Trailer Wiring Harness Recommendation for a 2001 Subaru Outback

Published 06/05/2015

Question:

Hello, I have a 2001 Subaru Outback that I am custom building a bike rack for. I plan to use this part STL79RB for a brake light and turn signals. I already have the trailer hitch mounted to the car. I do not want to hook up the lights by having wires hanging out of the lights or a wire dragged out of the spare tire well. I want a regular plug and I need to know what parts I need to make this happen. Thanx

asked by: Pete

Expert Reply:

The recommended trailer wiring harness for your 2001 Subaru Outback is the part # 118461 that plugs into the port in the rear cargo area of the vehicle. The standard way to use this harness is to keep it stored in the cargo compartment of the vehicle when not in use and then run it out the back door when needed. Some people don't like the routing of the 4-way when it comes out of the back hatch of the vehicle, but it does protect the harness from weather and damage when not in use. Corrosion can cause all sorts of problem with trailer wiring harnesses so keeping the 4-way stored on the inside of the vehicle does have that benefit going for it.

If you really wanted to route the wire through the floorboards of the vehicle you could do this by either finding a large enough grommet in the trunk floor or by drilling a hole for the harness to pass through.

I attached an install video for this harness for you to check out as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C