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Can a Brake Controller Adapter be Used on a 2024 Kia Telluride without the OEM Tow Package  

Updated 10/22/2025 | Published 04/06/2025

Question:

2024 Kia Telluride 1 I installed the Curt T-Connector Vehicle Wiring Harness with 4-Pole Flat Trailer Connector Part Number: C29ZV 2 then I installed the Universal Installation Kit for Trailer Brake Controller - 7-Way RV and 4-Way Flat - 10 Gauge Wires Part Number: ETBC7. That kit has a long Duplex wire which connects the white wire to the blue wire on the 7-way, and the duplex black wire to the black 7-way. 3 I then ran the duplex along with the power for the 4-pole flat under the vehicle and up into the engine bay as instructed in your video and wired the black to the supplied breaker then back out into the main compartment through the firewall, along with the white wire from the duplex which is connected to the blue wire back at the 7-way for brake control. You can see them coming into the firewall on both attached pics The yellow wire is the power from the breaker- I ran out of black and hardware store only had yellow in the proper gauge 4 Here is where it got interesting for me- I went to start splicing the wires per the video for ETBC7 and noticed that the CURT TriFlex next brake controller came with an easy connect which does in fact fit into a harness I found behind my OBDII per the quick connects instructions which you can see in pic 8046. So- I would much prefer to use that obviously as it would not only be a cleaner connection, but there seems to be no way I can get to the brake output wire video says it is green with black stripe where he patches into it, but in my pic at the Kia side of the harness, you can see it is a blue wire with an orange stripe So, I need direction on how to proceed here- It seems like If I connect the included quick connect harness to the Kia harness like I show in pic 8046, then I will not be using the two wires I pulled from the 7-way into the engine bay and then in through the fire wall which supply power and signal to the brake control wire on the 7-way so I am very confused as to what I should do. My gut is telling me to cut the quick connect harness apart, leaving only the red wire to connect to the blue/orange stripe, and then the other wires would splice to what I pulled through the firewall, and the white would ground to a steel bracket as shown in video but I do not want to hack apart the wiring harness until I hear from your team.

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Expert Reply:

Hey Mario, thanks for reaching out!

From what I'm seeing, it looks like your 2024 Telluride has that brake controller plug present whether you have the OEM tow package or not. According to our fitguide, the Curt Custom Wiring Adapter # C77BR can be used to connect your Curt brake controller to that OEM plug, but you'll still need the # ETBC7 kit - which means something in that OEM plug isn't connected.

If you use a circuit tester you should be able to determine what pins in the OEM plug are usable, but at this point I agree with you that it's probably easier just to splice in your connections and be done with it.

Hopefully this helps give you a bit of peace of mind! Let me know if you have any other questions!

expert reply by:
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Jon G
Jon G. profile picture

Jon G.

10/22/2025

Hey Mario, how did things turn out with the wiring on your Telluride after checking the OEM brake controller plug? Knowing whether you ended up using the Curt adapter or splicing the wires could really help others working through the same setup.

Mario C. profile picture

Mario C.

10/22/2025

@JonG Hey Jon, So- I did end up hacking the harness and splicing. Reaching that green/black stripe brake control wire was a nightmare- It took me a couple of hours under the dash trying to gently strip away the sheathing and splicing into it (plus a chiropractor visit the next day- lol) so I would definitely recommend to others to find a shop willing to do the install unless you have a 7 year old who can get under there and you trust enough to do it right. One other thing I should mention- the grounding to the body panels at the rear of the telluride (or any vehicle for that matter) really needs to be more robust than a sheet metal screw. Ours loosened after several trips and shorted the harness so much it smoked and melted. I had to find a U-Haul place that had the harness in stock and a lift to be able to replace everything otherwise we would have missed our summer vacation. In the end, they recommended ALWAYS skipping that sheet metal screw, and riveting the connection. Figured you guys could pass that on to your customers- rivet guns are so cheap these days it is a worthwhile investment IMO. Hope this helps!
Jon G. profile picture

Jon G.

10/22/2025

@MarioC Thank you so much for your feedback! I'm glad to hear you were able to get everything up and working, and I'm glad you caught that ground problem too. I've got the same type of ground on the wiring for my van and even though I haven't had that issue yet, it's good to know to keep an eye out for it!

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