Curt TriFlex NEXT Trailer Brake Controller w/ Custom Harness - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional
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2019 Ram 1500
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2019 Ram 1500
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Jerky stops are a thing of the past. The TriFlex NEXT uses a built-in 3-axis accelerometer to sense how your tow vehicle is slowing and applies the trailer brakes in perfect proportion. Whether you’re easing to a light or braking hard on the highway, the trailer follows along smoothly with no push-pull feeling. It works with up to 4 axles (8 brake assemblies) and supports both electric and electric-over-hydraulic setups, so your braking stays consistent and even.
Space under the dash is tight, but this controller’s slim 1"-thick housing mounts flush for a neat, factory-style look. The included bracket lets you position it at any angle so the display and manual override trigger are easy to reach. Automatic leveling keeps everything calibrated no matter how you mount it, and the under-dash design leaves plenty of knee room while keeping controls within sight.
Dialing in trailer brakes doesn’t get simpler. The gray rocker switch sets gain from 0.5 to 9.9 in 0.5-point steps so you can match braking power to trailer weight. Then the black rocker fine-tunes load control from 1 to 9, adjusting how quickly the brakes reach full strength. Once set, you get predictable stops whether towing light or heavy loads without locking up or dragging.
Wiring jobs can be a headache, but this setup is plug-and-play. The included custom harness connects directly to your vehicle’s factory brake control port—no cutting or splicing required. Just mount the controller, plug in each end, and you’re ready to tow. The unit automatically calibrates itself during normal driving, saving setup time and guesswork.
The TriFlex NEXT constantly monitors the circuit for shorts or polarity reversal, shielding your controller, trailer brakes, and breakaway system from damage. During long stops or downtime it enters sleep mode after 5 minutes to reduce battery drain, then wakes instantly when you touch the brake pedal. Continuous diagnostics and protective circuits mean peace of mind every time you hitch up.
Alternate Instructions
Videos are provided as a guide only. Refer to manufacturer installation instructions and specs for complete information.
Hi there, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Today we're gonna take a quick look at this Curt Triflex Next Trailer Brake Controller. So if you have electric brakes or electric over hydraulic brakes, you're probably already aware that without a brake controller your trailer's brakes won't activate. So they're really not doing you any good. So you are gonna need to have a brake controller. Basically what a brake controller does is when you apply the brakes in your tow vehicle it's gonna send a signal through your brake switch to your brake controller.
The brake controller is then going to send an electrical signal out to your trailer's brakes so that they apply and help to slow down your trailer. There are several different kinds of brake controllers. There's different basic technologies and that sort of thing. Really your two main categories are you have a time delayed set up or you have a proportional setup. So with your time delay, essentially you set how much power you want applied to your brakes and then no matter if you're just tapping your brakes or really slamming on them in an emergency sort of situation, it's going to apply that same preset power each time.
So there are some downsides to that. It doesn't give you as much control. It can be a little aggressive sometimes when you don't need it to be. But then with your proportional setup it is going to apply your trailer's brakes with the same intensity as your tow vehicle's brakes. So if you're just lightly tapping on the brakes it's just going to lightly apply your trailer's brakes.
So proportional systems like this one are definitely my preference. I think they're a little bit more, give a little bit more finesse to your performance. There are some downsides to these. Typically, they are gonna be a little bit more expensive then your time delayed systems just because they do have more components to them. They've got an accelerometer in there that's going to sense the inertia of your movement so that it can apply the brakes proportionally for you.
And then another downside is typically because it does have that inertia sensor in there, or an accelerometer, it's going to have to be mounted in certain configurations to follow your direction of travel. And that's one benefit to this particular model is that it doesn't have to be mounted in any particular configuration. So you can basically mount it wherever you want. So definitely a benefit to this one over even other proportional systems. So for this model specifically, it does have the LED display that's going to show the amount of power output. You can adjust that with your rocker switches here. So very easy to access those. That's going to allow you to adjust between 10 different gain settings. So you can adjust the amount of braking power to suit your performance, the road conditions, the type of trailer you're towing, and the weight of your load. If you select a higher setting for a harder braking and a lower setting for more gradual braking, you do wanna make sure when you're getting that set up a good rule of thumb is to go just shy of where your trailer's brakes lock up. So test it out a few times. As you're going down the road you don't want your trailer's brakes to lock up. So get to that point and then come down just a little bit to get that fine tune where you need it to be. And then typically your gain is only gonna have to be readjusted when you're experiencing changing road conditions or if the weight of your trailer changes. So if you drop off your trailer load and you're needing to you probably need to adjust that gain there. It also gives you nine different load settings so that you can adjust how quickly the brakes will reach their maximum braking level. So if your vehicle takes too long to come to a stop, good idea to increase your setting by pressing the upper rocker switch. And then if it's stopping too abruptly you can decrease the settings as well. So you kind of fine tune it to your preference. We also have the pinch trigger manual override here. So that's within very easy reach, very simple to operate. What that's gonna do is allow you to apply your trailer's brakes without having to apply the brakes in your tow vehicle. So say for instance, if your trailer starts swaying you don't really need to slow down your whole setup you just need to apply the brakes in your trailer to kind of bring that back in line. So you can just push in on that trigger switch there and that will apply your brakes in your trailer without having to apply the brakes in your tow vehicle. This does have several different integrated safeguards to help protect your vehicle, the trailer, and the controller itself. It's going to run continuous diagnostic checks to alert you to any potential problems. It will help to minimize drain on your car battery by entering sleep mode. After about five minutes of inactivity it's gonna help keep your trailer's brakes from overheating by reducing power output when you're sitting for prolonged periods or prolonged stops. So if you're in traffic or something like that it's gonna help decrease the power so your brakes don't overheat. It's also going to defend the brake controller and trailer brake away system against any shorts and prevent positive and negative power reversal with its built-in polarity protection. This is gonna be very quick and easy to get installed. Again because you're not having to worry about the orientation, you can basically just get it mounted wherever it's gonna be most convenient for you to reach and access those controls. They've got this mounting bracket here. As you can see we'll just use the included hardware to get this mounted in place. And then basically our controller just slides onto that so it can be mounted flush with your dash. So very convenient to get that mounted. When you're considering where you can mount this, give you a few measurements here. You can see it is right about three we'll call it three and one eighth of an inch wide. Our length, we're right about four inches long. And our height approximately one inch overall. So keep that in mind and when you're deciding where you can get this mounted. Now as far as wiring goes, that's gonna completely depend on your setup. So there are some vehicles that already have a plug pre-installed from the factory that will allow you to just plug this right in there. If you don't have that on your vehicle, there are some kits available that will allow you to make that installation process pretty simple. But they are very vehicle specific. So I'd encourage you to use our vehicle fit guide here at etrailer.com. You'll select your year, make, and model of your vehicle. We'll let you know which products are confirmed to fit with your vehicle. So that's another route to go. If your vehicle isn't already pre-wired with a plug then I would recommend that. Otherwise, it is gonna take a little bit of doing to get this installed. If you don't already have a seven way plug at the back of your vehicle, I would highly recommend using our ETBC seven plug that's gonna provide wiring and everything to get you set up so that you've got that connection so that your trailer can connect to your vehicle. But overall, a really great option here. Like I said, I really like the proportional system. The way this is going to allow your trailer's brakes to be applied at the same intensity as your tow vehicle. I like that this model gives you that option to have more versatility and where you get it mounted. And so overall, I think this is gonna be a great way to go if you are needing a brake controller for your trailer's brakes. And that completes our look for today. Again, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
97% were satisfied with this product
3% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
Very easy to install. Instructions were very clear products worked as intended very satisfied.
This product works exceptionally well. It eliminates a lot of guess work and plugs right into your vehicle. I highly recommend it to anyone!
All the information I needed was on your site. Got the correct adapter cable and was able to just plug in the controller.
I’ve use the electric brake system several times over the last year. I was impressed at how easy it was to use, and how much safer it was when braking. It was easy to install and worked great
Easy to install, had no glitches. Replace an older brake controller.
Good product. Great fulfillment team
This unit took less than 10 minutes to install and works flawlessly with my Grand Cherokee while pulling a Travel Trailer. Plus its low profile design made it easy to install by the hood release so I don't have a big box and display on top of my dashboard. Great product at the right price. Highly recommend this brake controller and etrailer.
Thanks for all the help it worked like a charm JT your the man and very nice (thanks Etrailer)
Works well. The connector I got from e trailer which fits other older model Audi’s wasn’t listed to fit the 2024 Audi but fit perfectly. The Curt Triflex is an easy to use brake controller. Highly recommend!
Prompt delivery and quality product.
Quality product made my install simple and neat!
Arrived as planed and was much smaller then my old clunky one. The custom cable harness was easy to install. Finding a flat spot to mount the controller took the longest to find the perfect spot. I gave a five stars because every was as it said. (Plug and play)
Great brake controller for the price. Easy to install with the video. Customer service was very prompt and kind.
The install is really easy and it is pretty much plug in play.
Works well and just does its job.
Only issue. Check to see if it comes with the adapter cord. I didn't now I have 2. Keeping it as a backup. All is as shown
1. Pro: Perfect size and easy to read display
2. Con: Confusing/unclear installation directions. Website and included installation instructions led me to believe a “pigtail” would be available under my dash. After 2 hours searching the internet, I finally discovered the connection was located inside a junction box under the dash. Once I found this, installation was a breeze. I told you what make/model/test truck I had…you COULD have included additional instructions on how to find the junction box and where inside the box the connection was located. You included the required additional harness, so you obviously knew about it. That would have earned you five stars. Instead, I gave you four.
(2016 Silverado 1500 LS, 5.3 L)
Took a while to figure it out. Have a 2003 Dodge van. Had to tow in package but didn’t have any wiring factory installed other than for the seven way. Paul it was great identifying what I need and sending it to me. Thank you very much.
Install was very simple. I have not used yet it yet however I did plug the trailer in and it calibrated fine and seems to work as it should
This is a new model of the Curt TriFlex brake controller. As a replacement for the previous unit, it was nice to be able to install it without rewiring. The new model has a more modern style digital display that is easier to read and less annoying. The button controls are a bit less obvious than the previous model, so it takes a little effort to figure out how to adjust the system. Overall, I think it's a better unit that the previous models.
Installed this controller to replace an old one that was rated for only one axle. The adaptor fit perfectly on my 2017 Silverado. Have used it a small amount pulling a 16 foot flatbed trailer that has two axles with brakes. Easy to adjust and works fine so far.
Customer service is great. Received proper wire harness. Installation was extremely easy
Nicely constructed cable but the end that mates with the GMC interface does not lock in place and will occassionally fall out cause the control to be inoperative. Have to stop the vehicle and get under the dash to plug back in. Very inconvenient. Not sure if the issue is with the cable or GMC's interface.
The pigtail was nice. But the brake controller was junk. Never could get it to work right. Got tired of messing with it so I gave it away and bought just a simple controller and it does what I need it to do. All the setting just made it more complicated than it should.
Everything plugged in and fit perfectly. I haven't gotten a chance to use this while pulling a trailer you but the fit and finish is great. Very happy with the fast shipping and great price!
Curt TriFlex NEXT Trailer Brake Controller w/ Custom Harness - 1 to 4 Axles - Proportional functions perfectly, install and setup was easy with included harness. Going to purchase another one for my other vehicle.
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Greg Z.
3/13/2026
The plug on the interface end does not lock in place and easily falls out of the interface module if bumped. Otherwise works fine.