I have a 2021 CX-9 Grand Touring, which includes hands-free liftgate. I'm looking at installing a Curt trailer hitch, from etrailer.com (this one).
According to the response to a question here, it won't interfere with operation of hands-free liftgate, but that is with respect to CX-5. Does anyone know whether such a hitch would impede operation of hands-free liftgate on CX-9?
Thanks.

 

Okay, with a little more digging, I found this answer

So the answer appears to be yes!

 

https://www.etrailer.com/question-538080.html

 

which is the URL to which clicking on "this answer" takes you automatically

 

When I bought the 2021 CX-9, I had the dealer install a Mazda tow hitch. They had to disconnect the hands-free device. You cannot have both apparently. Now the problem I’m having with the liftgate is often times on using the manual button to open, it only goes partially up and beeps three times. I just had it in for warranty service yesterday and they said the dealer did not turn off the screen button that says hands-free liftgate. They said it fixed the problem but it is back to only opening partially. Quite the annoyance. If anyone knows the fix for this, please let me know.

 

I had a trailer hitch installed by U-haul. It appears to be the exact same thing as the Curt hitch referenced/linked-to above, with different labeling. (The installation instructions were IDENTICAL.) Had U-haul do the install, too. On my 2013 CX-9, I was able to slide under the tail and install myself, but not this one, which requires dropping the exhaust system by undoing the hangers, while still supporting it. Since I don't have a car lift in my garage at home...... just easier to have it done at U-haul.

In any event, this has not affected the hands-free liftgate operation. Assuming no bike rack or luggage carrier is attached, I slide foot along one side of the receiver tube and it works.

I do note that after I turned off the hands-free feature (via settings) to stop the hatch from going up and down as I was mounting and securing a Thule bike rack to the receiver tube, as I was backing out of a parking space with the bike carrier installed and bikes loaded up, the backup collision avoidance system was screaming at me and then slammed on the brakes automatically, since the carrier/bike were "right up" in the backup camera. That's understandable. However, even after I turned off the backup parking sensor system (via control switch to lower left of steering wheel), the collision avoidance system continued to do so. I had to CREEP out of the parking spot in order to prevent that from happening. DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY THOUGHTS ON THIS BEHAVIOR?