Why Are My Trailer Brakes Activating/Deactivating When Plugged In/Unplugged to 7-Way Plug?

Question:

Hello, I have a 2004 Range Rover non sport and whenever I plug in the trailer harness I noticed that the brakes on the trailer activate as well. Everything works fine on t he trailer lights turn signals, brake lights, tail lights. I do not have a brake controller installed on my vehicle. I’ve even tested my 7 blade tow socket and everything is working fine. The only thing I can see is that my charge wire orange wire at 1 o clock position is always on like it should be but it activates the brakes on the trailer. If I remove the charge wire from the battery the brakes disengage on the trailer. Why does my trailer charge wire activate my trailer brakes?

asked by: Joel L

Expert Reply:

If you are experiencing power at the 1 o'clock position on your 7-way, the issue most likely lies with the trailer's wiring. With this situation, it is important that the trailer wiring is correctly inserted into trailer's side 7-way plug so that the correct pins on the vehicle side can activate the correct corresponding pins.

All that being said, I recommend removing your trailer's 7-way and using the Junction Box # 38656 to make sure that the wiring is on the correct pins on the trailer's-side plug. I went ahead and attached an image of the setup of the # 38656 to show you how easy it is to organize the wiring.

expert reply by: Bob C