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Issues with LED lights on trailers

Discussion in 'Model X' started by Nuclear Fusion, Nov 18, 2019.

  1. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    After about 8 emails to Tesla, which were effectively ignored, asking for a solution to the fact that LED lights on trailers don't illuminate in tow mode, Tesla have telephoned me & advised they have no solution.
    This means you cannot tow trailers with LED lights. Pathetic, as all trailers manufactured now have LED lights, which effectively means Model X cannot tow trailers
     
    • Disagree x 1
  2. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Which then begs the question, are they falsely advertising?
     
  3. StanMI

    StanMI Member

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    I have no help, but I do have a trailer with LED lights and am considering an X............... Subscribed
     
  4. outdoors

    outdoors Always roaming

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    Help me out @ohmman. I have LED tail lights in my 23ft Airstream. I have towed them with a friends X with no problem. Am I missing something. Is the OP in the US? Brand of trailer?
     
    • Helpful x 1
    • Like x 1
  5. Evoforce

    Evoforce Active Member

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    Something is not adding up. Lots of people are towing with S/3/X.I tow also and had to add a trailer wiring kit that works for all style bulbs for my S. You were given wrong advice...
     
  6. Obsoletion

    Obsoletion Member

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    What is happening with the lights when you plug in? are they just not working at all?
     
  7. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Doing an internet search shows this to be a common issue with more recently manufactured SUVs (not just Tesla) - the have a 'light blown' signal & because LEDs draw such low power the canbus 'thinks' the light is blown
    That is how I understand it
     
    • Helpful x 1
  8. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Correct.
    But a multimeter applied to the pin of the electrical trailer plug (from the X) shows that a electrical signal is being sent (eg: left hand indicator is activated)
     
  9. brkaus

    brkaus Well-Known Member

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    Are they the correct polarity?
     
  10. qdeathstar

    qdeathstar Active Member

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    you just need to add a few power resistors between the ground and light outputs. or across the leds... not a great solution but one.
     
    • Helpful x 3
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  11. NoMoGas

    NoMoGas Supporting Member

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    There is a work-around for this. Hard wire a trailer harness with brake light off of the third brake light and turn signls pulled from the front fenders. It's a pain but it works.

    Or this :)
     
  12. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Didn't check - it was at the trailer retailer at the time, a week go
    Maybe the Model X trailer plug is faulty - but I have been towing a trailer with incandescent lights no problem for the last 5 days
     
  13. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Just spoke to another trailer retailer & they said they have to change the LED lights over to multivolt lights, to solve the problem
     
  14. mswlogo

    mswlogo Well-Known Member

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    Do you think you can handle plugging this in?

    https://www.amazon.com/57003-7-Way-Blade-Electrical-Adapter/dp/B00AFVOF3M

    This is just one of many ways to solve it. This just adds load resistors to trick it.

    We are in transition. It’s a well known problem. Model X was designed for the most common trailers 3-4 years ago. Things are changing. There are simple work arounds.

    Issues happen if you use LED blinker bulbs, cars won’t see the proper load and miss behave. So you add a load resistor to simulate the old load. No big deal.
     
    • Helpful x 5
    • Like x 2
  15. ohmman

    ohmman Plaid-ish Moderator

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    I have a Curt 57003 adapter that will allow LED lights to work with older Model X vehicles. Newer Model Xs do not need this adapter, according to reports in the forum. I don't know the cutoff, but if you're having trouble, this is probably the adapter that you need, @Nuclear Fusion.

    Edit -- cross posted with @mswlogo who has the correct answer above.
     
    • Like x 4
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  16. brkaus

    brkaus Well-Known Member

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    Incandescent lights don’t care about polarity.

    but they do make resistive loads for led replacements. My truck needed it When I replaced my tail lights for it to work correctly.
     
    • Helpful x 1
  17. Nuclear Fusion

    Nuclear Fusion Active Member

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    Cheers mate. I'll order one.
     
    • Like x 1
  18. steilkurve

    steilkurve Member

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    I tow a 2020 Airstream Bambi 22FB with a 2017 Model X and the lights work fine. No adapter required.
     
    • Helpful x 1
  19. mswlogo

    mswlogo Well-Known Member

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    All it needs is a minimum load. Your trailer might have other loads. The Main lights might be LED and maybe side markers are still incandescent. Or your trailer might have the forethought to have a built in resistor to minimize customer issues.
     
    • Informative x 1
  20. compu85

    compu85 Supporting Member

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    In our prior Touareg, I had to use a trailer plug adapter with some resistors in it to make the trailer control module happy. IIRC I got it on Amazon.
     

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