Troubleshooting Weak Braking Power When Pressing Brake Pedal with Tekonsha Prodigy Controller

Updated 04/05/2018 | Published 04/04/2018

Question:

Well the Tekonsha P2 is brand spanking new as is the harness, going to my 04 2500HD. We tested the controller at the shop, all good. When I hook it up, set the manual and power boost all the way to 13, I only get a 4 reading when applying the brake pedal. I dont want to drive using the manual lever, but right now I have no choice. But on my return journey, I would like to have this issue resolved.

asked by: Charles

Helpful Expert Reply:

The Tekonsha Prodigy P2 Trailer Brake Controller # 90885 that you have installed in your truck is a proportional controller. This simply means that the controller will send out a brake signal that equals the rate of your deceleration (how fast you are going and how hard you slam on the brakes). With this in mind, if you are testing the controller when the tow vehicle and trailer are parked, using the brake pedal to activate the brakes is not going to send much power back from the controller. Pressing the manual override bypasses this and simply sends power to the amount that the controller is set to.

If you are in fact testing the controller and brake pedal during normal driving circumstances and still aren't getting adequate braking power, I recommend checking to make sure that all the wiring connections are correct and secure. Check to make sure you have tapped into the correct brake light switch wire on the truck, which is the wire that ONLY receives power when the brake pedal is pressed. Also check to make sure that the vehicle and trailer side connectors are free of any debris or corrosion that might be preventing a solid connection.

If you are still unable to resolve the issue, please let me know and we can continue to troubelshoot.

expert reply by: Chris R