What To Do If Trailer 7 Way Plug Keeps Falling Out Of Vehicle Wiring Outlet

Updated 07/17/2024 | Published 07/09/2024

Question:

Hi, I had a bad experience lately where my 7 pin connector worked loose from my vehicle. The trailer connector the dragged on the road for many miles. As you can imagine it was wrecked. I was able to pretty easily replace the connector, but my question is how to avoid this in the future. I see how the lid on the vehicle’s connector is spring loaded and meant to retain the trailer connector. It obviously wasn’t enough in my case. I could use rubber bands or zip ties to tighten up this connection, but I wonder if you sell some kind of elastic band or gadget that’s made to do this job. Thanks.

asked by: Ron

Expert Reply:

Hey Ron, that sounds very frustrating, sorry that happened to you! This is not the most common issue ever, but I have definitely heard of this happening before. You can first check to make sure your vehicle's 7 way door still has the tab that goes around the trailer's 7 way connector to keep it locked in place; the spring mechanism could also be failing so that the door doesn't close properly. If that is the case, you'll need to replace it with something like Hopkins Endurance 7-Way Trailer Connector Socket - Vehicle End # HM48480.

Another thing you can try before making a purchase is to make sure it's pushed in all the way, close the locking lid/door, then pull back very gently on the trailer's 7 way to wedge it against the locking tab which keep sit all secured better. Worst case scenario you can always use a rubber band or small bungee cord as you were mentioning.

expert reply by: Andrew N