After market brake controller?

[NW Cat Owner]

I've been doing some reading on the IBC (Integrated Brake Controller) that Toyota uses and it appears that they've sucked big time for multiple years and Toyota is aware of it and isn't doing anything about it. From what I've read on a few forums.

Still having problems with the brakes grabbing when I use them, even at a setting of 0.5. Dealer said everything was fine. Yeah, okay.

Connection cable between the trailer and the truck looks just fine.

Trailer brakes will get looked at on Thursday at the factory, but most likely they'll be just fine.

So, I'm thinking we may need to get an after market controller installed. Any suggestions or comments for us to ponder about doing that? Likes or dislikes on the various after market products?

Thanks much!

[nathanj04011]

Been very happy with this:

https://www.amazon.com/TEKONSHA-CONT...C+Proportional

[Kountrykamper]

They have only had the integrated brake controller since the 2016 models came out so it has not been out for multiple years. I have not had any problems with ours and have been using it for 1.5 years. I have several camping friends with Tundra's and they are not having any issues.

[NW Cat Owner]

Well, that's good to know Tom. It seems that folks were having problems with their 2015 and on trucks. I wasn't having any problems at first, but I sure am now. Maybe ETI will have some clues/hints for me when I'm up there on Thursday getting a window replaced. They're aware I'm having problems.

Gawd, so frustrating!!!

[gocamp]

Tekonsha P3 on my tundra here.Yes it is frustratiog you have been dealing with this for quite a while now.

[Kountrykamper]

If you should ever want to replace it you can buy one of these and mount a P2 or P3 in the dash in the same spot.

https://www.esptruck.com/product-pag...r-mounting-kit

[NW Cat Owner]

Thanks again Tom! If I have to install another controller, I wasn't looking forward to having something sticking out and getting in my way. I have enough problems with that with dashboards already (long legs).

We'll see what happens on Thursday. Took the truck out tonight to get gas (trailer still hitched) and Dirk just about flew through the windshield when I hit the brakes with the controller on 0.5 - he wants warning next time I do that.

[Brian B-P]

Given that a proportional trailer brake controller is not complex, and the design was worked out many years ago, the thing should be able to work properly. Since Toyota's integrated controller works for at least some other people, it should not be a problem to get one to work in this truck. I would pester the Toyota service people until I got them to replace it, under warranty.

The biggest challenge would be clearly establishing that the problem is the controller, rather than the trailer. Connect any two products of different companies and each supplier normally points at the other as the source of the problem... and at least one of them is right.

I have no issues with my Prodigy, mounted on the dash, but there's no way I would tolerate tacking an aftermarket controller onto the dash of a vehicle which came with a factory integrated controller. I would not likely tolerate paying to replace a factory-integrated controller with an aftermarket product, even in the same spot, although that would be better than tacking it on the surface.

If Toyota wants to fix the integrated controller by replacing it with a Prodigy in the mounting kit which Tom showed, and that's the best they could do, I suppose I would take that over not having working trailer brakes or doing the conversion myself.