Tekonsha Brake Controller - 39523
Easy-to-use brake controller activates your trailer brakes electronically when you engage the brakes in your tow vehicle. Set braking intensity to your preference and towing application. Includes manual override and pigtail harness.
Features:
- Brake controller activates electric trailer brakes (sold separately)
- Signal is sent to trailer brakes when tow-vehicle brakes are activated
- Adjustable output control lets you determine the amount of braking force
- Set to maximum when you travel through hilly terrain with your fully loaded trailer
- Back off the power output when you tow a lightweight trailer
- LED indicator on front of unit
- Green light indicates that brakes are connected
- Color changes to orange and then to red as the power output increases
- Built-in manual override
- PowerTrac can be used with trailers that have up to 2 axles (4 brake assemblies total)
- Mounting bracket and hardware included
- Pigtail harness wires into your vehicle and plugs into the controller
- Quick and easy disconnect - remove and store the controller when not in use
- Plug-in, vehicle-specific brake-control adapter (sold separately) can be used for certain applications to further reduce installation time
Specs:
- Dimensions: 3" wide x 5" long x 1-1/4" tall
- Limited 5-year warranty
Unlike pendulum-style controllers, which react to the inertia that is created by your tow vehicle slowing down, the PowerTrac applies your trailer's brakes when the brake pedal in your tow vehicle is engaged. The trailer brakes will be activated with an intensity set by you. This output (amount of braking power) is adjustable to suit your preference, as well as road conditions, type of trailer and load. You can also apply the brakes manually with the integrated override.
Because inertia plays no role in the functioning of this controller, you do not have to mount the unit at any particular angle. As a result, mounting options are nearly limitless. After mounting the unit, hardwire one end of the included pigtail harness directly into your vehicle. The other end plugs into the brake controller. To transfer the PowerTrac to another vehicle or to remove it for storage, just unplug the unit and remove it from the mount.
For even easier installation, a vehicle-specific wiring adapter (sold separately) is available for certain vehicles. One end of the custom adapter plugs into your vehicle, and the other end plugs into your controller - no hardwiring required.
Note: For vehicles without brake-control wiring adapters, a 20-amp circuit breaker (9506P - sold separately) is required.
See also etrailer.com's exclusive 7- and 4-way brake-control installation kit (ETBC7 - sold separately) that includes all the parts necessary to install the PowerTrac brake controller.
39523 Tekonsha PowerTrac Electric Brake Control
Video of Tekonsha PowerTrac Electronic Brake Controller - 1 to 2 Axles - Time Delayed
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer
installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Video Transcript for Tekonsha Powertrac Trailer Brake Controller Review
Today we are going to show you part number 39523 from Tekonsha. This is their powertrac electric brake controller. This brake controller is good for up to 2 axles. We will cover a few quick notes about this. When you hook up the trailer, it does come with a power on LED that lets you know you have a positive connection between the truck and the trailer. And also, that green indicator that lets you know that you are connected, changes to orange and then to red as the power to your trailer brakes increase. It has an easy to use thumb wheel adjustment on the side. It is also a solid state so you can mount this in any direction that you want. You can put it vertical, you can put it sideways, whatever way is most comfortable for you. Now we will go ahead and demonstrate it and show you how it works.
Right off the bat, you can see by the design of the brake controller, how the controls are oriented. It is designed to be sitting, almost at a 45 degree angle, on the bottom edge of your dash. You can see like this at this cross view. If you have a real tight area to put one in, this will be the perfect set up for it. Now when you activate the trailer brakes, like we said this green connector here shows that you have a positive connection. And then, when you hit the brakes it will turn from green to orange and then to red. And also on the side here is a thumb wheel that controls the total output. This is full and when you turn it down it turns it basically completely off. And also you have the manual override, so if you ever what to activate the trailer brakes themselves, you just push it over like so.
What you get in the box is pretty simple really. Obviously you get the brake controller itself, you get a bracket that you can mount to your dash that mounts onto the side here, and it also comes with a packet of screws to mount to the brake controller to the bracket and also the bracket to the dash of your vehicle. One other last note about this brake controller, it does come with a 5 year limited warranty. And there you have it for part number 39523 from Tekonsha, the powertrac electric brake controller that is good for 1 or 2 axles.
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Ask the Experts about this Tekonsha Brake Controller
Do you have a question about this Brake Controller?
- Tekonsha Powertrac 2-4 Electric Brake Controller on a 2007 Chevy Tahoe
- Yes, your brake controller can be installed on your 2007 Chevy Tahoe. As long as the controller is functioning properly, it will wire the same as any other brake controller. There is no plug present under the dash, but the wires are already there. You only need to splice the brake control wires together with those already present under the dash. These wires are tied up with white tape to the left of the brake pedal. You need to connect 4 wires to the controller, as follows; red (12v power feed)
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- Availability of Brake Controller Harness for 2001 Toyota Tundra
- If you are looking for a brake controller harness, there are none available for the 2001 Toyota Tundra. The 2001 Tundra did not have factory tow packages as an option, so a brake controller will have to be hard wired into the vehicle.
You will need part # ETBC7 to create a 7 way plug at the rear of the truck. I will include a video on this kit. You will also need to install a 4 way connector. Toyota put the provision in for this so you will need part # 118378.
Once you have these parts in
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- Will a Brake Controller Draw Enough Power When Not in Use To Drain a Car Battery
- The brake controllers available now either are only on when they are activated, or a have a timed shut-off or idle state after a certain time period. Some of the older brake controllers never shut-off, but they did not drain battery power as the only component that would be on is a low amperage LED indicating that the controller has power or whether or not it was connected to a trailer.
As long as you have a healthy battery, you should not have a problem. Since your car is only 2 maybe 3 year
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- Adjusting Prodigy Brake Controller For Maximum Braking On a 1500 Pound Camper with a 1999 Ford F-150
- There are a number of factors to address if you feel that the trailer brakes on your camper are not performing to expectations. The first thing I would check is the mounting and leveling of the brake controller. The Prodigy must be mounted from 0 degrees to 70 degrees nose up but cannot be mounted canted to the right or left. Once mounted correctly the Prodigy, item # 90185, will acquire the level setting and you will need to adjust the power. If you have the power set to full and the trailer br
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- Trouble Shooting Tekonsha AccuTrac Brake Controller Not Recognizing Trailer on a 1999 Ford F-150
- I spoke with my co-worker, Bob, about this for some time this morning. We are both thinking you have a ground issue somewhere or possibly a short. Between the trailer brakes and the brake controller there are several grounds that need to be checked. I will start at the top and work down one by one till we can find the source of the problem. Some of this may be redundant so bear with me.
I assume you mean that the green light does not come on when the truck is on and the trailer is connected.
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- Brake Controller Not Functioning Properly On a 2004 Chevrolet Pickup When Brake Pedal is Pressed
- It sounds as if you may have the incorrect brake controller wiring harness. The correct wiring harness for the 2004 Silverado 2500 HD is the Universal Brake Control Wiring Adapter 2003 - 06 Chevrolet, GMC, Cadillac, item # 20264. Unplug the harness and check the wire locations in the connector.
When holding the connector with the locking tab in the down position the red wire should be in the bottom right position closest to the locking tab. If the red wire is in the top left position, farthes
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- Looking to Upgrade the Brake Controller On a 2004 Silverado 1500 for Towing a 2010 Outback Trailer
- The Prodigy P-3, item # 90195, is definitely an upgrade from the Hayes-Lemmerz Energize III Electric Trailer Brake Controller, item # 81741B. You would definitely see an improvement in the braking performance and a reduction in the delay you are experiencing with the Energizer controller.
The P-3 uses an accelerometer to detect how fast the vehicle is slowing and apply the correct amount of power, based on user settings, to the trailer brake magnets. This system is almost seamless with the ve
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- Can You Give Detailed Step By Step Instructions For Brake Controller Install On 2001 Toyota Tundra
- To install a brake controller on your vehicle you will need Brake Controller 7 & 4 Way Installation Kit, part # ETBC7 and the Tow Ready Custom Fit Vehicle Wiring, part # 118378 on your 2001 Toyota Tundra.
If your 2001 Toyota Tundra has an existing 4-way connector, you will not need to install part # 118378.
For installation of part # 118378, start by disconnecting the negative terminal on the battery and remove the battery hold down bracket and slide the battery towards the motor. Next,
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- How to Adjust the Power Trac Brake Controller on a 2004 Grand Cherokee Overland with AccuTrac
- It sounds as if you will need to adjust the power settings on your brake controller. There is only one adjustment on the Tekonsha Power Trac Brake Controller, item # 39523. It is the power gain setting and should be adjusted so the trailer brakes are close to but do not lock up, with each different load on the trailer.
The Power setting is turned up and down to increase or decrease the amount of power sent to the trailer brakes. If you have the power setting set too high on a time delayed con
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- Can the Tekonsha Powertrac Trailer Brake Controller # 39523 be Installed on a 2010 Toyota Tundra
- Yes, you can install the Tekonsha Powertrac, # 39523, in your 2010 Toyota Tundra. There are 2 ways you can wire in the brake controller. If the harness that came with the truck has blunt cut wires at the end that connects to a brake controller, you will need to match the wires on the brake controller to the functions on the harness as follows:
White on brake controller ground
Black on controller = 12 volt power
Blue on controller = out put to trailer brakes
Red on controller = in from sto
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- Troubleshooting a Tekonsha Powertrac Brake Controller # 39523
- There should not be 12 volts coming out of your ground terminal (7:00) on your vehicle connector. That sounds like where your problem is located. It sounds as if the 12 volt accessory that should be in the 2:00 position of your connector has been mistakenly wired to your ground circuit.
I attached a picture of how the connector on your tow vehicle should be wired by function for you to check out. I also attached an FAQ page on trailer wiring that you might find helpful.
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- Troubleshooting Fading Brake Output with Tekonsha Powertrac Trailer Brake Controller # 39523
- I spoke with my contact at Tekonsha about the Powertrac Brake Controller, # 39523. She stated that if the testing you are doing is with the vehicle and trailer parked, when you step on the brake or use the manual override, the output will go to the preset limit, but then, since the voltage is not needed, it will fade out. When moving the voltage will stay applied.
She also suggested testing the blue output wire using a test light like # 3808 while stepping on the brake. Having the testing lig
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- Using Wire for Bed Cap 3rd Brake Light Instead of Brake Stoplight Switch to Install Brake Controller
- As long as you have verified that the wire in question only goes hot when the brake pedal is applied, there is no reason why you cannot use the wire intended for the bed cap third brake light. If you do not have a circuit tester, we offer one, part # 3808.
Certain vehicles (like GM trucks produced in the late 1990s) had brake switch wiring that was very difficult to access. In those instances, we typically recommend doing exactly what you propose.
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- Finding Correct Brake Stoplight Switch Circuit to Install Brake Controller on 2004 Toyota Highlander
- I do not have any specific information about the color of the wire you are looking for, but I can describe how to find it.
Use a circuit tester like part # 40376, and probe each wire coming off of the brake stoplight switch. As you probe each wire, press the brake pedal. Once you find the circuit that only shows current when the brake pedal is pushed, tap the red controller wire into it.
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- Tekonsha Power Trac Brake Controller # 39523 No Longer Applying Brakes When Brake Pedal Pushed
- It sounds as if you might try to adjust the power settings on your brake controller. There is only one adjustment on the Tekonsha Power Trac Brake Controller, part # 39523. It is the power gain setting and should be adjusted so the trailer brakes are close to but do not lock up, with each different load on the trailer.
The Power setting is turned up and down to increase or decrease the amount of power sent to the trailer brakes. If you have the power setting set too low on a time delayed cont
view full answer...
- Light Does Not Come On when Tekonsha Pod Trailer Brake Controller is Installed on a 2010 Ford F-150
- The first thing I reocmmend is to connect a trailer to the vehicle. The light will not come on if a trailer is not connected. If you do connect a trailer and the light does not come on it could indicate a few different issues.
First, check the black wire behind the controller for voltage. If there is no voltage going to the controller it will not turn on. You will need to check the fuses associated with the tow package to determine if something is blown or missing.
You may also have an op
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- Parts Needed to Install a Brake Controller for a 2008 Chevy Silverado 1500
- On newer vehicles, especially those with tow packages, a pulse preventer is not needed. It was a problem with older trucks that is not present anymore. Should it become a problem later, you can always add it, but I doubt you will need to.
There is not a plug in connector for the Tekonsha Powertrac brake controller, part # 39523, for your 2008 Chevrolet Silverado. In 2007 when GM switched the truck bodies, they did away with brake controller ports. They now use a bundle of wires that you will
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