Parts Needed to Add a Brake Controller to a 2020 Kia Telluride

Question:

I am planning on pulling a 3,500 lb camper with my Kia Telluride, rated to pull 5,000 lbs. Is it safe to pull the camper without the electric trailer brakes? The Telluride has the tow package and came with a 4 pin trailer connection. What needs to be done to change to a 7 pin and utilize the trailer brakes? Thank you.

asked by: JIM K

Helpful Expert Reply:

You definitely want to be utilizing the brakes on your camper. A general rule of thumb is that anything over 2,000 lbs needs to have active brakes, and most manufacturers either recommend or flat out say that anything over 1,000 lbs has to have active brakes.

With that being said, since you already have a 4-Way connector on your 2020 Kia Telluride I recommend adding the Wiring Upgrade Kit # ETBC7L and using the Curt Echo Brake Controller # C51180. The wiring kit plugs into your 4-Way and then you route the power wire to your battery. This then allows the Echo to function. You may also need the mounting bracket # C57202 so that you have a way to install the larger trailer connector socket.

The Echo is a Bluetooth brake controller so you'll just use your Apple or Android device to change the settings and use the manual override for the brakes. Since this is a wireless connection the Echo is built to remember the settings so that in the event your phone is disconnected it will still function properly.

Attached are some videos for you to check out.

expert reply by: Jon G