Is Stoplight Circuit of 2017 Mercedes Sprinter Usable for Install of Brake Controller

Updated 03/28/2024 | Published 03/07/2024

Question:

Have there been any problems connecting a trailer brake controller red wire to the brake light switch pink wire with a green stripe on Mercedes-Benz sprinter? My Sprinter is a 2017 3500. I am asking because this is a CAN-bus system and the wires are extremely small and I am wondering if they carry enough voltage to activate the trailer brake controller without messing with the electronics on the sprinter itself. I have noticed that yall overwhelmingly recommend the Prodigy p2 controller. Have any of your experts installed any other controller on the Sprinter? I am asking because I have a brand new Reese Pod and am wondering if it will work with the Sprinter CAN-bus system.

asked by: Steven B

Expert Reply:

The wiring on newer vehicles like your 2017 Mercedes Benz Sprinter 3500 is a lot thinner than on older vehicles but it still can be used to install a brake controller as it's only a signal wire. We do recommend the P2 part # 90885 pretty highly as it's been really good for us but the Reese Pod is made by same company as the P2 and it would work just fine.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Steven B.

3/7/2024

Ok, thank you for your reply. I searched for a long time trying to find how much input voltage was needed to activate a brake controller and I couldn't find the answer. The CAN-bus system uses very low voltage so I wasn't sure if it was going to be enough to activate the controller that I have. So just to be clear, y'all haven't heard of any problems with the electrical systems on a vehicle that uses the CAN-bus system after wiring a brake controller to the existing stop light switch?

Jameson C.

3/11/2024

@StevenB Not with the P2 # 90885. There are some much older controllers that don't like it but the modern ones are just fine to use.

Steven B.

3/17/2024

@JamesonC FYI......Reese Pod "DOES NOT" work as a brake controller on the 2017 Mercedes sprinter 3500. The controller will work manually but it does not work off of the brake light switch wire. Apparently there's not enough voltage in the pink with green stripe wire to operate the brake controller and my info center indicated a problem with the brake system and said to take my vehicle to the workshop. After disconnecting the red signal wire from the pink with green stripe wire my system reset itself and appears to have sustained no damage, thankfully.