Why Would a Curt Echo Trailer Brake Controller Brake Harder When Driving Down A Steep Hill?

Updated 07/11/2024 | Published 07/03/2024

Question:

I have the curt echo wireless brake assist and I have it set to 25 and 2 but occasionally mostly down hill it will have to much braking power. Why is this happening? You can feel it but then it’ll be fine a few miles down the road. It happened twice in a 1.5 hour trip..and both times it was down steep hills. I had the app open and saw it wouldn’t go past the 25 on the red bar showing it working. This is dangerous and I need a solution.

asked by: Anthony M

Expert Reply:

The Curt Echo # C51180 uses an inertia sensor in the unit to sense braking force and adjust the amount of force sent to the trailer brakes. So when you are traveling down steep hills the inertia sensor moves faster which is why you are getting the increased braking pressure on the trailer. There unfortunately is nothing you can do about this outside of adjusting the braking pressure before you press the brakes when driving down steep hills. This is one of the few drawbacks of using a proportional style brake controller.

expert reply by: Bud M