ABS and Traction Control Light Stays on After Installing Brake Controller on 2009 Tacoma W/Tow Pkg

Updated 07/11/2012 | Published 07/09/2012

Question:

What needs to be done to correct the lights that are on now. This truck has the factory tow package from Toyota and as far as I know the harness is correct. I had it installed where I bought my trailer. thanks

asked by: Bob M

Expert Reply:

My first suggestion would be to take your Tacoma back to where you had the controller installed. If you paid them to install the brake controller, I would expect that they should be responsible for correcting the problem for you.

According to my contact at Tekonsha, there a few possible causes for what you have occurring. The most likely cause is that your emergency brake is partially engaged. Pull the release handle to make sure the emergency brake is fully disengaged. You might need to pull the release with one hand, and use the other hand to pull up on the pedal.

You can also check the ground wire on the brake control wiring harness. Make sure that the ground connection is securely grounded under the dash. You can try relocating the ground wire to a different spot, or remove the ring connector, splice on a length of wire and run it through the firewall to ground directly to the negative battery terminal. The final possibility is that the # 3040-P harness you have is not pinned out properly. I have edited a photo for you, showing the ground wire mentioned above and how the plug should be pinned out.

Please respond and let me know what you find.

expert reply by: Mike L