13 Pin European trailer plugs

The last decade or so has seen vast advances in vehicle electronics that have made the electrical connections between a vehicle and a trailer increasingly more critical. Currently the safest form of connection available is the 13 pin connector as it is a secure, twist-lock, watertight coupling system requiring little force to install or remove.

For any vehicle/trailer combination it is vital that the electrical connections are securely made, as it is imperative that a vehicle continuously recognises when a trailer is connected. Any vehicle with a combination of the computers listed below needs to always recognise when a trailer is connected even though the vehicles individual computers may not have all of these functions/features in their programming.

Trailer Recognition when a trailer has been recognised by the vehicle’s Body Computer the Trailer Tell Tale will be enabled in the vehicle with the operation of the turn signals, this is a legal requirement in many jurisdictions. When the Body Computer recognises that there is a trailer connected it will communicate the trailer recognition to the following vehicle computers so that:

Anti-Lock Brakes, Stability and Traction Control – when in motion alternate strategies can be applied to control the dynamics of the vehicle/trailer combination.

Power Train Control – engine fuelling, throttle response, automatic transmission shift points, enhanced dynamic engine braking, etc. for the vehicle/trailer combination.

Trailer lighting –turn signals, park and/or brake LEDs on the trailer that were continuously blinking will no longer do so.

Parking sensors – the rear parking aid sensors are disabled.

Note: not all makes and models of vehicles have all of the above computers/functions/features.