Seriously one of the best how to videos out there. You do great work. Everything was filmed with reference and context as well as good light. Great narrative as well. Thank you from north of the border. Stay safe on the road.
I installed my P3 brake controller also, got the Pig tail from my service center for $4.74, was a pain to get to the connector inside the side panel. I get my Hitch on Dec 9th
Hello all, help please. I purchased Tesla with towing package included 2023, I never used Towing until now . I believe this package comes with 7 pin connector…so do we still need to do this setup as per video ? or Is this trailer brake is included in 7pin connector? Thanks
Awesome job of showing installation process; thanks!! But I would have loved some explanation of how to use it; for example how is the braking basically blended between the car and trailer-is this pre-set to some ratio; how and when is that gain control lever used; is there a sensor in the controller and what does it do; can things be set to get a good amount of regenerative braking along with good control of the trailer upon braking? (At least the Tesla/EV-specific operating aspects, if any.)
Fair, I assume too much with previous towing experience. So out of the box, it’s pre-set to a good level. You can increase or decrease brake power as desired. Basically you go drive the trailer around and determine if the trailer is pulling you back (too much brake), or pushing you (not enough brake). The nice thing is with 1 pedal driving, this trailer does not engage brakes until actual brake pedal is pressed.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Very helpful comment as that was my next question re wether the trailer brakes are applied on regen. This answered that. Consider doing a short video on braking dynamics and your your impressions and suggestions for best practices. Thank you again.
I also have the 2023 Model Y and I am skidish about yanking the carpet out of the back of the vertical plastic door panel. Yet, removing all the panels that seem to overlap it is possibly worse given my luck. I wish there was a video of someone actually pulling the carpet out, rather than a photo exposing the wiring after the fact. It would be less nerve wracking for someone like myself who is overly protective of my relatively new shinny MYL.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I’ve seen a Tesla service technician easily take lots of panels off the dash area of my 2023 Model Y in seemingly no time at all. True it was not the same area that is used to access the wiring as he had come out to the house to fix a factory flaw in the heat and air ductwork behind the dash. In your experience, would it be any easier to remove panels and snap them back in place after plugging in the controller’s connection?
hi, i wired my car just like yours but it LCD screen does not light up. even with tow mode on, it does light up. i dont have a trailer connected to the car yet. does that matter?
Question yalll...so I bought a airtow trailer..I hauled it from LA to Las Vegas perfectly fine. Once I got to Vegas, I switch my regenerative breaking to on and all of a sudden the trailer applied breaks on its own when I let go of the pedal...😢. I turned off regenerative breaking off but the trailer still continued to apply the brakes... how can I fix this. This has to be a tesla detting
Nice explainer. What might have made it better would be a description of each of the wires in the harnesses and how you deduced their functions. Others may want to duplicate that process in order to confirm that neither Tekonsha or Tesla made any changes to their harnesses.
Great video, beey helpful! Question: With this solution how do rhe brakes in the trailer get power? This solves only the rhe data signal. No power is going over the 7 pin port and the trailer store says the battery on the camper trailer isn't designed to provide power to the brakes.
The car absolutely is sending power to the trailer. Apparently it’s enough to operate the brakes because at least in my case, I could manually throttle the trailer brakes without issue
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Does the trailer have it's own battery that could be powering the brakes? I wonder if the trailer battery isn't charged up would they work.
Thank you for this awesome video!! Would you still recommend the Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Control + 5906 Brake Control Bracket for the 2021 Model Y?
I recently added the P3 Brake controller to my MY, and it appeared to be functioning normally. I purchased the Tesla pigtail and connected the pigtail and P3 wire harness as you and everyone else had described. About 3 days after it was installed, I connected the trailer which had electronic brakes as well as the 12V Aux line. Somewhere in the line between the Tesla 12V battery and the Trailer, there was a short that caused a wire to cook (smoke in the tesla) and killed the tesla 12V battery. This happened within 30 seconds of connecting the trailer. I am a little stunned that the tesla fuse didn't trip. Have you heard of this happening to anyone else? I've triple checked the P3 wiring, and it is correct. Also, neither the pigtail nor the P3 wires show any signs of overheating and the P3 unit appears to still be functional.
dang man, thats no bien. These things are pretty much the standard out there on brake controllers, so although its possible it caused an issue, its very unlikely
How long does power stay on for the pigtail? Is it switched with the screen or sentry mode? Is it truly constant? I am hopeful this will work for switched power for interior lights. Thanks!
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I wasn't able to get the same brake controller you have but ordered a cheaper one that I just finished installing this morning. Hopefully it will work good. We are picking up our pop-up camper on Thursday so we'll know then. I bought mirrors but plan on only using them when backing into places as don't want the added drag while at speed. They strap to the existing mirrors with adjustable rubber straps so should be easy to put on/off at the camp spot or charging stations. Only cut one thumb following your instructions. That plastic holding the carpet in had a knife sharp edge but I can't work on any thing without at least one cut...lol. Thanks for the video help.
Did your Model Y have the Lithium 16volt battery or was this an older model with the lead acid (12volt) battery? I contacted teh Brake controller manufacturer and they way this model DOES NOT support the 16vdc as they have never tested it for this high a voltage.
Did the trailer brakes go on when using only regen braking on the model Y or did the trailer brakes only work when applying the fraction brakes on the Model Y?
They would engage when the car was braking enough through regen but not immediately when starting to release the pedal. Had to let up pretty far before they started engaging
Rather than following the regular Tekonsha adjustment and boost levels- does it make sense to reduce the boost to 0 (2200lb trailer on a model y), and reduce the voltage adjustment a bit- so as to get more regenerative braking out of the car? or is that just more dangerous.
Great video, you made it look easy. So after doing this install, were you able to use the brake controller right away and have it work properly? Was it truly plug and play? Nothing else needed? Just hook up the trailer and go?
So glad I saw your post! I have same brake controller recently purchased for teardrop trailer to tow with my 2021 MY. I have searched for days for connector! Will you share what you wound up using? TIA
I installed the Tesla plug in harness to get a switched 12v source and nothing. I don’t have the tow package but I do have that connector. Couldn’t get any voltage out of that harness.
Anyone did the install on a Y with the 16v Lithium battery (I have a MY Long Range 2022 with the towing package)? I was originally told to buy a CURT-51180 Echo (Bluetooth) by the RV dealer, but I found out that Tesla is not providing power to the 7 pin connector at the back of the MY with a Lithium 16V battery, so it couldn’t feed it with power (nor provide power to the trailer, bummer!). My Plan B (after viewing your excellent video) is the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, but both Tesla (where I purchased the connector bundle) and my RV dealer could confirmed that it will work. Thanks!
@@BeardedTeslaGuy FYI, I couldn’t make it work. I ended up shutting all power to the 7-pin connector as soon as I plugged in the Tesla 4-pin connector with the P3. I consulted several brake controller installers and no one wanted to touch a 16v lithium battery Tesla. I ended up canceling our planned purchase of a teardrop camper. I hope Tesla finds a solution to this major inconvenience.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I run there. They couldn’t help me… They charged me $110 to tell me that me that Brake controller was the culpit. I asked for help. They say that the RV guys are responsible for installing brake controllers. The RV guys refer me to my Tesla ‘car dealers’!
Hey your camper looks heavier than 350lb tounge weight. I just got a Y and am trying to find lightweight campers. What are brief specs on yours and how has it worked out?
Yea, I assumed too much unfortunately. So when towing, some trailers have brakes on the wheels. In that case, the only way to utilize the brakes is with a controller like this. Once installed, it can help you set how sensitive the brakes are (harder or softer braking) based on you brake pedal in the car. Absolutely must have if towing a large trailer for safety.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Got it man appreciate it. I also heard that some trailers have an inertial braking system that allows them to break automatically as the weight of the trailer moves forward when your vehicle begins to break. I do plan on getting a trailer for hauling stuff to do work around Phoenix Arizona with my model Y as well as a recreational trailer to get out of town every now and then, good info man thanks.
Yea man! So just be careful with those units. They are indeed really good, but it is relying on external forces to control everything. With regen braking, you’d have less control of when the brakes start applying.
So when I was trying to plug the harness in I managed to pry the plastic moulding out a bit. Now I can’t seem to get it snug back as I can’t see where it clips in. Any ideas?
So with the Tesla tow bar installed, do you know if it provides the same level of functionality, or is it controlled via the touch panel? Not having any experience, I was slightly flummoxed at the cost of the Tesla tow bar, but I see that their is more to a trailer hitch, then I supposed, which I guess is the point. Most things are rarely simple as they seem, unless the challenges are engineered away. Thanks as always. PS - Not sure I would be happy to root around in a relatively new car ;)
So if you are going to tow something, I highly recommend going OEM. This is integrated. If you go aftermarket, it’s not integrated and you don’t have tow mode. So if you are just hauling bikes and racks, go aftermarket and save the dough.
I will be getting my model y in 2 weeks my 2600 lb camper coming today. This is all new to me Thank You
Never camper never owned Tesla
The range will be limited, but otherwise, the car handles towing without issue. You will have a great time!
Seriously one of the best how to videos out there. You do great work. Everything was filmed with reference and context as well as good light. Great narrative as well. Thank you from north of the border. Stay safe on the road.
Cheers my Canadian friend!
Thanks!
Thanks a bunch!
I installed my P3 brake controller also, got the Pig tail from my service center for $4.74, was a pain to get to the connector inside the side panel. I get my Hitch on Dec 9th
Awesome
You did a excellent job explaining how to install this break controller keep up the good work with the video’s!
Cheers
Hello all, help please.
I purchased Tesla with towing package included 2023, I never used Towing until now . I believe this package comes with 7 pin connector…so do we still need to do this setup as per video ? or Is this trailer brake is included in 7pin connector? Thanks
Awesome job of showing installation process; thanks!! But I would have loved some explanation of how to use it; for example how is the braking basically blended between the car and trailer-is this pre-set to some ratio; how and when is that gain control lever used; is there a sensor in the controller and what does it do; can things be set to get a good amount of regenerative braking along with good control of the trailer upon braking?
(At least the Tesla/EV-specific operating aspects, if any.)
Fair, I assume too much with previous towing experience. So out of the box, it’s pre-set to a good level. You can increase or decrease brake power as desired. Basically you go drive the trailer around and determine if the trailer is pulling you back (too much brake), or pushing you (not enough brake). The nice thing is with 1 pedal driving, this trailer does not engage brakes until actual brake pedal is pressed.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Very helpful comment as that was my next question re wether the trailer brakes are applied on regen. This answered that. Consider doing a short video on braking dynamics and your your impressions and suggestions for best practices.
Thank you again.
Thx for this video. This works on 2023 Model Y with 16V battery.. Works without stepping down the voltage.
Excellent
I also have the 2023 Model Y and I am skidish about yanking the carpet out of the back of the vertical plastic door panel. Yet, removing all the panels that seem to overlap it is possibly worse given my luck. I wish there was a video of someone actually pulling the carpet out, rather than a photo exposing the wiring after the fact. It would be less nerve wracking for someone like myself who is overly protective of my relatively new shinny MYL.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I’ve seen a Tesla service technician easily take lots of panels off the dash area of my 2023 Model Y in seemingly no time at all. True it was not the same area that is used to access the wiring as he had come out to the house to fix a factory flaw in the heat and air ductwork behind the dash. In your experience, would it be any easier to remove panels and snap them back in place after plugging in the controller’s connection?
hi, i wired my car just like yours but it LCD screen does not light up. even with tow mode on, it does light up. i dont have a trailer connected to the car yet. does that matter?
Can you update the brake controller link. Thanks.
Done
Here it is for convenience
amzn.to/3x8Jwix
Question yalll...so I bought a airtow trailer..I hauled it from LA to Las Vegas perfectly fine. Once I got to Vegas, I switch my regenerative breaking to on and all of a sudden the trailer applied breaks on its own when I let go of the pedal...😢. I turned off regenerative breaking off but the trailer still continued to apply the brakes... how can I fix this. This has to be a tesla detting
I'm surprised tesla don't integrate brake controller into the software.
I wish they would
Well at least that would be an update away.
Nice explainer. What might have made it better would be a description of each of the wires in the harnesses and how you deduced their functions. Others may want to duplicate that process in order to confirm that neither Tekonsha or Tesla made any changes to their harnesses.
Fair point! The good news is it comes with a wiring diagram but I get your point.
Congrats on 10K subs! You deserve it!
Thanks so much
Hi,Do I have to use Weight Distribution hitch?Thanks
no
Excellent video...THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for taking the time to post this.
Of course! I know ANYONE wanting to add a trailer brake would have to hunt for all the details.
With the controller only velcro'd on, have you noticed any undesired responses from the P3 due to shaking/instability?
Not anything. Only done this one trip though, so I suppose that’s not a lot to prove out.
Awesome, still weighing whether to buy a Y, so understanding all of this helps:)
Great video, beey helpful! Question: With this solution how do rhe brakes in the trailer get power? This solves only the rhe data signal. No power is going over the 7 pin port and the trailer store says the battery on the camper trailer isn't designed to provide power to the brakes.
The car absolutely is sending power to the trailer. Apparently it’s enough to operate the brakes because at least in my case, I could manually throttle the trailer brakes without issue
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Does the trailer have it's own battery that could be powering the brakes? I wonder if the trailer battery isn't charged up would they work.
Thank you for this awesome video!! Would you still recommend the Tekonsha 90195 P3 Electronic Brake Control + 5906 Brake Control Bracket for the 2021 Model Y?
Yes, the brake controller is a really good unit
I recently added the P3 Brake controller to my MY, and it appeared to be functioning normally. I purchased the Tesla pigtail and connected the pigtail and P3 wire harness as you and everyone else had described. About 3 days after it was installed, I connected the trailer which had electronic brakes as well as the 12V Aux line. Somewhere in the line between the Tesla 12V battery and the Trailer, there was a short that caused a wire to cook (smoke in the tesla) and killed the tesla 12V battery. This happened within 30 seconds of connecting the trailer. I am a little stunned that the tesla fuse didn't trip. Have you heard of this happening to anyone else? I've triple checked the P3 wiring, and it is correct. Also, neither the pigtail nor the P3 wires show any signs of overheating and the P3 unit appears to still be functional.
dang man, thats no bien. These things are pretty much the standard out there on brake controllers, so although its possible it caused an issue, its very unlikely
How long does power stay on for the pigtail? Is it switched with the screen or sentry mode? Is it truly constant? I am hopeful this will work for switched power for interior lights. Thanks!
It shuts off when car sleeps
Random update on my model Y. VIN 71k. Has auto dimming side mirrors, And double pane’d glass. No silver scroll wheels or usb in glove though.
Thanks for sharing. It has been fascinating to see the different configurations of updates that seem so random.
You mentioned extended mirrors for towing but haven't seen any in use on any Model Y towing videos. Do you recommend them or not?
I didn’t end up needing them so I don’t use them
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I wasn't able to get the same brake controller you have but ordered a cheaper one that I just finished installing this morning. Hopefully it will work good. We are picking up our pop-up camper on Thursday so we'll know then. I bought mirrors but plan on only using them when backing into places as don't want the added drag while at speed. They strap to the existing mirrors with adjustable rubber straps so should be easy to put on/off at the camp spot or charging stations. Only cut one thumb following your instructions. That plastic holding the carpet in had a knife sharp edge but I can't work on any thing without at least one cut...lol. Thanks for the video help.
Did your Model Y have the Lithium 16volt battery or was this an older model with the lead acid (12volt) battery? I contacted teh Brake controller manufacturer and they way this model DOES NOT support the 16vdc as they have never tested it for this high a voltage.
Did the trailer brakes go on when using only regen braking on the model Y or did the trailer brakes only work when applying the fraction brakes on the Model Y?
They would engage when the car was braking enough through regen but not immediately when starting to release the pedal. Had to let up pretty far before they started engaging
How do you unplug the pigtail? I can't get the connector out : (
Leave the cable coiled up in there so next time you don’t have to mess with plugging in again.
Rather than following the regular Tekonsha adjustment and boost levels- does it make sense to reduce the boost to 0 (2200lb trailer on a model y), and reduce the voltage adjustment a bit- so as to get more regenerative braking out of the car? or is that just more dangerous.
I know what you are saying, but no, always stick with safety first on this one.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy yeah- Safety over KWhrs.
Congratulations on 10k subscribers 🎉
Woohoo, party time!
How many miles with yours ? How many pounds?
Another awesome video. Thanks for sharing!
Cheers
Great video, you made it look easy. So after doing this install, were you able to use the brake controller right away and have it work properly? Was it truly plug and play? Nothing else needed? Just hook up the trailer and go?
Yes, plug and play when you have the plug
I have a very reliable brand Reese Towper 8507111 brakeman IV digital brake control, same concept?
Should be same concept just a different adapter you’d need
So glad I saw your post! I have same brake controller recently purchased for teardrop trailer to tow with my 2021 MY. I have searched for days for connector! Will you share what you wound up using? TIA
Super well done. Thanks.
Cheers
I installed the Tesla plug in harness to get a switched 12v source and nothing. I don’t have the tow package but I do have that connector. Couldn’t get any voltage out of that harness.
Hmm. Perhaps it won’t power unless a trailer plug is hooked up?
great video, thx
Cheers
Do you really need trailer brakes with a Model Y? Seems regenerative braking would benefit with the weight of the trailer.
Yes you do! Although you’d benefit from additional regen gains, the safety factor is way more important when towing
@@BeardedTeslaGuy gotcha! Thanks for the reply! 🙂👍
Anyone did the install on a Y with the 16v Lithium battery (I have a MY Long Range 2022 with the towing package)? I was originally told to buy a CURT-51180 Echo (Bluetooth) by the RV dealer, but I found out that Tesla is not providing power to the 7 pin connector at the back of the MY with a Lithium 16V battery, so it couldn’t feed it with power (nor provide power to the trailer, bummer!). My Plan B (after viewing your excellent video) is the Tekonsha Prodigy P3, but both Tesla (where I purchased the connector bundle) and my RV dealer could confirmed that it will work. Thanks!
You should be able to still plug in to the same connector
@@BeardedTeslaGuy FYI, I couldn’t make it work. I ended up shutting all power to the 7-pin connector as soon as I plugged in the Tesla 4-pin connector with the P3. I consulted several brake controller installers and no one wanted to touch a 16v lithium battery Tesla. I ended up canceling our planned purchase of a teardrop camper. I hope Tesla finds a solution to this major inconvenience.
@@AlainBourgetComm make sure you schedule with Tesla, that should not happen.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I run there. They couldn’t help me… They charged me $110 to tell me that me that Brake controller was the culpit. I asked for help. They say that the RV guys are responsible for installing brake controllers. The RV guys refer me to my Tesla ‘car dealers’!
Hey your camper looks heavier than 350lb tounge weight. I just got a Y and am trying to find lightweight campers. What are brief specs on yours and how has it worked out?
This was 300 lbs tongue and just over 3k dry. We only tried this 3 times and decided it’s way too impractical
@@BeardedTeslaGuy what was the range reduction? I’m looking at a trailer.
What did your trailer weigh gross?
Don’t recall gross rating. We didn’t add a lot of stuff to it
Perfect. 👍
Yea, super easy, just need to know where to put it
How come Tesla not offering a trailer break if people getting a >3000lb trailer?
I don’t know why they don’t have an integrated trailer brake
@@BeardedTeslaGuy I was on Tekonsha website, when I entered - 2021 - Tesla - Model Y, it showed no brake controller can work on this car?
Not gonna lie man I kind of expected this video to show me what a trailer brake thingy does I have no idea what that is or why you have it
Yea, I assumed too much unfortunately. So when towing, some trailers have brakes on the wheels. In that case, the only way to utilize the brakes is with a controller like this. Once installed, it can help you set how sensitive the brakes are (harder or softer braking) based on you brake pedal in the car. Absolutely must have if towing a large trailer for safety.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Got it man appreciate it. I also heard that some trailers have an inertial braking system that allows them to break automatically as the weight of the trailer moves forward when your vehicle begins to break. I do plan on getting a trailer for hauling stuff to do work around Phoenix Arizona with my model Y as well as a recreational trailer to get out of town every now and then, good info man thanks.
Yea man! So just be careful with those units. They are indeed really good, but it is relying on external forces to control everything. With regen braking, you’d have less control of when the brakes start applying.
So when I was trying to plug the harness in I managed to pry the plastic moulding out a bit. Now I can’t seem to get it snug back as I can’t see where it clips in. Any ideas?
Not sure how to help you from here
So with the Tesla tow bar installed, do you know if it provides the same level of functionality, or is it controlled via the touch panel?
Not having any experience, I was slightly flummoxed at the cost of the Tesla tow bar, but I see that their is more to a trailer hitch, then I supposed, which I guess is the point. Most things are rarely simple as they seem, unless the challenges are engineered away.
Thanks as always.
PS - Not sure I would be happy to root around in a relatively new car ;)
So if you are going to tow something, I highly recommend going OEM. This is integrated. If you go aftermarket, it’s not integrated and you don’t have tow mode. So if you are just hauling bikes and racks, go aftermarket and save the dough.
@@BeardedTeslaGuy Cheers.