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Most brake controllers take up knee space or block access under the dash. The Venturer NEXT solves that with a low-profile design that’s only 1" thick. You can mount it anywhere—there are no angle or position restrictions—and the included bracket keeps it flush against the dash. It stays out of the way while keeping the controls within easy reach.
When you hit the brakes, this time-delayed controller applies your trailer brakes at a preset intensity and speed. You can fine-tune both with rocker switches: set your gain for how much power you want going to the brakes, then adjust load for how quickly it ramps up. Together, they let you dial in smooth braking whether your trailer is light or heavy.
The LED display shows your settings as a series of bars so you can check them at a glance. It adjusts brightness automatically for day or night use and even displays error messages if something’s off in your trailer wiring. You can keep your eyes on the road and still know exactly what’s happening with your trailer brakes.
Hookup is straightforward thanks to the included custom-fit adapter. It plugs into your vehicle’s factory brake control port under the dash, then straight into the Venturer NEXT—no splicing required. Compatible with low-volt, PWM, ABS, cruise control, and electric-over-hydraulic trailer brakes, it’s ready for trailers with up to 3 axles (6 brake assemblies).
After towing, the auto-sleep mode shuts the controller down so it won’t draw power while parked. Built-in self-diagnostics constantly monitor trailer connection and wiring for shorts or problems. That means less worry and more time focused on towing safely.
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 Venturer NEXT Trailer Brake Controller. Now, if you're not familiar, if you have electric trailer brakes on your trailer, you are going to need a brake controller in order to activate those brakes. Otherwise, they're not really doing anything for you. There are several different kinds of brake controllers out there, different features and that sorta thing.
This is really gonna be your more basic option. So it's not gonna have some of the more advanced features that allow you to control the intensity of your braking in the moment, but this is going to be enough to get your brakes functioning. So if you are just looking for the base model that's gonna do the job for you without having to pay a whole lotta money, this is gonna be a great way to go. This will work for your trailers that have up to three axles, so six brake assemblies. Basically the way this works, every time you apply the brakes in your vehicle, a signal is sent via your brake switch to the Venturer.
The controller is then gonna send that power out to your trailer brakes to activate them with an intensity that's preset by you. It does also have the predetermined rate, which is also set by you, and we'll get into what those two terms mean, but this is going to be a time delay system. So unlike some other brake controllers that are proportional, this is going to apply the brakes at the same intensity whether you're tapping on the brakes or slamming on the brakes in an emergency sorta situation, that your trailer's brakes are gonna apply at the same rate either way. Both the amount of your braking power, called the gain, and the rate of the application, which is called the load, can be adjusted to suit your preferences, the road conditions, the type of trailer you have, and the weight of your load. We've got the switches here that are going to allow you to very easily access that and adjust.
So we've got 10 different gain settings. You select a higher setting for your harder braking and a lower setting for your more gradual braking. You do wanna go as high as you can without your trailer's brakes locking up. That's a good indicator that you've gone a little too far, so you wanna come back down a little bit. Typically your gain is only gonna be readjusted when you're experiencing changing road conditions or if the weight of your trailer changes.
So if you've taken off your load, you might wanna adjust it so that it's not engaging as hard with that lighter empty trailer. This also provides nine different load settings, and that's gonna control the aggressiveness of your trailer's braking, meaning how quickly the brakes reach their maximum braking level. So you've got all that adjustability to preset it, but then once you apply the brakes, it's going to apply that same power and as quickly each time. So again, whether you're tapping on the brakes or you're slamming on them, the trailer's brakes are gonna apply that same amount of pressure. So unlike your proportional systems which will apply the trailer's brakes in proportion to how intense you're applying the tow vehicle's brakes, this is not gonna have that feature. It does have a very simple LED display that's gonna show the amount of power output. So you can adjust that in one-digit increments so that you can know where you're at, you know how much intensity you've got. The brightness is also adjustable, so you can view it optimally either. No matter if you're driving during the day or at night, you can adjust that brightness level. We also have the pinch trigger that's going to give you that manual override capability, so very easy to reach if your trailer begins to sway or if you're stopping in an emergency situation. You can activate your trailer's brakes and the brake lights without having to apply the brakes on your tow vehicle just by pushing in on that switch or that trigger there. This is gonna be very quick and easy to get installed. There really are no mounting restrictions. So with a proportional system, you have to have it mounted in a certain orientation for the internal components to sense the inertia. This, you don't have to worry about that. They've got this mounting bracket here with the included hardware that you can get mounted flat on your dash, and then it just kinda slips in place there, so basically flush with your dash. Very simple to get installed, and you don't have to worry about getting a certain orientation. You can mount it basically whichever way is gonna work best for your setup. You can see our width there. We're looking at approximately 3 1/8 of an inch wide. Our length, we're sitting at approximately four inches, and then our thickness, call it about an inch. So keep that in mind when determining where you're gonna mount this. Now, to get it wired in, it's gonna depend on your setup. If your vehicle is already equipped with a plug-in brake controller wiring harness, all you have to do is just connect the unit to it, so very simple there. If you don't have a built-in system, there are some plug-in vehicle-specific brake control wiring adapters available that are gonna help to reduce your installation time, and of course, that is gonna depend on your vehicle. So I'd recommend using 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 will work for you. So specifically for those vehicle-specific kinda products, that's more important, but if you do have one of those available, I'd highly recommend going with that. Otherwise, if you are just going to wire it in place, you are gonna need either the 20-amp circuit breaker if you have a two, three or four-brake application, so with two or four-brake application, or you'll need the 30-amp for a six-brake application. So depending on your setup, you'll need either one of those, and again, if you don't already have a seven-way plug at the back of your vehicle, I highly recommend our ETBC7 seven and four-way brake controller installation kit that you can see on the screen there. So that's gonna give you that plug at the back of your vehicle so that you can plug in your trailer's wiring and make sure everything is connected properly. This does come with a limited lifetime warranty. So if you we're to have any issues with it, you're more than welcome to reach out to us here at etrailer.com, but like I said, this is a very basic model. I think it's gonna get the job done for you. It's not gonna have a whole lot of bells and whistles and that sort of thing, but it is gonna help to apply those brakes on your trailer, and that completes our look for today. Again, I'm Michael with etrailer.com. Thanks for watching.
Customer Satisfaction Score:
93% were satisfied with this product
7% of customers were not satisfied
Ratings & Reviews
I was surprised - completely plug and play! Easy to install
excellent connector. Just the right le ngth
This break controller was easy to install and
Works grat.
Fast shipping simple to install on my ridgeline and pilot exact fit with the pig tail
This is a great product. It took about 10 minutes to install with the well illustrated instructions showing exactly what needed to be done. Plug and play and on the road!
Made install easy
Worked great plug right in the truck.
My husband installed easily. Makes towing our camper much easier.
Installed but not used with a trailer yet, easy instruction and appreciate the extra hardware for the installation.
Compact and not intrusive. Decided to use the adhesive tape included and taped under the dashboard L of the steering wheel.
This fit my 2019 Honda Pilot perfect. Plugged right in under the dash. The plug branches out of another wiring harness directly above your OBD plug in. On the left side of dash. You will have to lay down and get your head near the pedals to see it tucked up in there. Very easy install, glad I went with etrailer. Made it simple.
Worked great I installed my brake controller in new truck in no time. On line instructions were great workout perfect.
Delivered faster than advertised. Took me much, much longer to FIND the Ridgelines connector. Once I going that, it took about 25 minutes to put on and secure the wires
Everything about the buying experience has been great! I was impressed with the email communication and the actual phone call to let me know that my ordered had been shipped out. I will be using the etrailer.com website again to make purchases for my trailer and camper accessories! Thanks!
This part is listed to fit a 2019 Honda Pilot. I needed one for a 2019 Honda Passport;(basically the same vehicle); however since the Passports just came out in about February no one could tell me if it would work on the Passport. So I took a gamble and ordered this wire. Well I can confirm that this part does work on the 2019 Honda Passport. The hardest part was reaching the plug under the dash and getting this wire to plug into it, all without any room and only being able to get one hand up under dash. Wire made hooking up brake controller a lot easier than direct wiring.
Just finished the install. It was nice to be assured that I had everything I needed to finish the job before I got started. Honda didn't make it easy.
Easy Install with the Harness I bought for it. Works great.
Could not have been easier on Honda Rid geline
Easy install and setup. Works flawlessl y.
I am using this for a test fixture. I have found it to be easy to use and having a reliable ramp rate for EOH brake actuation.
Was looking for a trailer break for a 2021 Honda Passport. My vehicle didn't have a hitch so I installed an etrailer hitch and later, a 7-way plug (also from etrailer) just in case I bought a camper. Now I'm purchasing a camper so needed a break. My experience with emailing and then "live chat" came up dry as far as a plug and play option for my Honda. I checked my vehicle and it did have a 4-pin under the dash so I thought this strange. I decided to call and ended up speaking with Fred who took the time to think through how to make it work. As disappointed as I was in my interaction with emailing and Live Chat, I was thrilled with Fred's support. The parts came quickly (as usual with etrailer) and the install was a breeze. Thank you Fred!
The Curt Custom Wiring Adapter for the 2017 Honda Ridgeline worked perfectly for the installation of my new Curt Spectrum Trailer Brake Controller. Thanks etrailer!Thanks Curt!
Michael
9/8/2021
The Curt Spectrum Trailer Brake Controller has been working flawlessly. I am pleased that the custom harness made the install so simple.
I replaced my previous Curt venturer with the new one and it was easy. Just plug it in. Used it this weekend and did great with easily adjustable trailer brakes
Milt
Bonjour ce controlleur de frein et le fil pour mon Honda Ridgeline 2022 fonctionnent tres bien et tres facile à installer.Je recommande,Denis L.
It was easy to install. Just plug in and ot works. Fast shipping.
You guys were very helpful and I'm having the tow hitch and wiring installed with AP Automotive.
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Customer
1/21/2018