Troubleshooting Electric Brakes That Only Work In Reverse

Published 12/30/2021

Question:

Electric brakes work in reverse but quit in forward?

asked by: Robert W

Helpful Expert Reply:

Brakes are specific to either the left or right side. If they're installed on the wrong sides then you'll feel more braking when going in reverse than forward. The brakes still engage when going forward but possibly not strong enough to feel. If these are the original brakes, then I would not suspect that to be the problem and they likely just need to be adjusted.

If your brakes are manual adjust brakes you can use a Brake Adjustment Spoon # W80630 and that may be all you need. If you've never adjusted them there is a very good chance this will fix your problem. This would be the first thing I would check. I've attached a video of brakes being installed onto a trailer. If you skip ahead to about the 3 minute mark it shows you how to adjust the brakes.

You will also want to check that you don't have a faulty ground and that you are getting enough voltage from your brake controller.

expert reply by: Kevin C