Troubleshooting Draw Tite Activator IV Brake Controller that Only Shows Dot When Brakes are Replaced

Question:

When I apply the brakes I get a little red dot on the brake controller and nothing else. When coupled to a trailer and manually work the controller the brakes work fine but no setting lights up on the controller like it used to. What could the issue be? It’s on a 2014 Ram 3500 Cab and Chassis.

asked by: Craig S

Expert Reply:

The single red dot on your Draw Tite Activator IV # 5504 normally is seen when you press the brake pedal and a trailer is not connected. When a trailer is connected it normally would start showing the output voltage of the controller. So for some reason your controller is not able to sense a connection to your trailer. What I would first try is cleaning the pins of the trailer connectors as most likely a bit of corrosion is preventing the connection from being made.

Try that and also try unplugging the controller for a few seconds to let it reset. If that doesn't fix the issue you most likely need to replace the controller. The part # TK63VR would be a really solid choice as a replacement as it's proportionally activated. That means it senses how hard you are applying the vehicle brakes and then applies the trailer brakes in a relative manner.

expert reply by: Jameson C