2016 Toyota Tundra Brakes Problems

Your trailer brake controller has stopped working, which means your trailer brakes are no longer receiving electronic signals from your truck. Your truck's dashboard no longer recognizes the controller, and you won't be able to electronically control your trailer's braking when towing. The controller will likely need to be replaced or repaired by a technician.

Your truck's brake controller isn't sending enough power to your trailer's brakes, which means they won't slow down as effectively as they should when you're towing. This could make it harder to stop safely with a trailer attached. The issue likely involves replacing or repairing the brake controller module that manages power to your trailer brakes.

Your truck's integrated brake controller has a problem that makes it unsafe when towing a trailer. The manufacturer should either fix this issue or compensate owners who need to buy an aftermarket replacement controller. This is a significant safety concern for anyone using the truck to pull trailers.

BRAKE CONTROLLER DOESN'T WORK AS IT DESIGNED.

REAL SAMPLE THE BRAKE CONTROLLER DOESN'T WORK NO MATTER IF YOU SET IT UP TO 9.5 OR 10 DOESN'T DO ANY BRAKE APPLIED.

THE FACTORY SUPPLIED OEM BRAKE CONTROLLER DOES NOT FUNCTION PROPERLY, AND IS A SIGNIFICANT SAFETY ISSUE. THE CURRENT DESIGN OR SOFTWARE IS TOO CONSERVATIVE, AND DOES NOT PROVIDE SUFFICIENT POWER TO TRAILERS WITH ELECTRIC BRAKES. I HAVE TOWED MY NEW TRAILER WITH NEW BRAKES SEVERAL TIMES, AND THE RESULT IS CONSISTENT. WITH THE BRAKE CONTROLLER SET AT FULL POWER, THE ACTUAL TRAILER BRAKING IS MINIMAL, THEREFORE FORCING THE VEHICLE TO PROVIDE SOME OF THE BRAKING FORCE. THIS WORKS IN CONTROLLED SITUATIONS ON LEVEL GROUND. BUT, IN THE MOUNTAINS OR EMERGENCY STOPPING, THIS REPRESENTS A SAFETY ISSUE WHERE I DO NOT FEEL THAT THE VEHICLE AND TRAILER WILL BE SAFELY STOPPED WITHOUT INCIDENT. A FRIEND OF MINE HAS THE EXACT SAME VEHICLE WITH THE EXACT SAME ISSUE. A SIMPLE INTERNET SEARCH WILL REVEAL HUNDREDS OF SIMILAR COMPLAINTS. THIS ISSUE STARTED WITH THE 2015 MODEL YEAR. I'M CONCERNED THAT TOYOTA IS CONTINUING TO IGNORE THIS ISSUE DUE TO LEGAL LIABILITY REGARDING ACCIDENTS THAT ALREADY OCCURRED DUE TO THIS ENGINEERING FLAW. IT IS GOING ON 3 YEARS NOW WITHOUT A FIX. TOYOTA DID ISSUE A SOFTWARE UPGRADE LAST YEAR WHICH SHOULD HAVE FIXED THIS ISSUE. I HAD THE UPGRADE DONE, AND IT WAS ALMOST IMPERCEPTIBLE AS TO THE DIFFERENCE. IT WAS TOO CONSERVATIVE AND STILL DOES NOT PROVIDE ENOUGH POWER, AS COMPARED TO ANY BRAKE CONTROLLER ON THE MARKET. MOST OWNERS HAVE GIVEN UP AND INSTALLED AFTERMARKET BRAKE CONTROLLERS LIKE THE TEKONSHA PRODIGY P3 MODEL. I BELIEVE THAT THE PROGRAMMING SHOULD BE FIXED SO THAT THE FACTORY CONTROLLER CAN BE USED SAFELY.

FRONT ROTORS WARPED IN UNDER 15,000 MILES VIN#[XXX] INFORMATION REDACTED PURSUANT TO THE FREEDOM OF INFORMATION ACT (FOIA), 5 U.S.C. 552(B)(6). *TR

THE IBC FAILS TO WORK ON A ALUMA TANDEM TRAIL.

TL* THE CONTACT OWNS A 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA. THE CONTACT STATED THAT THE BRAKE CONTROLLER ON THE VEHICLE FAILED TO ACTIVATE THE BRAKE ON THE TRAILER. THE CONTACT STATED THAT AN ERROR MESSAGE ILLUMINATED, REFERRING THE DRIVER TO THE OWNER'S MANUAL. THE VEHICLE WAS TAKEN TO A DEALER WHO WAS UNABLE TO DIAGNOSE THE FAILURE. THE MANUFACTURER WAS MADE AWARE OF THE FAILURE AND SENT TWO ENGINEERS TO INVESTIGATE THE FAILURE. THE ENGINEERS DIAGNOSED THAT THE PART WAS WORKING AS DESIGNED. THE FAILURE WAS NOT REMEDIED. THE FAILURE MILEAGE WAS APPROXIMATELY 5,000.

THE INTEGRATED BREAK CONTROLLER DOES NOT FUNCTION CORRECTLY. DEALER STATED IT IS A KNOWN PROBLEM AND TOYOTA DOES NOT HAVE A REPAIR FOR THE FACTORY DEFECT.

INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. IN ELECTRIC MODE, NO POWER SETTING (1-10) IS ABLE TO GET THE TRAILER BRAKES TO LOCK UP WHEN THE TRUCK BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS IS A CRUCIAL TEST TO CALIBRATE THE TRAILER BRAKES BEFORE GOING ON THE ROAD, AND DEMONSTRATES THAT THE OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM THE BRAKE CONTROLLER ISN'T SUFFICIENT TO STOP THE TRUCK/TRAILER COMBO IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. THE TRAILER BRAKES ARE ABLE TO LOCK UP WITH CERTAIN SETTINGS IF YOU MANUALLY ACTIVATE THE TRIGGER, DEMONSTRATING THAT THE CONTROLLER NOT ONLY HAS THE ABILITY TO LOCK UP THE BRAKES, BUT THAT THE TRAILER ITSELF ISNT THE PROBLEM. THE PROGRAMMING OF THE CONTROLLER IS SUSPECT.

INTEGRATED BRAKE CONTROLLER (IBC) ON A 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA FAILS TO ADEQUATELY STOP A TRAILER FITTED WITH ELECTRONIC DRUM BRAKES. WHEN THE BRAKE CONTROLLER IS IN THE ELECTRIC BRAKE MODE, I GET VERY LITTLE BRAKING WITH THE IBC MAXED AT LEVEL 10 ON THE GAIN CONTROL. I CAN MANUALLY STOP THE TRAILER USING THE MANUAL SQUEEZE LEVERS AND THE BRAKES STOP THE TRAILER AND TRUCK, BUT PROVIDES VERY LITTLE BRAKING WHEN USING THE BRAKE PEDAL. THE TRAILER PUSHES THE TRUCK CREATING A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION. IF I PUT THE BRAKE CONTROLLER IN THE ELECTRIC OVER HYDRAULIC BRAKE MODE, THE BRAKES WORK BY THE BRAKE PEDAL BUT GRAB INSTANTLY AT ONLY A GAIN LEVEL OF (1.5). THE TRAILER BRAKES HAVE BEEN TESTED AND WORK AS EXPECTED WITH AN AFTERMARKET BRAKE CONTROLLER. TOYOTA'S IBC, AS NOTED BY SEVERAL OTHER OWNERS, ON MANY WEBSITES ARE NOT PERFORMING AS EXPECTED WHEN TOWING A TRAILER. IF ROAD SURFACES ARE WET OR ICY THE TRUCK BREAKS WOULD HAVE LITTLE CHANCE TO STOP A LOADED TRAILER AT MAX CAPACITY.

I RECENTLY PURCHASED A 2016 TUNDRA TO PULL MY SMALL TRAVEL TRAILER. ON A RECENT TRIP I HAD TO STOP QUICKLY AND REALIZED THAT THE TRAILER BRAKES WERE NOT ACTIVATING. I THEN DID SOME TESTS TO SEE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO GET IT TO ACTIVATE AND WAS SURPRISED TO DISCOVER THAT IT WAS NOT BRAKING THE TRAILER AT ALL. I BROUGHT IT TO MY LOCAL TOYOTA DEALER AND THEY TOLD ME THAT THERE WAS A TON OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS ISSUE BUT THEY HAVE NO FIX FOR IT.

THE BRAKE CONTROLLER (IBC) NEEDS TO FUNCTION PROPERLY

I RECENTLY BOUGHT A TRAVEL TRAILER AND, AFTER READING THE MANUAL, WAS SETTING UP THE INTEGRATED BRAKE CONTROLLER (HERETOFORE REFERRED TO AS THE IBS). I WAS FOLLOWING THE USER MANUAL SUPPLIED WITH MY TRUCK WHEN I PURCHASED IT NEW STEP-BY-STEP. I EVENTUALLY HAD THE GAIN SET TO "10" AND WAS STILL NOT GETTING PROPER BRAKING PRESSURE FROM THE TRAILER. I GOT OUT, CHECKED ALL CONNECTIONS, RESTARTED THE TRUCK AND TRIED AGAIN; SAME ISSUE. I CONNECTED A FRIENDS TEKONSHA P3 THROUGH MY TRUCKS IBC CABLE (USING HIS CABLE ADAPTER) AND TRIED AGAIN WITHOUT A PROBLEM. THIS CONFIRMS IT'S NOT A TRAILER OR WIRING ISSUE. I RECONNECT THE IBC AND RESTARTED THE TRUCK, TRYING AGAIN; SAME ISSUE. I TOOK IT TO THE DEALER AND THEY SHRUGGED THEIR SHOULDERS, SAID THEY SAW BEFORE WITH NO RESOLVE, AND SUGGESTED I BUY AN AFTERMARKET BRAKE CONTROLLER, TOO. I THEN LOOKED ONLINE AND FOUND SEVERAL HUNDRED OTHERS EXPERIENCING THE SAME PROBLEM, REQUIRING THAT THEY BUY AN AFTERMARKET BRAKE CONTROLLER TO COMPENSATE FOR THIS ONE (TWO LINKS ARE AT THE BOTTOM OF THIS COMPLAINT). THE DEALERS AND TOYOTA ARE UNABLE/UNWILLING TO DO ANYTHING. THIS NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. HTTPS://WWW.TUNDRAS.COM/THREADS/FACTORY-BRAKE-CONTROLLER-ISSUES.5103/ HTTP://WWW.TUNDRATALK.NET/FORUMS/TUNDRA-PROBLEMS-MAINTENANCE-REPAIR-DEALER-WARRANTY-ISSUES/562250-2016-BRAKE-CONTROLLER-PROBLEMS-9.HTML

BUILT IN BREAK CONTROLLER IS NOT WORKING PROPERLY. WITH FULL GAIN, IT DOES NOT APPLY THE CORRECT AMOUNT OF BRAKES TO MY TRAILER. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS AND COULD LEAD TO AN ACCIDENT.

TRUCK IS RATED TO TOW 9100LBS, AND INCLUDES AN INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER FOR USE WITH ELECTRIC TRAILER BRAKES (WHICH IS NEW FOR 2016 TUNDRA'S). THE FIRST TIME I HOOKED THE TRUCK UP TO THE TRAILER, I SET UP THE TRAILER BRAKES USING THE OWNERS MANUAL. AFTER PULLING OUT ONTO THE STREET I IMMEDIATELY NOTICED THAT WHEN I PRESSED THE BRAKES THE TRAILER BRAKES FAILED TO ENGAGE. MY TRAILER WEIGHS NEARLY 8000LBS. LUCKILY, THE MANUAL SLIDER WORKS TO ENGAGE THE TRAILER BRAKES, BUT EVEN ON A GAIN SETTING OF 10 (MAX) THE FOOT BRAKE FAILS TO ADEQUATELY ENGAGE THE BRAKES ON MY TRAILER. I HAVE TRIED 2 OTHER TRAILERS, AND TALKED TO MULTIPLE 2016 TUNDRA OWNERS ONLINE AND THIS PROBLEM IS CONSISTENT ACROSS ALL TUNDRA'S TOWING ANY TYPE TRAILER. UNDER HARD BRAKNG AT ANY SPEED MY TRAILER WANTS TO JACKNIFE AND PUSH THE TRUCK OUT OF IT'S WAY, BECAUSE THE BRAKES ON THE TRUCK ARE ENGAGING TO MAX AND THE TRAILER BRAKES ARE HARDLY ENGAGING AT ALL EVEN ON MAX GAIN SETTING. THIS IS A SERIOUS ISSUE THAT NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND TOYOTA IS NOT COMING FORWARD WITH A FIX. THEY CLAIM THE CONTROLLER IS "WORKING AS DESIGNED", BUT I TOW 8000LBS BEHIND ME AND WITHOUT ADEQUATE TRAILER BRAKES A SERIOUS ACCIDENT IS JUST WAITING TO HAPPEN. SOMEONE NEEDS TO STEP IN AND FORCE TOYOTA TO ADDRESS THIS SERIOUS ISSUE BEFORE SOMEONE IS HURT OR KILLED. LUCKILY THE MANUAL SLIDER STILL WORKS, BUT THAT IS A BANDAID SOLUTION EVERY TUNDRA OWNER CAN'T BE EXPECTED TO DRIVE AROUND MANUALLY APPLYING THE TRAILER BRAKES SEPARATE FROM THE FOOT BRAKE. IF I CAN STOP MY TRAILER FASTER WHEN MANUALLY APPLYING THE TRAILER BRAKES THAN THE TRUCK WILL STOP WITH JUST THE FOOT BRAKE, THAN SOMETHING IS OBVIOUSLY DEFECTIVE! IN WHAT SCENARIO WOULD TOYOTA EVER WANT MY TRUCK TO STOP LESS QUICKLY IN A MAX BRAKING SITUATION? IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE, AND THEY NEED TO COME UP WITH A SOLUTION!

INTEGRATED TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER NOT FUNCTIONING CORRECTLY. IN ELECTRIC MODE, NO POWER SETTING (1-10) IS ABLE TO GET THE TRAILER BRAKES TO LOCK UP WHEN THE TRUCK BRAKES ARE APPLIED. THIS IS A CRUCIAL TEST TO CALIBRATE THE TRAILER BRAKES BEFORE GOING ON THE ROAD, AND DEMONSTRATES THAT THE OUTPUT SIGNAL FROM THE BRAKE CONTROLLER ISN'T SUFFICIENT TO STOP THE TRUCK/TRAILER COMBO IN AN EMERGENCY SITUATION. THE TRAILER BRAKES ARE ABLE TO LOCK UP WITH CERTAIN SETTINGS IF YOU MANUALLY ACTIVATE THE TRIGGER, DEMONSTRATING THAT THE CONTROLLER NOT ONLY HAS THE ABILITY TO LOCK UP THE BRAKES, BUT THAT THE TRAILER ITSELF ISNT THE PROBLEM. THE PROGRAMMING OF THE CONTROLLER IS SUSPECT.

THE INTEGRATED BRAKE TRAILER CONTROLLER TO CONTROL THE BRAKES ON A TRAILER IS NOT WORKING. THE BRAKE CONTROLLER FAILS TO CONTROL THE BRAKES ON THE TRAILER WHILE IN "ELECTRIC" MODE FOR ELECTRIC BRAKES. IT IS VERY DANGEROUS TO RELY ON A BRAKE CONTROLLER TO SLOW OR STOP A VEHICLE THAT IS TOWING A LOAD WITH TRAILER BRAKES THAT ARE NOT WORKING. I TOWED OUR CAMPER THIS LAST WEEKEND WITH MY ENTIRE FAMILY IN THE CAR AND IT WAS VERY DANGEROUS TO MY FAMILY AND OTHERS ON THE ROAD.

THE BUILT IN TRAILER BRAKE CONTROLLER DOES NOT WORK PROPERLY WHEN USED WITH ANY TRAILER EQUIPPED WITH ELECTRIC BRAKES. IT IS NOT CAPABLE OF CONTROLLING LOADED TRAILERS SAFELY. I HAVE BROUGHT THIS MATTER TO THE ATTENTION OF TOYOTA AND THE MASTER TECHNICIAN AT MY LOCAL DEALERSHIP SAYS HE UNDERSTANDS THE PROBLEM AND CAN REPRODUCE THE SAFETY ISSUE UNDER TESTING - BUT AT THIS TIME THE MANUFACTURER HAS NO RECOMMENDED SOLUTION IN PLACE TO FIX THIS ISSUE. PLEASE HELP AS IT IS DANGEROUS. DEFECT WAS ALSO EVIDENT ON A SECOND SIMILAR BRAND NEW VEHICLE TAKEN FROM DEALER LOT FOR TESTING AT MY LAST VISIT TO DEALER.

THE CONTROL BRAKING DOES NOT WORKING PROPERLY WHEN TOWING. I HAVE GAINED SET TO HIGHEST LEVEL WHICH IS 10 AND ON A EMPTY 6X10 TOY TRAILER IT WILL NOT LOCK UP. WHEN JUST PRESSING WITH BRAKE DOES NOT WORK AT ALL ONLY HAS LITTLES TENSION WHEN PRESSING THE BRAKE SLIDER MANUALLY. THIS IS VERY DANGEROUS

THE INTEGRATED BRAKE CONTROLLER DOES NOT WORK. DEALER HAD NO FIX. WHEN SET FOR ELECTRIC BRAKES, THE MANUAL SLIDER DOES APPLY BRAKES TO THE TRAILER BUT WHEN APPLYING FOOT PEDAL BRAKING, THERE IS NO BRAKES BEING APPLIED TO THE TRAILER. WHILE RESEARCHING THIS ONLINE ON TUNDRATALK.NET, IT APPEARS ALL OF THE NEW 2016 BRAKE CONTROLLERS DO NOT WORK. THIS IS A VERY DANGEROUS SITUATION FOR SOMEONE THAT DOES NOT REALIZE THE TRAILER BRAKES DO NOT WORK.

I'M MAKING THIS REPORT DUE TO THE LAME INTEGRATED BRAKE CONTROLLER (IBC) IN MY 2016 TOYOTA TUNDRA. I'VE BEEN TOWING A CAMPER FOR THE PAST 13 YEARS AND I KNOW HOW TO SET UP A BRAKE CONTROLLER (BC) AND MORE IMPORTANTLY I KNOW WHEN THEY ARE WORKING OR NOT. WITH THE IBC, WHEN I PRESS ON THE BRAKE PEDAL I GET NO FELT BRAKING FROM THE CAMPER EVEN WHEN SET TO THE HIGHEST GAIN SETTING (10) WHICH CONSIDERING THE GENERAL LIGHT WEIGHT OF MY CAMPER (5,000 LBS. LOADED), THE HIGHEST GAIN SETTING SHOULD LOCK UP MY TRAILER BRAKES. THE IBC SETTING FOR MY CAMPER IS ELECTRIC. I TOOK MY TRUCK AND CAMPER TO THE TOYOTA DEALER SO THEY COULD TEST THE CONTROLLER WHILE HOOKED UP. THE TECHNICIAN HOOKED THE TRUCK UP TO A DIAGNOSTIC COMPUTER AND WENT THROUGH ALL THE SETTINGS BOTH STATIC AND ON A TEST DRIVE. THE COMPUTER SHOWED THAT THE BRAKE CONTROLLER WAS WORKING; HOWEVER, EVEN WHEN SET ON THE HIGHEST SETTING, I COULD NOT FEEL THE TRAILER BRAKES KICKING IN. THEIR CONCLUSION WAS IN SPITE OF NOT FEELING THE BRAKES, THAT THE BRAKE CONTROLLER WAS WORKING. TOYOTA SAYS IT'S OKAY, BUT IF I JACK-KNIFE MY CAMPER, I'M THE ONE WHO HAS TO DEAL WITH THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE ACCIDENT. AS THE RESULT OF HAVING ZERO CONFIDENCE IN THE ABILITY OF THE IBC, I ALREADY INSTALLED AN AFTER-MARKET BC (SAFETY CAN'T WAIT FOR A FIX). I BELIEVE THAT PEOPLE WHO ARE TOWING WITH THIS IBC, PARTICULARLY ANYONE TOWING AN EIGHT OR NINE THOUSAND POUND CAMPER IS AT RISK AS WELL AS THE PUBLIC ON OUR ROADWAYS. THE DEALER TOLD ME MY IBC WAS WORKING FINE BECAUSE THE COMPUTER FOUND NO ERRORS OR INCORRECT VOLTAGE LEVELS. WHILE THAT MAY BE TRUE, IT'S A TERRIBLE BC AND NOT SUITABLE FOR A TRUCK THAT'S RATED TO TOW A 10,000 LB. TRAILER. WHAT ARE THEY GOING TO SAY TO A FAMILY THAT GETS WIPED OUT IN AN ACCIDENT? 'WE'RE SORRY ' BUT DON'T LOOK AT US - THE BRAKE CONTROLLER WAS WORKING.'