LED trailer lights still glow when parked...

[philllll]

anybody experience this? i had a hitch/wiring done at a local shop (to speck they say). wiring is the flat 4 connector.

anyway, my trailer has LED lights and the tail lights and one running light stays lit even when parked (no key in ignition). i know it doesn't take much for an LED to glow but it seems odd that current would still be ghosting through the plug. it's bright enough that several people have asked if it's an added safety feature so folks won't run into my parked trailer.

in situations where I had access to be jump started, I've left it hooked up overnight and it wasn't enough draw to impact cranking in the morning (but I haven't tested in really cold conditions yet)

anybody?
(It's a 2012 if that matters)

[subiesailor]

There was another thread on this a while back use search

[OutbackUFO]

I use a flat 4 wire connector for my trailer with LED's and they don't glow when the lights are off, or when the car is parked with everything off. Whoever wired the car made a mistake. If these guys cut the OEM plug, they could have crossed a wire or didn't ground the plug properly.
The converter I used came from E-trailer and plugged right in the the OEM plug located in the left rear of the trunk. No issues in 2 years of use..

[subiesailor]

My guess is that the wiring was goofed. There is a hot wire and if power is being bled off that is what would cause this.

I have Etrailer purchased plug and play flat 4 plug also no leaking power when the car is shut down.

[subiesailor]

2012 trailer lights source is driver side rear wheel cover - pull your foam inserts out under the floor and run your finger across the back side of the plastic siding covering the driver side wheel in the trunk. You should see your trailer wiring harness running up in that general area. If not they must have created their own tap into the tail lights which could be your issue.

The factory supplied plug is tucked up under the wheel cover you simply run a finger in behind the cover and you can find it then pull the plug out and plug the 4 prong adapter into it. Bingo your ready to run. Keeping the wires in the trunk keeps em clean and out of the elements.

Using the trunk to pin the trailer wire down and position it away from the hitch is gold. Trailer plug mounted outside the car is a major PITA corrodes eventually will fail when its dark out and raining. And you need to use electrical tape to position the trailer wiring in such a manner it doesn't get hung up in the hitch. Yup done all that with my truck but my trailer wires kept in the trunk of the subaru have always worked and never pinched.

[plain OM]

See also: Trailer wiring voltage - I get 12V on connector with car off

I suspect this problem is with the trailer adapter. Some are designed better -- they don't allow current leakage when the input signal, that is, the car's tail, clearance, turn or stop light circuits are "Off".

The solution might be to find a trailer adapter that is better with LED lighting. Some have been mentioned here.

[Soon2bSubaru]

This is probably in the "too little too late" category but FWIW I have a 2012 OB 2.5 and I purchased a plug n play type wiring harness from eTrailer.com and all you had to do was plug it into the plug located behind the carpet in the left rear cargo area. Took me all of 5 minutes to do it and it works great. Cost was around $30 IIRC
Good luck!
Paul

[subiesailor]

Originally Posted by Soon2bSubaru

This is probably in the "too little too late" category but FWIW I have a 2012 OB 2.5 and I purchased a plug n play type wiring harness from eTrailer.com and all you had to do was plug it into the plug located behind the carpet in the left rear cargo area. Took me all of 5 minutes to do it and it works great. Cost was around $30 IIRC
Good luck!
Paul

I suspect a bad converter box is probably the issue here. Assuming they used the factory plug behind the rear tire cover.

[dark]

If you paid the install company with a credit card you might want to talk with your bank (provided many months haven’t passed) to explain the problem. You can challenge the payment. They will withhold payment until the work is done correctly.

[CNY_Dave]

My trailer had the marker lights shorted to ground.

After I fixed that and replaced the fuse, I found the transistor in the converter box had failed in the conducting state (I think its MOSFETS that do that) and the marker lights are on whenever the connector is plugged in.