2019 4.6 Trailer Brake Control

Hello and help! I just purchased a 2019 SR 4.6. I will retire next year and want to start RVing. I took it back to the dealership Service to add a Trailer Brake Control. After several conversations with several Technicians in house and on the phone I was told:
1. Toyota will not install a Trailer Brake Control.
2. You should not install a Trailer Brake Control on the 2019 SR 4.6.
3. There is no plug under the dash for a Trailer Brake Control.
4. Toyota does not recommend a 3rd party install a Trailer Brake Control.

Someone please tell me I have not purchased a truck to pull an RV that I can not use to pull an RV.

 

Just curious, did your truck come with a hitch in the back ?

 

Yes. Quite deceptive to think I now can't use it to tow any thing of substance.

 

Do you have the factory tow package with extra trans cooler?

 

I would double check, but I think your good for 6800 pounds. And yes definitely hook up a brake controller, it’s the law..

“Unsafe load”

 

With the 4.6L you won't be able to tow as much RV as you would with the 5.7, but properly equipped it'll be fine if you stay under the payload and tow limits. You'll have to decide if what it will tow meets your needs.

See this thread for controller install: https://www.tundras.com/threads/2018-tundra-with-4-6-engine-trailer-brake-install.25884/#post-759708

You can buy and install a Tekonsha P3 controller for about $200, and not have to deal with the temperamental Toyota controller. Tundra 2018+ do not have the plug n' play connection for aftermarket controllers, so you'll have to wire it yourself using the tips in the thread above. It'll be somewhat simpler if you use a Tekonsha harness and extend it to reach the passenger side (suggestions in thread above).

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000P17NX...olid=1UABBMOV684MI&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

To build it into the dash like the Toyota controller, order the Tundra dash switch panel 55447-0C020-C0 and ESP P3 mounting plate that fits exactly into the factory controller recess in the switch panel.

https://parts.toyotaofcoolsprings.com/oem-parts/toyota-switch-panel-554470c020c0
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07HP9GH2...olid=1UABBMOV684MI&psc=1&ref_=lv_ov_lig_dp_it

 

The 4.6L can tow just fine; find a different dealer or go to an RV store to get what you need installed.

 

Im wondering what gear ratio he has in the axle if he doesn’t have tow package...

If he doesn’t have tow then maybe dealer was refering to the particular truck and not the 4.6 engine blanketly

 

Unlike some brands, you can't order any insane axle ratio you want on a Tundra.

I believe the 4.6L comes with standard with 3.91 ratio differential, 9.5" ring gear. I believe the 5.7L comes with a 4.3 ratio, 10.5"? ring gear and has the tow/haul package. It will depend on the transmission gear ratios, but either 3.91 or 4.3 should be good for towing, and also South Park Rochambeau for gas mileage. Chevy, by contrast, has 3.23 and 3.42 axles (in towing packages), but those are options which "may require additional optional equipment".

 

4.10 with tow

3.92 without

 

Thank you everyone for all the replies and information. In order to try and answer all the questions I will give some short answers below.
I do not have the tow package or a tow/haul button.
I only plan to tow a single axle 3500 pound trailer, well within the towing limits.
Camping World said they could hard wire a P3 for me. My only concern is does this void any warranty? Also I was told "Toyota does not recommend a 3rd party Trailer brake control". That is what really rose the concern level for me.

 

The individual that told you that is an idiot. Competent third parties have been supplying and wiring trailer brake controllers into tow vehicles long before Toyota even thought of their "integrated" controller. I'm sure if you had said you had to have a trailer brake controller on the 4.6L, or it would be a deal killer, they would have been innovative in their solution.

Since at least 2017, no 4.6L Tundra has had a tow package, tow/haul button, or trailer brake controller...they are not available on ANY 4.6L Tundra. That doesn't mean you can't tow with one...otherwise why would it have that heavy-duty receiver and user friendly wiring outlets on the rear bumper?

Toyota also had no recommendation I put an aftermarket trailer brake controller on '86 1/4 ton 4Runner (4cyl, 22RE, 130hp?) to tow a 19' TT, but I did it and the 4Runner did it well (on flat land). If my Tundra can't at least manage that much, I'll be really disappointed.

Follow my post above, and you'll have an inexpensive, convenient, factory-looking brake controller installation that WORKS, and uses most of the existing wiring they intend for the Toyota controller.

 

I installed a brake controller in my 2019 4.6L with no issue. Installation wasn't bad at all. It will tow just fine and you don't need a tow/haul button either. All that does is keeps the transmission from going into overdrive. You can manually control the transmission in manual mode and set the gear you want it to shift up to. Everyone says get the tekonsha controller but I didn't want to spend that much money on one and got this is trad and it works just fine with the tekonsha harness.

Harness - Tekonsha 3031-P Trailer Brake... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0781KTCPT?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Brake controller - REESE Towpower 8507111 Brakeman IV Digital Brake Control, Small Compact Design https://www.amazon.com/dp/B017NAH5WK/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_4P3cDb6G4Z999

 

Thanks again everyone for the advice and information. I have a P3 already and ordered the mounting plate from the link above. I will post pictures in a couple of weeks after the plate arrives and I get the controller installed.

TundraTSS19. Did you have to hard wire the controller or was there a plug available? Any additional information you could share from your install would be appreciated.

 

Depending on the size of trailer you want to purchase, it might not be a bad idea to look into an auxiliary trans cooler

 

i did exactly this....you got a great truck!

 

Wrong, truck still goes in to overdrive with tow/haul. Tow/haul just gives more throttle response and changes shifts points. Holds gears longer and downshifts differently. I think on my 2001 Ford it kept it out of overdrive but not Tundra.

 

you will have to hard wire it, no plug....the 12v and blue wire back to 7 pin connector is in passenger footwell panel....there is a writeup somewhere here...and check youtube also

 

Whoever told you that- don’t have them do the install. Your truck has a factory installed 7-pin. Whoever told you that is stupid.

That said, I guess it also doesn’t make sense they installed a 7-pin and didn’t include a plug for a brake controller install. So you have to hard wire it like it’s 1985.

 

Yep!

I rolled in 4th the entire time. The 5.7 handles to ~65mph in 4th just fine.

I'm old school though and never tow in OD. The manual alludes to keeping it in 4th but stops short of demanding it....I never got a confirmation either way...

GM

 

We have two overdrive gears. I like to stay in 5 and keep it out of 6th.

Pretty stupid of toyota engineers to not allow the tow/haul feature in S mode

 

Are you saying you ordered the ESP mounting plate?

You won't be able to use that mounting plate without also ordering the referenced Toyota dash switch panel with the factory controller mounting recess. Your 4.6L does not have that switch panel; yours has no controller recess. The panel is about $25, and mounts the P3 in the same space in the dash as the factory controller. Otherwise, you'll have to screw your P3 mounting bracket to the lower dash where it's in the way of your right knee.

 

The link to that thread was in my earlier post, but @tundradon apparently missed it.

 

What?

Seems to be TH in S Mode 4th.....

G

 

If you're going to mount the tekonsha controller by the driver side wheel then you're going to need some extra wore because the tekonsha harness will not be long enough to reach over to the pass side footwell where the plug is. Just make sure you get the same thickness wire for the power wire and the blue brake wire.

 

TH only works in drive. The system doesn’t use it when you shift to s mode

 

Thanks again everyone. I did order the entire mounting bracket and dash face plate with the P3 cut out where the Toyota controller would normally reside. I did also pull the kick panel and the dash panel and verified the information above that sadly there is no receiver plug for the brake controller. Let me vent for a minute. I own a Camry and a Prius. Because of these I selected the Toyota truck. I am just dismayed that in this day and age I need to cut into the wiring harness just to add a controller the is required by law to pull the RV. I understand I did not buy the tow package but I am quite reasonable and would have certainly chosen another model if there were some disclosure that said YOU WILL NOT BE ABLE TO TOW AN RV WITHOUT MAJOR WIRING MODIFICATIONS. OK ranting done. I am starting up the Toyota corporate ladder with my complaint. Probably will not do any good but at least it will burn up some of this anger energy.

 

You're saying you removed the passenger side kick panel, and did not find the same unused harness connector that the 4.6L has?

Think of it as Toyota's test to separate the owners who are savvy enough to recognize the essentials for towing, and those that are willing to spend several thousands more to procure a Tundra that says "tow package". All you really need to make the 4.6L into a tow vehicle (within its limits) is to add a ball mount, an electric brake controller, and a weight distributing hitch. The heavy-duty receiver and bumper-mounted 4/7 pin trailer connections (the real headache in my experience) are already onboard. An aftermarket brake controller is five or six wire connections just as it always has been. Spend $200 or thousands?...I know what I would choose.

 

I stand corrected. It is there on the Passenger side. Not sure how I read that as Drivers side. Good I feel better about that. Now 2 other things. Is anyone aware of a harness that actually fits the P3 and is long enough to reach the Passenger side plug? Also what is the secret to reattaching that kick panel. I can not get the top tab into the panel slot.

 

I confirmed with Tekonsha tech service that they do not make a harness long enough to reach the passenger side connector, but removing the white end connector from that 3031-P harness, then stripping back the insulation back 5/8" and soldering wire extensions (same gage) onto the power and brake signal wires is an easy task. The brake sense wire and the ground wire connections are made near the steering column. Matching the color of the insulation isn't essential if you tag the extension wire ends for function. Apply shrink tube or electrical tape to insulate the splices.

Note that you are only interested in the large gage +12V wire (black) and large gage trailer brake signal wire (blue); I believe all those small gage wires are diagnostic feedback signals for the Toyota controller and NOT NEEDED for the P3.

On the kick panel, I can't remember the details, but study it...it'll come to you. I think the front edge of the kick panel completely engages a slot in the door weatherstrip?, and then you have to coax it in position to install a plastic nut or screw fastener at the rear.