99 Runner dash smoke after plugging in old trailer

[Duane]

Ok I'm a bit choked tonight.
Helping out someone hauling compost material. I hook up their old utility trailer and turn on my lights to make sure the trailer lights come on which they do. It's been raining here for several days now.
About 3 blocks away from picking up the trailer I noticed a slight stink and then notice a waft of smoke coming out near the top of my instrument cluster. Hitting the brakes first to slow down I notice the green backlite on the gear selector D dims and brightens again when the brakes are released. Trying to do something quickly I turn off my lights which seems to decrease the smoke coming out as all I could think is it's the darn trailer with shorted out wiring.

So now my fuel gauge reads just over full and it had just under a half tank in it. The green illumination on the D for drive is dimmer than the other gear selections now.

I assume I'll need a new/used instrument cluster now and who knows what else. It bums me out why a fuse didn't just blow.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions on what to do next for this one! ??

 

[Duane]

After some more thinking and talking to the local garage..... we're thinking either having the lights on or the brake controller likely supplied enough power through a pretty heavy fuse back to the trailer connector and shorted out in the trailer wiring coming back up a negative.
Guessing the weakest link or smallest gauge conductor in the circuit must have been in the dash somewhere.
Not excited at what this is going to cost to remedy