Brake Controller Recommendations

michaelroyy

I have a 2015 Outback and just purchased a 2026 Santa Fe with turbo with plenty of towing capacity. Any recommendations for a wired or wireless controller would be greatly appreciated. 

Grumpy_G

I've been using a variety of brake controllers over the years, from ancient Tekonsha voyagers to now a Redarc TowPro Liberty. The Redarc is great for modern vehicles which don't really have space for an under dash mounted device. In my Gladiator the unit is mounted under the steering column and the control knob fits next to the 12V outlet. 

Redarc also recently announced a wireless TowPro Link which looks pretty good but it's not available in the US yet. 

michaelroyy

Thank you GG. I have received a recommendation from the installer to go wireless. When I know the model...I will share it next Tuesday. 

Grumpy_G

Probably the Curt Echo, requires no work, maximum profit. From what I gather the current generation Santa Fe has an available towing package with all the wiring for a brake controller (https://hyundaishop.com/shop-by-model/2024-2026-hyundai-santa-fe-towing-kit/) I know some Asian manufacturers don't build vehicles with tow packages and leave it to their dealers to install one. Did you get your Santa Fe with the tow package from the dealer ? 

Zander360

I’ve heard the Curtis Echo has had bad reviews. I’m using a wired Tekonsha Primus IQ in my 2012 4Runner. Just need the right wiring harness for an Outback. 

Freespirit

@michaelroyy, I have used the Autowbrake Electric Brake Controller for 5 years with  3 different tow vehicles and have to say I love it. 

HappyWanderer

FWIW I've been happy with the Prodigy P2 wired controller.   Whatever you get, I strongly  suggest you go for a proportional controller and not a timed controller.

CatDaddy

michaelroyy said:

I have a 2015 Outback and just purchased a 2026 Santa Fe with turbo with plenty of towing capacity. Any recommendations for a wired or wireless controller would be greatly appreciated. 

Everyone but me appears to be enamored of wireless brake controllers. They certainly are easier to install than wired brake controllers, but they're also subject to RF interference and with a bazillion Bluetooth devices in my trailer I decided to go wired. I designed RF hardware for a living so I've seen how the sausage is made... The wireless controllers also stick WAY out of the 7-pin connector on the tow vehicle which is a problem on my VWs because the 7-pin connector faces down. A lengthy wireless controller would greatly reduce my ground clearance.

I use a Curt Triflex NEXT wired brake controller. Curt makes vehicle-specific adapter cables for for both of my cars, so once I located the OEM brake controller connector under the dash (which was definitely an adventure), it was easy to plug in the adapter cable to the car and brake controller. It seems to work great on both cars. 

It looks like Curt makes an adapter harness for the Santa Fe. That makes it a plug-and-play situation in my experience. 

Sharon_is_SAM

I’ll chime in here.  Our first brake controller was the prodigy RF.  We were novices to towing a trailer and we wanted to avoid drilling into our dash. It worked great for seven or eight seasons.  But we were traveling out west on the Navajo reservations and it failed.  The lesson learned is that you cannot easily replace these things on the road.  We ended up installing the prodigy P3, which was plug N play.  Had we known we would’ve installed the P3 from the beginning.  

michaelroyy

Happy Thanksgiving to you all. I appreciate the forum soooo much! I will try to answer as many of your questions as possible. I just purchased a 2026 Hyundai Santa Fe turbo to pull my 2015 320 Boondock. I ended up getting a Curt Echo Mobile brake controller. My installer, who I used 5-years ago for my wired Reliance, recommended it. The only thing he does is install hitches and controllers. He uses this controller himself. He also has set-up lots of them and has not had an issue come back to him. I did not use Hyundai because they wanted $2,000 out the door. I paid my person $900 for everything, parts & labor. He did use the Hyundai harness/plug. We hitched it up at his shop and it worked. The controller does stick out about 8", but it is not an issue for my car. There is a strap that helps lock it into place along with the lip that comes down from the plug cover. It should be very secure driving even on rough terrain. If at some point I have issues, I will repost.