Disconnect message in tow vehicle

M

Moses10

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Jul 29, 2024
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Good Morning All.

I am new to this site and I was refereed to this forum by a GM tech ,and I probably have a dumb question. I have a GD solitude with 1 solar panel. I also have a 2023 Silverado in which I use to pull my fifth wheel. My problem is almost every trip I take I get a warning on my (DIC) display that says "Check trailer wiring" or Trailer brakes disconnected." I was told that when I am plugged into my truck is that the battery is being over charged. It was suggested to turn off your solar panel while driving. Where do you disconnect the solar at?
 
in the stock trailer form there is no easy way to disconnect the solar. I have installed a circuit breaker between my panels and solar controller. the other thing you can do is remove the fuse from the fuse box in your truck that supplies 12 volt power to your trailer. I have no idea which one it is on your truck.
 
The solar system and charge controller have nothing to do with what you're describing. Disconnect warnings are usually a problem with the wiring between the truck and the trailer - often in the 7-pin connector (corrosion) or in the rat's next inside the pin box. I would start with those two places.

BTW - welcome to the forum. You can create a signature block with your RV and tow vehicle information (see mine below). That way you won't have to repeat that information whenever you post or ask a question - and others won't have to ask. You can create a signature by going to:

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Rob



Rob
 

We think the disconnect message is a GMC problem, getting them to own up to it is another issue. We have gotten the same message then it follows with no trailer brakes (and you can feel the brakes not working) a few seconds to minutes later it says connected. The frequency is all over the map. This just started in May on our 2022 and have read other instances on it happening.

We changed the plug wire and box on the trailer also the emergency brake. Inspected all the connections to the brakes. It happened again after that, we think it's a GMC issue and will be reporting it to nhtsa.

There was an article posted above this post. We don't have a lithium battery and our solar charger isn't on.
 
Last edited:
BoredWeasel said:
actually there is a recall for gm this very problem. the problem is when the lithium battery's are full and the solar charge controller charges 14.6 volts back to the truck. the truck doesn't like it

here is the linkhttps://gmauthority.com/blog/2024/0...ado-hd-intermittent-trailer-brake-loss-issue/
Click to expand...

Interesting article. Thanks.

The OP can just disconnect the 12v charging line to the trailer in the front bay and there shouldn't be anymore "feedback" if battery voltage goes too high. That should be a quick way to figure out.

GM has had their share of false trailer disconnect messages. I think one needs some sort of resistive adapter on earlier model trucks with trailers that had disc brakes.
 
some guys on the sierra forum just installed a 25 amp diode in the trailer 12 volt supply line. the prevents the feed back from the trailer. some say it works others not so much
 
I have a 2024 GMC Sierra 2500 and no lithium batteries on the Reflection. I took it to the GMC dealer and told them I was having that issue. They did either an update or recall (I cant find my paperwork and I cant remember which) and it solved the issued. I think they added a module of some sort.
 
I have a 2024 cheby 3500. When i picked up my new to me 5ver, I towed 60 miles to where i am now, i had no trailer wiring warning messages. After replacing all the barrings and seals, i took the camper for a 100 mile drive to check the setting of the barrings, before heading south this winter in the late fall. I got 2 warnings right off the start, warning, it cleared, warning it cleared, but then nothing after that. I had to do a little tweaking on the axel nuts so am going to take another 100 or mile country drive, to check and reset if needed, and will put some dielectric grease on the plug, to see if that does anything. If not, ill contact a dealer, or more than one to see if they have a fix for it, as its still under warranty. The fix as mentioned by Gregrc75.

It isnt the power plug part of it, as I use it to plug into the 7 way power plug for a water pump and my fuel transfer tank, and they have no problem. I also dont have lithium batts, just 2 deep cycle. Nor solar.
 
Interesting. I got my first trailer disconnect message (twice) pulling the RV up to the repair shop last month while on the highway with my 2020 Ram. Have never seen that before.
 
The disconnect warning has popped up a few times on my 2017 2500 HD. I'm concluding intermittent connection errors as [MENTION=870]Second Chance[/MENTION] mentioned. While I have lithium batteries, I have been using a charger that doesn't reach 14.6 volts. So unlikely that the recall applies to my situation (it was only for 2020 and 2024 models anyway).
 
I had the same situation a couple of years ago and as a reult I had no trailer brakes. My issue was NOT the truck - it was the fact that there was a wire on the trailer backing plate of the rear axle that was not connected.
 
Thank you all for your input. My trailer is a little over a year old, so I don't think its a plug issue. I took in in assuming it was a trailer issue. The trailer was in warranty at that time. The trailer dealer said its not our problem. Take it to GM. Then said you owe us $209 since we need to be paid for our time. Since we can't bill GD for anything, you have to pay the diagnosing.
 
That sucks. My rv dealer blamed my truck. I had a buddy plug in my trailer to his truck. He got the same message on his cluster. I knew then it was the trailer and not my truck.
 
I have a RAM 3500 and a GD Solitude (384GK), which I realize means it may be a completely different, unrelated and therefore irrelevant situation, but I'll share my experience in case it helps.

We also had intermittent "Trailer brake disconnected" and "check wiring" messages on our truck dash. They started 3 years after we bought the trailer. I'll skip all the other things we tried, but based on a recommendation from our GD Dealer, we replaced the 7pin plug. The stock 7pin that GD installs it turns out is not certified (ASE?) as it was the "squeeze type" where the female end (connected to the rig) has 2 contacts for each of the 7 male side pins that are on the truck side and those pins loosen up over time and don't have enough surface area for the current. Or have momentary interruptions in current. I was doubtful, because I had thoroughly cleaned the contacts, verified their pliability and connectivity, used dielectric grease, etc. But sure enough, simply replacing the 7pin connector and the problem went away for good.

It's a relatively easy thing to try and costs <$25 for a new 7pin connector. Our rig/female 7pin connector was molded on so it had to be cut with a saw, but the new one connects easily. You want to get one that has a single contact for each of the 7, not the dual "squeeze the truck contact between the two prongs" type. Sorry I don't remember the technical terms. Be sure to disconnect the battery before doing it!

Hope that helps someone even if it's not a RAM.
 
dschonfeld said:
I have a RAM 3500 and a GD Solitude (384GK), which I realize means it may be a completely different, unrelated and therefore irrelevant situation, but I'll share my experience in case it helps.

We also had intermittent "Trailer brake disconnected" and "check wiring" messages on our truck dash. They started 3 years after we bought the trailer. I'll skip all the other things we tried, but based on a recommendation from our GD Dealer, we replaced the 7pin plug. The stock 7pin that GD installs it turns out is not certified (ASE?) as it was the "squeeze type" where the female end (connected to the rig) has 2 contacts for each of the 7 male side pins that are on the truck side and those pins loosen up over time and don't have enough surface area for the current. Or have momentary interruptions in current. I was doubtful, because I had thoroughly cleaned the contacts, verified their pliability and connectivity, used dielectric grease, etc. But sure enough, simply replacing the 7pin connector and the problem went away for good.

It's a relatively easy thing to try and costs <$25 for a new 7pin connector. Our rig/female 7pin connector was molded on so it had to be cut with a saw, but the new one connects easily. You want to get one that has a single contact for each of the 7, not the dual "squeeze the truck contact between the two prongs" type. Sorry I don't remember the technical terms. Be sure to disconnect the battery before doing it!

Hope that helps someone even if it's not a RAM.
Click to expand...
Had this exact same, very troubling problem 18 months ago. GM dealer checked out the truck. Nothing there. Replaced the umbilical cord. No change. Turned out to be the trailer brake wiring that ran through the axiles was badly corroded. Was replaced and now runs zip tied to the outside of the axiles. No problems since.
 
I have had the same problem with our 2022 Ford F450. Ford knows about the problem and doesn't seem to know what to do about it. I have to go back to the plug, disconnect it, plug it back in and it works for a while.
 
Moses10 said:
Good Morning All.

I am new to this site and I was refereed to this forum by a GM tech ,and I probably have a dumb question. I have a GD solitude with 1 solar panel. I also have a 2023 Silverado in which I use to pull my fifth wheel. My problem is almost every trip I take I get a warning on my (DIC) display that says "Check trailer wiring" or Trailer brakes disconnected." I was told that when I am plugged into my truck is that the battery is being over charged. It was suggested to turn off your solar panel while driving. Where do you disconnect the solar at?
Click to expand...
I would recommend cleaning your seven pin receptacle ( electric terminal spray and old tooth brush, blow out with compressed air) on the rear of the truck then dry it out good then put Dielectric grease in the receptacle. This is also a good idea for your shore power receptacle. Issue isn’t the over charging. This isn’t related. (GM tech 35+ years, 43yrs in exp). Yes I’m old😜
 
Moses10 said:
Good Morning All.

I am new to this site and I was refereed to this forum by a GM tech ,and I probably have a dumb question. I have a GD solitude with 1 solar panel. I also have a 2023 Silverado in which I use to pull my fifth wheel. My problem is almost every trip I take I get a warning on my (DIC) display that says "Check trailer wiring" or Trailer brakes disconnected." I was told that when I am plugged into my truck is that the battery is being over charged. It was suggested to turn off your solar panel while driving. Where do you disconnect the solar at?[/QUOTE

I drive a 2018 RAM 3500 CTD SRW that is currently exhibiting the very same behavior (70K miles on the OD). I have been down the trail on axle wiring, control box at front of trailer, and the 7 pin connector . . . . .all to NO AVAIL! It is NOT a GM or RAM thing, not even a FORD thing! It happens to all of them, individually and collectively!
I have recently, after much research concluded that the problem lies squarely with the "Integrated Trailer Brake Controller". I have even blamed the Power Converter in the RV (problem went away for nearly 3K miles and then resurfaced). I am finalizing, as I type this, the next steps. I guess in my case it is tantamount to "Saving the Best for Last".
r
Click to expand...
 
These can be difficult to pinpoint. I found the problem with ours when I did hub maintenance and found a brake wire was pinch between the plate and spindle wearing the insulation off so that the wire shorted against the spindle occasionally. Fixed that and no more messages. There are so many things that could be the culprit...
 
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