Troubleshooting Damaged Curt Wiring Harness C56222 in 2013 Kia Soul

Published 01/25/2017

Question:

I have 2 sets of these for my 2013 kia soul+. One set came with the hitch when purchased and last for 2 towings so I purchased another harness to replace to 1st and it was only useful for 1 towing why do these cost $40 and not last is there a warrantee? I have installed hundreds of hitches and trailer wire kits when working for a national moving truck rental company! These defective kits are installed properly as per manufactures directions since is a plug and play its impossible to mess it up! now Im trying to decide if I should try another supplier or purchase a 3rd kit, or exchange my current one for a warranty issue if its available. do you or the manufacture back the products you sell or produce?

asked by: Scott E

Expert Reply:

Thank you for your February 2016 purchase of the Curt 4-pole wiring harness # C56222, which is a confirmed fit on the 2013 Kia Soul without LED-type lighting.

This unit is indeed a plug-n-play harness that can only install one way, by plugging in at the taillight connectors. The only other wiring required for installation is tightly securing the included white ground wire with ring terminal to a bare metal spot on the vehicle, as is shown in the linked video for a 2016 Soul.

This harness carries a 1-year warranty from Curt Manufacturing. Since you are still within the 1-year warranty you can contact our Customer Service Team at 800-298-8924 for help in obtaining warranty coverage.

The two most likely causes for a wiring harness to fry are either a short in the trailer wiring or if the trailer lights' total power draw exceeds the harness' output capability.

I suggest you check the trailer wiring before installing another wiring harness, since if there is a wiring fault on the trailer it may take out a new harness. Inspect both the vehicle and trailer 4-pole connectors for corrosion/damage; check all trailer wiring, from the 4-pole plug all the way back to each light, looking for worn or cracked insulation. Pay particular attention to points where wires are near to or touching the trailer frame or suspension components.

This Curt harness outputs a hefty 3-amps per stop/turn circuit and 5-amps for the taillight circuit. This and the other two 4-pole kits for your car are shown on the linked page. The Tekonsha # 118637 outputs 2.1/5.6-amps for its two circuits and the Hopkins # HM11143975 outputs 5.0-amps on each of its circuits. If you have a multi-meter you can test the power draw from each of the trailer circuits to ensure excess power demand is not the cause for the problem.

expert reply by: Adam R