Trailer Brakes Not Working After Installing a Brake Controller on a 2012 International TerraStar

Question:

We purchased the Prodigy 2 Brake Controller from you for our International TerraStar 2012 truck. The fifth wheel hitch came from you, too. The trailer brakes worked BEFORE we installed the brake controller. Do we really need the Prodigy 2 Brake Controller? Do the 5th wheel brakes automatically work with an International TerraStar 2012? We’re confused. More Info: Line Setting Ticket came with truck 08HAG Electric Trailer Brake/Lighting Separate We tried calling but cannot get through. Thank you!

asked by: Odessa K

Expert Reply:

Medium to heavy duty trucks like your 2012 International TerraStar can have a different kind of 7-Way trailer connector on them than what RVs and other passenger vehicles have which could be what that 08HAG Electric Trailer Brake/Lighting Separate is indicating. Basically the functions of the pins in the connectors are different. A lot of times in these situations we recommend adding a second 7-Way to the truck that is pinned out the regular RV way, see picture.

What could be happening is the brake circuit on the trailer side connector was matched up with a circuit on the vehicle side, such as a brake light circuit, and that was activating the trailer brakes. Installing a brake controller would not necessarily interrupt that unless the original circuit the trailer brakes were using was removed.

Electric trailer brakes cannot work unless power is applied to them. A brake controller is used to regulate the amount of braking on a trailer. So unless the truck came with some kind of factory brake controller the only way the brakes could get power would be from some other circuit like I mentioned above.

I will need to know what type of connector is on the truck side and its functions. You can email me pictures of the connector but to know the functions you will need a circuit tester such as # PTW2993 or a meter if you have one and test the pins on the connector while someone sits in the truck and operates all the functions. If you can give me that information I can determine what is happening and how to fix it.

expert reply by: Michael H