No Trailer Lights with Trailer Connected to a 2014 Nissan Rogue/Rogue Select

Question:

I have this installed and I get no lights at all. I have power coming down from lights to converter but it seems nothing coming out

asked by: Don

Expert Reply:

There are a few things you can check on trailer wiring harness # 118480 for the 2014 Nissan Rogue or Rogue Select. First, make sure the power wire fuse is inserter and not blown. Replace the fuse if needed. If the power wire is attached to anything other than the battery, then move that connection to the battery.

Make sure that the white ground wire with the ring terminal on it is attach to a clean, bare metal surface. There can't be any paint or coating and ideally the harness would be grounded by itself and not to a common ground.

Next, use a circuit tester such as # PTW2992, or a meter if you have one, to test the wiring on the harness. Have someone sit in the vehicle and operate the lights while you test the wires going into the black converter box from the vehicle. If there isn't any power during this part of the test, then something is wrong on the vehicle side that will need to be addressed.

If you do have the proper power showing when it is supposed to be showing on the input side the next step is testing the output side. Again, have someone operate the vehicle lights while you test the 4-Way end of the harness. If there is no power on the output side, then that indicates a problem inside the converter and the whole harness will need to be replaced.

If everything checks out on the vehicle side, then the issue is on the trailer, potentially a bad ground or short. Ground problems normally show up when there is more draw on a system such as when you have the running lights on and then use another function like a turn signal or brake light but can show up any time.

Make sure that the vehicle side and trailer side connectors are clean and free of corrosion inside and out. The main connector grounds should be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces.

The light grounds should also be attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. If there is anything between a light ground and the metal trailer frame or if the trailer has an aluminum frame, tilt bed, or folding tongue, any of these things can interrupt the ground. Running jumper wires from the light grounds to the main trailer connector ground can help.