Trailer Brakes Are Not Working After Trailer and Truck Were Parked for 18 Months

Question:

My pickup and utility trailer was bought together they have always been mated together so to speak, everything worked fine. I parked them both for about 18mos. When I pulled them out the lights on the trailer work but not the brakes, also it is not showing that the trailer is connected on my brake controller.

asked by: ANGELA

Expert Reply:

It sounds like that you have an issue with the brake controller output wire or a ground wire in the braking system. I have seen this happen when a vehicle sits for a long time and it usually comes down to mice being the issue.

First I would trace as much of the wiring as possible to look for any visible damage to the wiring. If you do not find any visible damage you will need a Test Light # PTW2993 to begin checking the wiring.

Start at the brake controller output wire, this is generally the blue wire. If you do not have power at the blue wire when you push on the brakes or activate the override the brake controller may be faulty. Some proportional brake controllers will not activate unless the vehicle is moving. Next you will want to check the wire at the 7-way vehicle connector. This is the blade located at the 5'oclock position on the vehicle connection. Continue to follow the wiring back until you find where the power disappears. Once you have narrowed down the section of wiring where the issue is you can replace that section as it may have an internal break that you cannot see.

If the wiring is good all the way to the brakes you will need to inspect the ground wires. A Multimeter # PT89ZR will allow you to check the ground wires for continuity to the trailer frame. I have linked a couple of our articles below on 7-way wiring and the brake magnets for you to reference in locating your problem.

expert reply by: Bud M