Troubleshooting Trailer Hitch Accessory LED Lights Remaining Lit After Vehicle is Turned Off

Question:

I have a 2016 Land Rover Discovery Sport with a trailer hitch on it. I bought a trailer hitch accessory for it that has a single red LED light that is supposed to be in sync with my vehicles tail lights. It connects to my vehicles 4-pin trailer connector. The problem is that the LED light on the trailer hitch accessory stays on even when the car is turned off. I havent plugged anything else into the trailer connector to see if other items are effected, but I am having a difficult time determining if the problem is my vehicle or the trailer hitch accessory.

asked by: Daniel

Expert Reply:

The issue you are experiencing sounds like an accessory problem because LED lights require so little amperage to work correctly. The ever so slight draw on your trailer wiring harness can be enough for an LED to stay lit.

You can add load resistors like # DI34ZR to your accessory, but it may not be worth the effort as you can simply unplug it when not being used. Even if you were to leave it plugged into your vehicle, the ever so slight draw would take months to drain your battery if it wasn't being driven.

If your 2016 Land Rover Discover Sport had a 7-way trailer connector you could simply use the adapter # C35FR to solve your issue utilizing the internal load-resistors.

expert reply by: Jason S