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This compact brake controller fits nicely in your cab. It's designed to mount flush to the dash and is only 1" thick. The controls are simple, the LED display is large and bright, and the manual override is easy to reach in a pinch.
Features:
Specs:
Gain is the maximum amount of power that will be applied to your trailer's brakes. How much braking output you need is determined by the weight of your trailer; a heavier trailer will need more power to bring it to a stop. You want to go as high as you can without the trailer brakes locking up. Use the gray rocker switch to adjust the gain on a scale of 0.5 to 9.9 in increments of 0.5.
Once you have the gain set, you can fine-tune your braking by adjusting the load control on a scale of 1 to 9 using the black rocker switch. This controls the aggressiveness of your trailer's braking, meaning how quickly the brakes reach the maximum braking level. If your vehicle takes too long to come to a stop, increase the setting. If it stops too abruptly, decrease the setting.
The LED display on the TriFlex is large and easy to read at a glance. You can adjust the brightness or trigger night mode so it won't glare obnoxiously on your dash. It also will give you error messages you can use to troubleshoot.
The TriFlex offers key safety features to prevent damage to various components of your towing setup. This starts with built-in protection against shorts and positive and negative power reversal, as well as continous diagnostic checks to alert you to any potential problems as they come up. To minimize the drain on your vehicle's battery, the TriFlex will automatically go into sleep mode after 5 minutes of inactivity. Sleep mode will turn off again the moment you press the brake pedal.
Automatic leveling means your mounting options are limitless, so long as you can still easily access the controller and the manual override. The included bracket is designed to mount the brake controller flush to the dash so it takes up almost no space at all. The included pigtail harness splices into your vehicle's wiring beneath your dash to provide an easy-to-access plug for the brake controller.
Note: If a custom brake control wiring adapter is not available for your vehicle, one of the following will be required:
20-Amp circuit breaker (9506P - sold separately) for 2- to 4-brake applications
30-Amp circuit breaker (38630 - sold separately) for 6- to 8-brake applications
If you don't already have a 7-way plug at the back of your vehicle, take a look at our exclusive 7- and 4-way brake control installation kit (ETBC7 - sold separately).
Proportional braking means that your trailer brakes mimic your tow vehicle's brakes. If you slam on the brakes in your vehicle, your trailer brakes will activate with the same intensity; if you brake lightly, your trailer brakes lightly too. The trailer's braking is in proportion to your vehicle's braking. This saves wear and tear on the tires and the brakes on both your vehicle and trailer.
The TriFlex uses an internal 3-axis accelerometer to sense how your vehicle is braking so it can send the right amount of braking power to your trailer. It measures the inertia of your tow vehicle and activates the trailer's brakes to slow at the same rate. The result is uniform braking across your towing setup. No push-pull action - just smooth, proportional braking every time.
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.
Ratings & Reviews
Made hooking up the Curt Discovery Trailer Brake Controller to our non-wired 1982 GMC 1-ton (without voiding the controller warranty) a snap.
Excellent web site with great installation videos and application info.
Easy ordering with good feedback notifications and prompt delivery.
Trailer Brake Controller works very well and as described on your web site. I will do business with you again and recommend you to my auto club.
Charles B.
6/9/2016
Worked fine, but sold vehicle 6 months ago.
I purchased the wiring harness to aid with hooking up the Curt Brake Controller I had previously purchased. The shipment was fast. The product was perfect. The on-line installation video was perfect and allowed me to complete the installation like a professional. I have never purchased anything from etrailer.com .... but should I ever need anything in the future, they will be my first choice.
Ted
7/3/2015
Perfectly. No issues at all with wiring or controller.
Needed this next day. Shipping was fast and product was as described, install was easy after watching a YouTube video.
I own a 2008 Chevy Silverado. I ordered the brake controller - C51515 and the universal wiring adapter on Friday and received it on Tuesday. My friend who is a mechanic installed it in about an hour on Wednesday. I towed my camper trailer to Lincoln, NE (about a 5 hour trip) on Thursday and returned on Sunday. After reading the settings instructions, all stops were made smooth and firm. Etrailer.com was great and the Curt Trailer Brake Controller is excellent!
Biscuitsngravy
10/21/2014
I have enjoyed the use of the electric brake controller. The stops are always safe and smooth. Im glad I got it for my truck and Ive never had a problem with it. I just need to get out and use my camper more! The initial contact with etrailer.com was very favorable and I will do business with them again when I need something for my trailers or tow vehicles.
I bought a 7 pin trailer wiring/brake connection for my Dodge pickup. I installed it myself, the instructions were absolutely clear and correct. It was an easy installation. In the year since, I've pulled my trailer (tandem axle, 16') many times. The brakes continue to work perfectly as well as the lights. The connectors are solid, all work just like new. I recommend Etrailer parts and their people 100%!
Howard S.
4/6/2018
Still working great. Not any problems. A great product
Wiring up a brake controller can be tricky. Routing the wire from the hitch to the firewall and finding the right wire on the brake are the hardest part, but etrailer will do their best to help.
Consider running the wire inside the car along the door bottom just under the carpet. This avoids problems with the tie-wraps under the car -- there just isn't anywhere to tie wrap under the middle of the car. Use "loom clamps" ordered separately to solve this problem, if you go under the car.
To find the right brake wire without cutting insulation, use the fish wire from the hitch install to contact the end of the wire inside the connector (from the back). Then touch the fish wire with the continuity tester and apply the brake pedal. My brake had a four wire connector and I found the right one on the second try.
If you find a hole in the firewall with a rubber plug in it, don't discard the plug. Make a short slice in it with a razor blade and push the wires through. You may have to work the wires around to get them through the carpet. Be patient.
Be sure to watch all the videos and allow plenty of time, taking a break before you tackle the hard parts. Rest assured that doing it yourself is better than allowing UHaul to cut corners and charge you labor. :-)
If you are doing the hitch install and four-wire harness, those are much easier. If you are installing the hitch alone, be sure to have a magnet wand for when you push the bolt up into the frame rail. If I had it to do again, I would use a little electrical tape to hold the bolts down so a slight bump wouldn't knock them up.
Kent E.
1/23/2018
Ive not had any trouble with the hitch or the brake controller. I can tow my tear trailer anywhere I want and the hitch protects my mufflers from damage when I go offroad. Nice extra benefit.
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
All the information I needed was on your site. Got the correct adapter cable and was able to just plug in the controller.
Easy to install, had no glitches. Replace an older brake controller.
Worked perfectly with the Curt Spectrum.
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.
It was an excellent replacement part same as the old one and is holding up a lot better than my original one best part easy installation everything matched
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!
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)
this went into my VW Touareg which requires the relay modification described in the Technical Bulletin. Because ground and +12V is already present in the harness, instead of running additional cables, I soldered the relay right into the cable, making it a clean plug and play setup which is 100% removable. I also bought the VW housing and wire kit to complete the install
I have the Dodge Ram Truck 94 model with factory wire 7 connector plug. This is the truck that many people can't find the blue wire under the dash. 94 model didn't come with a factory wire plug under the dash like later models have. I found the wire tape to the main wiring harness about two inches from the fire wall to the right of the emergency brake paddle. This harness worked great
Perfect fit excellent price install vid eos.
Richard
3/8/2026
Product works perfectly. Easy install.
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.
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.
Great brake controller for the price. Easy to install with the video. Customer service was very prompt and kind.
Says compatible for my tundra and didn’t even have the pigtail adapter. You would think with the cost it would be included.
Need to pick my trailer up tomorrow and now need to buy a completely different brand.
Haven't used this much except to tune it to our camp trailer. I can however tell just from that, that a proportional controller is vastly better than traditional controllers!
I got this for my 2016 GMC Canyon because it didn't come with an integrated brake controller even though my truck has the tow package. Because it had the tow package I had wires already set up for a brake controller all I had to do was splice an adapter into them. I bought the Curt Universal Splice in Adapter part #C51515 in addition to the Curt TriFlex NEXT Proportional Brake Controller part #C72YV. Everything works perfectly, I soldered the adapter to my trucks wires that I mentioned earlier instead of using butt connectors for a more secure and reliable connection then I also wrapped the wires coming out of the brake controller in electrical tape for additional protection and so they blend in with the interior of my truck better. Over all a very simple install and was able to be done in about 2 hours. 10/10 recommended
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Drew V.
10/10/2017
No issues, completely satisfied!