Electric Trailer Brakes Stop Working In The Rain and Error Message Appears on 2013 Ford Truck

Published 10/22/2014

Products Featured in This Question

Dexter Electric Trailer Brake Assembly - 10" - Left Hand - 3,500 lbs

(311)

$83.58

Dielectric Grease for Electrical Connectors, 2 oz.

(1481)

$10.94

Deka Heat Shrink Butt Connector - 12-10 Gauge - Nylon Insulation - Yellow - Qty 10

(1104)

$13.82

Liquid Electrical Tape

(11)

$28.04

Question:

I have a Kaufman 20 ft tilt bed car trailer 2013 model when using trailer in wet weather I get a Trailer Wiring fault warning on the dash of the 2013 ford which I use to tow the trailer and breaks fail to work , at 1 time I took off all the drums made sure all the breaks were clean and no damage the breaks worked fine till the next time I used it in the rain than breaks stop working again this has happen several times , I tried calling Kaufman trailers for help but that is like talking to the wall they only care about selling and not about customer care . any insite you can give would be a big help .

asked by: Gary H

Helpful Expert Reply:

It sounds like the rain is causing a short somewhere and that is causing the error and the brakes to stop functioning.

Make sure that the splices from the magnets to the wiring from the connector are water tight. You can use heat shrink tubing such as # DW05745-10 and even liquid electrical tape, # SWC50122.

When inspecting the trailer wiring, look for any exposed copper strands or pinched wires and fix as needed.

The trailer side and vehicle side connectors could be getting water in them. It would be difficult to keep water out. When everything is dry, use some dielectric grease, # 11755, between the electrical connections to keep out moisture.

expert reply by: Michael H