Random trailer connected/disconnected messages
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5,957
Likes: 1,362
From: NY/Canada border
Random trailer connected/disconnected messages
Like the title states. Driving down the road the "trailer connected" message will just pop up in the display. And then it goes away. A short time later the "trailer disconnected" message appears.
It then sometimes goes away or sometimes repeats the cycle a couple of times. And every now and then a message about the left rear trailer light having a problem pops up and then goes right back out.
There hasn't been a trailer connected to this truck since October.
It then sometimes goes away or sometimes repeats the cycle a couple of times. And every now and then a message about the left rear trailer light having a problem pops up and then goes right back out.
There hasn't been a trailer connected to this truck since October.
Hotshot
Joined: Apr 2013
Posts: 10,133
Likes: 665
From: NH
Definitely odd. Sometimes my truck will have a weird delay between displaying the "connected" or "disconnected" messages after I plug in or unplug a trailer...but we're talking no more than 5 minutes or so.
I find that using a 4-way to 7-way adapter on my snowmobile trailer causes these delay symptoms much more often than when I plug in one of my heavier trailers with a 7-pin plug.
I find that using a 4-way to 7-way adapter on my snowmobile trailer causes these delay symptoms much more often than when I plug in one of my heavier trailers with a 7-pin plug.
Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5,957
Likes: 1,362
From: NY/Canada border
Definitely odd. Sometimes my truck will have a weird delay between displaying the "connected" or "disconnected" messages after I plug in or unplug a trailer...but we're talking no more than 5 minutes or so.
I find that using a 4-way to 7-way adapter on my snowmobile trailer causes these delay symptoms much more often than when I plug in one of my heavier trailers with a 7-pin plug.
I find that using a 4-way to 7-way adapter on my snowmobile trailer causes these delay symptoms much more often than when I plug in one of my heavier trailers with a 7-pin plug.
Elder User
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 872
Likes: 4
From: Greene, NY
That's probably the problem Poncho.. my guess is one of the connectors may not be fully seated, and you're getting some moisture into it causing it to read some shorts now and then that look like trailer lights/brakes.
Tuned
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 325
Likes: 8
From: Central Ohio
Check the “waterproof” connector under the tailgate. There have been lots of weird electrical issues related to water in this connector. It’s worth checking. If so, the cure seems to be drying the connector and filling it with dielectric grease before reassembly. My truck arrives this week. I already have a new tube of dielectric grease. It’s worth trying proactively.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 54
Likes: 1
My truck did this the very first time I drove it down from the local ski hill on the second day of ownership. I got under the truck and pulled every connector apart I could find and added dielectric grease to all of them and reconnected. 2K miles latter and no more issues with this. Best guess is that it was moisture getting into a connector that most likely was not fully seated from the factory.
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Tuned
Joined: Jan 2018
Posts: 272
Likes: 23
I had the same issue. I found it to be water and moisture in the plug connectors to the left of the rear licens plate. The covers are not even close to water tight, even with the rubber gasket. A light spray from a hose gets water inside.
I blew mine out with my compressor and caked in the dielectric grease. Fixed the problem right away.
I blew mine out with my compressor and caked in the dielectric grease. Fixed the problem right away.
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Thread Starter
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Lead Driver
Joined: Oct 2014
Posts: 5,957
Likes: 1,362
From: NY/Canada border
I did eventually pop the plug apart & fill with dielectric grease as suggested. I've since hauled a trailer 1400 miles, much of it through rain. No problems. Trailer is unhooked and many miles driven without it at my destination. So far no messages have returned.
Junior User
Joined: Feb 2018
Posts: 54
Likes: 1
Thought I had this fixed with dielectric grease but after 400 miles in the pissing rain today its back. Going to take it into the dealer in May after I'm done with work travel for the year. There has to be a TSB with an update to fix this with true waterproof connectors as this seems to be a very common problem.
