Troubleshooting Trailer Running Light Fuse Blowing on Ford F-150

Question:

I have a 2012 F150 Platinum. The tow marker lights work fine until I use my trailer rear view camera. It’s worked fine for 3 years. It’s a Furiom pre-wired camera on a 2016 Cruiser RV Fun Finder. I replaced the truck side tow connector 6 months ago due to marker lights not working but fuse didn’t blow. That seemed to work until now. After 40-50 miles the fuse blows on tow marker lights which is a safety issue. Any advice is welcome

asked by: David K

Expert Reply:

If the fuse for the trailer's running lights is blowing on your 2012 Ford F-150, but only after being on the road for a while, I'm thinking there's likely a short on this circuit somewhere on the trailer. If possible, trace the running lights wiring from the trailer's connector back to the tail light assemblies, looking for any damaged or exposed portions that need to be replaced.

It sounds like there might be an exposed portion of wire that doesn't cause any problems on its own but maybe touches bare metal or a neighboring wire after a bump in the road or a sharp maneuver during travel. Also make sure the light assemblies themselves are securely grounded to a clean bare metal surface, whether they use a dedicated wire for this or ground through their mounting hardware.

If this doesn't resolve the issue please let me know and we can continue to troubleshoot.

expert reply by: Chris R