2011 Ford F-150 Does Not Recognize when a Trailer Is Connected and Trailer Brakes Do Not Work

Updated 03/01/2012 | Published 02/28/2012

Question:

I have a 18 foot tandam trailer with brakes, my 7 blade connector male/female to my 2011 F150 eco boost truck, its not 4X4, my electric brakes to my trailer do not want to work, ford has a app on truck and every time I connect its says trailer not connectedinch Fuse box is complicated, tried to run down fuse, bad plug? Ive cleaned contacts, etc any advice? Ill check with tester12V again .

asked by: Read K

Expert Reply:

There could be a couple of different issues. First, make sure that the wire that leads from the trailer side 7-Way to the trailer brakes is located in the 7:00 position if looking at the face of the connector. If not, then that could be why the vehicle is not recognizing that a trailer is connected.

There could also be a bad ground somewhere. I would start on the trailer and make sure that the main ground and the brake magnet grounds are attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces. Make sure that no wires are exposed and touching metal on the trailer frame for the brake magnet ground and power wires.

Finally, you can further test the magnets. I have included a link to an FAQ article that explains how to test the magnets.

expert reply by: Michael H