It might not appear dangerous at first sight but fitting Universal or Bypass tow bar wiring to your vehicle could be an expensive mistake to make.
If your vehicle has a CanBus wiring system then it’s highly probable it also has towing safety features that can be activated when a Vehicle Specific Dedicated wiring loom is fitted. Sometimes the safety features do require additional coding to be activated. The issue with not fitting the correct tow bar wiring for your vehicle is that if you fit universal or a bypass universal wiring kit then you are ignoring the vehicles towing safety features and this can lead to towing being dangerous and illegal.
For instance, If you fit a vehicle-specific wiring kit with coding to a Ford Kuga then when you connect your vehicle to the trailer or caravan your vehicle automatically activates the towing safety features it has installed. In this case, apart from other safety measures it will activate the Towing Stability Program and change the ABS system to account for the extra weight you are towing. As you can imagine, bypassing these safety features will make your vehicle unsafe and dangerous. Ask your insurance provider and they will tell you that bypassing safety features will invalidate your insurance, leaving you with serious issues if you should ever be in an accident.
Most vehicles manufactured after 2014 have a CanBus wiring system that carries information to the vehicle’s ECUs. This information tells the car what state it is in and activates features based on what is needed at a certain time. With the Trailer Stability Program, the information being monitored tells the vehicle if the trailer /caravan is starting to snake It will automatically attempt to correct any dangerous trailer sway by a combination of torque reduction and individual wheel braking to bring the trailer and tow-vehicle back under control.
As a responsible company, we at Ultimate Towbars only fit Vehicle Specific Dedicated Towbar wiring to vehicles that have towing safety features installed. We strongly advise that if you’re getting a new tow bar fitted then if your vehicle has CanBus wiring then you only have Vehicle-specific dedicated wiring fitted. The fitting of universal bypass tow bar wiring will invalidate your insurance and will make towing with the vehicle dangerous.
Ultimate Towbars are a tow bar supply and fitting company based in Sheffield UK. Fully registered and insured, we have been involved with the technical side of towing for years. Working alongside world leading companies such as ECS electronics, ConWys AG and Erich Jaeger, to promote safe towing for all road users.
