Upgrading from standard mirrors to power folding mirrors (standard or tow) on any 2015+ Ford F-150 may seem like a difficult task, but it really isn’t. With the Kool Vue mirrors from CarParts.com, it’s a nearly plug and play swap—although you may need to do more or less work, depending on your vehicle’s factory-equipped features.
Standard mirrors may use either an 8-pin or 22-pin connector, but the Kool Vue tow mirrors exclusively utilize 22-pin rectangular connectors. If you have basic non-tow factory mirrors, then you likely have an 8-pin connector. However, if you have mirrors with BLIS or power fold, you probably already have the 22-pin connector.
If your mirrors have the latter, then rejoice because you’re in for a quick and easy upgrade. On the other hand, if you have the 8-pin, some extra leg work will be required.
The first step is to remove the old mirror. As pictured above, you will need to take out the nuts and bolts—specifically, two 10mm nuts and two 10mm bolts—to be able to do this. To access them, remove the plastic cover over the mirror mounting area on the interior of the door; it looks like a sail on a sailboat. Just pull hard to remove it.
Once you’ve removed the nuts and bolts, disconnect the wiring harness, pull the mirror off, and insert the new one.
There are some plastic tabs that will hold the new mirror in place even without nuts or bolts, but don’t trust these to support the weight of a heavy mirror. Hold the new mirror with one hand while you loosely thread some nuts to secure it in place. If you have a 22-pin connector, you just need to install the connector and you are good to go!
If you have an 8-pin connector, buckle up—it’s going to be quite a ride. To install new power folding mirrors, you will need to either replace the entire door harness or do custom wiring, as not all of the wires are going to be installed from the factory. For me, I decided that replacing the wiring harness was easier.
First, you will need to get a Lariat wiring harness that supports all the features of your new mirrors. Simply remove the old wiring harness and install the new one (it will be plug and play).
There are a couple of connectors that will need to be re-pinned. These are the driver’s door lock connector and both 22-pin connectors for each mirror. As I did originally come up with the re-pinning instructions (and did the hard work to figure it out), I will include a link to a set of instructions below, so that the original author gets their credit.
Don’t be intimidated by the re-pinning; it’s a very easy process.
With the connectors re-pinned, you can connect everything except the Driver Door Module (DDM) and Passenger Door Module (PDM). These modules need to be replaced with updated ones from Ford; they cannot be reprogrammed with Forscan.
Use the PDF in the link below to find the correct part number for your model year.
With the wiring harnesses replaced and the DDM and PDM upgraded, simply button everything back together and you should have working tow mirrors.
The only feature that will need more attention in order to get it to work is the power extend feature. To accomplish this upgrade, you will need to run your own wiring from the mirror to the battery junction box, and use factory installed relays. The upgraded wiring harnesses don’t support this feature natively.
Depending on the features of the specific mirrors you have installed, you may need to use a program like Forscan to program your new DDM and PDM to enable your various mirror features. Again, see the link below for detailed instructions.
Overall, this project is easily doable by anyone with basic tools and an afternoon to spare. No electrical or programming experience is needed, as everything is very basic. By following my video and/or the written directions in the link below, anyone should be able to accomplish this upgrade in a single day, or a weekend at most.
Check out detailed instructions here.
Now that you’re familiar with how to install power folding mirrors onto your vehicle, it’s time to get your hands on a set. The tricky part is finding power folding mirrors that are compatible with your vehicle and have the features you need. Luckily, you can easily find what you’re looking for at CarParts.com.
All our power folding mirrors passed the highest quality control standards from industry professionals. On top of that, all our products come with a low-price guarantee to help you get the best value for your money.
After entering your car’s specifications into our vehicle selector, use the search filters to view the mirrors with your preferred brand, price, and features. If you have any questions, our customer service representatives are ready 24/7 to assist you via our toll-free hotline.
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Any information provided on this Website is for informational purposes only and is not intended to replace consultation with a professional mechanic. The accuracy and timeliness of the information may change from the time of publication.