trailer brakes

I have a 2009 Tacoma, trailer plug has 6 pins plus grnd. My trailer brakes r not engaging. Do I need to turn a switch inside the vehicle?

 

do you have a brake controller hooked up?

 

Not sure, can you explain?

 

to activate trailer brakes you need a controller unit that senses changes in acceleration. One like this, but many manufacturers are out there

https://www.nueratrailerparts.com/v...z-nibNMYpjw4YlPc3s9JTY0pgEYzY8HwHKBoC9Mnw_wcB

you will need to wire it into your harness (unless you have the factory installed haul package which comes with a connector that you plug into) following the manufacturer's instructions, then adjust it to the trailer you are hauling. Of course, your trailer needs to be equipped with electric brakes!

 

Well I know the truck has a tow package and the trailer definitely has brakes. So do I still need the control?

 

yes

 

A little light reading, since it sounds like you're new to towing.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/the-tacoma-towing-bible.4031/

 

Great, thanks.

 

As you'll find out if you read enough of the towing bible your truck with tow package has a connector under the dash near the brake pedal. When I ordered mine, I ordered it with a kit that included the Tacoma-specific connector.

Good luck.

 

My advice get a less expensive proprtional not time delayed brake controller, >>>>>they all do the same thing<<<<,, plus a pre made harness, it's only a few bucks, no need to buy a fancy one, unless you insist on a wierd mounting position. I've had 3 of the tekonsha voyager model and they have served me well

 

This is my reccomendation, awaiting install into my 2015, Amazon has the best prices, the install is easy but if you don't want to do it go to a place that sells RVs, they will sell you and install,one it only takes a few minutes.

 

Since you are new to towing, I'd advise you to CALL etrailer.com and talk to them about your needs. I ordered my controller from them with the kit including Tacoma wiring.

I did wind up cutting and splicing my wiring because I wound up routing the wires back to put the controller under my driver's seat. Sticky velcro on it makes it stick to the carpet on the floor, front just appears under my left leg so I can get at it easy to adjust. But for me, no place under the dash would work without me always hitting it when I get in/out of the truck.

 

Under the seat or out of sight is not good, you need to be able to get to the manual activiation lever in case of sway or other emergency.

 

His has a seperates lever on the dashboard EDIT misread maybe not...

 

I had the voyager under the cubby near your right knee for 7 years and never once did my knee touch it but I guess everyone's body is different

 

you might want to check on your placement of the controller. Most won't work if you reverse the direction. Most work on a sensor that can detect changes in inertia and have to be within the limits of their design, usually + - some degree of forward/backward tilt, level side to side, but almost always in line with the direction of travel with the controls facing the rear. Turn it around and the sensor will think a hard acceleration is actually a braking condition and apply voltage to the trailer brakes. Look at the Voyager install manual here
http://www.expediter.com/pdf folder/Instruction folder/Tekonsha/Voyager manual.pdf
I actually called Tekonsha tech support and asked for a recommendation to mount a controller like you have it and they couldn't give me one

I have seen some with a separate remote activator/set of controls you can mount up like on your dash, and have the controller mounted elsewhere. Is that what you have?

 

If after you get it all hooked up, and it doesn't work, don't assume you did something wrong. After a couple hours of chasing wires, disconnecting and reconnecting and pulling my hair out, I found the problem was two cut wires that got pinched in my trailer suspension. Just because the factory routed the wires doesn't mean they did it right......Think my trailer was built on a Friday afternoon and no time for quality control to do their thing.

 

I have a Tekonsha Prodigy P2. No, it doesn't have a remote control panel. It's just a singe part.

It supports 360 degree vertical rotation. So it could be backwards, upside down, face up or face down, just not pointing to one side. If that makes sense.

I'll take a picture of my setup when I have a chance. It sits facing forward, bottom down. Works awesome. Brakes are applied when I'm braking, not accelerating. I understood what the limitations/mounting requirements were before I ever ordered it. Read the towing bible, etc.

 

Man, the first trailer I owned was obviously wired by a drunkard. One of my sensors, gray water I think, wasn't working when I bought it (used, 12 years old at the time). So I crawled underneath one day when I had some time. OMG, the wires weren't even zip tied together and up and out of the way! All the underneath wiring was just hanging there. One of them actually brushed against the ground. I realized then and there, anything that wasn't done right shouldn't be a surprise, it should be a project to fix when time allowed.

The trailer I just got this spring seems to be built a lot better. But it's also lots simpler.

 

I can reach down and put my left hand on it without any more movement than I'd need to put a hand on it if it was bumping my knee.