Turn Signals on 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee Stop Working After Towing Boat Trailer for Awhile

Question:

Item # 118381 hi i have a 2001 jeep grand cherokee with factory tow package. i tow a boat with my jeep. it has the standard trailer lights nothing fancy. problem i have is my jeep has the amber turn signals. my problem is after towing my boat my turn signals completely stopped working then suddenly started to work after being disconnected from the boat. so my question is do i need a tail light converter or the wiring device listed above in the subject line. what i have purchased already is a 7 way to a 4 or 5 way that simply plugs into the 7 way factory outlet. your help would be greatly appreciated.

asked by: Jeff

Expert Reply:

You mentioned that you are towing a boat trailer. When you go to launch the boat are the trailer tail lights submerged under water and, if so, do you leave the trailer connected to the 2001 Jeep Grand Cherokee when launching the boat? If the answer to either question is yes then what could be happening is a short and/or interrupted ground from submerging the tail lights. Once it all dries out or you disconnect the trailer that problem goes away.

If feasible you can try towing the boat trailer around for awhile and see if the problem still occurs when everything is dry. If it does then make sure the vehicle and trailer side connectors, along with the adapter, are clean and free of corrosion on the pins as well as where the wires attach.

If that doesn't solve the issue then you could install a separate 4-Way but not # 118381. You would need a hardwire set up such as # C55381 to splice into the vehicle tail light wiring. This harness gets power from the vehicle battery so it won't over draw the tail light wiring.

expert reply by: Michael H