Best 2017 Ford C-Max Flat Tow Brake Systems

My husband installed this himself and it took a couple of weekends to finish. It works great and was the perfect solution for our flat-tow set-up.

I mounted this in a 2014 Chevy Spark. Finding a spot for the main control unit was interesting, but I found a video for a 2017 Spark that I could use. I did have to drill an extra hole in the mounting flange and car. I haven't taken it on a trip as of this time, but a tow around the block indicated it was working. One note, watch about placing the LED indicator behind the tinted part of the toad window. It makes it harder to see from the camper camera.

The braking system and the lights are working, one year after I bought them. However, I am towing a 2016 Keep Patriot, and about 2_500 miles after install, the system started making an annoying clicking noise when I enter the Patriot, which stops after about 10 seconds and then starts up again, usually a minute or so later, for another 10 or 15 seconds. etrailer first said that they had never heard of.such a thing, then said that there are otherwise comments for Keep Patriot owners on forums. Still have no.fix. Also, at first I did not know that to store the tow bar, it must be pulled up so that the post fitting can moe to the position where it fits into the hole.in the smaii yellow bracket, which works well when used correctly. And store the coiled.wide in your tower vehicle.to prevent corrosion which will interfere with its function.

I installed the InvisiBrake on my 2019 Ford Fiesta SE Hatchback with the great help from my wife. Everything worked fine with the exception of the dash mounted light in the Coach. The light never would illuminate even though the brake was working perfectly. Spent many hours on the phone with Roadmaster tech service personnel. I finally gave up after hours of troubleshooting and installed a Roadmaster Brake Lite Switch. Problem solved, so I thought. Worked well for a couple thousand miles and then it didn't. I bought a new Brake Lite Switch which is yet to be installed. The InvisiBrake installation on the Fiesta is tricky because the firewall is completely covered with parts and wires. I was able to locate an area where a wiring harness exited and run all wires and vacuum line along side the harness. The InvisiBrake is mounted under the driver seat toward the back. I use a small mirror from the back seat floor to read the dial on the face of the InvisiBrake when I want to check the pressure.

Works great with air brake system on my RV. Really like the plug-in and go. Moderately easy to install and had good installation instructions. Wished I had gotten the unit sooner. Tech staff were great at helping me locate main air supply on my rv. Would highly recommend. I installed unit on '23 Jeep Rubicon and 2003 40'Beaver motorhome.

I purchased this as part of a package which included; Hitch and wiring for my 2022 Equinox, Base plate, Tow Bar, brake System and connecting air hose, break away cables, LED tow lights with wiring harness, and a trickle charger to keep the Equinox battery from going dead while I was towing it behind my class A RV. I had etrailer do the install of all the components on my car and RV. All the workmanship was excellent and done in the amount of time they said it would take. Also because they did not have a video of this equipment being put on this year and model vehicle, I gave them permission to make a video(which added a extra day and a half to the install)and the installation was free. Everything has worked perfectly and I couldn't be happier. Etrailer is my go to for anything towing and also RV parts.

Kit for perfectly. A little challenging to hold bracket in place and get nuts to bolt to dash aligned and started. Helpful hint to remove obdII bracket to make it easier to bolt bracket in place, then reinstall afterward. Etrailer service was excellent to do business with!

This switch makes the braking movement turn on the light within our toad vehicle since our vehicle has a dead switch when in tow mode. So far it has been working fine just hard to see the tow display light maybe have to extend the display light to inside the coach dash.

Kit fits great! Hooked up a 2004 Workhorse to a 2002 Jeep Liberty. It might be preferable to be handy with some advanced mechanical skills and tools to install this efficiently. Directions are great but you do need to figure out your own locations for certain items like the break-away reservoir, compressor, routing lines and wires out of harms way, but not bad at all. Parts are great, everything there but added a couple different wiring splices of my own.

Your customer service leaves nothing lacking, and this follow-up from you is so out of character for the many web sites I have purchased from over the years. I am impressed by you and your company. I bought the tow bar and the brake system for my Equinox, and installed them my self (I am 70 years old) - and with your provided instructions and video, I had no problems (even though I was surprised by the number of parts and detail that went into the assemblies). Both systems have worked very well, with no problems. I am completely satisfied with them, and have told my friends and traveling acquaintances about your company. Thanks for your follow-up!

Does NOT work for 2021 and new F-150's. There is a lot of bad advice regarding this in the Q&A section that etrailer needs to update. Associates incorrectly have been including the Brake-Lite Relay kit in the list of items needed to tow late-model Ford trucks. However, with my 2023 F-150 XLT (push button start), it is simply impossible to install. The new Ford trucks do not even have a brake switch on the pedal and there is no visible wiring under the dash. I called Roadmaster, who immediately confirmed that they were aware of the issue. THE RELAY SWITCH IS NOT AN OPTION FOR 2021 AND NEWER F-150's. The only way to overcome the brake light override issue is to wait for the truck to enter "sleep mode." This occurs when you remove the key and don't open the door for 15 minutes. After that, the truck's electronics (body control module" shut off. Then the brake pedal can be pressed and the lights do not illuminate. Thus no relay is needed, you just have to wait 15 minutes. The motorhome wiring harness will work normally through the truck's tail lights, assuming you have installed the smart diode wiring kit for variable voltage. This part works great.

Self installed, and easy to do if you just follow the videos and read the instructions. Quality hardware and fully functional after a full year of use. Jeep JK

Lasted 1 year and started to intermittently stop working. We thought it was the power cord so we replaced it. Now, 2 years after more significant use, it doesn’t work. Actually had our tow vehicle crash into our rig breaking our etrailer tow bars, put a hole in our radiator, ruined the grill and fiberglass damage. If not for the upgraded chains we use replacing the cheap cables etrailer tow bars come with, our suv would have crashed into another car or worse rolled off the George Washington bridge! We were in heave NY traffic! Thankfully we got to the shoulder without damage to anyone else around us, BY drivers are not as mean as people say! Do NOT but etrailer tow bars or this brake buddy! Not worth the risk and look at the cost! I could see if we chose some cheap knockoff product, but this is significant money spent!! RV is a 2021 Tiffin Phaeton and etrailer tow bars are a year old.

Plug keeps getting loose on unit. I drilled a hole in the case and installed a tie wrap attaching wire to case no more movement of plug works great otherwise

Upgraded from RVi3 system which was a portable unit and operated solely on inertia which in my experience only worked on moderate to hard braking. This system being a dual system works even with mild braking. I'm very happy with it. Installation took me several partial days (60+ yr old, moderate mechanical skills). The videos are very helpful and had one for my exact 2020 Jeep Wrangler. Installation is easy but access under the dash to install the air cylinder and a roadmaster brake switch is awkward and difficult. My biggest fear was the access there and cutting the vacuum line. The vacuum line turned out to be very easy. I had to adjust my brake light switch after installation when I tested the system. Everything is adjusted properly now and works as I hoped.

Take the time to really study the videos from etrailer and you’ll have no problems. Kit came well packaged with everything I needed. Hardest part was working under the dash…not a lot of room to work in a 2013 Honda CRV.

This was a tight fit in my 2001 Wrangler. The seat has to be all the way back. I also had to remove my weather tech floor mat and put in a 3/4” board to raise the front legs more than fully extended. It seems to be working fine now, I just towed it from Santa Fe, NM to Tucson, AZ with no issues. I ordered the battery charge line kit and the breakaway kit. I found it bothersome that all used different color wires for positive, ground etc.

Installation was a bit challenging, but the ETrailer viedos were great to get me through the harder areas. The brake Buddie works great, though becase of my Jeep configuration (notmuch room) it is somewhat difficult with the linkage but I'm getting better hooking it up with experience. Happy with purchase. THANKS for asking. AL

The Brake Buddy has been working great. I just wish they had made the plug a more standard mount. It doesn't fit the standard mount point on my Roadmaster baseplate. I had to make a little bracket to adapt it.

I choose the Brake Buddy Stealth for my 2021 Jeep Wrangler because I wanted a “stay in place” brake system and felt it would be a clean looking installation. I finished the toad side of the installation today and thought I’d leave some notes on what turned out to be a bigger project than I’d anticipated. Again, this is my experience on the 2021 Jeep Wrangler 2-door. Your experience on other vehicles may vary. I started this install after installing a Demco Tabless Base Plate. Right out of the blocks, there’s really no convenient location to mount the cable connector to the Demco baseplate. I chose to mount it to under side of the bumper on the driver’s side. To provide clearance and a route for the wires, I had to cut a notch into the plastic air dam. I used one of the already screw screw holes and used self tapping screws in the other three locations. For added strength I epoxied the connector to the bumper as well. Since the bumper would be unremovable if the connector were hardwired, I added a waterproof connector. The kit is stingy with wire lengths, so I substituted my own wire. The Stealth unit itself i mounted beneath the driver’s seat. Don’t be fooled into believing there is clearance when testing with the driver’s seat positioned for rear seat access. Once the seat is returned to normal operation it lowers a bit and the box keeps the seat from being move forehand aft. I solved the problem by installing 5/8” thick nylon washers under the rear end of the seat slides. I also cut away a bit of the carpet under the front, inboard corner of the box. You will need to remove the driver’s seat in order to attach the front screws of the box. Be sure to disconnect and isolate the neutral battery terminals to prevent inadvertent air bag discharge. After removing the interior trim from the A-pillar, the door sill, and the driver side foot well, The wiring and cable tucked nicely away along with the OEM wiring and wiring for my taillights. I mounted the pulley horizontally behind the brake pedal. Installing the vacuum pump was my biggest worry and challenge. Instructions are to zip tie it “somewhere”. That seemed pretty casual for a safety system. I chose, instead, to fabricate an aluminum bracket that attaches to the lip of the engine compartment and to the wheel well (this latter attachment point is necessary to keep the pump from vibrating). Finally, the kit comes with 3/8” fittings to tap into the brake booster vacuum lines. The Jeep, however, uses 8mm nylon tubing. Brake Buddy, via etrailer.com, stated that the tubing would stretch and all would be good. Again, this felt casual for a safety system. Instead, I purchased an 8mm check valve and a 8-6-8mm barbed tee through Another online retailer to do the job right. I had to heat the Jeep tubing to fit even the 8mm tee, so the is no way the larger 3/8” fittings would have worked. See photo of my finished vacuum line installation. Bottom line, it was a POA install, but looks great. Hopefully it will stop the Jeep when towing. I’ll find out soon. :D

Overall a great system, there are some intricacies to the install as it pertains to old instructions with LED light in the TOAD vs. CoachLink Wireless and also the 3 wire reed switch vs. the newer 2 wire one. But using the provided written instructions along with YouTube videos you can figure it out. My other challenge was my Jeep is a 392 model and thus the battery and fuse box are in swapped locations, as well as a different VAC line layout, but again you can figure it out…just takes some time to study and trace the routing. My only real complaint was ordering, I was quoted the wrong system for my RV (Stay and Play) vs. AF1 since I DO have air brakes. etrailer was helpful in getting the return process but wants to charge me the shipping and possibly restock fee, I am working with them on this and hope to get a good resolution.

The Air Force One Braking system just arrived. I opened the box and looked it all over. No damage to anything thanks to good packing. A friend of mine has this same braking system and he loves it. Can't give a product review because it's not installed yet but I can honestly say Dianna A in customer service helped me get my order correct.

Very touchy on where it is sitting on the floor in front of the seat. Must be lined up almost perfectly. Heavy and clumsy to get in and out and connected to brake pedal. Need to add an on/off switch to the power line on the controller otherwise it is transmitting a signal on Jeep brands all the time that interferes with the remote key lock. Quite disappointed with hit and miss braking operation while in use and sending braking signal to driver when it is not braking.

I bought a complete flat tow parts fir a jeep wrangler. I decided I could install myself. Your installation videos made it nearly a piece of cake. From a quote I got from a RV service business, I saved several thousand dollars installing myself. etrailer is the place to for your RV needs!

The install on my Ford Maverick is clean and functional, so this is more of a customer service review... excellent customer service! During the 4-day towing set-up install, the forecast was for freezing temps and my rig was not winterized. I called in mid panic and the motorhome was moved indoors. A few months after using the tow set-up, a minor problem developed. I called and the CSR apologized and said, I can see how that might be frustrating, and a replacement cable (slightly longer) was sent free of charge.

This braking system does what it's suppose to do, smooth proportional braking between motorhome air brakes and the tow vehicle. The only reason I did not rate at 5 stars is that there is a slight misalignment of air cylinder mounting bracket and 2022 Jeep Gladiator brake pedal.