All turn signals and hazards stopped working after connecting trailer

Maintenance/Repairs
,
1

I have a 2015 Civic with a trailer hitch that was installed by U-Haul when it was new. I’ve hauled trailers three times, one on a 1,000km drive and never had any issues with the lighting.

Last week I rented a U-Haul trailer for a local move (total of like 15km) and noticed that the lights on the trailer would dim a bit when the hazards or turn signals or brake lights came on, as if there wasn’t quite enough power.

Then, the turn signals just stopped working.

This problem continued after the trailer was disconnected.

I’ve tried replacing the fuse and unplugging and reconnecting the relay.

My next step is going to be to purchase a new relay to swap out the old one, but would appreciate any other suggestions or possible causes.

2

My wild guess is that UHaul left a wire chafing against a metal edge and it finally eroded through, creating a short to ground. I’d go over the wiring with a fine tooth comb and a multimeter.

2 Likes
3

I know the Acura was pretty fussy about the plug in controller to use to interface with the lights. Some of those places just splice into the wires instead so might want to double check if they actually used an interface or not. Can’t remember what I paid for mine through etrailer but somewhere upwards of $40. They’re pretty good about answering trailering questions too so might want to swing by etrailer.com to take a look and ask a question.