"Trailer Disconnected" - Help Please!

[Littlefield82]

I've been getting this message ever since my truck was in for the recall on the trailer wiring which was roughly 12-16 months ago. On some drives it will pop up every few minutes, and on some drives it never pops up. Sometimes it pops up every few seconds then stays off for a while. Last time my truck was in for an oil change I mentioned it and asked them to check it, and explained what was happening. The dealer said they couldn't find anything. Over the weekend I pulled the connector and it was already treated with dielectric grease, so I used compressed air to clean out the other connections. First drive after doing all that and the warning popped up more often than it ever has. It's highly irritating at this point, especially since my truck was at the dealer 2x last week for the front pinion seal replacement, which took two visits to fix and left me with oil stains on my driveway.

What's my next move to resolve this?

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[tsigwing]

On my 2015 there was a TSB to have the trailer module reprogrammed. Mine was out of warranty, but I paid them to do it and it fixed this issue for me.

 

[B177y]

If it's showing the warning all the time, take it back to the dealership. Go to the Fastlane if they have one just so they can see and document the problem, then make the appointment to fix it.

 

[Littlefield82]

If it's showing the warning all the time, take it back to the dealership. Go to the Fastlane if they have one just so they can see and document the problem, then make the appointment to fix it.

It doesn't show all the time, but it does go off and on often. My guess is over 50% of the drives it will show up for a few second, and then turn off.

 

[Littlefield82]

On my 2015 there was a TSB to have the trailer module reprogrammed. Mine was out of warranty, but I paid them to do it and it fixed this issue for me.

I'll reach out to the dealer to see if it can be reprogrammed.

 

[JoeF]

What does it do with a camper/trailer/emulator hooked up to the 7-pin connector?

 

[Bobcatou]

I am having this happen too. I cleaned all the connectors and added dielectric grease. Haven't been out to see if it is fixed. Not optimistic though.

 

[Littlefield82]

What does it do with a camper/trailer/emulator hooked up to the 7-pin connector?

I've never had anything hooked up to it before.

 

[belairbrian]

OP you didn't state this in your post so I'll ask, always the same trailer or multiple trailers?
If this is a 4 pin, I'd try a 7 to 4 adapter and see what happens.

 

[JoeF]

OP you didn't state this in your post so I'll ask, always the same trailer or multiple trailers?
If this is a 4 pin, I'd try a 7 to 4 adapter and see what happens.

He said that nothing was ever hooked up to the connector. With mine, if nothing is connected and I try to activate the brake controller, that message will pop up. I do not know all the other conditions that would cause the computer to say that. Maybe an intermittent short somewhere. Or the computer is confused about something.

 

[Littlefield82]

He said that nothing was ever hooked up to the connector. With mine, if nothing is connected and I try to activate the brake controller, that message will pop up. I do not know all the other conditions that would cause the computer to say that. Maybe an intermittent short somewhere. Or the computer is confused about something.

Thanks. I sent an email to the service manager and the Customer Experience Manager with photos of the message, hoping they acknowledge the issue and find a fix.

 

[Bobcatou]

Thanks. I sent an email to the service manager and the Customer Experience Manager with photos of the message, hoping they acknowledge the issue and find a fix.

I'm curious what you hear.

 

[Littlefield82]

Got it back yesterday after the truck was at the dealer for most of the day. The dealership called Ford and did an update and cleared out some codes. It did not pop up on my commute this morning so that's a good sign.

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