitch and let those bolts do the work. Once fully tightened, it is just the processes of reversing the steps to get your bumper cover and trunk panels back on and lowering the car. Note: if you also purchase the Curt 56011 T-Connector, install before replacing the trunk panels otherwise you will have to remove them again in order to install the T-connector harness. I have towed a boat and a utility trailer several times since installing and have had no issues. Great purchase.

I installed this on a '07 Mazda 3 sedan. it fits that car well and it easy to install if you are halfway handy.NOTE! you MUST drill out exsisting holes in the frame to install this. i used a standard dewalt 18 volt cordless drill in conjunction with the dewalt titanium drill bit set with .5 inch bit. the .5 bits are not standard on most drill bit sets, so ensure that you have that critical .5 inch bit before you try to install.on to the install. I put the car on jack stands and after i drilled out 4 holes in the frame rails and bumper rail (the hardest part of the whole job, ensure you have eye protection and i also recommend work gloves for this part of the job) i used the car jack to lift up the hitch into position. you have to fish the bolts and spacers through the frame rails with an included wire. it works real slick, but is not fool proof. number one, the bolts from the frame rails come in from the sides, so they must be fished through after the hitch is in place. i do recommend fishing the bolts on the bumper rail before lifting in the hitch. they drop down from the rail and the hitch can be lifted up to them so long as you are careful not to accidentally push the bolts back into the bumper rail if you dont line the holes up quite right with the bolts. for the side bolts on the frame rails, i recommend fishing them through after you get the hitch in place and the bumper rail bolts tightened. you want to keep some sort of lateral pressure on the bolts after you fish them through. i got over confident and didnt do this on the last bolt and when i tried to put on the nut the bolt slipped back into the frame rail. it didnt fall all of the way in so i was able to easily push it back through due to a hole located on the opposite side of the rail.the install took me about 45 minutes by myself.the next day i towed a 350 lb trailer on a 200 mile round trip. i picked up about 800 lbs and returned. the hitch performed flawlessly. It is rated at 200 lbs tongue weight and 2000 lbs tow weight and i was probably right at the 200 lbs tongue weight on the way back. there was no damage or bending or loosening of the 4 bolts.Lastly, as this is a class 1/2 hitch, it has the smaller 3/4 inch hole made for 1 7/8 inch balls. you can put a full sized 2 inch ball if you want, but you need to buy one with the smaller shank. most home improvement stores and event the local u-haul carry the small shank tow balls, just be mindful when you purchase.I would buy again and recommend to anyone looking to expand the utility of their small car. just remember that both the small hitch and small cars cannot tow large loads.

Very well made product and fits perfectly on our Mazda3 Hatchback, even the included draw bar happened to be almost perfect height for our little utility trailer we're towing.. However while the instructions are simple enough, actually fishing the bolts and backing plates through the frame of the car is _not_ fun. After it got stuck the first time the pigtail coil loosened up making it even more difficult, I lost the bolts and backing plates more then once inside the frame, and eventually the included fishing wire snapped inside the frame! Thankfully I was able to just get some stiff wire for a local autoparts store and replicate the fishing wire, but be warned this is a simple, yet easily frustrating project! Once on the car, it works perfectly, and is barely visible with the draw bar removed.If you happen to lose the bolts / backing plates inside the frame like I did, a firm tap with a hammer on the bottom of the frame can help bounce it free ;)