The Tacoma Towing Bible

Did a factory forgot to install brake controller connector?

Hi, I have 2011 4x4 TRD that came with towing package. It has round 7-pin plug to the left of the receiver hitch, so the towing package was built in the factory. Recently, I have noticed that my tacoma does not have service connector plug to wire brake controller for towing camping trailer. The owners' manual instruction book clearly tells the location of the service connector, but I did not see it　underneath the steering wheel　but above the accelerator.

I brought my tacoma to Toyota dealer where I purchased it. The mechanic said they could not find the plug. Did the Toyota factory forget to install the connector? Or　Is the connector extremely difficult to find? Please someone who has the same model tell me how your Tacoma is like. Thank you

 

Question on D and Overdrive. Is the D considered overdrive on a 2015 5 speed auto? Any other car ive driven has a switch to turn on/off overdrive. The manual doesnt say anything about overdrive. Basically, im trying to figure out if i should tow in D or 4th

 

Dear DoorDing,
thank you for your advise and the link! I will try to find it in this weekend.
Best

 

I'm assuming the D is overdrive in the 07 Tacomas as well. So, I should be driving in 4D then? How many speeds does the 07 AT V6 have? 5 speeds?

 

Is it typical to get 11 mpg when towing a 16 foot travel trailer weighing 2700 lbs? I usually run with tanks empty and try to limit my gear. I usually tow at 60-65 mpg.

 

Wouldn't doubt it, I can see 14 mpg on 1000 lbs

 

Excellent. Another question. The rv dealer told me not to tow with my tension bars used to keep my truck and the 16 foot hybrid TT level. He said it will cause the wheels on the TT to over heat. Thoughts?

 

Are you sure that wasn't the kid at Starbucks advice? Soooo wrong.

Ralph

 

yup that's right because our pop up trailer weighs that much and I can get around 15 mpg on the hwy.

 

I have an 01 Tacoma TRD V6 4wd. I am moving from CT to the Florida Keys at the end of the month. im looking to tow a 14ft car trailer with my mk2 gti on it together they would come in around 5,000 lbs. im still looking for a trailer. any help is greatly appreciated. I'm a bit worried about it as it was my recently deceased fathers truck and he babied it, so the last thing i wanna do is destroy it trying to get to florida. the truck has 70,000 miles on it.

 

I used my 97 V6 AC 4x4 5MT to tow all the time. And I mean all the time. With an 18' flatbed and various cars on it, BMW, ElCamino, Caprice, tractors, and loads that were questionably legal. Get trailer brakes and a brake controller (tranny cooler for automatic) you should be fine.

 

Alright guys, I have a 2005 Toyota Tacoma 4x4 TRD w the towing package. It has 4 wheels, some seats and a radio. You think I can tow above the max tow rate and be safe and get good mpgs?

 

JBL, standard, or aftermarket radio?

 

Standard. So I'm guessing I won't get the better mpgs..?

 

Probly not, I would crank the radio up to muffle the sounds of exploding ring gear and overheating transmission. Aftermarket radio would help!

 

So you guys are telling me I should have bought a full size truck for my full size boat? Just doesn't make sense to me.

 

You can't tow anything up to the towing limit with anything. What are you crazy? You gotta cut all your towing capacities in half. You definitely need an F550 or a GMC Topkick.

 

Thank you for all of this helpful information. Here's a towing question for you: We have an 02, 2.4L, 5-speed tacoma and plan to tow a tiny house trailer (no house on it yet, just the trailer) from Los Angeles to Minneapolis via the southern interstates that won't have any major grades on them. The trailer is a 24ft, triple axle, that weighs 2500lbs. Our plan is to just install a class III with a 4-pin wiring, then use a converter for the 7-pin that the trailer will have, and NOT make use of the electronic brakes for this journey. This is the only time we'll ever tow anything this big with the tacoma. I see that the 2.4 is rated at 3500lbs for towing. Is our plan sound or would you recommend getting the 7-pin system up and running to make use of the braking? Any other things we should consider? many thanks for sharing the knowledge and experience.

 

Pulled 2,600 from California to New Jersey with an 2009 2.7 and had no issues just keep your speed desires realistic. MPG average of 18.6.

 

Hi all,

I previously asked a question about harness connection for brake controller to tow camping trailer etc. Some people kindly gave some advices for it. Here is my update.

I looked into the left behind the foot-brake. There was a ball of wires, behind of which a connector plug should be recognized, but it was hard for me to recognize what looked like the connector plug. I brought my taco to my favorite garage where I usually ask oil change, tune-up, repairs etc. The mechanic had worked the same thing for Tundra, so he thought it was easy to install harness. However, even he had difficulty in finding the wire connector plug, but finally he made it.

Because I brought TEKONSHA-brake control harness (for Toyota) and a brake controller, I was charged only the cost ($90) for his labor to install the harness and brake controller.

Thanks again for everyone for your coomments!!!