Recommended Trailer Wiring Harness for 2004 Toyota Highlander with Damaged Factory Tow Package Plug

Updated 09/25/2018 | Published 09/24/2018

Question:

I own a 2004 Toyota Highlander with a towing package. The few times I’ve hooked up a trailer there were issues with brake lights and turn signals not working. I figured one of the wires on the 4 pole was damaged. I pulled all the trim away in the rear of the vehicle to check everything and found the previous owner had done a bad cut and splice HOF on the wiring instead of just plugging a 4 pole into the factory connector. My question is: Would it be better for me to buy a T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness part number 118413 and plug into the vehicle tail lights instead of trying to fix the mess someone else did? Long question but I hope you understand what I’m saying.

asked by: Gary Z

Expert Reply:

For your particular situation I do recommend going with the Tekonsha T-One Vehicle Wiring Harness # 118413 even though your Toyota Highlander is equipped with the factory towing package. This harness will plug into built-in ports behind the tail lights and completely bypass the factory plug that the previous owner messed up. This will ultimately be a much easier installation than trying to re-wire and fix the damaged sections in question.

I have attached an installation video on the 2004 Highlander that you can use for reference.

expert reply by: Chris R