it cant help that what seems like half of all vx's have had hitches fabricated on them and tow things that the vehicle was never intended tow - VERY hard on a transmission that was not designed for that - even more so on a trans that has problems on its own
Didn't Troopers (which are heavier than the VX) offer a tow hitch as a factory option with the same 3.5/430LE drive train combo? I think the "never intended to tow" thing was more related to the short wheel base.