Trailer Lights Not Working with Wiring Harness 118362 on a 2001 Nissan Frontier

Question:

I bought one of the Tow Ready Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, # 118362 kits for my 2001 Nissan Frontier. Installation was easy as promised. However, my trailer lights are not working. I have good voltage coming out of the connector on the truck. I checked with a multi-meter. I redid the ground and the connector on the trailer and am getting solid signal with a continuity tester. Only wrinkle I can find is when I hook the trailer to the truck and check the voltage on the trailer side, brown and white wires is that the voltage is way off. Do I need something to boost the amps coming out of the truck? The trailer lights are LEDs versus common bulbs, does this have something to do with it?

asked by: Sean M

Expert Reply:

It sounds like there could be a ground issue with the main trailer ground and/or the grounds to the lights. Make sure that all the trailer grounds are attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. If the trailer is aluminum, you may need to ground the lights with the main trailer ground instead of to the frame.

Similarly if it is a tilting trailer or if it has a folding tongue then it is most likely a ground issue and you will want to change the way the grounds are run by running a jumper from the grounds on the tilting part to the trailer frame.

Also you will want to check the trailer side connector for dirt and corrosion. This is a common occurrence and could be causing the problem. Get the pins on the trailer side 4-Way clean and see if that fixes the issue.

Sometimes, LED lights can cause issues on certain vehicles and cause a bulb-out error. I have not heard of this issue on the 2001 Nissan Frontier.

expert reply by: Michael H