Troubleshooting Utility Trailer Lighting Signals After Winter Storage

Question:

Lights on small utility trailer were good. After winter I hooked up trailer to same kia serrento 2017. Have running and brake lights. No right signal light. Right signal light flashes on left side of trailer. Hope you can help. Four wire connector.

asked by: Roger

Helpful Expert Reply:

The first thing to check on your trailer is the main ground wire. After winter storage it is possible the trailer's main grounding point has corroded. A weak ground can cause all sorts of weird behavior from trailer lights.

Remove the ground ring terminal and sand the grounding point to remove all rust, grease, dirt, paint and primer to expose clean bare metal. Re-attach the ground wire ring terminal and apply dielectric grease # 11755 to block water and dirt.

Since the vehicle is new it is less likely that you have a ground wire problem on its harness but if you still have issues after addressing the trailer you can repeat the same process on the vehicle harness ground wire. A helpful wiring article is also included for reference.

expert reply by: Adam R