Trailer Lights warning message

[urnmor]

this is a two part message.
The first has to do with a warning message stating faulty wiring at the trailer and the second is a message that says: trailer disconnected and then very shortly another message that says trailer is connected.

I always check my lights before I leave a location so I know that they are connected and working. Now because of the first message I run with the trailer lights on but on occasion they will blink on and off and then stay on. This usually happens at the beginning of the trip. I have cleaned the plug connections with sand paper and sprayed with contact spray.

The second also happens at the beginning of a trip or some times going over a bump.

[HowieE]

The message is most likely being displayed on your brake controller and is telling you the control is not seeing the trailer. This is likely to be that you do not have the umbilical cord seated in the socket on the TV or that the socket or cord itself has a problem.

The fact that the parking lights are also blinking I would consider the first as the problem. Make sure the plug is seated all the way into the socket and that the cap has dropped down to lock it in place.

If it were just the brakes I would say a wire in the brake circuit was loose but with the parking lights also being involved lead me to the connector

If it not this you have a connector somewhere that is not seated. Look under the TV and see if there is a connector close to the socket at the bumper connecting to the rest of the harnessing of the TV.

[urnmor]

Howie thank you I will look at the cords

[RamblinManGa]

Hi from AZ. . . my 2011 Ford F150 gives me that 'wiring fault' message occasionally and I've never known why. All lights working, no blinking, and if I turn the truck off,then back on, it goes away. I have cleaned connector pins with my Dremel, & re-seating the connectors doesn't make it go away. It's a mystery to me, regards, Craig

[Skater]

If nothing Howie mentioned helps, keep in mind that the 7-pin connectors do fail over time, too. Ours was getting flakey - sometimes when I plugged it in, it wouldn't work. Before it got to be a major problem, I put a new one on and haven't had an issue since. They're maybe $10 to replace and it's fairly easy to do.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by RamblinManGa

Hi from AZ. . . my 2011 Ford F150 gives me that 'wiring fault' message occasionally and I've never known why. All lights working, no blinking, and if I turn the truck off,then back on, it goes away. I have cleaned connector pins with my Dremel, & re-seating the connectors doesn't make it go away. It's a mystery to me, regards, Craig

This probably should be a separate thread, but my guess without seeing anything is that your brake wiring is shorting out. (The brake controller in my B190 would give me a similar error, and I found that the brake wire in the trailer was shorting on the frame of the tow dolly. I got to tow about 8 hours one time without knowing whether I'd have brakes in the dolly from one traffic light to the next. Fun times.)