I have a Tacoma with the factory tow package. I went through a creek bed at my deer lease with a loaded down truck and caught the 7 pin light connector on a rock. I was thinking that if I had my receiver ball mount in it might have prevented the damage to the 7 pin connector. I noticed that on my Ford the light connector sits a little higher. The shock came when I called Toyota for a replacement. I was expecting a higher price than the aftermarket but was not ready for $218. I almost asked the parts guys if that included the whole wiring harness for the rear of the truck. I bought an aftermarket connector at Wal Mart for $15.

thats just crazy

That is why dealers don't sell alot of parts. Should not buy anything from dealership unless you have to. A 50 cent bolt cost about 15.00 at the dealer. Shameless.

rip-off

I did the same thing on my 08 Tundra. Toyota wanted $300 for the wire harness. No simple plug replacement. Are you out of warranty? It may take some persuading, but it worked for me.

My '94 BassTracker came with an Igloo Marine 36qt Cooler ($47.95 Shipped from Igloo.com).

I asked the Service Dept at Tracker Boating Center here how much they would charge for something like that and the guy behind the counter told me $400+ for the cooler. I almost choked

I thought about the warranty thing. It would not have worked though. Mine was in about 3-4 big pieces with a fair amount of missing plastic. I just took it off and cut the wire harness off. I bought the Hopkins model ($15) and crimped some rings to the wires. I could have just stipped the ends but I felt better with the more secure attachment. Now I just have to figure out the mounting because the Toyota factory model is different than most. The wire harness is the important part. As long as you have that it is just a matter of stripping, crimping, & screwing. What they should do is weld a skid plate around the plug. I have already thought about relocating mine.

wow thats insane. but thats dealers for ya

Wow... I guess I got lucky with what I paid for my new wiring harness. I've got a '02 tundra and I recently needed to replace the harness. I called around and paid hmm... $120 or so, I believe.

Maybe it was different on the 02 but could not be much. Mine is you basic 7 prong flat plug with about a 2' harness and square connector on the other end. I have it set now so that I can replace it in about 15 minutes.

That's the bad part about Toyotas. They don't break often, but when they do....it hurts!!

The truck did not break. I broke it.

and the auto industry wonders why they are failing

Well, let me clarify. If you something breaks, regardless of who or how, it's not cheap.

I have never broken a cheap part on any truck....