LED Trailer Lights Illuminate Even When No Lighting Function Is Activated on the Tow Vehicle

Updated 06/09/2015 | Published 06/08/2015

Question:

I have purchased and installed your LED lights for my Bear boat trailer. They fit great, easy installation. All the lights are working fine. The problem is as soon as I plug in the connector from my 2007 Honda Odyssey I get a very dim light at the center of each LED trailer light. I read the response below about an Odyssey having an amp draw when the trailer is connected. Is this my problem and is there any other fix other than disconnecting the wiring or fuse? Wiring Harness On 2008 Honda Odyssey Shows Voltage When Car Is Turned Off Question: Hi, Installed 56161 on 2008 Honda Odyssey and have good ground but reading voltage at all the connectors with the car off. asked by: Joel R Expert Reply: When you install the Curt Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, part # C56161 on your 2008 Honda Odyssey, you will show voltage at the 4-way connector pins. You will not have an amperage draw until you hook the connector to your trailer harness and a load is placed on the system. If you wish to leave your trailer plugged in when parked, one way to stop current draw would be to remove the in-line fuse. You will need to remember to put the fuse back in when ready to tow and that can be a hassle at times. expert reply by: Jeffrey L

asked by: Brian A

Helpful Expert Reply:

It is not uncommon for some trailer wiring harnesses like the Curt # C56161 to pass a small amount of power even when no vehicle light function is activated. If used along with super-efficient LED-type trailer lights this can result in low-level illumination when you least expect it.

This low power will not light up standard incandescent bulbs but it will sometimes be enough for LED lights that typically use only about 1/10th the power required by incandescent lights.

The two solutions are to disconnect the trailer or to remove the related fuses.

expert reply by: Adam R