Troubleshooting Brake Controller Not Activating with Brake Pedal

Published 11/22/2021

Question:

I have hardwired this brake controller to a 2006 Ford E350 Super Duty. After identifying my brake pedal stop light switch, I tapped into the wire that only gets power when the pedal is depressed assuming that means this is the cold wire when not depressed. I checked this wire several times with my circuit tester and I confirmed it only gets power when the brake is pushed. My controller is all wired up now and I can go through the various settings such as brightness, sensitivity, and power output. When I long press and hold the center to activate the brakes if I had a trailer plugged in, I get the expected 4 blue lights that tell me I do not have a trailer.... that was a long setup to tell you that the only thing that seems to be wrong is the controller does not light up or respond when I press the brake pedal on the vehicle... any recommendations on what I can do? The picture attached is my two wire brake light stop switch and the solid color wire is the cold wire I tapped into

asked by: Austin S

Helpful Expert Reply:

Make sure the brake lights of the vehicle are still working...especially the third brake light. If they stopped working then the issue is a blown brake light fuse. If they are still working it's probably the connection of the red wire of your brake controller to the stoplight switch which I'd check again to make sure it's making a solid connection.

expert reply by: Jameson C