Brakes not working. Controller OK

[bruc33ef]

2018 T21TBHW (same as Rockwood A122)
2018 Kia Sorento 6cyl AWD

Brakes not activating.
The brake controller in the tow vehicle checks out OK.
All brake lights are working.
Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes.

BUT, the controller is not showing that the trailer is connected.
Is there a fuse in the trailer side to check out? If so, where would it be?
Other possibilities?

Many thanks!
Bruce

[5picker]

What kind of controller?
Factory integrated or aftermarket add on?

[bruc33ef]

Add on. Tekonsha Pilot. Used to work fine.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by bruc33ef

2018 T21TBHW (same as Rockwood A122)
2018 Kia Sorento 6cyl AWD

Brakes not activating.
The brake controller in the tow vehicle checks out OK.
All brake lights are working.
Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes.

BUT, the controller is not showing that the trailer is connected.
Is there a fuse in the trailer side to check out? If so, where would it be?
Other possibilities?

Many thanks!
Bruce

When I suspect a problem like you describe there are two steps I take:

Make sure the 7-pin connector to the trailer has clean contacts. Often the plug is exposed to the elements and can get enough dirt/corrosion on the contacts to prevent enough current (3 amps per brake magnet) to activate the brakes.

I then pull the emergency break-away pin and measure the current with a clamp type DC ammeter my multimeter has built in. Not expensive on Amazon. Since I have two axles w/4 brakes total I look for 12 amp or real close. If less in increments (or close) of 3 amps that tells me how many magnets need to be replaced --------after inspecting wires and connections of course.

The trailer brake LIGHTS are not connected to the BRAKES so merely having lights does not mean the brakes have power.

I would start with the plug/socket where the trailer is connected to the truck and make sure the contacts are C-L-E-A-N with shiny metal contacting shiny metal. Then move to checking wires and connections under trailer.

Lastly, since this is an add-on controller, make sure the splice connectors that were used when it was installed are still intact attempting to pull wires out of each to see if they were crimped properly to begin with. Time can lead to corrosion in a loose connector so it pays to check.

[dcheatwood]

I had a similar situation a few years back where everything but the brakes worked. Using a volt meter we determine the brake connection in the 7 pin plug was dead so we started looking for a break in the line. Could not find it. I finally checked the voltage just ahead of the 7 Pin plug and had 12 volts going in but nothing coming out. Took the 7 pin plug off and the brake wire had corroded inside the sealed factory plug. A new 7 pin plug fixed the issue.

[dsherman26]

I was going to make a similar suggestion as TitanMike, but if you pull the breakaway pin, be sure the trailer harness is unplugged first. Brake controllers don't always take kindly to having power fed back into them. In lieu of a clamp on ammeter, you could also take a magnetic compass and bring it near the wheels while the breakaway is energized. If the compass deflects toward the wheel, they are probably working.

[Aussieguy]

once you know if the 12v side is actually working


check if your brakes may need adjusting...

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by Aussieguy

once you know if the 12v side is actually working


check if your brakes may need adjusting...

Do you think adjusting will clear the message the OP said he was getting on the controller "Trailer Not Connected".

Good chance the brake's are self adjusting anyway.

[Chuck_S]

Trailer brake emulator. Watch the LEDs. There are others but this is designed to work with Tekonsha controllers and is intended to make the brake controller think a trailer with brakes is attached. This can rule out the controller if it's the issue.

-- Chuck

[Gramps42]

I had this happen to me with a Tekonsha controller and the repair tec showed me it was the the actual position of the controller. It is meant to operate in either horizontal OR vertical position, not somewhere in between. I thought his solution was preposterous but the mounting screws had loosened (screwed into plastic) and when braking going down a steep hill I had nothing and the trailer pushed me all over three lanes of the interstate until I reached down and straightened the position to vertical and the brakes magically worked!
Roy

[Flybob]

Can you clarify the following "Brakes not activating. Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes."
What is the last point in the system are you seeing brake voltage? brake? Bargman connector etc?.
How are you determining that the brakes are not activating?
In many installations manufacturers use twist wire nuts to make the connections from the brake feed to the individual wheels. These are prone to pull apart or corrode and fail. This is always a good place to start. If this is the issue, I recommend cutting, restripping the wire and using solder and a piece of heat shrink tubing.

[Chuck_S]

Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes.

Can't be. If there was power to the brakes they'd activate.

Did you test the brakes by pulling the break-away cable? This does not depend on the brake controller and applies full power from the trailer battery. Brakes should lock solid.

-- Chuck

[Chuck_S]

The Tekonsha Pilot is a 1950-tech time delay controller and can be mounted in any orientation as all it does is detect the current from the brake lights and apply 100% of set braking power to the brakes. Heck, it doesn't need to be mounted just connected to power.

-- Chuck

[bruc33ef]

Originally Posted by Flybob

Can you clarify the following "Brakes not activating. Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes."
What is the last point in the system are you seeing brake voltage? brake? Bargman connector etc?.
How are you determining that the brakes are not activating?
In many installations manufacturers use twist wire nuts to make the connections from the brake feed to the individual wheels. These are prone to pull apart or corrode and fail. This is always a good place to start. If this is the issue, I recommend cutting, restripping the wire and using solder and a piece of heat shrink tubing.

Should have said "don't appear" to be activating. On second thought, they seem to be defaulting to a plain vanilla mode which doesn't allow controller adjustments of touch or strength and doesn't show the brakes as connected. Very strange.

[bruc33ef]

Originally Posted by Chuck_S

Can't be. If there was power to the brakes they'd activate.

Did you test the brakes by pulling the break-away cable? This does not depend on the brake controller and applies full power from the trailer battery. Brakes should lock solid.

-- Chuck

Should have said "power is going out from the tow vehicle." I took the TV to U Haul (the guys who installed the controller). They stuck a trailer emulator in the 7-pin and determined that power is going out.

[TitanMike]

Originally Posted by bruc33ef

Should have said "power is going out from the tow vehicle." I took the TV to U Haul (the guys who installed the controller). They stuck a trailer emulator in the 7-pin and determined that power is going out.

Now start chasing the issue from the plug on the 7-wire cable all the way to the brakes.

Again, activate brakes while disconnected from TV by pulling breakaway switch pin then check for power in wires that go into each backing plate. If you have a simple test light that has an ice pick like probe just pierce each wire. One will be ground, other the positive. Positive should light test light, ground not or very dim ar most. If both are bright then ground is loose, probably in junction box.

Chasing lost power can be time consuming but it requires one to be methodical and patient.

Start where power is known to be present and work toward where it should be. If you loose it the fault is between the place you last had it anwhere you now don't.







Sent from my SM-N950U1 using Forest River Forums mobile app

[bruc33ef]

Will do that, much thnx. Though, I just tried an experiment -- using my Curt Echo Bluetooth controller (which I abandoned a while ago for the old "foolproof" Tekonsha; long story). Strangely, the Curt sets up and shows it's working just fine. Which leads me back to the Tekonsha which is not displaying codes and just 'seems' to default to a plain vanilla half-strength mode. I'm now thinking it's defective and not a wiring problem. Won't know for sure, though, til I try your suggestion and start tracing back to the brakes. Thanks again.

[doanshop]

Check junction box on frame of trailer that 7 way goes into problems there a lot of times!

[gw1800]

Originally Posted by doanshop

Check junction box on frame of trailer that 7 way goes into problems there a lot of times!

Great place to look. The wiring in the junction box is normally a mess and they use cheap crimp on connectors on the wires. I had a problem with running lights going dim once in a while. I could pull the wires out of the crimp. Replaced all of them with water proof wire nuts.
Another thing is a break in the wires under the trailer going to the axles.

[RollingRoost]

Originally Posted by bruc33ef

2018 T21TBHW (same as Rockwood A122)

2018 Kia Sorento 6cyl AWD



Brakes not activating.

The brake controller in the tow vehicle checks out OK.

All brake lights are working.

Power is going from the tow vehicle to the brakes.



BUT, the controller is not showing that the trailer is connected.

Is there a fuse in the trailer side to check out? If so, where would it be?

Other possibilities?



Many thanks!

Bruce

I had this problem and traced it down to the crappy connectors near the axle. There are several poor wire connectors that could be your problem. I replaced them and problem solved.