Brake Lights Stuck On and Drained Vehicle Battery Through Tekonsha Trailer Brake Controller

Question:

I have been towing using the Tekonsha Primus IQ for nearly 9 years without issue. Recently, my brake lights stayed stuck on and drained my battery. The issue went away when the brake controller was unplugged, so I am guessing that there is some internal short in the unit itself probably because of 90k miles over often rough terrain that is connecting the hot to the brake light wire. I checked the harness, and there are no shorts, and the hot and cold wires indicate voltage, the brake switch indicator lights up when the pedal is pressed, so I cant find anything out of order on the truck itself. 2006 Sierra 1500 I dont mind replacing the unit - it has worked well and for a long time - but I dont want to buy it and find out I am not solving the problem. Any thoughts?

asked by: Tim S

Expert Reply:

It sounds like you had a intermittent issue with your Tekonsha Primus IQ Trailer Brake Controller # TK90160 on your 2006 GMC Sierra 1500. Since everything is checking out with the power going to your controller from the brake switch and you only had the occurrence one time it leads me to believe that they may have been something that caused the brake pedal to possibly stick(dirt, corrosion) and cause the brake lights to remain on and power to flow through the tail lights and brakes.

The only other thing I recommend is checking the Wiring Adapter # 3015-P for any loose terminals or signs of shorting inside the connector.

expert reply by: Bud M