Trailer Braking Issue

[Shakealeg]

After camping last week in the rain, when ready to leave hooked up trailer. Got continual "no connection for trailer brakes" on hard wired brake controller. Switched to Curt wireless connector. Curt unit had power from truck but same error message. eventually worked but would work going uphill and then error message downhill no trailer brakes. Checked connection multiple times. Camping world blames truck but if two different controllers get same message would seem to be trailer. Thoughts?

[David 70]

First, I would find a different mechanic than CW. How old is the truck, how old is the trailer? It sounds like a bad connection somewhere. Is there a good ground wire between the two? Do not just rely on the ground through the hitch.

[wff255]

Originally Posted by Shakealeg

After camping last week in the rain, when ready to leave hooked up trailer. Got continual "no connection for trailer brakes" on hard wired brake controller. Switched to Curt wireless connector. Curt unit had power from truck but same error message. eventually worked but would work going uphill and then error message downhill no trailer brakes. Checked connection multiple times. Camping world blames truck but if two different controllers get same message would seem to be trailer. Thoughts?

It could be the truck or the trailer- my first move would be to hook your trailer up to a truck with known good wiring.

[Shakealeg]

Originally Posted by David 70

First, I would find a different mechanic than CW. How old is the truck, how old is the trailer? It sounds like a bad connection somewhere. Is there a good ground wire between the two? Do not just rely on the ground through the hitch.

Thanks. Trailer 3 months old and truck is couple. Trailer still under warranty so stuck there. Their service dept doesn't return calls and I am tired of having to drive out there and never being complete. They have had it for 1.5 of the 3 months. Finally got a manager to return call this morning. Taking my truck out tomorrow though I am confident it is the trailer.

Already had to take it in for they installed load level hitch wrong, had to replace rear camera as didn't work (wire poppedout) replace the switch cover on Jack that was split (they ordered replacement switch instead of cover) and the battery disconnect switch was defective.

[Eman85]

If I felt that way about the dealer I'd try some checking on my own. hooking your truck to another trailer or another truck to your trailer would be the easiest. If I was a detective the one clue you gave was it was raining, electricity doesn't like water. How was the trailer connector plug stored while you were disconnected?

[Shakealeg]

Well I paid $195 for CW to check my truck to make sure no problem and they couldn't find no problem on the trailer so I took it and left. 5 miles down the interstate triler brake disconnect light starts flashing on and off.

I am playing with it now. Noticed that the female terminals on the trailer pigtail seemed to be spread a little far apart. was able to easily squeeze them back together. Wondering if that was causing them to not securely fasten to the malle blade terminals.

Would have thought the female ones would be stiffer and not easily pushed open or shut. Is this just cheap quality or normal?

Gonna test drive tomorrow.

[Gooma]

Go to Auto Zone or O'Reillys and get a trailer light test plug. It plugs into the 7 pin connector on your truck and you see if all wiring is good to the plug.
If that is good, start following wires on the trailer till you find a bare wire that is shorting out. Don't give CW any more of your business.

[Cat]

Originally Posted by Shakealeg

Well I paid $195 for CW to check my truck to make sure no problem and they couldn't find no problem on the trailer so I took it and left. 5 miles down the interstate triler brake disconnect light starts flashing on and off.

I am playing with it now. Noticed that the female terminals on the trailer pigtail seemed to be spread a little far apart. was able to easily squeeze them back together. Wondering if that was causing them to not securely fasten to the malle blade terminals.

Would have thought the female ones would be stiffer and not easily pushed open or shut. Is this just cheap quality or normal?

Gonna test drive tomorrow.

Not sure what your truck or controller detects. But my truck 2015 Ford F150 with OEM trailer control started giving me trailer wiring fault. Didnt tell me if it was a open circuit or a short to ground. After testing I found out it only gives a fault for a short to ground. It would not indicate any opens. Good luck

[Old-Biscuit]

Originally Posted by Gooma

Go to Auto Zone or O'Reillys and get a trailer light test plug. It plugs into the 7 pin connector on your truck and you see if all wiring is good to the plug.
If that is good, start following wires on the trailer till you find a bare wire that is shorting out. Don't give CW any more of your business.

Quick, easy and not that much to purchase ^^^^^^^^

[Tightwadted]

You dont say what brand truck you have. My experience, i have a 2015 chevy silverado with the Integregated trailer brake control. first time i got the "check trailer connectiion" message I tried a lot of things, (i also got the message when hooked up to my dump trailer that has trailer brakes) finally changed the brake control module/interface that is hidden up under the spare tire. solved the issue for a while. then it came back, after a few weeks, but only on the 5th wheel, so then i started by accessing the brake control wiring in the under belly, when i removed the rear axle brake wiring from the front axle, all of a sudden i got the trailer connected signal, all good, hooked up back axle, went bad, so then i isolated left from right on the rear axle, all good, so then i replaced the wires connecting left to right, and then all good. That lasted for quite a while, now i get an occasional check trailer wiring message, immediately followed by a trailer connected message. so my next step which i havent done yet is to pull hubs and check brake magnet wiring, they were fine when greased bearings last time, but who knows. anyway, thats my story, maybe it will give you some things to try. Good luck!

[Cat]

My problem was so intermittent I could never catch it when it malfunction ed. Once I plugged my truck in immediately got a trailer wiring fault. 30 seconds later it went away and I could not get it back for hundred miles. forest river runs their brake wires through the axle tube. Cut those and pull them out to inspect. MineTurns out both axles had insulation worn off in the middle.of.the axle tube run

[esdill]

On my 2023 Chevrolet Suburban I was occasionally getting the "Trailer brakes disconnected" and then "Trailer brakes connected" messages. There's a TSB out to replace the trailer brake control module with an older version, but my truck already has that controller version. I also read that this issue is typically occurring on trailers that have solar panels, when the voltage to the trailer battery from the solar panels exceeds the truck battery voltage it causes this error. Two solutions have been found, either remove the truck fuse for the 12V charge line to the trailer, or install a diode in the charging line to stop any backfeed from the trailer to the truck (the diode only allows current flow from the truck to the trailer and not from the trailer back to the truck).

[MFL]

Originally Posted by Cat

My problem was so intermittent I could never catch it when it malfunction ed. Once I plugged my truck in immediately got a trailer wiring fault. 30 seconds later it went away and I could not get it back for hundred miles. forest river runs their brake wires through the axle tube. Cut those and pull them out to inspect. MineTurns out both axles had insulation worn off in the middle.of.the axle tube run

Good informative post!

This is a common problem with a trailer that has racked up a lot of towed miles. I was also thinking this could be OPs problem, until he said his trailer is only a couple months old.

[Toby Dog]

I've had many towable units, all wiring to the brakes has been in the axle tubes.
If you want to put the wiring on the outside make sure that they are securely fastened to the back of the axles.