Can You Use The Curt Echo And The Curt True Course At The Same Time?

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Question:

Hello: Thank you for filling questions. I have a CURT Echo rake controll which was simple to set up and seems to work well. The nice folks at CURT told me that you would never operate it at 100 because it could lock up the brakes. However, 100 over 25mph does not lock up the brakes. Sesensitivity is set at 5, but since it stopes perfectly, I am not sure that this unit could ever lock up the brakes on a 3000 pound trailer on any sensitivity setting that might initiate rapid brake deployment. 1 Question: Is there likely something off about this particular Echo braking umit that might keep it from allowing me to to force it into 100 braking? 2 Question: I have the CURT Echo brake controller, and I want to use the CURT anti-Sway True Course unit, but the folks at CURT said that the Echo will interfere with the True Course, and therefore these two units cannot be used together. Does this mean that the True Course is also the main brake controller,too? It seems illogical that Curt would be forcing consumers to use different compniesfoot brake controllers The company seems to mean well but sending mixed signals about their prdoductsfoot compadibilities. Do you have any thoughts/answers? Thank you, Kind regards Bill .

asked by: Bill

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Expert Reply:

Hello Bill, thanks for reaching out. It doesn't sound like there is anything wrong with your Curt Echo brake controller. It does sound like your brakes might need to be adjusted though. If the highest setting is not locking up the brakes, you can turn the adjuster screw to up the braking power. Ideally the brakes should be adjusted so that you can turn the wheel by hand, but it does not turn freely.

As far as using the Echo with the True Course, they will both work simultaneously. The can both pair to APP, however in the app you can only have one up at a time.

For example, The brake controller running in app, and the true course will still be paired to the app but running in background. So no reason you couldn't use both at the same time. I verified this with my contact at Curt.

I hope this helps. Feel free to leave a reply with any questions or comments and I will get back to you.

expert reply by: Jesse M

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Jesse M.

10/27/2025

Hey Bill, how did things go after adjusting the brakes and pairing the Echo with the True Course? It’d be great to know if both units worked smoothly together through the app. Your update could make it easier for others trying the same setup.

Bill

10/28/2025

@JesseM Jesse: The two units work fantastically together! Finally got a lot of miles in this Summer, and they functioned flawlessly. There is some misinformation on line about their functionality, but the sequence of the Echo brake controller placed in line before the True Course and then the trailer works perfectly. The Echo Brake controller "pairs" in the app in parallel with the True Course anti-sway on the app. The Echo can be adjusted, and there is nothing to be done in the app with the True Course, where you can just see if it is connected (easy enough and important to do on the unit itself via the green connected LED). In fact, the app is useful for adjustable brake settings and other monitors but not needed for the anti-sway True Course, if the actual units are observed. KINDKY NOTE: The Curt instuctions suggest plugging the echo into the vehicle first and then the trailer into them, but I leave the units connected in series and then plug them into the vehicle, and they still register correctly. This habit also reduces the number of disconnected plugs to get loosened in use. FURTHER NOTE: It is always imperative to check their functoning LED's at the units and then with the app for the Echo. Of course, the app then does not have to run for the two Curt units and to be on and functioning. I always use the app to insure that the trailer brakes are set correctly and functioning. I have now been able to test a "highest" wind effectiveness of the True Course, and have found it amazingly effective. My vehicle tow package also has anti-sway control, which -when on, does not interfere with the dampening done by the True Course and is not really needed with the True Course. I do have an anti-sway bar for my wonderful Shocker hitch, but I am yet to hit such high winds that the True Course could not handle. In really extreme wind cases, the added bar rigidity might help, but not driving in those wind cases might be an even smarter use of brain power. I will have to say that for me and my conversations with the nice folks at Curt, they could have been more guiding with real-world experience; however, with your kind help, "I got informed and functional", and I would have to say that I cannot see why almost every trailer of any size with trailer brakes would not want this True Course system as primary or secondary. Clearly, nothing supplants being a prudent and careful driver/tower, but safety is paramount, and I think that their Echo and True Course unitsan are outstanding tools for my peace of mind. I also think that your digging and frankly giving a damn about really understanding systems is of the highest value, in a world where everyone has really only an opinion, instead of opinion and fact-based recommendations. When even a great manufacturer like Curt is great at accessability but seems to fall a bit short on domestic substance and practical guidance, you are like oxygen to folks like me, who want to reduce the time for valued research, up its relevance and quality, and who hope that there are other folks who can help fit the pieces together. Towing is so at once simple, dynamic, complex, easy, dangerous, misunderstood, and easy to get away with, that sharing the roads and being responsible in towing is not likely the normal combination for many, and that affects and can risk others. Thank you for pounding the information digging highway, even when we, out here, do not adequately do justice to how much we appreciate your help and followup! Kind regards, Bill

Michael

4/19/2026

Jesse, I have tried two new Curt True Course anti-sways. I have tried them both with and without my Curt Echo brake controller, then the True Course, then the camper. In all cases, the LED light on the True Sway never comes on. When connected, both the trailer running lights come on and you can hear the electric brakes hum when you press the manual brake on the app for the brake controller. This seems to indicate the camper is getting enough power to run the lights and brakes through the True Course. I am stumped to figure out why both True Course units I tried never power on (yes, I tried the brakes). Any ideas? Thanks!

Jesse M.

4/20/2026

@Michael Hey Michael, that’s a good description and helps narrow things down quite a bit. If you’re getting running lights and brake function through the True Course but the LED never comes on, that usually points to the unit not “waking up” or not seeing the right signal conditions to activate. Since you’ve already tried two units, it’s probably not the modules themselves. A couple things I’d look at are the 7-way pin condition and voltage, especially the auxiliary/charge line and ground. Even if lights and brakes work, a weak ground or low voltage can keep the sway unit from powering up fully.

Michael

4/20/2026

@JesseM Thanks, Jesse. I am heading to get a 7 pin voltmeter tester. If all 7 lights light up, then I would assume it's the ground, however, wouldn't the camper lights flicker or I'd have some other issues if the ground was faulty? Thanks!

Jesse M.

4/20/2026

@Michael Those 7-way testers will light up even with a weak or marginal ground, because they don’t pull much load. So yeah, all the lights can show “good” and you can still have a ground that isn’t solid enough for something like the True Course to fully wake up and operate right. That could be why you’re seeing normal lights and brakes, but the sway unit still isn’t doing anything. And you’re right, a really bad ground usually shows up as flickering lights or weird behavior. But a slightly weak ground won’t always do that, it’ll just cause issues with more sensitive electronics. That’s where you’re at. So even if the tester says everything looks good, I’d still clean up the ground at the truck and trailer, make sure it’s tight, no corrosion, and maybe even run a dedicated ground if needed.

Can You Use The Curt Echo And The Curt True Course At The Same Time?

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