7 Pin Trailer Connection falling out of TV outlet

On a prior vehicle of mine I upgraded to a metal plug, I think it was aluminum. It held up MUCH better than the plastic ones, had a stronger spring on the door too. They also sell the trailer end as a metal plug also, as a set they are GREAT together. I'm going to upgrade our current TT & TV with these whenever the weather gets nice.. I'd imagine most trailer supply stores carry them.

My buddy has a metal one also and he uses it probably on a daily basis, still going strong after a few years!!

Tvov wrote:

It is usually very quick, and a slight push on the trailer brake override slide button shows the brakes working. I am planning on replacing the plug receiver soon. I don't know what it is with the Ford plug receivers, but a lot of people have had this issue with the Ford original factory receiver -- but the factory replacement then works just fine!

If you re-read my post, this is a Ford replacement connector that I'm having issues with.

That said, it is usually my DW's job to plug that in (she does curbside stuff, I do streetside). And as wonderful as she is in other ways, she is capable of outsmarting idiotproof stuff.

Our next trip is over 500 miles total, so I'll try the small bungee and see if that improves reliability. Our cable is on the short side.

PackerBacker wrote:

Tvov wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:
We've had the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on two trips now. The first time we were going down the freeway and I have no idea why it happened.

The most recent one was on a fairly smooth road, but the first 4.5 miles away from the campsite was a dirt road. So that could have shaken the connector lose just a bit. (on the good news front, that road liquefied everything in the black tank)

I'll have to see about rigging up a small bungee as others have done. The 7-pin on the TV is was new a year ago as I made the dealer replace the original because the cover was missing.

I have the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on my 2008 F250 on an irregular basis. The first few times I stopped as quick as I could to check everything... and everything was fine. It has gotten to the point where I almost ignore that warning - when it comes up I check mirrors to see if the trailer is still there, look to see if the running lights work, and just continue on my way. The warning light goes off after only a minute or two.

I read somewhere that someone else had their plug receiver replaced on the truck and that solved the problem. I don't know what is causing it, but it doesn't seem to be an issue.

If it's like mine, you do not want to ignore the warning too long. When I get that message, it's not just a fault warning, I actually lose my trailer brakes too. Mine did this several times on our trip north this spring until I used a tie wrap to hold the plug in place.

... Eric

It is usually very quick, and a slight push on the trailer brake override slide button shows the brakes working. I am planning on replacing the plug receiver soon. I don't know what it is with the Ford plug receivers, but a lot of people have had this issue with the Ford original factory receiver -- but the factory replacement then works just fine!

I was glad to see this thread. Our problem is that the plug won't go all the way into the receptacle in order to latch under the lip, especially in very cold or hot weather - very frustrating! We've also had to resort to bungee cording it in to make sure it doesn't come out. It's always a source of anxiety on every trip - will it or won't it plug in correctly? We've already had the receptacle replaced once, but it didn't help.

Well to all that have responded thank you for your insight. I think my problem stems from the 7 pin door that has the little tab that needs to lock in to the plug is bad. I may just put some electrical tape around it to hold it in place.

I will also check to see if I have enough slack in the cable.


And I think putting a bungee cord on the cable to handle the weight on the connection may help as well.

Thanks again to all

Tvov wrote:

BubbaChris wrote:
We've had the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on two trips now. The first time we were going down the freeway and I have no idea why it happened.

The most recent one was on a fairly smooth road, but the first 4.5 miles away from the campsite was a dirt road. So that could have shaken the connector lose just a bit. (on the good news front, that road liquefied everything in the black tank)

I'll have to see about rigging up a small bungee as others have done. The 7-pin on the TV is was new a year ago as I made the dealer replace the original because the cover was missing.

I have the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on my 2008 F250 on an irregular basis. The first few times I stopped as quick as I could to check everything... and everything was fine. It has gotten to the point where I almost ignore that warning - when it comes up I check mirrors to see if the trailer is still there, look to see if the running lights work, and just continue on my way. The warning light goes off after only a minute or two.

I read somewhere that someone else had their plug receiver replaced on the truck and that solved the problem. I don't know what is causing it, but it doesn't seem to be an issue.

If it's like mine, you do not want to ignore the warning too long. When I get that message, it's not just a fault warning, I actually lose my trailer brakes too. Mine did this several times on our trip north this spring until I used a tie wrap to hold the plug in place.

... Eric

BubbaChris wrote:
We've had the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on two trips now. The first time we were going down the freeway and I have no idea why it happened.

The most recent one was on a fairly smooth road, but the first 4.5 miles away from the campsite was a dirt road. So that could have shaken the connector lose just a bit. (on the good news front, that road liquefied everything in the black tank)

I'll have to see about rigging up a small bungee as others have done. The 7-pin on the TV is was new a year ago as I made the dealer replace the original because the cover was missing.

I have the "trailer disconnected" warning come up on my 2008 F250 on an irregular basis. The first few times I stopped as quick as I could to check everything... and everything was fine. It has gotten to the point where I almost ignore that warning - when it comes up I check mirrors to see if the trailer is still there, look to see if the running lights work, and just continue on my way. The warning light goes off after only a minute or two.

I read somewhere that someone else had their plug receiver replaced on the truck and that solved the problem. I don't know what is causing it, but it doesn't seem to be an issue.

I use a tie wrap to hold the trailer plug onto the truck's outlet cover.

I save the long twist ties from the kid's Xmas toys and use them to tie the plug lid to the plug. It keeps the plug from backing out. When a twist tie breaks from too many uses, I just grab a new one. Cheap and easy.

As others said, make sure the lip is catching securely and the spring on the flap is intact. As an extra measure of security, I take a 2" section of bicycle inner tube and slide over the connector. Once the connection is plugged in, I work the inner tube up and over the flap door to hold it in place and provide a little protection from read dirt and water. Hasn't come loose yet.