Many Ford owners with the factory installed brake controller have had problems with disconnect/trailer fault indicators. To my knowledge, Ford has not come up with a solution to the problelm. However, many of us have done our own troubleshooting and found that there is an issue with the electrical connection at the 7way/4way connector on the truck. On mine, I made a hard turn in a campground and the trailer connector snapped out of the plug-in on the truck and from then on, I had the fault indicator at irregular times. Finally, after cleaning, adding di-electric grease, disconnecting and reconnecting the plugs behind the adapter on the bumper (there are two) I went to Ford and bought a replacement 7-way/4way connector. It cost much more than I wanted to pay but it solved my problem.
The last time I was in NAPA, they had POLLAK 7-way/4-way connectors that looked exactly like the one I replaced on clearance for $20. I picked one up, thought about it but didn't buy a spare.
I think what is happening is that over time, the pin slots on the connectors, either the trailer end, or in my case, the truck end get damaged enough that they can make intermittent connections and that's what causes the "disconnect fault" Possibly, corrosion may "help" this problem along, so di-electric grease is really a good idea.
In your case, since your dad's trailer worked well, it may be that the trailer end connector on your trailer is not making good contact. I'd start by replacing the trailer end connector, they are about $8 at any auto parts store, and if that doesn't fix the problem, then move on to locating a replacement truck end connector.
Somewhere, you're most likely losing one of the legs (either ground or supply) on the brake circuit. This is at the end of my reply, but should be done first. Adjust your brakes properly, sitting in the drive with no load on the wheel, it will stop turning quickly, but may not be grabbing hard enough to stop the trailer with a load on the brake shoes. Then, after you've adjusted the brakes, check all the electrical connections on the axles. Keystone has a habit of using twist connectors on these and they have a problem with corrosion causing problems at the wire connections. If you've checked the connections at the axles and they are all good, then the next likely place is the truck/trailer plug.
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John
2015 F250 6.7l 4x4
2014 Cougar X Lite 27RKS
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