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Trailer Tow Prep Wiring

34K views 34 replies 18 participants last post by  Karla J 
#1 ·
I bought the 2018 SES Canadian model. It claims to have Trailer Prep wiring. Does anyone know where this wire is or what exactly this means? The dealer has not been able to answer this question.
 

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#5 ·
Hi Jon - I'm in the US and struggling with the trailer tow wiring myself. I have the SE package 2.0L engine and on the factory sticker it says "Trailer Tow Prep Wiring".
Whin i had a hitch installed, U-Haul showed me where the plug in is located. Mine is located under the drivers side bumper. Its a wiring plug that is covered with a protector.
However, my plug is dead. No power going to it. If you or any others know of how I can get this energized it would be greatly appreciated. I've been to 3 dealerships with no joy.
Thanks in advance and hope this helps.
 

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#6 ·
missing module

I brought mine in because the dealership promised me that they would look into the issue for free. The conclusion is that FORD chose not to install the module that controls the wiring. They estimated the Module price at $154 plus installation fees. I am choosing not to go that route. FORD will not cover the cost of the Module. I'm requesting part numbers when I pick up the car tonight and I can post them on here if that would be helpful to others. I do appreciate that the dealership is not charging me the diagnostic charge being they had no idea what the problem would be.
 
#7 ·
Same Question

I recently purchased 2018 Ecosport SES. The window sticker states "TRAILER TOW PREP WIRING". Noone at the dealership where I purchased seems to know what this means. I just installed a trailer hitch, and would now like to add the trailer wiring/connector. Does anyone know the part# for the electrical harness/connector? Do I just need a wiring harness? Or are there other controller, fuses, etc components needed?
 
#11 ·
I purchased the wiring harness from my Ford dealership here in Fresno, CA and it was $80. I was told they would install it for $150 and scheduled the service. Today, my day of installation was told it was a 1/2 day project and price was $500. The service writer and manager knew nothing about a trailer tow prep wiring even though it was on my window sticker as being equipped on my model.
 
#12 ·
for all those interested, Iam having my dealer install the parts to complete the trailer package. when this is finished I will be happy to share the knowledge. what i know so far parts and installation will be 400.00 and it requires a computer reflash. parts are ordered dealer will install when they arrive, my dealer has already done 2 eco sports b4 mine.
 
#13 ·
$400 trailer wiring from Ford dealer

Wow - $400 for the trailer wiring at the dealer? And the EcoSport supposedly comes "pre-wired" for a trailer...
As nice as it is to stick with a Ford OEM solution for the trailer harness wiring, I'm tempted to just
go with a solution from U-Haul. They will run the wiring (under the car, from the battery) and
connect everything and provide a trailer connector (with diagnostic LED) and include a 2-year "no matter what"
warranty. All for about $135.
 
#14 ·
Wow - $400 for the trailer wiring at the dealer? And the EcoSport supposedly comes "pre-wired" for a trailer...
As nice as it is to stick with a Ford OEM solution for the trailer harness wiring, I'm tempted to just
go with a solution from U-Haul. They will run the wiring (under the car, from the battery) and
connect everything and provide a trailer connector (with diagnostic LED) and include a 2-year "no matter what"
warranty. All for about $135.

I just had U-Haul install my hitch today, and they refused to do the wiring for it even though I scheduled(and paid in advance) for it online. I'm furious. I will have to buy a kit and install myself I guess.
 
#15 ·
The trailer prep that Ford says we get on our window sticker is not available in the US. They have them for Ecosports sold overseas. The wiring is there but no module is available here. I bought a trailer light converter off Amazon for $20 and wired it in myself. The prep wiring is under the drivers side rear seat. There is a hot wire there that goes to the Trailer Prep fuse in the under hood fuse block. The wires are there that go to the trailer plug behind the drivers rear wheel (Left Right and Tail, no ground) I ran wires that I scotch loc'd to the left turn, right turn, brake, and tail hot wires at the rear lights. Then you just have to find a ground. Works perfect.

I ordered a 4 flat wiring plug from Ebay (for vehicle side) and cut the plug off behind the drivers side rear wheel. I used heat shrink butt connectors to connect the wires together. Colors match there.

Total cost under $50
 
#18 ·
trailer wiring instructions

hawkjr9 - how about you detail out your solution for doing the trailer wiring. Include some photos, detailed step-by-step instructions, and a parts list, etc. Then post on here the availability of the instructions (as a download file) and ask for a reasonable "donation". I will gladly pay $50 for a instructions that I can easily follow, and for a solution that costs <$50 in parts.

Please consider this. It would be a public service!
 
#19 ·
well my trailer wiring is now working, installed by the dealer under warranty. FT1Z-15A416-A is the part number needed. the module shown in the parts list 19E809 for the ecosport will not work on american models. Ocala Ford here in Fl. can do it or your dealer can contact them
 
#21 ·
u haul refused to do mine also so did the other trailer place, the dealer still has mine after two weeks and can't figure it out, iam considering the lemon law. ford touts this vehicle as having 1400 or 2000 pnd trailer capacity , thats why i bought it it has a trailer prep harness, but without trailer lights you can't pull a trailer. will give them a couple more days. then Iam contacting a attorney familiar with lemon laws.
 
#26 ·
did anyone get this figured out yet? I put my own Curt trailer hitch on, and I want to run power down to the hitch. I'm not planning on towing, but I do want to put a skull with light up eye in my hitch. I had one on my Toyota Highlander and all the wiring was actually in place.
 
#27 ·
How to wire the trailer hitch on a 2019 Ecosport SE

Purchase towing electrical converter kits Curt 59236, got mine from etailer.com

https://www.etrailer.com/Wiring/Curt/C59236.html

you will need a pliers to crimp the connections

electrical tape

a wire stripper

a phillips screw driver

12 volt wire tester or volt meter (you won't really need if you follow the wire colors i gave you, but you can also use it to test all the light connections are correct before you put it all back together....just sayin'

They do sell a little tester for under $5.00 at Pep Boys, Advanced Auto, or Harbor Freight, that has LED lights and plugs to your end trailer wire, it will show you all the connections worked if you want.....

additional length of wire for the right side blinker and butt connectors (the kit is short on wire for this one). about a two foot length

a socket set with a three inch extension, and I think these are metric, since i suck with metric sizes you'll need sockets from about 1/8 to around 5/16, 3/8 or so. (sorry, i just grabbed all the ones I have attached on a holder in metric to do this)

Also silicone caulk for the body drain plug you will cut for the wire pass through on the drivers side of the truck. You'll need a screw driver or i would suggest buying an interior panel tool at Harbor Freight:
(https://www.harborfreight.com/trim-and-molding-tool-set-5-pc-64126.html?_br_psugg_q=body+tools).


It's ten bucks and worth it, you won't snap the buttons or damage the panels you need to pop loose

And a scissor. to cut the body plug a little, directions later on....

You need a long thin stick to feed the hot wire down past the battery. Straighten the black wire all the way out straight to and lay it in front of the truck so when you need to pull it to the back you won't knot it up! (I used a bamboo tomato stick for this, I taped the wire with electrical tape to the stick and fed it down and grabbed it at the back of the drivers side wheel)

your tail wire colors are as follows:
LH (drivers side) turn is Gray/Orange
brake: white/green
tail: Violet/green

Right Side (passenger)
turn is Green/Orange (I believe this is the only one on the right side you need to attach the green turn signal wire, this is where you need additional butt connectors,
Brake is Gray/violet
tail is White/Orange

Connections to the hitch box:

Splice the Green wire to the right turn signal/stop with the blue connectors in the kit (passenger side, this is the only wire to the passenger side.

Red wire spliced to the brake wire on the drivers side

White wire: Connect to ground, on the left side of the truck, you will drill a hole for the self tapping screw they provide in the kit. Make sure to sand the paint off a little to get a good ground.

Yellow wire to the left stop/turn wire drivers side

Brown wire to the tail light wire drivers side.

Black wire: this is your hot wire, pull the cover off your fuse box at the drivers side right in front of the battery. There are nuts that attach to the hot lead, you will make the final connection here after you do all the rest!
The kit gives you a yellow fuse holder and fuse, cut the yellow wire on the fuse hold directly in half, one half connects to your black wire that goes to the back of the truck with a butt connector, the other end, you will connect the "O" ring connector with a butt connector and attach this to the positive battery wire, don't forget to put the fuse in the little fuse holder!
__________________________________________________________

ok....to start the procedure

Open the tail gate, lay your back seats down, and remove the board that hides the tire repair kit, lay it and the tire repair kit up on the back seats you folded down to get them out of your way.

Look down, the plastic gray panel on the inside of the truck has three or four of those buttons, use your Harbor freight tool or a screw driver to pop them out, lay the buttons in front of you at the trunk area so not to loose them. The panel is connected with wires, you can just lay it down aiming it towards the front of the truck or you can pull the plug and get it out of your way, whatever is easier.

You can then reach the felt panel on the right and start lifting it up towards the drivers side tail area, reach up to the white panel there is a button cap you need to pop with the tool again. The white panel also has two retaining clips on it, i gave it a slight pull with just my hand and they release.

Remove the rear tail light assembly:

Reach in, look for two long white plastic retaining screws, unscrew them and lay them inside the truck area so you don't loose them. Close your tail gate, and slide your tail light assembly off, they rest on retaining buttons only and slide right off. If your scared use painters tape so you don't scratch the paint but i didn't need to do so.

Holding the taillight in one hand, release the tail wiring connection by depressing the button that holds it on the tail light assembly. Lay your tail light some place safe you won't step on it and break it.

Pull the plug from the hole and working inside the tail gate, use the blue line connectors, connecting each wire to its receptive connecting tail light wire. The Curt converter also has the wire connections printed right on the converter, follow my wire color coded wire instructions from above. Make your connections so that your little blue connectors will FACE THE FRONT OF THE truck when you are done. You may need to peel back some of the factory tape on the wires with your fingers, if you use a blade, BE CAREFUL you don't cut the little factory wires!!!!! (Brothers, I tool my time and did it slowwwww)

once the right side is wired, drill the hole and using the O ring on the white wire, secure your ground wire by drilling a small hole in the side body by the tail light and self tapping screw they provide. (Might how far you go and look out for whats behind it). And i say drill the hole because you can probably self tap it, but your going to curse when the little screw falls and you loose it.

There is a body plug you will see its about a little bigger than an inch and already has wires going down it. You will pull the plug, use a scissors to cut one cut to the center to allow your wires that go to the hitch to drop below the car to the hitch and also allow your black hot lead to enter the truck area and butt connect to the control module. Once you are done and the wiring is successful, you will use the silicone caulk to seal the plug cut area to keep water out of the trunk.

Now....little tip here, you should already have the hitch on, i had done mine the week before. They tell you you can either remove the body panel underneath the back bumper, or cut the piece around your hitch, because this panel WILL NOT FIT BACK ON WITH THE HITCH, unless you tailor cut it, (used a jig saw after i put painters tape and marked where to cut)

Now the green wire, it goes to the passenger side blinker wire, my wire was short in the kit, i uses an additional butt connector and connected more wire to get to the passenger side easily.

To remove the right side light, remove the two phillips head screws on the inside on the door area, i think there is also a plastic long retaining long nut to take off and again, slide your tail light out and disconnect the wire plug.

Use the blue connectors in the kit, crimp your connections for the green wire together. Keep the connector facing the front of your truck (away from the tail light plug connection)

_____________________________________________________

Moving to the black wire you left at the front of your truck, again use a thin dowel type stick, tape the black wire to it, and feed it down past the battery until you can grab it by the drivers side front tire. once you have pulled a pretty good amount down, tie off the other end of the wire to anything by the battery to keep you from yanking the other end of the wire all the way down, forcing you to repeat what i just told you!
There is the plastic panel along the bottom of your truck on the drivers side, it has four nuts, use the ratchet wrench to remove them, don't loose them! and gently pull down on the plastic panel and put you wire behind those bolts feeding the wire to the rear. Make sure you don't place it on anything that moves OR THE HOT MUFFLER. Now feed it up in the hole where you removed that one inch plug with the cut in i told you to make.

Connect your black hot lead to the black control module wire with a butt connector. If you haven't done so, make the connection with the butt connectors and connect to the hot lead of the battery under the fuse box. Place the fuse in the holder, and if all went well, it should all work. They sell a tester also at Pep Boys or Harbor Freight with LED lights that will show you its working or get the wife or buddy to look while you step on the brakes and hit the blinkers. Use the silicon caulk if its all working on the body plug I told you to cut to keep the water out of the trunk!

Put your truck back together with your hands to push the panels back in, you probably need to pull back on the weatherstripping a little to get the plastic parts under the panels and NOT over the panels.


Talking my time, it took me about an hour and a half. Including the Curt 59236 wiring kit and the little LED tester I bought I was all in around $65.00 American.

You might ask if the kit from Ford has a direct plug and play for it. Well I priced it since my truck said i have a tow package on the window sticker. Ford parts and service had no instructions on how to do it if i had bought it, AND it's $150 American ANNNDDDD no return on electrical parts. I even Goggled a Ford Fiesta which Could be the same part you might think, but this worked. It beats paying Ford or Uhaul to do it, its really not that hard if your handy.

Good luck, I hope this helps people, cause I couldn't find diddly to help me.

The lighted skull was $20 at Pep Boys, its needed to grind off a little to ft the bumper and works with the brake lights only...
 

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