2 Ways To Troubleshoot Problems With Your Trailer Brakes

When you are pulling a trailer, you want to make sure that it stops when you hit the brakes. Otherwise, you are going to end up with an out-of-control trailer and vehicle, or your trailer is going to hit your vehicle. When the electric brakes on your trailer aren't working, it's more than an inconvenience, it's a safety hazard. The second you notice that they aren't working, you need to start troubleshooting the problem so that you can get back on the road. 

Controller Says Trailer Isn't Connected

If you have installed the brakes and hooked the trailer up to your tow vehicle and the brake controller, yet you are getting signs that it isn't connected, there are some things that it could be. One thing it could be is corrosion on your plug or somewhere in your trailer. To find that, you are going to have to do a visual inspection. First, check out your plug to make sure that there is no corrosion on it anywhere. You may want to go ahead and clean it off, just to be sure. Before you start searching the rest of your trailer, you may want to try plugging your trailer in again to see if that fixed the problem. Better to know that's the problem before having to go look for other corrosion. 

Lost Connection to the Ground

If your controller keeps losing the connection to the ground for your battery, that can be a real problem. The first thing that it could be is that the ground wire wasn't connected properly or has become loose. Make sure that the ground wire is actually attached to the negative pole on your battery. You also want to check to make sure that the ground area has a proper and secure connection to the ground. The problem could also be that there are places on your wire that have been stripped and are touching metal. That can cause a short circuit and keep your controller to stop connecting to the ground and stop being able to control your brakes. 

Making sure that the brakes on your trailer work before you take it out driving is important. You want to make sure you can stop safely so that you aren't a danger to yourself or any other driver out on the road. Being able to troubleshoot your brakes to find the problem can help. You can also talk with a company like Burnsville Trailer Hitch for more information.