Right Turn Signal and Brake Lights Not Working on Trailer Towed by a 2006 Dodge Ram 1500

Updated 06/12/2012 | Published 06/08/2012

Question:

My right signal/brake light on my camper is not working so I checked the plug on the vehicle and it did not have power to the wire that controls the right signal and the brake lamp. Next I went under the truck and the wire seems to have no power coming from the front of the truck. Any help with what may be causing this would be greatly appreciated. The truck is a 2006 Ram 1500 Quad Cab with the towing package.

asked by: Shannon W

Expert Reply:

It sounds like you have done a good amount of testing. Based on what you have said I would check the fuses and/or relays that are related to the trailer wiring on the truck. Use the legend on the lid of the power distribution box to find the locations.

Make sure that the trailer is not also having problems by connecting it to another vehicle to determine if the lighting functions work. If they do not, it could be a bad ground connection or a short. Make sure the trailer and vehicle side connectors are clean and free of corrosion. Make sure the ground wires are attached to clean and corrosion free bare metal surfaces.

Examine the trailer lights for a good ground. A lot of trailer lights ground through the mounting studs if there is not an obvious ground wire. In both cases, make sure there is no corrosion at the ground location. Finally you can look at the trailer wiring for any nicks and exposed wires that may be touching bare metal on the trailer frame causing a short.

If there was a short that caused the problem on the truck wiring, then it could happen again if the problem is not fixed.

expert reply by: Michael H