What Causes Trailer Brake Controller to Stay On with Vehicle Motor Off

Updated 04/13/2020 | Published 06/20/2017

Question:

What causes the electric brakes to still be running when you cut the motor off

asked by: Eddie W

Expert Reply:

It sounds like you might be referring to the trailer brake controller installed in your tow vehicle.

Brake controllers like the Tekonsha Prodigy P2 # 90885 are wired directly to the vehicle battery, meaning they will stay on even with the vehicle turned off. They are designed to go into a sleep mode after several minutes of inactivity. They are connected to the battery for safety reasons, so if the electronics in your vehicle were to malfunction while you are on the highway, the brake controller will still be able to activate the brakes on your trailer.

If you are referring to something else, please let me know and I will be happy to look into this further.

expert reply by: Chris R

Dann

4/11/2020

Is it a problem if i disconnect the wiring from the prodigy p2 on a f150 2005

Chris R.

4/13/2020

You can disconnect the P2 from your truck's wiring but doing so will essentially reset the unit - so any saved settings would be lost. Other than that though there's no actual issue with unplugging the unit.