Installing an Electric Brake Controller on 2007-2013 GM Full-Size Truck or 2007-Present GM SUV

Select your vehicle to confirm the Brake Controller fit

Technical Bulletin

SUBJECT / Summary: Wiring electric brake controls on 2007-2013 GM full size trucks and 2007-present GM SUVs including Cadillac Escalade, Chevy Silverado (new body) Chevy Suburban, Chevy Tahoe, GMC Sierra (new body) and GMC Yukon.

PROBLEM: General Motors quit offering the plug in type connectors on these vehicles with a factory tow package. These models have four (possibly five) blunt cut wires under the left side of the instrument panel to the left of the steering column. The wires can be identified by a white label and the color of the wires. The wire colors are (1) Red/Black wire, (1) White wire, (1) Light Blue/White wire and (1) Dark Blue wire and possibly (1) Orange wire.

Watch a brake controller installation on a 2010 Chevy Silverado

Connect the Brake Control as Follows:
GM Wire to	Brake Control Wire	Function
Red/Black	Black	Battery Power
White	White	Ground
Light Blue/White	Red	Brake Light Signal
Dark Blue	Blue	Brake Output to Trailer
Orange	N/A	Center High Mount Stop Lamp (CHMSL)

SOLUTION: There are two wires under the hood that have to be connected to make the tow package functional, one is the power wire to the brake control and the other is the battery charge line to the 7 way connector. These wires are both Red/Black with eyelets on them. They are coiled up under the hood and will need to be connected to the under hood fuse box. One of the wires is located between the under hood fuse box and the left (driver) side fender. The other is located under the master cylinder/brake booster assembly.

The battery charge wire and the power wire to the brake control have different size eyelets on them and will connect to the threaded studs under the Gray handle at the front of the fuse box. The two studs are also different size.

Note: GM does not supply the attaching nut required to secure the wires to the studs. These can be obtained locally. You will need (1) M6 x 1.0 nut and (1) M8 x 1.25 nut.

CAUTION: Raising the Gray handle more than 3/8 of an inch to gain access to the studs may result in the fuse box coming disconnected from the electrical connector. If disconnection occurs you may have to consult your local GM dealership for repairs.

Bulletin Date: 3/27/2009

Bulletin Number: TB0007

Questions and Comments about this Article

Chris A. 8/4/2020

Thank you for the detailed instructions on how to install a brake controller. I just installed a Prodigy 3 on my 2013 Chevy Suburban with only a very small hiccup. After finding and installing the battery and brake controller wires to the terminals under the hood, the brake controller would not turn on. I couldn't figure out was was wrong until I took the wires off of the terminals and realized the eyelet on the connector had a lot of corrosion on it from the road and just being 7 years old. I cleaned the terminals with a fine grit sand paper and a wire brush and also the wire contacts themselves. Once I hooked them back up to the terminals the brake controller worked perfect. Thank you!! 96374

Jason 7/27/2020

I have a 2013 tahoe and hooked up the control ( Hopkins towing flex mount) once I hook up the two wires under the hood the controller part the light on it not display part stays lit up even with the Tahoe off. Is this common or to I need to install fuses on those two lines under the hood? Everything on display works as it should with manual adjusting settings and all that. Just curious about the power light staying on 95517

Reply from Jon G. 8/4/2020

The red light will remain on all the time. The only circumstance that this will cause a problem though is if you leave your Tahoe parked for long periods of time. The power draw is low enough that it won't drain your battery over night but it could drain it if you only drive your Tahoe every once in a while. 70593

Reply from Jason 8/4/2020

@JonG awesome thank you so much! 70595

Reply from Chris R. 8/14/2020

@Jason Jon says you're welcome! 71157

Eldenpeakall 6/7/2020

Installing Tekonsha electronic brake control all wired in test power to unit but does not have green light or any action can the unit be defective or is there possibly another issue 79016

Reply from Chris R. 6/10/2020

So no lights or codes are showing up at all on the Tekonsha Brake Controller (no indication that it's actually receiving power)? If you did test the black wire going to it and it shows proper voltage, I would have to think there is indeed an issue with the controller itself. If you don't show enough voltage I would check the power wire's connection to the battery to make sure it's secure or look for a blown fuse under the hood if the unit was installed using a Wiring Adapter. 64022

Ryan S. 6/3/2020

I have a 2010 Silverado with a Leer Topper. I purchased the truck with the topper already on it. It was installed off the Left turn signal/brake light. As you already know where I’m getting at... my 3rd brake light blinks with a left turn signal. I don’t want this to happen any more. I tried to find a 3rd brake light wire under my truck my the spare tire with no luck. After some research, it sounds like I need to tap into the orange wire under my dash and run the wire all the way underneath my truck and connect it to the topper wires (which already has a 5 amp fuse connected to it). Does this sound about right? Is there an easier way to get it fixed on a 2010 Silverado? 78559

Reply from Chris R. 6/7/2020

What you could do instead is use the Pacer Performance 3rd Brake Light Logic Module # PP20-702 with your existing setup. This is designed to filter out the turn signal when hooked up so the brake light does not blink when turning. 63760

Andy L. 5/26/2020

Hi. I hooked up the Reese towpower-breake-evn (#8508211) to my 2007 Tahoe. The read out shows nothing. Do I need to hook it up to a trailer for it to activate, or should it show some type of evidence that there is power going to it? Thanks. 77687

Reply from Chris R. 5/28/2020

There should be some kind of display on the controller, even without a trailer connected. If it's completely blank then it's likely not getting power from your Tahoe. Make sure it's power wire (black) is securely connected to the battery. Let me know if the issue persists and we can go from there. 63182

Troy K. 5/20/2020

I’m looking for the factory plug for the controller on my 2020 ram 1500? Any ideas? 77072

Reply from Chris R. 5/22/2020

Ram did a pretty good job of hiding the factory port on the new 2020 model trucks. I linked a good answer page below that describes its location. It will actually be behind the center console area in the cab. Just let me know if you still have trouble finding it. 62805

Helpful Links

question-435336.html

Michael 5/10/2020

I have a 2007 gmc sierra 1500 crew cab 4wd (new body style) I'm wanting wanting to install a trailer brake controller what would you recommend? 76171

Reply from Chris R. 5/13/2020

For your 2007 Sierra 1500 I really like the Hopkins Agility # HM47294 . It's a high-quality, proportional controller with an easy to use manual override button that comes at a really nice price point. If your Sierra has the factory 7-Way you'll just need to wire it directly to the factory harness behind the dash. You can add the Pigtail # HM47685 for more wire length to use. 62216

Jason M. 5/4/2020

Just one detail missing from above directions. In order to enable the Battery Charge circuit you have to add a 40amp fuse to terminal 63 of the underhood fuse block. This fuse must be added in order for the 7pin plug on the truck will have constant 12v power to charge trailer battery. Thanks for always having the best videos and technical guides on the internet, I always buy from etrailer because of the great info you guys put out. 75711

Reply from Chris R. 5/7/2020

Thank you so much for this info! 61853

Reply from Thomas S. 5/20/2020

@JasonM is this true if there is already a fuse block there? Mine has a 30 amp installed 62660

Reply from Jason M. 5/22/2020

@ThomasS If you already have a fuse in space 63 you should be good. You can confirm with a multimeter that you have 12v present at the 7pin trailer plug on your truck. 62817

Reply from Thomas S. 5/25/2020

@JasonM Thanks. I just hooked it up and tested it and it worked so I guess it’s fine. They worked for the 5 hour drive one way through the mountains. Glad to have them. 62965

Chris V. 5/1/2020

Just bought a 2008 Silverado and I had a tekonsha p3 installed in my old pickup.what wiring do I need to install this in my new vehicle 75554

Reply from Chris R. 5/4/2020

There isn't a factory brake controller plug on the 2008 Silverado, but the wiring is already ran beneath the dash. This means you just have to hardwire the P3's pigtail to the factory wiring on the Silverado - the wiring should be labeled for function. If you need a new P3 pigtail you can use part # 20127 . 61706

Marc R. 3/30/2020

Your wiring diagram worked perfect. Wired it up just like you said with the wires that were right where you said they would be and everything worked perfect. Thank you very much. 72003

Reply from Chris R. 3/31/2020

That's excellent news. Happy towing! 59024

Bobby W. 3/29/2020

After looking and looking I finally find someone who knows the information I need. Thank you for setting this up for other people. 71958

Reply from Chris R. 3/31/2020

We love this kind of feedback! Our primary goal is to help our neighbors out, so I'm really glad this reached you when it was needed. Just let us know if you have any specific questions. 58954

Travis L. 2/23/2020

I wired up brake controller and now my 2011 chevrolet tahoe says service traction control 70207

Reply from Chris R. 2/24/2020

If the brake controller install triggered a traction control error on your Tahoe I would make sure all the wiring connections are correct, as none of the circuits used should be tied to this feature. Also make sure the two mentioned connections under the hood have been made. If you continue to have issues, my best advice would be to take it up to a local shop to have them take a look - it's certainly possible that the error is totally separate from the brake controller and it just happened to come up at the same time. 57197

Rusty 1/15/2020

the dark blue wire under the dash that goes to the trailer.... where does the other end come out? 64357

Reply from Jason S. 1/17/2020

The other end of the blue wire in your Silverado will connect to the 7-way wiring harness. It will be connected to the 5 o'clock pin of your 7-way trailer connection. I've attached an article to help with some diagrams. 54569

Helpful Links

faq-wiring-7-way.aspx

Jonathan S. 1/10/2020

Can the brake controller be hooked so as not to be supplied power at all times. Maybe through a power supply only used when the key is turned. I have found that over a week it killed the battery in my Tahoe. 64161

Reply from Jacob H. 1/13/2020

The brake controller itself should not be drawing enough power to drain your battery. With that being said there should be a sleep mode on the brake controller itself so that it will go to sleep after a certain amount of time of not being used. I would check all of your connections to make sure nothing is shorting out and in turn draining the battery. 54466