Nissan 2016 Frontier Brake Controller No longer recognizing trailer

Published 05/03/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Draw-Tite Activator IV Trailer Brake Controller - Up to 4 Axles - Time Delayed

(357)

$103.31

Digital Multimeter with 42" Long Test Leads - LED Display

(3)

$22.17

Hook Probe Circuit Tester

(60)

$12.27

Question:

About a year ago I was driving down a dirt road and a rock shot up and snapped my 7pin harness off of its mount. Shortly there after the brake controller started flickering when driving down the road with a trailer plugged in. My batteries also didnt seem to be charging from the truck anymore. I assumed it was the wiring harness, so I ordered a new one and put it on. The problem persisted. I then bought a new travel trailer and while driving the breakaway switch melted, my brake controller stopped working altogether and blew my 30 amp fuse on the inline to the new trailer. So I bought a new brake controller. The new one is wired up nicely with a wiring harness and is an Hopkins impulse I wanted to leave in the morning on a trip so I picked up the only one at a nearby store. The new one has power, it reacts to the brake pedal The numbers increase the longer you hold the pedal and the brake lights come on when manually triggered, however it will not recognize the trailer as there should be a little red dot on the screen. The controller sends off about 10.5 volts however at the harness I have 11.82 volts and I have 11.82 on the trailer brakes. I cant seem to get my multi-meter to read amps, but my guess is that the amps are not making to the harness. Is there a relay or a fuse that could be causing this issue? The 2016 nissan I bought had the wiring from the 7 pin harness to the driver side dash and the original brake controller worked good for 2 years until it began flickering.

asked by: Ben W

Expert Reply:

There is a lot going on in your question, so let me try to answer the subject question and then if you need more assistance we can go from there. If the brake controller is not recognizing connection, there shouldn't be any power on the 5 o'clock brake controller output pin. This pin should only send power when pressing the brake pedal or using the manual override because the Hopkins Impulse is a time delayed brake controller. Your trailer brakes when the plug is connected to your vehicle should have a slight draw on that 5 o'clock pin and that slight draw is what makes that little LED light on your controller show trailer connected.

There is not a separate relay or fuse for your trailer wiring. I recommend simply testing each pin of your 7-way for proper function prior to being connected to your trailer. You can use your multimeter using the 20V setting to test these. If you are getting voltage you are also getting amperage...they go hand in hand. Check out Ohm's law for more info.

If everything checks out there, then make sure your trailer ground connections are bare metal to metal at your frame near your coupler or trailer battery. Then check the ground at each brake magnet.

I've attached an article to help further with testing your system. It sounds to me like your trailer is not wired correctly and back fed to your brake controller. I've attached article to help you trace your system to find the issue. I recommend using a circuit tester like # PTW2993 which will draw power instead of the multimeter like # PT89ZR which will simply gauge power for troubleshooting.

expert reply by: Jason S