Trailer light issue: "Trailer park lamps fault, check lamps" error message

[Little Buckaroo]

Thanks so much for this helpful info and wiring diagram Bucko. It's a bit disappointing that Ford doesn't provide harnesses and both plug ins on the OEM hitch for the Bronco.

What I'm still wondering, is whether the built in resistors in the adaptor I sent the link for will work if I use the flat 4 to 7 blade converter dongle I found (other link).

Any thoughts on that? When I called "e-trailer" they told me the only way to address this issue using the 7 blade adapter I sent the link for, was to get a properly wired (with 12v power) 7 blade plug put into the Bronco. I'm hoping to find a way to avoid that...

BTW, the bike hitch rack does indeed use LED bulbs, so the issue is their low draw and not a problem with the wiring for the hitch plug.

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[Bucko]

e-trailer has been around for a long time, and is very popular and well respected with the camping/RV network. I would certainly follow their recommendations. Very knowledgeable in this topic.

IMO, I'm guessing that Ford does not think the masses will buy a BS for heavy trailer towing use, and therefore not provide a 6 or 7 blade type connector. These are used in trailers requiring electric brakes and or an additional 12V lead, something you don't need or see when towing trailers of 1500 pound's or less.

 

[rdxland]

You're probably right about Ford's reasoning on their use of only a 4-connector plug for a trailer. The BS is certainly not a towing vehicle for RV type trailers, but they missed the mark for bike racks and light weight trailers that use LEDs. Kind of short sighted and clearly not vetted with any market testing.

For those looking at trying to adapt a 7-pin plug, you might want to wait. I was contacted by Ford and have a case number for resolution (I hope), we'll see what my local dealer and Ford can figure out. This is a warranty issue in my mind. Like I said in an earlier post, I will re-post to this thread when/if I get a resolution.

 

[Little Buckaroo]

Just wondering, Rich/rdxland, if you had any resolution of this issue?

My local Ford dealer has washed their hands of it, and says “this is the way it was designed”.

It’s only a problem at night when full lights are on and the fault warning constantly triggers, and I love the Kuat rack and lights, but it’s kind of annoying…

 

[Ford Motor Company]

Just wondering, Rich/rdxland, if you had any resolution of this issue?

My local Ford dealer has washed their hands of it, and says “this is the way it was designed”.

It’s only a problem at night when full lights are on and the fault warning constantly triggers, and I love the Kuat rack and lights, but it’s kind of annoying…

Hi there, I'd be happy to look into your Bronco concerns on my end. Will you send us a message with your VIN and dealership info? I can look into things on my end.

 

[rdxland]

Little Buckaroo -
Ford did contact me via this forum. I have not had a chance to actually follow up with them, as we have been traveling extensively. They gave me a case number, I am assuming is attached to my inquiry.

Look on this thread and reply to them with your experience. I see they did respond to your question. Follow up with them. I found their responsiveness to be very good, I just have not been home long enough to follow up.

 

[Muffles79]

I had the same issue with the Kuat Piston Pro rack.

Here is what I did to resolve it.

The 4 pin wiring diagram (attached) shows that the park lamps are Brown. The right turn signal is Green, and the left turn signal is Yellow.

I ordered 3 load resistors from the eTrailer.com site (https://www.etrailer.com/Accessories-and-Parts/Putco/P230004A.html), but only needed 2.

I disassembled the front part of the rack where the harness magnets to the rack in order to access the wiring and find a space large enough to hold the resistors. I used the splicer they came with to connect resistors to the Brown and White and another to the Green and White wires. The load resistors get quite hot, but it has been several weeks and I no longer have the parking lamp fault error (seems to be an issue with Ford's trailer brake controller, or possibly the software for the master brake cylinder).

I'm also attaching an image showing the resistor connected to the brown and white behind the wiring harness receptacle on the rack.

I found the load resistors easy to install, and I tested them after by turning on the headlamps, applying the brakes, and checking each turn signal, along with the hazard lights. As I mentioned, I hope this helps others. It's a shame that Ford doesn't fix this, or that Kuat doesn't integrate a resistor into their LEDs to ensure better vehicle compatibility.

 

[Little Buckaroo]

Hey Muffles.

Thanks so much for this really helpful reply, and sorry for my delay. Is this setup of your still working ok?

I had wondered if something like this would work, but I’m a bit confused about what you actually did when you say you connected one resister to the “brown and white” and the other to the “green and white”.

Do you mean you ran each resister across those pairs of wires? I had assumed each resister would run in series along one wire, not in parallel across wires. Can you post a simple wiring diagram to show exactly what you did?

Have I got something confused here? No doubt I do….

 

[rdxland]

Full disclosure - I have not read through all of the posts, so I may be repeating information here.

So, we also have a '21 Badlands also. We have a utility trailer with LEDs that work as they should with no faults. However, last year we rented a car dolly from U-Haul and towed my daughter's car 1/2 way across the country with the faults occurring. The dolly had LEDs as well, just poor quality ones. The lights operated flawlessly, it was just the fault kept showing up on the dash.

I do not remember the exact conditions, but as it only happened when the headlights were on. I believe it was when the headlights were on and we turned on turn signals. Maybe when we braked as well. As I said, I don't remember the conditions. Best I know there was not any damage to anything, it was just the type of LEDs on the car dolly.

Ford jumped in and offered some resources to look into it. But we do not tow often and I never got back to it.

I hope that helps with some perspective.

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