Vehicles having a retractable hitch

A vehicle, comprising:

• a towing hitch assembly comprising:
• a coupler portion configured to be movable relative to a bumper of the vehicle such that the coupler portion is positioned farther from the bumper when the coupler portion is in an extended position than when the coupler portion is in a towing position;
• and
• a cable having a first end and a second end;
• a retraction mechanism comprising a winding actuator configured to wind the cable such that a distance between the coupler portion and the bumper of the vehicle is reduced when the coupler portion is moved from the extended position to the towing position, wherein the first end of the cable is coupled to the coupler portion and the second end of the cable is coupled to the retraction mechanism;
• a locking mechanism operable to lock the coupler portion in the towing position;
• a lock engagement sensor that outputs a signal indicative of whether or not the locking mechanism is in an unlocked position;
• a processor communicatively coupled to the lock engagement sensor;
• and
• a memory module communicatively coupled to the processor storing logic that, when executed, causes the processor to:
• determine, based on the signal of the lock engagement sensor, whether or not the locking mechanism is in the unlocked position.