Last weekend I made a quick trip to the corner store and came out about 20 minutes later to the smell of an electrical fire. At first I didn't realize it was coming from my car until I got closer to my car and could see smoke inside through the windows. I installed a Tow Ready T-One Connector ModuLite wiring kit back when the '09 1.8L Vibe was about a year old. I noticed that the turn signal light were on constant, not flashing and as I was getting tools from the rear of the car to disconnect the battery, then the brake lights suddenly came on as well. After disconnecting the battery I check the OE light control module under the dash which was not the issue. This is when I realized it was the ModuLite module. Opening the access cover for the taillights and saw that the module was melting and smoking. Reconnecting the battery momentarily the brake and turn lights came back on and smell of smoke increased. Disconnecting the battery again pulled the fuse supplying power to the Modulite and removed the T connector to return the wiring to stock. Reconnecting the battery again I tested all cars electrical systems which all worked except the brake and turn lights.
Being a few blocks from home I drove home grabbed a test light and found that the fuses for the Brake and turn signal light curcuits had blown. I have only used the trailer plug 3 times. The last time a trailer was attached to the car was over 3 years ago (trailer had LED lights) to move a trailer about a block and the trailer plug is stored inside the car when not in uses.
The fact that the module could have shorted out in a way that the power fuse to the module did not blow, allowing the unit to continue to overheat could be a major concern if I not come back to to the car as soon as I did. I have been in and out of the hospital for extended periods of time for the past 18 month and the car has been parked much of the time. There could have been a totally different issues if this had happened while the car was parked in the garage. Has anyone else ever had a similar issue like this?