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Hi Jack,
I recently purchased a new Hyundai Elite ix35. A towbar and trailer wiring plug were supplied and fitted by the Dealer prior to delivery so I could tow my 5-year old trailer which I also brought new.
When I hooked-up the trailer and turn on the indicators however, all the lights on both the car and trailer would go out. Apart from having a couple of extra lights on the wheel arches the trailer is stock standard.
When I tried connecting the trailer to other older vehicles all lights performed perfectly.
By removing the bulbs from the extra lights and reconnecting to the Hyundai, everything seemed to work normally as well.
Any ideas?
Wayne
Wayne,
We have spoken to Hyundai NZ about this. The head lights, fog lights and tail lights on the ix35 are connected to an on-board control unit called an Intelligent Power Switch (IPS) which replaces the traditional in-line fuses. The unit is constantly monitoring current flow and if a predetermined level is exceeded the lights will be shut down much like a fuse would blow in the old system.
The beauty of the having the IPS control unit is the system will automatically reset itself once the ignition is switched off and on again.
The problem with your trailer is, we suspect, the extra lights fitted are simply drawing too much current and causing the IPS to shut down part of the vehicles lighting system. This obviously cuts power feed to the trailer as well.
One fix may be to have LED lights fitted to the trailer which will reduce the overall current draw. Or remove any unnecessary lighting.
Our understanding is Hyundai NZ have developed a specific trailer wiring loom for the ix35 to allow for the largest possible current draw from trailer lights etc.
Looking into the future this could become a potential issue when towbars are added and aftermarket looms are adapted and fitted. I guess the same can be said for the majority of new vehicles already in the market fitted with similar technology and those coming on stream in the future.
Fitting a towbar and wiring it up for the garden trailer is not as easy as it used to be!