Anyone tow with your HHR? We do and are having issues...
 

Hello! I have a 2006 HHR and we tow a small trailer. We are having an issue with the trailer running lights not working. In fact when we connect the trailer it blows a fuse in the engine compartment. Fuse #69 (Parking Lamps) get blown when we connect and start up. The blinkers and brake lights do work on the trailer. I bought a tester to connect to the car's harness and shows it everything works on the cars end. I also tested each bulb on the trailer and they all work too. Anyone have this issue or know what could be the problem? Thanks for the help!

If you have access to another trailer, try hooking up to it and see if the fuse still blows. If it doesn't, then it's a problem with your trailer wiring.
If it still blows the fuse, then you most likely have an issue with the car wiring or the plug in harness on the car side.

Check all Grounds.

Usually the Trailer grounds are a trouble spot to start checking out. Are the lights, running , brake , and turn signals all functioning properly before the fuse blows?

Did you buy a direct trailer wiring harness plug, plug n play type ? Or tap one in yourself?

Thanks for the replies. The turn signals and brake lights still work on the trailer after fuse is blown. The tail lights on the car are off along with the trailer running lights. We have the plug n play harness. I only know of the white wire ground, are there more grounds to check?

I've towed my trailer numerous times with mine. What your describing is a wiring issue. Odds are it's with the trailer. That wiring is notorious for problems after a few years. I'd start there and ensure all connections are good. Then check the wires themselves. Very easy for a wire to get damaged and cause issues. Then check the harness on the HHR. It may be plug and play, but those wires can get damaged also, especially if you run it through the hatch. Wire could have gotten damaged on closing the hatch, especially if it got caught near the latch.

Since it's only the running lights, that narrows it down some.

There is the white ground wire.
Plus each light is grounded, usually just by the metal light base mounted to the metal of the trailer.


I learned this summer you can't move the light off the trailer to a piece of wood. Tried getting it to a better spot to be seen. It all seemed to work until my lights were on at night, all lights went off when I touched the brakes- wierd stuff. Moved the light back to the metal frame and it was all fine again.

I would suspect that the wire to the running lights is chaffed against the frame and is creating a short circut causing the fuse to blow. Check the wire in the plug to the frame ground with an ohm meter. you should have some resistance because of the lamp fillimants, though it could be fairly low.. You can remove all of the running lamps from their sockets and this should give a infinity reading at this point I hope this helps.
Ron

A blown fuse most likely will not be a ground issue but a wire shorting out to ground. If the fuse does not blow when your trailer is disconnected from the vehicle then your problem most likely is on the trailer. With your trailer harness disconnected check each wire to ground. You will know when you find the bad wire. If it has a standard trailer wiring you will probably be looking at the brown wire for running lights. Start with the connector, pull it apart and check the individual wires. This is a common place for wires to short out. Hope this helps.

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thank you for the replies. i have yet to check on what you all have told me as the temp outside is too damn cold. but i do know that the brown wire splits on the trailer to both sides which i assume is normal? so theres a ground per light on trailer? any pics to show the individual grounds? i thought there was just the white wire ground.

This evening I did a couple things.
First I managed to change the headlight which was a doozy for the first time doing it in the dark with flashlight.
Earlier today I found the brown wire crimped and exposed wires on the side light so I wrapped it up with electrical tape.
Tonight after changing the headlight I hooked up the trailer. The first time I started the car the running lights worked but the blinker and brake light didnt(trailer). The second time I started the car no running lights no brake no left turn but the right turn signal light worked. ??? I put a trailer connect tester to test the car's connector and all showed they work. So I dont know what is with the inconsistent lights.