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2006 TL stays locked in Park when wires to trailer connected
I installed a trailer hitch and wiring harness to my 2006 TL with sequential shifter. No other transmission symptoms on this 110 K miles car, but it will not shift out of PARK whenever I attach the harness to my trailer’s electrics. Works fine right away if I disconnect the harness from the trailer. The transmission will also work fine if I attach the harness with the shifter in neutral. Is this a transmission design feature designed to prevent people from pulling a trailer? Thank you! The car had aftermarket alloy wheels that I didn’t like, so I painted them black.
Tranny won’t come out of PARK when trailer is hooked up.
Installation is ok; the trailer lights work and I’m pretty careful about following directions and the instructional video. What I don’t understand is there is only one wire going to a tail light with two connectors. I’m suspecting that the harness is intended for LED lights instead of the incandescent unit on the trailer. But that issue should not affect the stuck-in-Park issue, should it? Thanks.
One thing that Transmission checks for is the brake. It doesn't shift from park unless it detects the brake pedal is engaged, and this may be tied to the brake lights.
You can hear the shifter lock disengage when you slowly press down on the brake pedal.
Trailer wiring harness must be inadvertently shorting out the brake circuit or something disallowing your car to go into gear. You'll need to diagnose further with the harness.
Thanks to all for trying to help, and Racer in particular. Brake lights weren’t working on car or trailer so I checked brake light switch under the dash and found it was stuck in off position when pedal was pressed. Which means the PARK transmission position was not getting a signal that I had my foot on the brake and thus did not allow me to get out of PARK. I took the switch apart, put silicone on the plunger and reinstalled. No shorts in trailer wiring, so I don’t know why the trailer hook up factored in to these symptoms.
06-15-2024, 02:12 PM
