Troubleshooting Tekonsha PowerTrac Brake Controller on a 2018 Toyota Tacoma

Question:

I had a Tekonsha PowerTrac installed in a 2008 Tacoma in 2012. I sold the vehicle and re-installed it into a 2018 Tacoma. Ordered appropriate harness to comply with new truck wiring. Over the last year the controller had a chattering sound, possible relay chatter, semiconductor chatter, not sure. I now don’t have any trailer brakes and have had trouble with brakes reacting intermittently in the past. I’m almost ready to order a Tekonsha Voyager controller from Etrailer and hope that solves the problem. Any suggestions or knowledge on the controller I presently have having issues? I’m this close??to scrapping it! Thanks

asked by: Tom M

Helpful Expert Reply:

To determine if your Tekonsha PowerTrac # 39523 is bad or not all you need to do is test the blue wire coming from the controller with a circuit tester like part # PTW2979. Put the power to the highest setting and then use the manual override to send power along the blue wire to your trailer brakes. If the blue wire on the PowerTrac isn't sending power but it is receiving power on the black wire then the controller is bad and you need to replace it.

The PowerTrac and the Voyager # 39510 are both great brake controllers in their own right but they are entry-level controllers so they only come with a 5-year limited warranty. For your application I recommend the Tekonsha Primus IQ # TK90160 which is similar in price to the Voyager and uses the same adapter # 3031-P for your 2018 Toyota Tacoma. Not only is the Primus IQ an upgrade, but it also comes with a limited lifetime warranty so you can be sure that if anything would go wrong in the future it would be covered.

Attached are some review videos that you can check out.