Arrives before Christmas To see if this custom-fit item will work for you please tell us what vehicle you'll use it with.
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Small, light, and precise, this portable unit gets you smooth braking with basically no installation. Plugs directly into 12V outlet. Easy to swap between multiple cars. Control and monitor the system remotely from your motorhome with LCD display.
Features:
Specs:
A braking system is a must when towing a Kia Rio behind your motorhome. Without it, the weight of the towed car can create a safety hazard, strain your RV's brakes, and affect the warranty of both your car and motorhome. Most states legally require a supplemental braking system, so if you don't use one and you end up in an accident (which is more likely since your RV takes longer to come to a full stop), your insurance and liability headache just doubled. You also won't have any breakaway system; if there's an accidental disconnect, there's nothing to bring your car to a stop.
First, this system is great for DIYers, because there's basically no installation. You'll run a cable from the breakaway switch on the front of the car into the cab so you can plug it into the unit, which might require a little bit of drilling into the firewall to either widen an existing hole or make a new one. But the unit itself will simply plug into your car's 12V outlet. That's it.
Second, it offers you a lot of flexibility. It's easy to move from one toad (towed Kia Rio) to another. As long as you have a second Kia Rio breakaway kit (BRK2505 - sold separately) installed, the Patriot can be easily set up in another car, giving you the freedom to switch up which Kia Rio comes with you on your next camping trip. Or, if you think you'll get a new toad down the road, it will be a piece of cake to get that car set up to use this unit.
"If you're going with a portable system, the Blue Ox Patriot is your best option. It's compact and lightweight, and offers smooth and precise braking most portable systems can't match."
The Patriot uses a built-in inertia sensor to detect when your flat tow setup begins to slow down as you apply the brakes in your motorhome. The moment the system recognizes the change in momentum, the actuator will press down the brake pedal of your toad proportionally: at the same time, with the same intensity.
If you're towing a hybrid or any car with continuous-power-assist brakes, all you have to do to be able to use the Patriot is turn on Hybrid mode.
You'll be setting up this portable unit in your toad every time you flat tow, so it's designed to be easy to do. And with it's compact size, it fits in almost any Kia Rio on the market.
Slide the driver's seat all the way back and set the Patriot on the floor. If your car's floorboard is uneven, you can add the included feet to the bottom of the unit to make sure it sits as level as possible.
Push down on the tab at the top of the clamp to widen the jaws. Get them around the brake pedal, then release.
Plug the Patriot into your car's 12-volt outlet and push the power button. The indicator lights will blink blue and green as the unit calibrates and the actuator will briefly adjust itself.
Note: If the lights turn solid red and blue, the Patriot is putting too much pressure on the brake pedal. Pull the unit away from the pedal until the lights switch back to blinking blue and green again.
Now move the driver's seat forward until it is just touching the back of the unit, called the push pad. You can move the push pad up or down to get it in just the right place to brace against the seat. If there's too much pressure on the push pad, the lights will turn solid red and blue. Edge the seat back until the lights return to a blinking blue and green.
Your final step is to push the setup button. The Patriot will test the brake once and check for any errors. When the power light turns a solid green, the Patriot is ready to go.
It's important to monitor your toad's braking to make sure that everything's working the way it should. With the included remote, you can also control the Patriot from the cab of your RV! It's just like having a brake controller in your motorhome.
From the monitor, you can adjust both the braking force and sensitivity, which will determine how aggressively the Patriot brakes your toad. A larger Kia Rio will need a higher setting for smooth braking, while a smaller car can do with a lower one. Either way, you can set it to your preference; as long as the toad is not pushing the motorhome forward when you're braking, you know your setting is high enough.
The controller also has a manual override button that will activate the towed car's brakes when you press it. This is great for applying the brakes in an emergency situation and for correcting sway.
The controller will also let you know whether your braking system is working, or if something is going wrong. As with any portable braking system, if the unit shifts position while you're on the road, it could stop working properly or even apply too much pressure to the pedal. The monitor will let you know right away, before any damage is done. Likewise, if your Kia Rio ever breaks away from the motorhome, the display will immediately turn red.
The Patriot's LCD display plugs right into your motorhome's 12V outlet. You can mount it on the RV dashboard with the included stand or the hook-and-loop strip. This keeps it right in sight and in easy reach.
The Patriot also comes with a breakaway switch, an absolute must for safe flat towing. If there's ever an emergency situation where your toad becomes detached from the motorhome, the breakaway switch will immediately activate the brakes and bring your Kia Rio to a stop.
This switch mounts to the front of your toad and plugs directly into the unit. It includes a pin that connects to your RV's hitch receiver with a breakaway cable. If the toad and RV become disconnected, the cable will pull the pin out of the switch and trigger the braking system. A reserve air supply in the operating unit will then apply the brakes in the car. Even if, for any reason, the car's battery is dead and no longer sending power to the Patriot, it will trigger and bring the car to a stop.
California residents: click here
Andy was a great help to get my flat tow started on my Ford Ranger. I will go to my local auto electric buddy for the lights installation. Thanks Andy for your help.
My old brake controller died while we were on a long trip. I ordered the Blue ox and had it sent to our next campground. It arrived in time to install it and be on our way. Worked beautifully on the 600 mile trip home. etrailer never disappoints when I need something quick and has always had what I need.
Brooke M.
7/9/2025
Wow, I am so happy everything worked out well for you, Donald! Where did you travel to on that trip?
We've used this system on our Jeep Cherokee with a Blue Ox base plate and tow bar for nearly 10K miles, and we're very happy with it. We did have a remote display/control failure at ~6 months, but it was quickly replaced under Blue Ox's generous warranty. etrailer's prices were competitive, if not the best, and their install videos and phone/email support are unmatched. We've no complaints and highly recommend this device as a portable brake solution for towed vehicles.
Great product. I had a small learning curve with my initial setup, but after that, no problems. I have used it in two different tow vehicles, a Ford Fiesta and now a Chevy Equinox. I am very happy with the Blue Ox brake.
I'm excited to try the new smaller brake controller. Patriot has a the best claw in the industry
James
7/18/2025
ive been using the controller for a year. Nothing but problems. It continually fails during operation. I called Blue Ox, they were no help.The brake failure may have been the contributor to an accident I had. NO more Blue Ox for me. I bought an RVi Brake. Im not sure I could resell this Patriot POS with a clear conscience. DO NOT BUY.
Nick S.
7/18/2025
Brake works good, but sometimes hard to get in position so it does error on the drive. Jeep floor has curve that move brake out of position over time.
Install is simple compared to the permanent devices. Weight is light and nothing like I was expecting as people talked about storing it and installing it as being a chore. If I was installing it daily like someone on the road all the time perhaps it would be worth installing the Stay-In-Play or Invisibrake but for me the Patriot 3 is a good choice. I like the wireless monitor with ability to manally push the button on the controller to turn on the brakes if needed. I don't think any of the permanent install options have that capability and are just monitors only.
Brooke M.
5/14/2025
There is definitely a time and place for all the different kinds of brake systems and glad to hear this was the right fit for you! Have you been on any trips recently?
The product works well, but Blue Ox needs to provide more information on how to set this up. I used this braking system with the default settings because there was no information saying it needed to be adjusted. The system locked up the brakes on my 2025 3000lb. Chevy Trax and ruined a set of tires. When I called Blue Ox to ask why, they said their default setting were way to high for my car. Why couldn't that information be published?
The Blue Ox Patriot is easy to setup and works as intended. Good product.
I purchased everything I needed to flat tow my Ford C Max.
All of it is Blue Ox. The shipping was fast, the parts went in without an issue.
I highly recommend E Trailer. Great job.
I installed a battery charge line on my towed vehicle and had to leave the auxiliary switch on to get power to the Blue Ox I got 20 miles away and the battery was already below 10amps so has to disconnect the Blue Ox.
Gwendolyn Y.
4/15/2025
Hey Mike. That doesn't sound good at all. Without knowing exactly how everything was wired, its hard to know 100% what could be causing this. The best place to start would be to install part # RM-9332 If you have not already. This gets wired directly into the battery to supply the power to the Blue Ox Patriot. If you do have that installed and still are having issues, please let me know!
Very lightwwight. Easy to install. Easy to set up and seems to work great. Brakes when I expect it to. Does not brake when I use engine brakes which is what I wanted. Very simple and very little to go wrong. Etrailer had great price and great service
This was great. Easy to install and easy to use!
Just don’t buy the towed vehicle charging kit from Rodemaster for +$40.00! Not enough wire to get the job done! You are better off buying the components yourself or you have half a chance you will be going out to buy wire in the middle of your installation.
Works well for our application and easy to use
Works great most of the time. Occasionally won't calibrate. Would recommend it for easy brake application
The brake system was easy to install and works well.
The item I ordered was delivered unbelievably quick, intaced and no damage. I have dealt with etrailer in the past and have never been disappointed by the level of knowledge and excellent customer service that I have enjoyed.
Great company. I would recommend etrailer to anyone who is looking for top quality products and customer service.
This system has been easy to use and has served me well on two long trips. The portability and size makes it perfect.I tow a 2018 Honda Fit behind my Winnebago View and this was definitely the ideal choice.
The braking system came but was missing key components. I can not use it until I receive them . I ontacted etrailer Rep who was very nice who said parts would be mailed out by them and I would get them in day or two. Know missing parts are being mailed out direct from Blue ox so who knows when they will come. Item is great if it was complete.would have been five stars if complete.
It works great in my 2024 Bronco. It is easily adjusted to fit and easy to operate. I was a little worried about power draw on longer trips since I didn’t run dedicated power from the RV to the toad. I am happy to report that after ten hours on the road the toad fired right up. So, no more worries.
Brooke M.
6/6/2025
Glad to hear that, Doug! Was this ten-hour trip something that happened recently? Where did you go?
This braking system worked well once I was able to find a power source. My car's 12V sockets do not remain powered with the ignition off. The USB ports do remain on but a USB-to-12V-socket adapter, while initially appearing to work, caused power spikes/feedback warnings. Finally found that my battery emergency starter/air compressor worked perfectly to provide the needed power.
Etrailer was very easy to work with. We are very satisfied with our purchase.
It's a little bulky to get in and out of the Wrangler. Works good I think, the dash indicator seems to say its working when I think it's not, hard to tell for sure.
The end result is I think it's good because when I test it without using the RV breaks, you can feel it stopping the RV.
Quick and easy to install and remove
At first it was a little cranky but go used to it’s needed placement
Still learning a bit !
This unit will come in play if there is a hitch failure
Not used for additional braking
Car is only 2200 lbs and don’t want the brakes locking
Emergency cable to emergency switch originate at a new installed frame mount in case of total hitch failure
DOT was impressed
Like the unit made fulfillment of required braking very simple
Thank you etrailer for your guidance
Greg
9/5/2025
Perfect Found its happy place position and works great ! Easy install Remote controller - perfect
Item arrived as advertised I've ordered a lot of items from etrailer and have never been disappointed. Customer service is fantastic.
Brooke M.
5/13/2025
Really appreciate that! We have a great group of folks out on the floor :) Thank you so much, Theodore! When do you get to put the brake controller to good use on a trip?
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Victoria H.
3/19/2025
That looks amazing Gary and I'm so happy to hear Andy was such so helpful to you! I will let him know you gave him a shout out. Enjoy the warm weather, we were just hit with another cold front in Missouri. I can almost feel the sunshine in this photo!