7 way trailer plug issue...

RoyB wrote:
My 2010 F150 FORD Truck has the built-in OEM Brake controller. I'm not sure when this came out but was not on my 2004 F150 Truck. I'm thinking the 2009 F150 was the first year for this OEM Ford brake controller.

When I first got the truck and hooked up to my trailer I found out I did not have electric brake action except when I operated the slider bar.


It turns out the 2010 FORD OEM Brake controller is really embedded with the truck electronics and the speedometer has to be indicating at least 10MPH before the brake controller engages the electric brake action. Using the slider bar over-rides this action.

I am not a big fan of this but was confirmed by the FORD Folks to be true. I kinda like the idea of pushing in my brake pedal when stopped at stop sign and actually apply electric brake action on the trailer. The only way I can do this is reach down with my hand and operate the slide bar to hold the trailer brake action while being stopped at a stop sign.

My 2010 OEM FORD Brake Controller works just fine when going faster than 10MPH when applying brakes pushing down the brake pedal.. I could slide the trailer brakes like you indicated by setting the controller too high of setting when pushing down on the brake pedal.. Mine is set around a 5 setting for my trailer electric brake operation.

You may be running into something like this in your 2009 Ford truck.

Roy Ken

Roy. Except for the useless timed brake controllers, MOST electric Brake controllers Prodigy, P2, Voyager, and the Ford, ect are Inertia activated, Meaning the trailer has to be moving for the brake controller to activate the brakes. Voyager has a mechanical pendulum that swings forward when the TV slows down, and applies the brake sending more power, the farther the pendulum swings during harder braking events. The Prodigy on the other hand has a accelerometer, sort of a electronic pendulum, that senses how hard the TV is braking, and sends the power needed for the trailer brakes to match what the TV is doing. I'm told the Ford controller works pretty much the same as a Prodigy, or P2.

IF while sitting still, you press the brake pedal. Neither will send power to the trailer brakes. Why? Because they feel no movement / Inertia. So, there has to be Inertia for Inertia brake controllers to activate the brakes. Also IF you had a Prodigy you would notice. With the Prodigy, as you come to a stop, and the braking action slows, the numbers on the front begin to wind down until when you do get stopped. It is sending no power to the trailer brakes. That is one of the reasons it is so smooth.

So it is normal for the brake controller not to activate the electric brakes at slow speeds.