Lights Dim When Applying Brakes or Using Turn Signal While Towing Trailer with 2001 Ford Ranger

Updated 04/27/2017 | Published 04/26/2017

Question:

A friend bought a used 23foot camper. When hooked to the sellers truck, all lights worked just fine. However, on his 2001 Ford Ranger newly wired hitch system, when you hit the brakes, all light dim. If you turn a signal light on, all light dim and blink in unison. One person he went to said there is a part needed. Best my friend can remember is, A Signal Booster But, hes not sure if thats what its called. Apparently, with the 2001 ranger, there is not enough power to run everything and needs this booster. Any clue what it is, or where to find one? Thanks

asked by: Stephen

Expert Reply:

There could be a couple of reasons for the lights dimming when the trailer is hooked up to the 2001 Ford Ranger.

If the issues are truly caused by a lack of power coming from the Ford Ranger, installing an aftermarket powered wiring harness like the Tekonsha ZCI Circuit Protected Wiring Harness # 119250KIT may remedy this. I am unfamiliar with a signal booster like what you referred to in your question, but this harness should help with the power needed to activate the vehicle and trailer lights because it will virtually eliminate any draw on the vehicle's tail light circuit.

If the dim lights are on the trailer side, there may be a bad or weak ground connection. Some trucks are better at working through a weak ground than others, which could be why the trailer lights worked fine on the seller's truck but not on the Ford Ranger. Check to make sure all ground connections on the trailer are made to clean, corrosion free surfaces. Also make sure that both the vehicle side and trailer side connectors and clean inside and out.

If you are still unable to fix these issues, please let me know and I will be happy to look into this further.

expert reply by: Chris R