Does the Power Wire of the Tow Ready 4-Way Harness # 118578 Have to Run to Vehicle Battery

Question:

I expect to get the wiring harness for my 2013 RAV4 tomorrow. From the video and from reading the customer reviews, running the power wire through the firewall seems a bit of a pain. Could the power wire be attached to a good 12V source under the dash perhaps at the fuse panel? I plan to run the power wire inside the car and not under it.

asked by: Gary K

Expert Reply:

If you were to run the power wire of the Tow Ready Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring # 118578 to anywhere but the positive post of your vehicle battery you would void the warranty of the harness and could potentially damage the wiring of your RAV4 in the event of a short on the trailer wiring.

The purpose of the battery wire being run to the battery is so that it bypasses the delicate vehicle wiring and eliminates the potential threat of the trailer wiring damaging the vehicle's wiring. It draws all of the power for the trailer taillights through the battery wire. That is why you do want to run it to the vehicle battery.

I attached an FAQ article on routing the power wire for you to check out as well.

Going through the vehicle interior does make the process a little bit more time consuming since you have to route it in and out of the vehicle, but it should work very well as long as you have the patience for it.

expert reply by: Jameson C