Question 1

4-Pin vs 7-Blade: Which Trailer Connector Do I Need for My Kody Light?

Accepted Answer

Both 4-pin and 7-blade connectors work with all Kody bike rack lights. Here's how to choose:
4-PIN FLAT CONNECTOR
The 4-pin flat connector is standard on most cars and SUVs. It powers your tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals — everything you need for a complete Kody light setup.
7-BLADE ROUND CONNECTOR
The 7-blade connector is standard on most trucks and RVs. It powers everything the 4-pin does, plus:
Reverse lights (available on select Medium and Large Kody lights)
An integrated license plate light connection (what we call "plate ready")
A heavier duty cable — no adapters needed
HOW TO IDENTIFY WHAT YOU HAVE
Check under your rear bumper near your hitch:
Flat rectangle with 4 holes = 4-pin flat
Round plug with 7 pins = 7-blade
NEED TO UPGRADE OR SWITCH?
A simple 4-pin to 7-blade adapter is available at most auto parts stores. If you'd like a replacement cable with a different connector, contact us.
See our full Trailer Wiring & Connector Guide for more information.

Question 2

Kody Light Cable Lengths: How to Choose the Right One

Accepted Answer

We have three cable lengths available; Short (70"), Long (112") and Extra Long (160").Short - The cable is 70" long.  This is long enough to connect the light across most four bike racks plus a little slack.  We also sell 60" extensions that can be used if needed to cover extra length from hitch extensions or swing out racks. Long - The cable is 112" long.   This is long enough to route across the entire rack plus hitch extensions and most swing arms with a two bike rack.  Extra Long - The cable is 160" long and can handle everything including a large four bike rack with a large pivot.   It's best to measure your set up from where the light is installed to the connection on your vehicle to determine which cable length will fit.

Question 3

Can you tell me more about the reverse lights?

Accepted Answer

The Kody Tech reverse light synchronizes with your vehicles existing reverse lights.   It requires a seven blade trailer connection to obtain the reverse light signal.   We have two reverse light options; an add on reverse light and  a built in reverse light.   Both reverse options are super bright to light up the space behind you and are excellent at communicating that you're in reverse and need the space cleared.

The built in reverse light is only available on the Medium Size Double Lights and Large Size Double 16" Lights.  The reverse is built into the main brake/tail/turn light.  Both of the double lights will include the reverse light. 
 
The add on reverse lights are available on single pivoting lights and the double 16" sequencing lights.  This light is a separate light fixture mounted to the main light bracket and wired into the seven blade cable.

Question 4

My light blinks or flashes rapidly — how do I fix it? (Hyperflash)

Accepted Answer

This is called hyperflash. Your vehicle's electronics detect the LED trailer light as a fault (because LEDs draw much less current than old incandescent bulbs) and trigger the turn signal relay at double speed.
THE FIX
Install a load resistor on your trailer connector. This adds enough resistance to mimic an incandescent bulb and stops the hyperflash. No wiring knowledge required.
• We sell resistor kits compatible with Kody lights
• Installation uses simple wire taps — no cutting required
• Takes about 15–20 minutes
Contact us to order a resistor kit or if you need help selecting the right one for your setup.

Question 5

Will my Kody light work on a Tesla or newer Ford (2016+)?

Accepted Answer

Yes — with one important note about sequential (animated) turn signals.
Tesla vehicles and some newer Ford models (2016+) can interfere with the sequential turn signal animation due to how their electronics monitor trailer load. The lights will still work — tail lights, brake lights, and turn signals all function correctly.
OUR RECOMMENDATION
Choose a non-sequential light option for Tesla and newer Fords. You get the same bright tail, brake, and turn signals — just without the animated sweep effect.
If you already have a sequential light and are experiencing issues, contact us. We may be able to help with a resistor or other solution.

Question 6

Can I upgrade my connector from 4-pin to 7-blade?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You have two options:
OPTION 1 — USE AN ADAPTER (Easiest)
A 4-pin to 7-blade adapter is available at most auto parts stores (O'Reilly, AutoZone, etc.) or online for ~$10–20. Simple plug-and-play — no installation required.
OPTION 2 — REPLACE THE CABLE
We sell replacement cables with 7-blade connectors. Contact us to order one for your specific Kody light model.
Note: A 7-blade connection is required to use the reverse light option, which is available on select Medium and Large Kody lights only.

Question 7

Why do my Kody lights flicker every few seconds when my vehicle is parked and off?

Accepted Answer

This is normal, and it is coming from your vehicle — not from the light.
Many modern tow-equipped vehicles periodically check their trailer connector to see whether something is plugged in and whether the lamps on it are working. They do this by sending a very brief, very small test current down the lighting circuits — a heartbeat, repeating every few seconds. On a number of vehicles this runs even while parked and switched off, as part of trailer detection and anti-theft monitoring.
On old-style incandescent trailer bulbs, that test current is far too weak to make a filament glow, so nobody ever knew it was happening. Kody lights use high-efficiency LEDs that need only a tiny fraction of the power a filament bulb does. Yours are efficient enough to actually respond to the test pulse, so you can see it as a brief flicker.
Nothing is wrong, and your light is not malfunctioning. You are seeing something that has always been happening and used to be invisible.
If the flicker bothers you when parked at home, unplug the connector. It stops immediately.

Question 8

Is the flickering harmful to my lights or my vehicle's battery?

Accepted Answer

No, on both counts.
YOUR LIGHTS
The test pulse is a small fraction of the current your Kody light draws in normal operation, and it lasts only a fraction of a second. There is no heat, no stress, and no wear mechanism. LEDs are not consumables the way filament bulbs are — they are not being used up by this.
YOUR BATTERY
The draw comes from your vehicle's own monitoring circuit, not from your light — the light is simply making visible something that was already happening. Owners of other vehicles who have measured this reported the draw was too small to register on their meter, and that they left accessories connected for days with no trouble starting.
If you are storing your vehicle for several weeks, unplugging the connector is a reasonable habit for peace of mind — but that is good practice with any accessory, not something specific to Kody lights.

Question 9

Which vehicles do this flicker? Is it just Teslas?

Accepted Answer

It is not just Teslas. This has been documented across brands for years.
GENERAL MOTORS
GM describes it plainly in its own service documentation for trucks with the trailering app package. GM states that with the ignition off, the trailer lighting control module “will periodically pulse the lighting circuits of the trailer to verify it is still connected,” and that the resulting flashes are “considered normal.” When early trucks pulsed often enough to bother owners, GM's remedy was a software update that reduces the flash to once every 42 minutes when the trailer theft alert is switched off — not a wiring repair, because nothing was broken.
FORD
Ford owners see it too. An F-150 Lightning owner described his connected trailer's tail lights blinking “a very dim but noticeable pulse every 2s or so” while parked, which other owners identified as a continuity-check heartbeat tied to the truck's trailer theft alert. Gas F-150 owners report a similar dim flicker whenever a trailer is left connected.
EUROPEAN BRANDS AND TOYOTA
Owners of Land Rover, Porsche, Volkswagen, Mercedes-Benz and Toyota vehicles report similar faint pulsing or flickering when LED trailer lighting is connected.
TESLA
On Teslas the car is clearly watching that circuit as well. Tesla's Model Y owner's manual states that connecting a trailer's electrical connection while the vehicle is in Park causes the car to engage Trailer Mode automatically, and that the car will alert you if it detects a faulty electrical connection for the trailer lights. Model Y owners with accessory lighting report the same brief, repeating flicker while parked that GM and Ford owners describe.
In short: if your vehicle is new enough to have a hitch receiver and a lighting connector, there is a good chance it does some version of this. You are noticing it because Kody's LEDs are efficient enough to show it.

Question 10

My Tesla enters Trailer Mode with my light plugged in and disables Autopilot. Can I keep both?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Tesla built a setting for exactly this situation, and most owners don't know it is there.
When you plug in an accessory, your Tesla cannot tell a bike rack from a boat trailer — it only sees that something is connected to the lighting circuit — so it engages Trailer Mode by default. Trailer Mode limits Autosteer and related self-driving features, disables rear parking sensor functionality, increases cruise-control following distance, and limits automatic emergency braking force. That is correct behavior for towing a loaded trailer, and unnecessary for a bike rack.
THE FIX
Turn Trailer Mode off manually while leaving your light plugged in. On the touchscreen go to Controls > Dynamics > Trailer Mode and switch it off. On some software versions the path is Controls > Pedals & Steering > Trailer Mode.
The trailer icon on your screen will change to yellow. Tesla's owner's manual defines that yellow icon as the vehicle “detects a connection for trailer lights but Trailer Mode is disabled. It is likely that a carrying accessory has been connected.” That is Tesla telling you it understands you have a rack, not a trailer.
WHAT YOU GET IN THAT STATE
Your Kody lights continue to work completely normally — running lights, brake lights and turn signals all function.
Autosteer and the other Autopilot steering features come back, and cruise control returns to its normal following distance.
Rear parking sensors come back too, which means the car may now see your rack as an obstacle. Expect proximity alerts when reversing. Some owners switch Trailer Mode back on for parking, then off again for the highway.
Summon is the exception. Tesla's manual notes Summon may not work when a trailer is attached or an accessory is attached, so it will likely stay unavailable with a rack on the hitch either way.
ONE THING TO KNOW
Trailer Mode may re-engage the next time you start a drive with the light connected, and Tesla does not automatically turn it off when you unplug. It is worth glancing at the trailer icon at the start of a trip. If you are only carrying bikes, you want the yellow accessory icon rather than the active Trailer Mode icon.

Minutes to Install for a Lifetime of Safety!
We recommend non-sequence lights on Fords and Teslas.

Frequently Asked Questions