Troubleshooting 7-Way Wiring Installation on 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV

Question:

Hi, Ive bought a tear trailer Little Guy Mini Max weight is 2400# The 2018 outlander phev has a towing capacity for 3500#. The rv dealership hasnt been able to make the needed 7 point harness work on my car they also admit no experience working on an electric hybrid. Id love to be able to bring my camper home. Is it possible to install the 7 way harness on my model? Any help is much appreciated!

asked by: Joan F

Expert Reply:

Although we have not had the chance to install a 7-way on a 2018 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, what we do know is that you can install a 4-way on your vehicle using the Curt # C59496. This is a good place to start. When adding a 7-way like the # ETBC7 the main functions you are looking for are the 12V power and the brake output.

I took a look at your vehicle and as far as I can tell there is no 12V battery under the hood like there normally would be. Instead, you have a 12V auxiliary battery in the trunk. I'm not sure what process the dealership used to try and install the wiring harness but this would be the only way to get the 12V power. If you are using a brake controller in the cab of your vehicle they would also have to run wires to power it and get the brake output to the 7-way.

I would contact the dealer and ask if it is ok to use the 12V auxiliary battery in this way before attempting to install the wiring harness. EV and PHEV vehicles have sensitive electrical components and you wouldn't want anything to be damaged.

Assuming they are able to use the 12V battery I would recommend using a brake controller like the Curt Echo # C51180 if you don't already have one. This brake controller plugs in-line with the 7-way so you wouldn't have to run the brake output wire or get 12V power to the brake controller in the vehicle.

I have attached some installation videos along with a helpful article on wiring for your reference.