Wiring Harness and Brake Controller Recommendation for 2001 Nissan Xterra

Question:

I have a 2001 Xterra with a factory hitch but see no trailer light harness at all. Do I need one with connectors or one with straight wires to splice in? It seems silly Nissan put on a factory hitch without a light harness!!! I plan on a 7 blade plug for my car trailer with brakes, so I would need the correct adapter to go from 4 to 7 as well thank you!

asked by: Vince

Expert Reply:

It's always possible that the dealership threw a hitch on your 2001 Nissan Xterra and didn't bother with the wiring harness for whatever reason, but regardless of how we ended up here- I have a solution for you. There aren't any "plug and play" wiring harnesses available for the 2001 Xterra, so you're going to need a splice in (hard wire) solution like the Curt Powered Tail Light Converter # C59236 . This harness requires a direct connection to the battery that will help reduce strain on the vehicle's wiring and will give you the 4 way connection you need to allow for the additional trailer connections.

From here, you'll want to install the # ETBC7 to create a 7 way connection for your car trailer with brakes. The 4 way harness on the # C59236 will plug into the harness on the # ETBC7 to eliminate a bit of the wiring, but you'll still need to run a wire for the brake controller, 12v power, auxiliary power and connect the ground wire to complete the installation of the 7 way connector. One of the nice things about the # ETBC7 is that it leaves your 4 way intact so that if you need to use it, you won't need to unplug or re-wire anything.

If you don't already have a brake controller for your 2001 Nissan Xterra, the Tekonsha Primus IQ # TK90160 is one of our more popular controllers that provides you with a reliable unit at a great price. If you wanted to upgrade to a brake controller that isn't a "knee knocker", so to speak, I recommend going with the RedArc Tow Pro Liberty # RED24FR . I really like that this system only leaves the control button/knob visible and the controller can mount just about anywhere in your vehicle- so you don't have to worry about having a controller sitting near your legs for you to bang your knees against. RedArc makes some really great products that are becoming popular choices now, and I like the clean install that this unit provides.

I've linked a couple of helpful videos that will show you a little bit more about the brake controllers and some helpful installation videos that should help you along the way.