Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Brake Controller Installation in 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI

Question:

I am trying to find the brake switch wire to be able to hook up the Tekonsha P2 to my 2013 Passat TDi. The one I thought it was black and red is part of the brake system, but is hot without applying the brake peddle. It has pulse modulated tail lights so hooking into them is not possible. I really hate poking holes in wire insulation and was hoping you may have encountered this before. The local VW parts dept was useless. I may go by today to look at wiring diagrams to see if I can figure something out. Thank you

asked by: Wesley T

Expert Reply:

Since vehicle wires colors are not standardized for function, such as the brake switch wire on your 2013 Volkswagen Passat TDI, the only foolproof way to find the correct input signal wire for installing your Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885 is to use a circuit tester like # PTW2993.

Use of a tester is illustrated in the brief video I have linked for you.

You'll test each wire at the brake light switch one by one while a help presses the pedal to find the one wire that carries voltage only when the pedal is pressed. This will be your input signal wire that will connect to the RED wire on the Prodigy's pigtail harness. The other three wires will connect as follows: WHITE wire is ground and connects to the battery negative terminal; BLACK wire is 12V power to operate the controller and connects through a circuit breaker to the battery positive terminal; BLUE is the controller's output signal that will be routed to your trailer connector.

The linked articles will help you with your brake controller installation.

expert reply by: Adam R