To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
Thank you! Your comment has been submitted successfully. You should be able to view your question/comment here within a few days.
Error submitting comment. Please try again momentarily.
Quickly and easily install a 4-way trailer connector on your vehicle with this custom harness. T-connector plugs directly into existing wiring. Powered converter reduces strain on wiring system and is made using SMT to ensure superior performance.
Features:
Specs:
Installation
This custom-fit T-connector plugs into your vehicle's wiring harness, which is located behind the driver's-side and passenger's-side tail lights. You will have to remove the scruff panel, side trim panel, and tail light assemblies to access this harness. Once you've plugged in the T-connector, run the hot lead up to your car battery. Connect the lead to the included fuse holder, and then connect the fuse holder to the positive terminal on your battery.
Once installation is complete, the 4-way connector will be stowed in an out-of-the-way location within your trunk.
It is recommended that you use a small amount of grease on all electrical connections - the plugs on your automobile and the 4-pole connector itself - to help prevent corrosion.
A tail light converter is built into this T-connector. This converter is a circuit-protected, battery-powered unit that bypasses the electrical routes that are used by a basic wiring harness. As a result, there is virtually no draw on your tail light circuits.
Because most trailers run on a two-wire system - wherein the brake and turn signals are carried on one wire - the separate brake and turn signals from your vehicle's three-wire system need to be combined so they are compatible with the wiring system of the trailer. This converter combines the brake and turn signal functions of your automobile so that they run on one wire to properly activate your trailer's tail lights. Note: This will not affect how the tail lights on your vehicle operate.
Curt builds each tail light converter using surface-mount technology (SMT). This method of construction involves soldering electronic components directly to the surface of a printed circuit board. SMT eliminates the need for leads, which are used in older through-hole technology. The result is a circuit board that is smaller yet provides more routing area and that offers superior performance, reliability and durability.
Circuit boards constructed using SMT have been shown to perform better under rough conditions with excessive vibration than those made using the through-hole method. And where would vibration be more likely to occur than in towing applications? Curt converters also produce less heat, leading to increased durability and longer life. In addition, lower levels of resistance ensure better performance, especially for parts that operate at higher frequencies.
Each Curt circuit board is made using high-quality components that are pieced together in the most technologically savvy fashion, leading to greater predictability and reliability in functioning.
California residents: click here
Average Customer Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars (93 Customer Reviews)
Quickly and easily install a 4-way trailer connector on your vehicle with this custom harness. T-connector plugs directly into existing wiring. Powered converter reduces strain on wiring system and is made using SMT to ensure superior performance.Install is do able, just takes awhile. Never even looked at the instructions. Just follow the videos. I have a 2021 Tiguan. The part of the harness with the plug needs to be longer. By the time you get the plug through the hole to get out of the hatch area. There is very little wire left to get back to the hitch. Had some issues with initial order. My order was over $99 so free shipping. Unfortunately the bracket was out of stock. Even though it said it was available. Did receive email telling me delivery would not be for 2 months. Offering me the opportunity to order a different bracket. Twice the price. Email never mentioned the harness that was in stock would not ship until the bracket came in. Lucky I called and learned about the shipping issues . Was able to cancel and reorder with a bracket that was in stock. Only slightly more expensive.
Fantastic harness. Was easy to install, use, and has run flawlessly.
Used this to replace an older trailer light setup the car had and it works well. I noticed the trailer blinkers don't match up perfectly to the car but they work.
I received the product and it fits my car perfectly after installation. It would be even more perfect if the four-needle line was extended by 10 inches. Their after-sales customer service staff are also very happy to help customers solve problems.
The carrier demolished the packaging
Well packaged and shipped out right away! Beware of customs delays and duty if shopping from Canada. (neither issue has anything to do with etrailer.com)
Makes easy work of adding hitch wiring to my Tiguan
Made it super easy to install. Watched the online videos on Etrailer which was very helpful, can't beat it. I did run one of wires a bit differently than they did, I went inside the car under the carpet and door sills instead of under the vehicle. Always have good luck with the products I get from etrailer.
Installation is easy, but time consuming. The two grommets holding the trim covering the tail lights were destroyed during my installation, even though I used a grommet tool to try and remove them. Not really an issue as I keep an assortment of them in my garage. I also found there is a vent covering the taillight harness, so all you need is to pull it out to access the wiring. I did take the screw under the 3rd row seat release out to help get the trim out enough to run the wires through. I ran the wire to the battery up the left side, under the trim along the doors. Once in the front there is a grommet up behind the brake pedal that goes right to the engine bay behind the battery. I put a small cut in it and ran the wire through it as it is soft rubber and pretty well seals itself around the wire.
A quality product that plugs into the vehicle wiring - no splicing needed. The only drawback is that the installation instructions do not adequately explain how to remove the interior panels in order to access the tail light assemblies. The instructions mention removal of one clip on each panel; there is a lot more to it than that! The average DIYer may not be able to remove the panels without better explanation. Better documentation and/or video would be a big help.
Jon J.
1/16/2021
I installed the trailer light kit on my 2019 Tiguan about a year ago. It works fine for the lights on my utility trailer. Rather than running the 12V power wire all the way to the front of the car, I installed a cigarette-lighter end of it and plug it into the 12V accessory plug in the cargo compartment. Works great.
Starts out okay but always disables my right blinker and right brake light. I have to remove all the Curt hookups to get my car signals working again. Thankful that my vehicle tells me my right signal does not work once the trailer is disconnected. Got to find a safe alternative. Do not want this damaging my vehicle's electrical system.
Jenny N.
10/24/2022
You mentioned that the right blinker and brake light are not working when the harness is installed. It sounds like that it could be the ground. I recommend checking the ground on both the vehicle and trailer side. You will want to make sure that it is grounded to solid metal location. We have a good FAQ that can help with testing the harness that you can see below.
Helpful Links
Very well-made kit and helpful installation video.
The installation video was very clear about drilling a hole in the trunk to pass through the hot wire routed under the car but made absolutely no mention of how to route the 4-pole plug from inside the trunk to the receiver outside the car. The opening needed is 1-1/2 inches X 3/4 inches which required drilling several holes and then filing the slot.
Yaakov M.
6/2/2022
1-Year Follow Up - I have only used the hitch for one haul so far but everything works well.
Good quality parts, quick delivery
This installation took me about 2 hours. I already had my '19 Tiguan SE 4Motion up on ramps from installing the hitch receiver. Pulling the trim back and getting inside the rear area to access the tail lights was a very tight fit. Thankfully VW has access panels that can be popped out for accessing the tail light bulbs this that helped. Once I got the drivers side and passengers side connected, which is very easy. I placed the main control box just left of center with the provided double-sided tape. I tie-wrapped everything up nice and neat. The hardest part was deciding on how to run the hot + wire up to the battery. Luckily the Tiguan has an underbody panel you can run the hot wire inside of from front to rear. I also found on the drivers side on the flat surface below the tail light there is a hole with a plastic plug in it. I used that to run the hot wire from the underbody to inside the rear cargo area to complete my install. I did not run the 4 pin connector outside the body, I'll just lay it out flat and close the hatch lid on it, as suggested in the install instructions. If I was going to be towing allot I would have ran the 4 pin outside and under but since this is only for the odd use i did not.
Have to agree with the review by Brian, this is not an easy install. Spent hours trying to remove panels without breaking them and then running wires to the connectors. Also spent about two hours removing under body panels to run the power from the battery to the back of the vehicle then reinstalling.
The harness installs easily once all of the stuff is out of the way. Seems to work well, but not sure about sending constant power to the unit all of the time, key on or off. Hope this doesn't have a low voltage use when not in operation, would hate to come back to my vehicle after two weeks in the airport parking lot and have a dead battery.
The Curt wiring harness for my 2019 Tiguan impressed me with its high quality. The connectors were all OEM quality- snapped in with no problem. Once finished installing it tested out perfectly. My only issue was the generic printed instructions included with the harness. Luckily, etrailer has a step by step installation video showing a 2018 tiguan. This made installation a snap. I highly recommend buying from etrailer, quality products and help with installation.
Plug and play!!
John
2/18/2023
Product works great!! Install was smooth!!
Packing could be better. Box was ripped and hitch sticking out. Touched up chipped paint on reciever with black roll bar paint
Another great etrailer.com experience! The hitch fit perfectly. The instructional video was spot on. The wiring kit was an effort to install but that's because of Volkswagen, not etrailer. Couldn't believe how quickly it was delivered! Never disappointing to use etrailer.com!
The wiring harness instructions were more complicated than necessary. The video was the best for installing the wiring. All in all a simple installation. I I'm very satisfied with the product.
Instructions kind of vague on the trim removal, needs longer zip ties and a self tapping screw for the ground, watch the video before installing will help greatly, seems to be a good product
It’s a great product but was a real challenge to run the positive wire from the back of the car to the battery.
Normally I do not usually write anything about the purchases I make, but this is always the excess ... today I break the rule because I'm really gratified with the purchase made to etrailer.com and to be short, what is published on the website is exactly what I received , a lot of quality, very good information for the installation, a single word would summarize everything EXCELLENT
The trailer hitch is good but was difficult to install with undercoating making the fit more work than anticipated.
Quick easy connections. Would rather the main power wire be all one piece instead of having to splice it on to the box, and there needs to be a option to route the harness outside the vehicle and mount to the receiver. But works for what it is.
Do you have a question about this Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring?
Info for this part was:
At etrailer.com we provide the best information available about the products we sell. We take the quality of our information seriously so that you can get the right part the first time. Let us know if anything is missing or if you have any questions.
David M.
3/17/2020
Have not had any issues with the harness. Works perfectly.