Hi,
I recently had installed a Hidden Hitch with a 2" receiver to my 2004 Sienna. I use it to carry bikes (4), not to tow anything. On a camping trip, with the van full of camping gear, 4 people, and 4 bikes on the hitch, I found it stressful driving over any kind of bump or dip in the road as the hitch could (and did) bottom out and hit the pavement. On one occasion, when I came out of a mall entrance where the curb was about 1.5" higher than the pavement, the hitch hit particularly hard.
This van is factory-equipped to tow, and therefore I think it's reasonable to expect that I can install a hitch with a 2" receiver (although I don't tow anything, as indicated above). The van also has a large cargo capacity, meaning one can expect to load it up; as well camping gear is not particularly heavy, it's not like I was moving a load of bricks or lumber, or patio stones, etc. I find it disappointing that it cannot seem to handle what I consider to be a reasonable loading condition.
Have others experienced the same issues? What solutions are there? I called Toyota and they were totally unhelpful. They said nothing could be done to raise the vehicle or beef up the suspension. They even implied the use of the hitch could void the warranty as they might argue I'm using it to pull excessive loads (and I don't tow). I asked about air shocks, and they said they don't supply these, and again don't recommend them as it could void the warranty.
Thoughts on any of this would be appreciated. Could air shocks solve my problem? What about the warranty?
Thanks.