Adding a Trailer Connector and Brake Controller to a 2016 Honda Pilot

Question:

I am setting up my 2016 Honda Pilot to tow a small ulility trailer with a 2inch hitch. We may be looking to tow a larger RV trailer in the future. The question is 4 pin or 7 pin connector on the wiring harness. Is the ball mount and ball upgradable to a weight bakanced system at a later date. Could a brake controller be added at that time if needed?

asked by: Mark

Helpful Expert Reply:

If the trailers you will be towing have electric brakes (which is common, especially on larger trailers) then you will want to have a 7-Way on your 2016 Honda Pilot. It is also easier to adapt a 7-Way to a 4-Way (or 5- or 6-Way) than it is to adapt up from a 4-Way.

For your 2016 Honda Pilot you can use # 118286 to add a 7-Way. To add a brake controller the first thing you will want to check is if your Pilot has the factory connection point for a brake controller. If it does not then the 7-Way recommendation will be different and I will explain that later.

The factory connection point will be located underneath the dash and left of the steering column, taped to another harness near the brake pedal. I have included a picture showing what it looks like. If you find this connector then you can use harness # 3070-P and a brake controller, # 90885, which is one of the best selling brake controllers of all time.

If your Pilot does not have that connector then a brake controller will have to be hardwired in. For that, instead of the 7-Way listed above you would install a 4-Way, # 118760. Then you would need to install # ETBC7 which adds the 7-Way, retains a functional 4-Way, and has the other parts needed to install the brake controller. For this method you would not need # 3070-P either, just the brake controller, 4-Way, and ETBC7. I have included some links that show and explain the ETBC7 installation.

The trailer hitches for the 2016 Honda Pilot, # e98840 or # C13146, do allow for the use of weight distribution but keep in mind that you are limited to the towing capacity of the vehicle even if a hitch is rated higher with or without weight distribution.

To choose a weight distribution system you will need to go by the total tongue weight of the set up. This is calculated by taking the tongue weight of the trailer, when loaded and ready to tow, and adding to that the weight of anything loaded behind the rear axle of the tow vehicle. I have included some links on determining tongue weight and weight distribution for you as well.