Will Trailer Breakaway Battery Having Low Charge Cause Brakes to Stop Working

Published 10/22/2019

Products Featured in This Question

Hook Probe Circuit Tester

(66)

$13.59

Curt Soft Trac I Trailer Breakaway Kit with 5 Ah Battery - Side Load

(49)

$54.70

Question:

So I noticed my trailer brakes aren’t working, also noticed that battery does not hold its charge, question is if I replaced battery will it fix trailer brake not working? I disconnected pin with and with out trailer being connected to truck and trailer still moved, thank you

asked by: John

Expert Reply:

Trailer batteries (breakaway or auxiliary) do not have to be charged for the brakes to work with a brake controller when connected to a tow vehicle. You have two isolated problems possibility. A breakaway battery that won't hold it's charge and something preventing the brakes from working. Or if the problem is that the brakes aren't working with the pin of the breakaway pulled while having a dead battery the problem is the battery.

For a new battery solution it's easiest to go with an all new setup since it's hard to know what battery size you'd need and the Curt kit part # C52041 costs about the same as a replacement battery anyway.

Now to fix your trailer brakes I'll need more info to give you a specific answer, but I did attach a help article on troubleshooting brake controllers for you to check out as well which would be a great start. If you can let me know more info I can help troubleshoot further as well. Does your brake controller show a connection to a trailer? Does it appear to be sending voltage to the assemblies/

expert reply by: Jameson C