Well Ford would not take the relays back. So I've got 'em. I guess the only ones that have the wiring for the relays installed are the trucks with the tow package. Lesson learned... research better! Look harder!

 

Maybe you guys can clear something up. If you have relay contacts but not fuse contacts will the connector that hangs down work properly?

I had the pig tail connector hanging down on the left sideof my rear for my non tow package 08 escape.

I bought the car used and was having a bulb replaced under warranty. I asked a dealer to check the connector. He stated there was no power but now I have it. He said he installed "a breaker" It did not cost me anything.

I found this forum and checked my relays. I have two out of the three. I went back asking him for the third since he hooked me up the first time but he said a fuse was one thing but a relay he could not do anything under warranty.

Mind you , he said I now had power to that cable but I am assuming there is more to it.
I pulled the relays and there ARE contacts.
However when looking at the fuses there is only a single side contact on each fuse.

SO I am confused whether it will work or not since I still do not have a 4 flat to plug in and test.
The debate is to by the $15 cable to plug in and by a $15 breaker, thus saming me some wiring work and making it look nice and neat or just to buy a $49 wiring kit.

The relay I am missing is the park lamp one.

What I am confused on is if there are contacts for the relay, what is going on with the fuses? The strange thing to me is why there is contacts on one side but not the other. The fuse would not work as a fuse but I would have assumed you would have zero contacts . coupled with the dealer telling me I had power to the plug but knowing I am missing one relay, I am not sure what I have going on here.

Any ideas if those fuses are needed for if single side contact makes something work?

 

I am not sure exactly what you are saying. I have the same wiring at the left rear side of my undercarriage with a small 4 pole connectior. It has no power to it and my fuse box has no relays in spaces 31c, 31d, and 31e. Also there is nothing for fuses to connect to where the holes are for the fuses in the fuse box. You say you have some power in your rear connector so perhaps you just need to add the fuses (relays?). I am like others in this post indicate and glad I did not buy the fuses because that still would not have given me power to the rear end connector and I was not ready to pay over $200 to get it all wired propely. I resorted to having U haul splice into wiring at tail lights and connect my plug for trailer needs.....Jim

 

My mistake, I think. I am positive they gave me relays but I think when I brought it in a few days later they took them back, not realizing I did not have a tow package. Now I can not find the relays that I know I touched.
Either that or I was in the wrong bay of relays

In the relays I do not have contacts. The fuses have a contact on one side. That is, I look down and the left side has metal the right side does not.

Still, they told me I had POWER. If I have 12 V than I would not have to worry about getting the cable to the front on those wiring kits with a fuse.
I pulled off the fake connector with the 4 pins to find it has no contacts either. It acts like a dust cap but has no contacts to the part with the wires.
Seems like a wasted cost. If it is a dummy why even bother. Disabled I could see saves them time but to just but wires that connect to adapters that do not have any use, makes little practical sense.

Anyway I guess it is $50 for that lighting kit....

 

Read some more of these posts on this site. Many of us have been in the same situation and have a number of posts.....I also bought a 2009 recently and have the same plug where you described at left rear up behind bumper.....but it is has no power connected to it...look at your fuse box under the hood and if your 09 is like mine 31c, 31d, and 31e have no fuses, but my 09 also had no connections where those fuses would plug into....Ford dealer quoted me $190 to add what was needed, I told him to shove it. Went to Uhaul and paid under $100 to splice a pigtail in off the light wiring.

 

Just to be clear- I did read the reports from others. If you actually read them all there was a couple that had the set up even though they did have a tow package.
But more important was that I went to the dealer and he told me "You did not have power. But I gave you a breaker and now you do."

So I assumed I had the power and they hooked me up.

You over paid for your lighting harness Under $100?
I just ordered from U Haul and it was $39.95. It is the splice kind but has the 12V power which some say is better on the system.

 

Purchased my wife's new 08 Escape a few years back here at Bell Ford in Phoenix, AZ. I recently went through getting a hitch installed at U-Haul & at first I explained to the U-Haul techs not to tap into the break lights because I was "Pre-wired" (above the driver side rear tire)

Ends up U-Haul had no idea what I needed to get connected. After a bit of research from this forum and many others, I figured out that my 3 relays were pre-installed and ready to go. I really don't see how they can charge $25-$40/ea for the relays.

I've attached a few pictures of what your fuse box should look like under the hood.

I seem to be one of the few that only need to pick up a wiring kit for the hitch. Hope the images help you on your quest!

 

Hey all new here and I just installed a hitch to my 2009 escape and now I'm stuck between buying a splicing kit or attempting to buy relays for the use of the rear connector.

I have checked the front fuse box and obviously I don't have the relays but I do see that there is metal slots for relay usage. Does this mean I can use and power the connector in the back? Can I use a tester to see if it draws power someway?

Any input would be appreciated.

 

If you do have the contacts then yes you can buy the harness but make sure you have all the relays and fuse contacts. There are 2 fuses and I think 3 relays that cost a bunch,

For those who do not have contacts. I bought a wire set and valley hitch from UHaul.

The Uhaul version is a splice set.
All went fine but it took me a while and several reads of the instructions to be sure I did it correctly.
I did start to think to myself that it would have been worth the $20 more the others charge to have the plug in kind.
I did spend some time with a tester trying to figure out what color wires did what and my confusion was if I had a 2 or 3 wire system since I had three wires on the plug.
but it turns out the 2008 is a two wire even though you will see 3. That will save you a bunch of time and worry.

The Uhaul set was OK. I felt the right side lead could have been longer by a 18" but it still worked.
Running the fuse and wire was not bad at all.
I guess if you do it more than once it will go quicker but over all the only real issue was the sticky pad for the module fell off not the car side but the module side after less than an hour of driving.
I used industrial velcro and so far a month later is still holding on the side of the vehicle.

If you do not have fuses you will have to go with a kit but even if you have slots and no fuses, you spend the same or close too it.

 

After using my boat trailer a few times, lights quit working. Only when you turned on lights would they work, and there would be no brake lights or turn signals to the trailer. Replaced pig tail connecter, no result. Lights on 09 escape work fine. I have the tow package, can find no reference to fuses for trailer lights in OM. Any suggestions?