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Troubleshooting Activator III Brake Controller Installed on 2012 Ford F350  

Question:

had dealer install draw-tite activator III worked for about 3 months now when step on the brakes it counts from 0 to 10. i unplugged control and tried to reset it but didnt work.

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Expert Reply:

I spoke with one of my contacts at Tekonsha, who tells me that if this is occurring while the trailer is NOT connected to the vehicle, there is a short circuit somewhere on the brake controller output circuit.

Sever the blue wire exiting the rear of the controller (be sure to leave enough room to reconnect it if need be). If this fixes the problem, you have confirmed the short. If this is the case, take a length of 10-1-1 wire, connect one end to the blue wire leading to the controller. Route the wire through the firewall and under the vehicle (being careful to avoid anything that is hot or moving) to the trailer connector at the rear. Sever the blue wire a few inches forward of the trailer connector, and attach the wire you ran to the blue wire from the connecter, thus abandoning the factory brake controller output circuit. You could try to trace the wire to locate the short if you wish, but it will be difficult. Simply bypassing the wire completely and installing a new one would be much easier.

If this is occurring while the trailer is connected, check that the sync switch is not turned all the way down. If it is, set it higher.

expert reply by:
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Mike L

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