ISO 12098:2020

Road vehicles - Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles - 15-pole connector for vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage

This document gives the dimensions of, and specifies the contact allocation and tests and test requirements for, 15-pole connectors for the electrical connection of equipment other than braking systems and running gear of towing and towed vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage. It specifies a park socket used to receive and store the plug when disconnected, and a means of adaptation between 7-pole and 15 pole connectors.

Véhicules routiers — Connecteurs pour liaisons électriques entre véhicules tracteurs et véhicules tractés — Connecteur à 15 contacts pour les véhicules à tension nominale de 24 V

General Information

• Status: Published
• Publication Date: 24-May-2020
• ICS: 43.040.10 - Electrical and electronic equipment
• Technical Committee: ISO/TC 22/SC 32 - Electrical and electronic components and general system aspects
• Drafting Committee: ISO/TC 22/SC 32/WG 9 - Electrical connections between towing and towed vehicles
• Current Stage: 9060 - Close of review
• Completion Date: 02-Dec-2030

Relations

• Revises: ISO 12098:2004 - Road vehicles - Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles - 15-pole connector for vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage
• Effective Date: 23-Jul-2016

Overview

ISO 12098:2020 defines the dimensional, electrical and test requirements for the 15‑pole connector used for the electrical connection between towing and towed road vehicles with a 24 V nominal supply voltage. Applicable to equipment other than braking systems and running gear, the standard covers plug and socket dimensions, a park socket for safe storage of the plug, contact allocation and terminal sizes, tests and adaptation rules for interfacing with 7‑pole connectors.

Keywords: ISO 12098:2020, 15‑pole connector, 24 V, trailer connector, towing and towed vehicles, park socket, contact allocation.

Key Topics and Requirements

• Dimensions and mechanical design
  • Plug, socket and park socket dimensions are specified; unspecified details are left to the manufacturer.
  • Covers locking lever space, cover opening angle (≥120°) and sealing-ring mounting.
• Contact allocation and designation
  • Fixed contact functions (e.g., indicators, stop lights, fog, reversing, permanent +24 V).
  • Contacts 14 and 15 allocated to CAN_H and CAN_L for non‑braking data interchange (ISO 11992‑1/‑3).
  • Contact numbers must be permanently marked on socket cover and terminal faces.
• Terminal conductor sizes
  • Contacts 1,2,3,5,6,7,8,10,11,12,14,15: 1.5 mm² nominal cable.
  • Contacts 4,9,13: 2.5 mm² nominal cable.
• Tests and performance
  • Conformity testing is via ISO 4091 requirements, with specific rules for mismating and connection forces.
  • Mismating: cannot mate with pins/tubes of ISO 7638‑1 / ISO 7638‑2 connectors without excessive force.
  • Connection/disconnection force limit: ≤100 N (per ISO 4091).
• Adaptation with 7‑pole connectors
  • Annex A specifies Type A/B adapter wiring and mechanical compatibility with ISO 1185 (24 N) and ISO 3731 (24 S).
  • Caution: adapters must consider effects from connecting certain 24 S contacts (contacts 4 and 6).

Applications and Who Uses It

• Vehicle OEMs (tractors, trailers) for standardized electrical interfaces.
• Connector and cable harness manufacturers designing compliant plug/socket assemblies.
• Fleet operators and aftermarket suppliers (adapters, park sockets) ensuring safe interchangeability.
• Test laboratories and certification bodies for compliance verification.
• Systems integrators implementing vehicle CAN connections for non‑braking equipment.

Practical benefits include safer, interchangeable trailer connections, reduced risk of electrical mismatches, standardized data lines for equipment interoperability, and defined mechanical storage (park socket) for disconnected plugs.

Related Standards

• ISO 1185 - 7‑pole connector (24 N)
• ISO 3731 - 7‑pole connector (24 S)
• ISO 4091 - Definitions, tests and requirements for towing/towed connectors
• ISO 11992‑1 / ‑3 - CAN data interchange for towing/towed vehicles
• ISO 7638‑1 / ‑2 - Connectors for braking systems and running gear

For procurement, design or compliance checks, reference ISO 12098:2020 alongside the related ISO documents listed above.

Standards Content (Sample)

INTERNATIONAL ISO
STANDARD 12098
Third edition
2020-05
Road vehicles — Connectors for the
electrical connection of towing and
towed vehicles — 15-pole connector
for vehicles with 24 V nominal
supply voltage
Véhicules routiers — Connecteurs pour liaisons électriques entre
véhicules tracteurs et véhicules tractés — Connecteur à 15 contacts
pour les véhicules à tension nominale de 24 V
Reference number
©
ISO 2020
© ISO 2020
All rights reserved. Unless otherwise specified, or required in the context of its implementation, no part of this publication may
be reproduced or utilized otherwise in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, or posting
on the internet or an intranet, without prior written permission. Permission can be requested from either ISO at the address
below or ISO’s member body in the country of the requester.
ISO copyright office
CP 401 • Ch. de Blandonnet 8
CH-1214 Vernier, Geneva
Phone: [phone]
Fax: [phone]
Email: [e-mail]
Website: www.iso.org
Published in Switzerland
ii © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword .iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative references . 1
3 Terms and definitions . 1
4 Dimensional . 2
4.1 General . 2
4.2 Plug . 2
4.3 Socket . 2
4.4 Park socket . 2
5 Application of the connector . 2
5.1 General . 2
5.2 Contact allocation . 6
5.3 Contact designation . 6
5.4 Terminals . 6
5.5 Connecting cable . 6
6 Tests and specific requirements . 7
6.1 General . 7
6.2 Mismating . 7
6.3 Connection and disconnection . 7
Annex A (normative) Adaptation between 7-pole 24 N and 24 S connectors and the 15-pole
connector . 8
Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) is a worldwide federation of national standards
bodies (ISO member bodies). The work of preparing International Standards is normally carried out
through ISO technical committees. Each member body interested in a subject for which a technical
committee has been established has the right to be represented on that committee. International
organizations, governmental and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO, also take part in the work.
ISO collaborates closely with the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) on all matters of
electrotechnical standardization.
The procedures used to develop this document and those intended for its further maintenance are
described in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 1. In particular, the different approval criteria needed for the
different types of ISO documents should be noted. This document was drafted in accordance with the
editorial rules of the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2 (see www .iso .org/ directives).
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of
patent rights. ISO shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights. Details of
any patent rights identified during the development of the document will be in the Introduction and/or
on the ISO list of patent declarations received (see www .iso .org/ patents).
Any trade name used in this document is information given for the convenience of users and does not
constitute an endorsement.
For an explanation of the voluntary nature of standards, the meaning of ISO specific terms and
expressions related to conformity assessment, as well as information about ISO's adherence to the
World Trade Organization (WTO) principles in the Technical Barriers to Trade (TBT) see www .iso .org/
iso/ foreword .html.
This document was prepared by Technical Committee ISO/TC 22, Road vehicles, Subcommittee SC 32,
Electrical and electronic components and general system aspects.
This third edition cancels and replaces the second edition (ISO 12098:2004), which has been technically
revised.
The main changes compared to the previous edition are as follows:
— references to ISO 4009 removed,
— corrections to Figure 2.
Any feedback or questions on this document should be directed to the user’s national standards body. A
complete listing of these bodies can be found at www .iso .org/ members .html.
iv © ISO 2020 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO 12098:2020(E)
Road vehicles — Connectors for the electrical connection
of towing and towed vehicles — 15-pole connector for
vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage
1 Scope
This document gives the dimensions of, and specifies the contact allocation and tests and test
requirements for, 15-pole connectors for the electrical connection of equipment other than braking
systems and running gear of towing and towed vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage. It specifies a
park socket used to receive and store the plug when disconnected, and a means of adaptation between
7-pole and 15 pole connectors.
2 Normative references
The following documents are referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO 1185, Road vehicles — Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles — 7-pole
connector type 24 N (normal) for vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage
ISO 3731, Road vehicles — Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles — 7-pole
connector type 24 S (supplementary) for vehicles with 24 V nominal supply voltage
ISO 4091, Road vehicles — Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles —
Definitions, tests and requirements
ISO 4141 (all parts), Road vehicles — Multi-core connecting cables
ISO 7638-1, Road vehicles — Connectors for the electrical connection of towing and towed vehicles —
Part 1: Connectors for braking systems and running g
...