Location of Relay Jumper Harness Plug on 2012 Nissan Pathfinder

Question:

On my 2012 Nissan pathfinder with factory 4-way wiring, Im not seeing the vacant plug for the relay harness. Am I missing something? Do I need to unplug and re-plug with the relay harness? Right now when I test with my trailer and no relays installed all the circuits seem to be crossed - left turn signal flashes everything, brakes turn on every light, headlights do nothing and right turn does nothing.

asked by: Patricia D

Expert Reply:

The relay harness is located behind the passenger side kick panel as shown in the linked installation video. If your Pathfinder has the factory 4-pole trailer connector, the relay jumper should already be in place. You can remove the passenger kick panel as shown at the 5:10 minute mark in the linked video. The jumper harness with the 2 blue and one brown relays should be pretty obvious.

I'm assuming you're experiencing this problem because you've tried installing the # 118266 7-way wiring harness/trailer connector, correct? If so, you'll want to make sure you've got the correct harness. There are two different harnesses available for the 2012 Pathfinder. The # 118266 is for US market vehicles and the # 118281 is for Canadian market vehicles. The plugs on both harnesses are the same, but they're pinned out differently and the way the trailer taillights are currently behaving would indicate that the wrong harness was used.

If you're uncertain whether you have a US or a Canadian market vehicle, the service folks at your Nissan dealer should be able to clear that up for you if you provide them with the vehicle's VIN.

expert reply by: Mike L

Paul B.

3/30/2024

Hi: I am told by a Nissan Dealer that a relay is also needed to have the brakes actually work properly on the trailer? One person commented that his tail lights on the trailer would not work without the relay however maybe the trailer brakes also didn't work but he didn't know at at that time? Can someone confirm exactly what the situation is with a Canadian 2012 Nissan pathfinder? Thanks in advance

Mike L.

4/10/2024

@PaulB The relays are necessary to activate the trailer lighting circuits only, they don't have anything to do with the trailer brake operation. As long as you have a brake controller properly installed and adjusted/dialed in per the controller's instructions, the electric trailer brakes will work just fine. Hope that helps!

Paul

4/10/2024

@MikeL Thanks for your reply