Troubleshooting Trailer Brakes Activating with Corroded Trailer Connector

Updated 06/13/2019 | Published 06/12/2019

Question:

The trailer brakes accuate when I put my vehicle in reverse. I disconnect the lights when I want to back up. There are no backup lights on the trailer. The brakes also locked up when I turned on the lights. I checked the bulbs to make sure they had two contacts in case someone had put in a single contact. Checked the plug and found two connectors that had some corrosion but not touching. Also the plug wire shroud was so tight that I will need to cut it out to get full access to the wiring. I believe that the problem is in the trailer wiring because the previous owner had the same problem. I havent found any damage to the wiring on the trailer. My best guess is in the plug. Any suggestions.

asked by: Roger C

Expert Reply:

If you have found corrosion on your trailer plug then that can certainly be contributing to the problems you are running into. Corrosion can cause electricity to jump from one pin to the next so I recommend cleaning off the corrosion from your trailer connector and applying some dielectric grease # 11755 to help further protect your connector from debris and corrosion.

Let me know if you are still having issues and I can help you troubleshoot further.

expert reply by: Jon G