REESE TRAILER HITCH Complaints

Dear Reese Support Team, I am writing to raise a serious safety concern regarding your Reese ball mount product, which failed on me twice in a matter of hours while towing on the highway with my family. On May 25, 2025, I purchased a Reese ball mount from Walmart. While towing our trailer at approximately 55 mph, the trailer ball broke through the mount, forcing me to pull over on the side of the highway. I had to manually disconnect the hitch and, out of caution and urgency, immediately purchased a second Reese ball mount from another Walmart location. To my disbelief, while towing again with the second unit that same day, the exact same failure occurred — the trailer ball broke through the mount while I was once again driving at highway speed. This is not only unacceptable, it is extremely dangerous. My family and I were placed in a highly hazardous situation twice in one day due to apparent product failure. I have attached photos of both defective mounts, along with both purchase receipts.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A REESE TRAILER HITCH. WHILE THE TRAILER WAS BEING TOWED BY A 2014 DODGE RAM 3500 DRIVING APPROXIMATELY 25 MPH, THE TRAILER JERKED. THE FAILURE RECURRED NUMEROUS TIMES. THE TRAILER WAS TAKEN TO THE DEALER WHERE THE FAILURE WAS UNDETERMINED. THE TRAILER WAS NOT REPAIRED. THE MANUFACTURER WAS NOTIFIED OF THE FAILURE. THE APPROXIMATE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS 90,000.

CPSC: I1550267A. REESE TRAILER HITCH. CONSUMER STATED A CRACK HAS DEVELOPED IN THE HITCH. *LN UPDATE 9/15/15*CW THE CONSUMER STATED THE REESE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTING HITCH DEVELOPED A CRACK. THE CRACK WAS IN THE HEAD THAT WAS BOLTED TO THE SHANK. *JB

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2012 CHEVROLET SILVERADO 3500 EQUIPPED WITH AN AFTERMARKET HITCH PIN MANUFACTURED BY REESE. THE PRODUCT NUMBER WAS 7063333. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE LOCKING FEATURE FAILED TO ENGAGE AND CAUSED THE VEHICLE TO FAIL THE STATE INSPECTION. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE FAILURE CREATED A POTENTIALLY HAZARDOUS ENVIRONMENT. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE. THE SERIAL NUMBER WAS UNKNOWN.

CPSC#214761472. SIGNATURE SERIES FIFTH WHEEL HITCH. CONSUMER STATED THE DEFECTIVE WELDS LEAD TO A COLLAPSE OF THE HEAD ASSEMBLY. * UPDATED 1/11/13 *CN UPDATED 1/22/2013*JS UPDATED 06/26/13*LJ

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A REESE TRAILER HITCH. THE CONTACT WAS EXAMINING THE HITCH WHEN HE NOTICED THAT A PIN HAD FRACTURED FROM THE LOCKING MECHANISM WITHOUT WARNING. THE HITCH WAS NOT DIAGNOSED OR REPAIRED.

REESE WEIGHT DISTRIBUTION BALL MOUNT- WHEN CHANGING FROM ONE VEHICLE TO ANOTHER IT WAS NOTED THAT THE TEETH THAT HOLD THE BALL MOUNT TO THE HITCH WERE COMPLETELY STRIPPED. THIS COULD HAVE LEAD TO TRAILER SEPARARTING FROM VEHICLE AND A POSSIBLE ACCIDENT- THIS HAPPENED WITH 2 SEPARATE REESE HITCH BALL MOUNTS

AFTER MARKET TRAILER HITCH: TOWING TRAILER WITH 2 BOLTS ATTACHED. ONE OF THE BOLTS HAD SNAPPED OFF. THE TRAILER WAS 1,000LB LESS THAN WHAT TRAILER HITCH BOLT REQUIRED. MANUFACTURER INDICATED PROBLEM WAS WITH INSTALLATION. #81378 TS

AS CONSUMER WAS STRAIGHTENING UP HIS 2000 SNOWBIRD TRAILER, THE 20K 5TH WHEEL HITCH RELEASED THE TRAILER WITH THE TRAILER FALLING ON THE BACK OF THE PICKUP, A REESE REP STATED THAT THE HITCH WAS IN GOOD OPERATING CONDITION AND IS DENYING ANY OF THE RESPONSIBILITY FOR ITS FAILURE, THIS NEWLY DESIGNED HITCH OPERATES SO A PERSON JUST HAS TO MOVE THE LATCH OUT OF THE WAY FOR HOOKUP, THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO THE TRUCK. *SLC

CONSUMER INSTALLED A REESE INTERCHANGABLE HITCH BALL WHICH WAS RATED FOR A 10000 POUND TRAILER, THE BALL SEPARATED FROM THE POST AND THE 500 POUND TRAILER CAME LOOSE FROM THE VEHICLE, LUCKILY A SAFETY CHAIN PREVENTED THE TRAILER FROM COMING COMPLETELY DETACHED, SLIGHT DAMAGE WAS CAUSED DUE TO THE HITCH FAILURE. *SLC