Does Curt Echo Mobile Brake Controller Have to Draw Power from Battery Directly  

Question:

Helpful Expert Reply:

I copied the text of the answer page I made that you referenced below, but you don't want to power the brake controller from anywhere but the battery directly as the circuit you mentioned would not have the amperage required to power the Echo # C51180 and also because powering it from the battery bypasses the vehicle wiring which allows you to not have to worry about anything happening to the vehicle wiring in the event of a short or overdraw.

So the easiest to install brake controller that also works really well is the Curt Echo Mobile part # C51180 which is what I recommend for your 2020 Kia Telluride. Basically this just plugs into an active 7-way and once you sync it to your phone it's ready to go. This brake controller is proportional which means it senses the amount of deceleration your tow vehicle is applying and applies the trailer brakes in a relative way.

To convert the 4-way to a 7-way so that you can install the brake controller only requires the 7-way adapter kit part # ETBC7L. The 4-way of this plugs into the 4-way of your vehicle and once you run the included wiring and breaker up to the vehicle's positive battery post it's active enough to allow the Echo to function. This saves you from having to hardwire in a brake controller which requires tapping into the brake signal of your vehicle and running a few other wires too

expert reply by: Jameson C

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