2011 Tacoma & Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Trailer Brake Controller Install

Detailed instructions on how I installed the P2 in a removable stash tray using industrial Velcro. (Scroll down if you want to use the P2 mounting tray instead.)



To answer everybody's first question: I found the white 5-pin female harness connector behind a large (1" diameter) black-tape-wrapped bundle of wires running vertically on the left side of the parking brake pedal. With determination I was able to find the plug, toward the top of this bundle. It was not concealed by tape, just tucked into a corner behind so many other wires that it took a couple of hours of intense searching by me, a pro hitch installer, and 3 service guys at the dealership. There were 3 decoy plugs within 2" radius of the one I needed. The decoys are either capped or have too many pins. If you find them, look above them. The towing harness plug is obviously right, just not obvious to find. I removed the kick panel but no part of the dash.

I connected the Tacoma jumper harness to the Prodigy P2 harness inside a long piece of heat shrink (my wiring notes are below the photos). I ran the combined wires above all the pedals and across to the right, above the accelerator pedal. I was careful not to rest the wires against the 2 hot metal tubes above the driver's left foot. I used a couple of zip ties along the way.

From there I ran the wires rearward (in the direction of the shifter) behind some carpet beside the accelerator pedal, and into the little stash shelf beside the ignition switch. It sits level within 20 degrees side-to-side, per Tekonsha's spec. (See photo below. Also see gnfreak's install photos of an older controller in this location.)

I notched the back wall of that removable shelf (photo 1) with a hacksaw and also removed a 2" plastic tab on the dash (photo 2) by scoring it with a sharp knife and bending it off. It was easy to modify this soft plastic. The new notch is just wide enough for the rectangular plug that connects to the rear of the P2. This allows the P2 to tuck deep into the tray and stay out of the way of the ignition key.

I applied self-adhesive Velcro tape to the top of the controller and attached it to the top of the shelf cavity. When I'm not using the P2 I can snap out the shelf, remove the controller from the Velcro, detach the wiring harness, and pull the wiring behind the dash so it's out of my way.

That's it. Thanks to Maverick491, psmcn, and others who posted helpful photos and explanations of where to find the wiring connector and how to install the brake controller. Plug for Mann's Hitch, and Toyota of Kirkland, who both helped and charged me nothing.



Square notch cut into removable stash shelf (ignore the smaller notch at the bottom of the larger one, it was unnecessary).


Tab removed from opening at top rear of shelf cavity.


P2, wiring, and modified openings in shelf and dash. The shelf isn't quite snapped in place in this photo to more clearly show how the wiring passes thru the tray notch and the enlarged opening in the dash behind it.


Tekonsha Prodigy P2 trailer brake controller installed in 2011 Tacoma.

MY wiring connections:
(Tacoma jumper harness* -> Prodigy P2 harness)
Black-Red -> Black
Green -- not used
Green-White -> Red
Brown -> White
Red -> Blue

*Factory-supplied with V6 and Class IV towing package. Part No. 82132-0C010

Here's my gallery on picasaweb with more photos:
https://picasaweb.google.com/1157633...eat=directlink

 

Hope you dont mind I copied your install

I had the controller and harness from my old tundra and was happy to be able to reuse the plug and play harness again on my tacoma.

Perfect location for this controller although I wont be removing mine on a regular basis.

I know from previous experience once you set the brake force its pretty much out of mind out of sight.

Locating the harness (truck side) was a real pain scratched up the hand pretty good searching!

 

That is same place I had my brake controller installed, but I still used the mounting bracket on mine. I do have a little space to put my cell phone there in between the bracket, but that's about it. I also thought of using velcro it too, but I have had to many things fall off due to extreme heat in the summer.

 

12Tacoma, copy away! Imitation is the greatest forum flattery.

 

Hi Denis or anyone. I can't figure out how to get the back of the tray loosened up to remove it for this install. The front of the tray has two tabs and is easy to figure out. But once these are loosened, the back of the tray is still attached.

Thanks, Kowboy

 

The back of my tray is held in place by four clips. They're pretty strong, but they pop loose with enough firm-but-steady tugging and working up and down. Once you've removed the tray once, the clips get easier to remove.

I added some photos to my gallery on picasaweb.
https://picasaweb.google.com/115763...WorldComPostPhotos?authuser=0&feat=directlink

 

Thanks Dennis for your tray pictures. I was finally able to install the P3 brake controller in the tray similar to your install. There were a few minor problems I encountered with the install on a 2013 Tacoma.

First, in order to have enough room to locate the existing cable connector, the door sill, left foot rest and side kick plate need to be removed, in that order. The cable connector was hidden very well, facing upward, between the large cable bundle and the outer sheet metal. It took a long time to locate it, not by sight but by feel. Trust me, if the side kick plate were not removed, I never would have found it.

Secondly, the idea of the velcro on top of the brake controller is a great idea. But I found that if you align the controller with the left side of the tray, it's alignment is off, maybe 10 degress in azimuth, but close enough for me. Once installed, the velcro didn't provide totally stable support, so I drilled a hole at the top of the tray cavity and on the side, to run a cable tie completely around the controller, which secured it well.

Thirdly, the Tekonsha p3, by it's design has the manual brake lever underneath the unit and back underneath the face, which limits your mounting options. The supplied plastic clip-on mount was worthless IMO, as it makes the unit stick out too far if you want an under the dash install. I tried various places under the dash, both left and right of the steering wheel, all of which would appear to interfere with you knees, either in getting in or out of the cab, or when driving.

Lastly, according to the factory tech support, there is no way to turn off the brake controller display screen. It's very bright and annoying, even when the brightness is set on low. So I'm going to velcro a cover so I don't have to look at this bright display out of the corner of my eye all the time. Very annoying.

Bottom line, had I to do it over again, I would have purchased a less expensive controller with a front button and no digital display, instead of the Tekonsha.

Thanks, Kowboy

 

Thanks for clarifying that removing the kick plate is indeed a three-step process starting with the door sill. It's evident once you crawl in to do it, and much easier than it all sounds. And your adapter was right where mine was. I left some knuckle flesh under there!

I tossed the plastic mount and used a strip of high-strength Velcro that runs from bow to stern on top of the controller. It's important for me to be able to remove the P2. Anti-theft and the bright display are two reasons.

A small piece of electric tape might do the trick for you. But for me, that blue LED is just one more in that area of my console. I usually have a few things plugged into the 12V outlets, like the radar detector and phone charger, with lights of their own.

I've learned to ignore them but I agree it's a nuisance, particularly when you catch the reflection of a blue LED in your rear window at night and for a split second it looks like a cop!

Thanks for contributing to the tek. Post a photo when you get around to it.

 

I'm currently doing this same setup on my 06 trd tacoma.
Same brake remote! Thanks for All the info.
Have u used the controller wit a electrical brakes from a trailer yet?

 

Put mine under drivers seat. Once set and I know my settings I'm good.

 

Thanks for the input everyone, Toyota dealerships worthless when it comes to trailer brake harness location. I'll follow your steps.

 

Thanks guys I have a 2014 taco my trailer brake wire was in same place Ty for making a long job take 5 min

 

I cut off the pocket and used the back wall (the part with the 4 plastic clips) and made a bracket to extend out and hold my controller. I used a license plate because it was aluminum and easy to work. If I need another pocket, I'm sure a wrecking yard would be happy to sell one for cheap.

 

Of course! I was just looking at this velcro for another application - its designed for attaching to hot plastic things like inside truck cabs.

VELCRO Brand Industrial Strength Fasteners | Auto, RV, Boat Adhesive | Heavy Duty Strength for Dashboards & Consoles | Vinyl Compatible & Temperature Resistant | 2ft x 1½ inch Tape, Gray

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000H5QRC8/

I was going to velcro a scangauge to the top of my steering column, since I won't tow very often. I hadn't thought of using velcro on the controller too.

Excellent idea!

 

Thanks for the Pics and instructions! I used the exact same controller.My install took 45 min. Just got back from a test tow with my Coleman Mesa pop-up. Controller set-up is easy, works great. Considering some Firestone helper springs next.

 

Glad your install went well! And helper springs: absolutely, if you're towing something heavy enough to warrant trailer brakes, you'll need airbags or something. There's plenty of info if you search this forum, including my thoughts on the AirLifts.

 

Hello All,

I finally got around to mounting my Prodigy 2. Thanks to the excellent guidance on this thread of how to go about it. However I wanted to ensure that the Prodigy had the correct alignment with the truck. i.e. lined up in the direction of travel and not tilted right or left. I was willing to sacrifice some of the room in the tray for this goal. So I used some flat, rubber faucet washers to add spacers to the drivers side of the mount that comes with the unit. Once I figure out how to post pictures, I will share those.

 

Lets see if this works ...

Spacer Washers


Dry fit for mount. Need to carve out a bit more on the back of the mount to fit the tray back in.


Tray and mount installed. (Note the cutout at the back of the mount to allow the tray to snap back in.)


With the Prodigy 2 installed in the mount and powered up. It is really easy to remove the controller when I'm not towing.

 

Just purchased my Truck, 2K kilometers on the clock. Looked up a lot of info on this site with only 1 week ownership. The info on mounting the trailer brake actuator came in very handy. took me about 2 hours to modify the tray and mount a Tekonsha P3 today. Plugged in the trailer and everything worked. And most of you are right, Thought I had the right plug, but turned out wrong, had to remove the side plastic panel to find the plug, I also left some knuckle flesh behind.
So thanks for the help folks, and hope to visit frequently.
Greg.

 

Raising a older thread.
Is the plug for the brake controller there (behind the kick panel) for trucks that do not have the tow package?
If not, is there somewhere that has a "how to" for non tow package trucks?
Thanks.