Malfunctioning Lights on 2008 Volvo V70 Wagon

Question:

Installed wiring harness in accordance with instructions. Brake lights will not work with the rear hatch closed, work fine with hatch open! HELP! Hitch installation was right on target and quite easy.

asked by: Ken T

Expert Reply:

If this is a model where the hatch closes on the trailer wires, check to see if they are frayed. If the wires get closed in the latch portion of the hatch the wires can become damaged.

Check the white ground wire you attached to a ground point. Make sure it has good metal to metal contact. Paint on the vehicle can act as an insulator and prevent a good connection. If you can get it to connect to the frame of the vehicle, you will get your best ground connection there.

Check the power wire that runs up to the battery or fuse block. Make sure none of your connections pulled loose.

Finally, if none of the above steps worked, remove the tail lights and check the snap connections. Make sure they are clear of debris. You should apply a small amount of Dielectric Grease, like part # 11755, inside the connectors. This will help keep the metal contacts clean and ensure good metal to metal contact in the connectors.

Let us know if you get this problem figured out. If you can provide more information I may be able to help. For instance, is it the trailer, or the vehicle lights that are malfunctioning? Are the turn signals functioning on both trailer and vehicle?

expert reply by: Patrick B