Toad generating Trailer Wiring Warning message

[vlamgat]

Milkman55 posted on this subject over 300 days ago..

Milkman55, did you get this resolved. I am having more or less the same problem. I put my 2014 Ford Focus on the hitch for the first time this week and got the Trailer Wiring Service warning message and light about 10 minutes into the tow. I use an Rvi toad brake actuator connected to the battery, no charger, separate brake/flasher lights powered off the 2021-I-5-28.

This same rig has been toad all over the country behind other RVs since 2014 with no problems.

Any insights welcome. New battery on the toad and no issues with the restart after the journey so good voltage. Although this should be irrelevant as the toad is powered by the I5.

[milkman55]

I still have the issue time to time. One tip is it seems to act up less if the RAM is running when I plug in the 7 pin plug. No idea why. It always goes off after a short time and I just tolerate it.

I think the issue is the brake controller is looking for electric trailer brakes to be connected to the brake pin on the 7 pin plug. It’s not finding one and generates the error message.

I researched this on the Heavy Duty RAM forums and folks reported the same issue. One person reported they resolved it by having the RAM dealer remove the “sales code” for the brake controller from the RAM computer. Then the RAM does not look for a brake controller. Only issue with that plan is if you ever do want to tow a trailer with electric brakes, you have no brake controller.

In the end, I just decided to live with it.

[vlamgat]

Thanks for that - Another "solution" that I found on one of the RAM sites that approximates my problem, is that the 7 pin plug with single spades is specifically a no-no for the later RAM trucks (per the RAM web site) because they are prone to voltage fluctuations at the connection. Since toad connectors are specific to each, the options of replacing mine and making it shorter by cutting and splicing in a newer 2-spade 7 pin connector is not promising. So one other solution suggested besides de-oxit, is putting some aluminum foil into each of the 7 pin slots to add connectivity surface area and then zip tying the 7 pin to the socket so that it cannot move as the toad/rv deals with the larger (and larger) imperfections of the road surfaces of our country!

My warning does not activate for at least 5 (and sometime more) minutes after departure, and does not reset until I power cycle. Fortunately the toad is light so its non activated brakes relative to the 28SS are not really an issue.