Does Hot Lead Need to be Ran to Battery When Installing Trailer Harness on 2012 Ford Escape

Question:

I own a 2012 Ford Escape fly 2.5 liter, without a factory wiring harness. I understand there are several kits available for my vehicle. I was wondering if their is a kit that doesnt require me to run a power wire to my battery for a converter box. I want a 4 flat connector.

asked by: Brent M

Expert Reply:

There are indeed a few custom trailer wiring harnesses available for your 2012 Ford Escape without the factory tow package but they all require that a power wire wire gets run to the battery. This is because the tail light circuits on this particular vehicle aren't capable of also powering additional trailer lights. Relying on these circuits will likely result in blown fuses or possibly other damage to the factory wiring so a powered converter box is needed.

For your Ford Escape I recommend the Tekonsha T-One # 118551 because of its simple installation that requires just a couple of plug-in connections behind the tail lights and running the hot lead up to the battery. Tekonsha is well known for producing reliable and long-lasting harnesses.

I have attached the written installation instructions that you can also use for reference.

expert reply by: Chris R