Tekonsha 90250 Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control

Nice brake controller for use with multiple trailers Plug and Play

This was purchased to use on a 2014 Jeep Grand Cherokee Summit diesel with the factory installed tow package. Right off the bat let me just say that when you purchase a $57,000 vehicle, it should come with an integrated brake controller as part of the tow package, fully adjustable from the touch screen! So for those who don't want to screw sheet metal screws in the new dash and live the rest of their days knocking their knee on the brake controller, the Prodigy RF is a great idea.The pairing problem is ridiculous and a solution should be found for this from the factory. Older folks don't want to fool around with trying different vehicle/trailer combinations until the thing pairs. I had trouble pairing it for my parents, and it didn't work the first time. I called the tech line, he told me to verify the voltage at the trailer plug and try again. I measured the voltage, (the 12V feed line is hot from the factory on this vehicle and required nothing further as far as wiring or connections or fuses added) and the voltage was 13.8V so I knew I was good. I tried to pair again and it worked. Not sure why it wouldn't work the first time. The instructions say to roll the adjustment wheel down until OO shows on the display. Well it never would change from N.C. to OO no matter how the adjustment wheel was set. But yes it did pair finally. This is a great idea, the product works good, but in todays technological world of plug and play, this thing is outdated and clunky since it doesn't come out of the box ready to use (pairing required). I know the Tekonsha have solutions for how to get it paired, but the solution is that pairing shouldn't be a problem to start with. Tekonsha, find a solution to this and you will have a winner. Don't continue to blame the user, make it foolproof so that the user can, well, use it.I mounted the box on the top of the trailer tongue because on the side is where the jack is mounted and there was not enough room. I also mounted it backwards compared to the diagram in the instructions. At first I thought either of these issues might have caused my problem with pairing, but the helpful guy on the tech line checked, and neither of these issues are problematic, and the unit has performed fine (braking has been fully functional) with the unit mounted this way.When trying to hook the trailer wire to the newly mounted RF box, the first thing that happened was the cord retaining notch mounted in the lid broke off. So now my trailer cord can become unplugged from the unit because there is nothing to keep it plugged in. I used some electric tape to keep the cord from backing out. Just what you wanted from a $300 brake controller. I will be calling back to the tech line to try to get a replacement cap.Yes this thing is a great idea. Yes it works and stops my trailer. Yes I would recommend it. Yes it has issues that need addressed.Yes it is far better than screwing a clunky controller under my dash.

It's been a long haul for me to figure this thing out with my Mercedes ML320 CDI diesel. I couldn’t get this to pair without using another American vehnicle, and stay paired. I am changing my review from a 1 star to a 4, however. The reason is that I found a faulty relay on my car causing the issues I was having. I still fault Tekonsha for not accommodating European cars with advanced electronics, but at least I have a work around now. In case anyone else is trying to get this thing to work with advanced electronics:1) Make sure you have power to the +12V blade/pin on your trailer hitch plug. If not, the Prodigy won't work. You can ignore the Electronic Brake blade/pin on the plug. If there is no power, it could be due to several reasons. A) You have advanced electronics and the car won’t send power back to the hitch with no trailer hooked up (I don't know why...maybe something to do with it thinking there are bulbs out or something), or B) you have a blown fuse, or C) you have a faulty relay, or D) your car has a "SAM" unit that was not programmed yet to allow the trailer hitch to work if a trailer is detected.2) My problem was having a faulty relay and I didn’t know it. However, even after fixing it I still have the problem of no hitch power without the trailer being hooked up and you can’t hook up the trailer in the first steps of pairing because the Prodigy unit relies on it not detecting anything on the 5 O’Clock blade. Catch-22. Don’t ask me why the Prodigy has this sequence for pairing as I’ve never heard a good explanation, but you are dead in the water now. There are two work rounds. The first might work, the second one is guaranteed to work:A) If you have advanced electronics so no +12V power, use a trailer emulator on the car hitch and plug the Prodigy into it without hooking up your trailer. This fools your car into sending power back so you can pair it. Follow the pairing procedures but after pairing turn the car off, remove the emulator and hook up the trailer and restart the car. Keep the emulator handy, however, in case you lose the pairing.https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00C4AYR3U/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1ORB) Make up or modify a short 7-blade power hook up cable but do NOT connect the wire for the 5 o’clock position (the trailers electronic brakes control). Plug the Prodigy into your vehicle, plug your new power cable with the dead 5 O’Clock socket into the back of the Prodigy and hook up your trailer to your new cable. Follow the pairing procedure except after you get it to pair turn the car completely off, remove your adaptor cable, and now plug the trailer into the Prodigy and start the car again. (I suppose if you could figure out how to keep the normal trailer plug from connecting in the 5 O’Clock position while pairing without using a cable, that would work, but electrical tape just seemed like it would gum it all up).I hope this helps someone. It was a long haul figuring this out.

I got this brake controller to pair within 30 seconds in my 2015 Jeep Grand Cherokee. It was absolutely easy to setup and it works great. I didn't want to drill any holes into a brand new vehicle so this brake controller was a perfect option. I've pulled my travel trailer on 5 trips so far with this brake controller and it performs way better than the Primus IQ I had in my previous vehicle. I didn't bother with the mounting screws that came with it as I made a removable mounting bracket out of U bolts and mending plates so I can take it off whenever I feel like it. It was pricy but as far as I'm concerned, it was worth every cent. The only negative comment I have, and it is more of a wish list item rather than a negative, is that the trailer mounted unit is made out of molded plastic rather than metal. It feels pretty durable but I'd be much more confident in the durability if it was metal.5 Year Update:--------------------------------I've been using the same brake controller for 5 camping seasons now and about to go into the 6th. I've had it on 3 different trailers and 2 different tow vehicles. I've logged over 15000 km of towing using this brake controller and have never had a single issue. I was concerned about durability when I first purchased it. Well no more. This thing is rock solid.

I have a new Volvo xc90 and required a wireless trailer brake. I had just bought a new trailer and the RV shop was going to charge me $650 for the controller, and $200 to install it.When I checked the price for the exact same unit on Amazon, the price was half of that, so I bought the controller off of Amazon. When I went to pick up my new trailer, I brought my cordless drill with a socket attachment. I installed the controller in five minutes (four self tapping bolts that I drilled a pilot hole for to make life easier) in the pick up zone of the RV shop and offered the RV shop some not so kind hyphenated words. Pairing and the setting up the sensitivity of the controller was even easier.I am very pleased with the purchase.

I love this brake controller!!! The fact that I didn’t have to drill holes in my dash to permanently mount a traditional brake controller is the whole reason I went with this. The functionality of this controller has not disappointed. I would highly recommend this to anyone that tows one trailer with multiple vehicles as well, because the remote can move from one vehicle to another.When mounting it to your trailer keep in mind that if you are eventually going to mount a box across the tongue of the trailer, to mount the receiver unit low enough for the box to clear, or else you have to remount it.

Works perfect on my 2016 Toyota Highlander and 3200lb Kodiak travel trailer. Had a 7pin connector installed from new at my Toyota dealer but they never supplied power to the battery pin(1) so off to NAPA for a few parts to complete. A quick reply from Tekonsha help line and I’m on my way. Haven’t tried the boost feature yet. Can hold the car and trailer hillside using manual button. Once initially paired its simply plug and play thereafter. Will be able to switch this unit over to my SkiDoo trailer when the snow fliesand can tow with my car or brothers truck. Thanks for a great product idea Tekonsha

Used with a GMC Safari to tow a 3200lb dry or 4500lb loaded trailer. Was easy to install, easy to pair and easy to figure the right settings. Smooth operation with no jerkiness. Probably could have had the same performance from one of the non-RF Prodigy controllers for less money, but I am more than happy with this. Like the fact that since I'm thinking of upgrading to a pick-up, the brake controller will be easily coming with me.