Electronic brake question

So I picked up a rental trailer for a road trip - a Tag Boondock. The owner said she supplied the brake controller so I didn't buy one. When I picked it up she said it was controlled via the truck and 7-pin harness. I don't have much trailer experience, but I'm not sure that's correct. Can anyone confirm? It does seem to stop okay, but I haven't tried an emergency stop. Maybe light enough it doesn't matter. However, I'd like to learn for future reference. Thanks.

 

Tacoma doesn’t have an OEM brake controller only prewired for an add-on controller. The trailer rental person might not have been aware of this as most other tow-rated pickups have factory brake controllers. So, If you didn’t install a brake controller on your truck either wired or RF, then you don’t have it. Sounds like you have the trailer connected to the 7 pin but nothing (brake controller) on the truck to activate or manage the trailer brakes. The trailer appears to be under 1500# so you’re probably good without the trailer brakes. Just make sure your trailer lights are working.

 

Thanks. Makes sense. Maybe I'll try and get a controller for the trip back. It is a bit sluggish to stop.

 

Also, if I get a controller, do I need a wiring harness or does the pigtail that came with the truck do what I need?

 

The popular model brake controllers have a wiring harness that plugs into the Tacoma connector located under the driver kick panel. The connector may not be obvious at first look but if you search around you’ll find it, behind a wire loom close to the firewall. Looks like this:

 

Thanks. I found the plug. The video I watched seemed much more involved but it was also mounting the unit. I was hoping I could plug it in and Velcro it somewhere.

 

I have a RedArc Liberty controller which will mount in any orientation. I velcroed mine to the driver kick panel but they can be mounted behind the dash just about anywhere. Check out this thread if you haven’t already:

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads/trailer-brake-controller.676184/#post-23785207