Troubleshooting Hayes Engage Brake Controller Not Turning Off and Apply Brakes By Itself

Question:

Bought this last year and installed in my RV, 2016 Ford F450 Super Duty Chassis. There is no way to turn it off and it drains my battery if I do not disconnect the battery. Kind of wish there was an on off switch. Manual that came with it does not address this issue. I have also seen it activate by itself thus activating the brake lights. Anyone have any ideas? The RV dealer who installed it suggested to just unplug the harness when not in use. That is not an option.

asked by: John U

Expert Reply:

All brake controllers including the Hayes Engage # HA81760 you have installed will stay turned on, but the LED light for the screen is the only thing being powered and it times out after around 15 minutes so it should not be able to drain your battery. I'd first double check that this is your actual cause of a drain by having a load test run on your electrical system.

If the controller is truely applying the brakes when you're not pressing the brake pedal then something is wrong with the controller. Nothing in this controller will allow it to do that.

If you determine it is the controller that's bad I'd go with a higher quality controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P3 # 90195. This is arguably the best, most reliable controller on the market and will not display any of the issues you're describing.

expert reply by: Samuel C