Trailer Control Fault
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 150
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From: Western Mass
Trailer Control Fault
I'm getting a "Trailer Brake controler fault" display on the dash. I havn't had the trailer with brakes hooked up for some time, only the small 4 pin plug. Is it time to bring it in to the dealer?
4wd Low
Joined: Apr 2009
Posts: 14
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No.. I think that if it has been raining or you washed your truck you have a small amount of water in the plug, I get it every once in awhile and all I do is take a rage and stuff in there to soak any water that might be in there, that has worked for me every time. Also a squirt of wd-40 has worked.
Senior User
Joined: Oct 2008
Posts: 180
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This is a known and common problem. I believe there is a TSB out on it. I kept getting it and the dealer replaced the plug and really sealed it up. As it comes from the factory, it is prone to get water in it and you get the fault reading.
charles
charles
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
Only time I have ever had issues is when the ground has gotten loose in the trailer itself. Might want to confirm your grounding and also the 7 pin cable route going to the power distribution box on your trailer. 2 of my 4 trailers had ground problems that I never knew about until I got my '08. Never had a truck that was that smart before!
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 682
Likes: 4
From: Ontario Canada
I had to replace my controller once it was bad, the slide was loose and keep shorting out which would display the fault. the tech also told me that you dont want to have to replace the plug because it is the whole haness from front to back of the truck and not a fun job, he did say you could hack the wiring harness and put a aftermarket plug in but then it would be a yearly change if you live in the snowy climates with road salt.
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 617
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From: Washington,KS/Lincoln,NE
Only time I have ever had issues is when the ground has gotten loose in the trailer itself. Might want to confirm your grounding and also the 7 pin cable route going to the power distribution box on your trailer. 2 of my 4 trailers had ground problems that I never knew about until I got my '08. Never had a truck that was that smart before!
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Senior User
Joined: Mar 2009
Posts: 150
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From: Western Mass
correct, it is coming on with no trailer hooked up. I will clean and dry it out today and see how that goes. I always put dielectric grease on all my connections so mositure is rarely a problem.
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I have a 2009 that I hooked my triler to for the first time last night. I am getting a trailer wiring fault messegae. As far as I can tell everything seems to be working fine. I get the fault whether I hook to the bumber plug or to the one in the bed that Line X installed. Would I need to get the dealer to take a look or have the RV looked at by someone?
Elder User
Joined: Jan 2008
Posts: 617
Likes: 0
From: Washington,KS/Lincoln,NE
I have a 2009 that I hooked my triler to for the first time last night. I am getting a trailer wiring fault messegae. As far as I can tell everything seems to be working fine. I get the fault whether I hook to the bumber plug or to the one in the bed that Line X installed. Would I need to get the dealer to take a look or have the RV looked at by someone?
Do you have a different trailer you can plug to and find out if the fault exists with it as well?
Post Fiend
Joined: Jan 2009
Posts: 6,521
Likes: 11
From: Greenwood, SC
Sorry, I'm the bonehead that mis understood.
DWhittaker, you have the issue that I had when I first got my truck. I had three trailers that needed shaping up in the wiring dept. all diagnosed by the truck. As I stated before, it's always a ground or a short in my experience. I would go through all your fuses in the truck and go through all the lights in your RV. Remove any corrosion and trace the main ground wire from the plug up into the RV.
I had a 3 foot section of wire in one of our cargo trailers where the insulation had melted and charred, just bare wire left. Kinda scary.
DWhittaker, you have the issue that I had when I first got my truck. I had three trailers that needed shaping up in the wiring dept. all diagnosed by the truck. As I stated before, it's always a ground or a short in my experience. I would go through all your fuses in the truck and go through all the lights in your RV. Remove any corrosion and trace the main ground wire from the plug up into the RV.
I had a 3 foot section of wire in one of our cargo trailers where the insulation had melted and charred, just bare wire left. Kinda scary.
Junior User
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 67
Likes: 0
From: Pittsburgh
I have an 08 with a TBC. It does not work when the brake pedal is applied. However it does work if I use the slider. The Dealer said there was an error code but they havent had the time to get into it as of yet. It is due to go back to shop soon though.
Senior User
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 383
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From: Nashville, TN
Mine has done this twice. Once I get the fault, I can't shift the truck into drive. Once, I saw a spark near the TBC when it happened. I think the TBC itself is grounding on the little track that it slides into. If it does it again, I will take it in, but twice in 20 months doesn't seem too bad. I have never towed with mine and only have 10,000 miles on mine.