2013 Toyota Tundra Brakes Feel Different After Electric Trailer Brake Controller Installation

Question:

I just bought a used 2013 Toyota Tundra with the factory installed towing package. I took the truck to a well known and well reputed business to have the electric brake controller installed in the truck. When I got my truck back after installation, my brakes felt as if they were no longer power brakes. I didnt have fade........and they work, its just they no longer feel like theyre power assisted! Ive taken it back to the installation business, and they can find no reason the brakes shouldnt be working properly wiring, fuses, etc. are all fine. We unplugged the controller, and the power brakes work like they did before the controller was installed! Any thoughts on what da heck we got going on here?

asked by: Brad S

Expert Reply:

A brake controller like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885 installs in a vehicle without any direct interaction with the vehicle's own brakes. The only connection between the controller and the truck's braking system is one electrical connection to the brake light switch. This switch goes hot when you press the brake pedal and this signal is what tells the controller to engage the trailer brakes. There should be no reason why the truck's brakes should feel any different after installation of a trailer brake controller since it makes only this electrical connection and does not interact with the actual hydraulic system in the truck.

I checked with several associates and the only potential explanation we can think of is that IF the controller was hard-wired (rather than connected with an adapter like # 3040-P) that potentially an incorrect wire was used to tap into the brake signal, such as a wire related to the ABS system. The correct signal wire for the controller is the one at the COLD side of the brake light switch, which carries voltage only when the pedal is pressed.

expert reply by: Adam R