CURT 51180 Echo Mobile Electric Trailer Brake Controller with Bluetooth-Enabled Smartphone Connection, Proportional, Black PLastic, 9 x 9 x 3 inches, BLACK PLASTIC

I got this after realizing that I didn’t have a brake controller in my 2003 Toyota Tundra, which I needed to tow my travel trailer. U haul wanted 500. to hard wire a controller and actuator.It’s a simple plug in with Bluetooth. I installed it and it gave me a code that said it became unattached. I unplugged it and plugged it back in and it worked perfectly. It was fairly easy to install, however the blue indicator light was under the flap, so hard to see. Nifty product and a time and money saver. I use it with an IPhone.

This thing works perfectly, not sure why there are so many bad reviews. I used this with an iPhone 16Pro w/ iOS 18.3.2 and had ZERO problems connecting to Bluetooth. Also, if you lose connection to Bluetooth, it doesn't matter, the unit will continue to work independently of your phone, so again, not sure why there are so many complaints about that. I also never had an issue with the unit disconnecting after driving around 1,200 miles with this unit. I also bought the Curt Bluetooth Sway Bar Controller and connected both the units together. It's a great system. I installed this on a 2023 BMW X5M. I used a stealth hitch. Had zero problems with the entire system. My trailer is 2025 14x7 dual axle with electric brakes. Again, no issues whatsoever.

This thing is absolute garbage. first you have to create an account with all your information and it needs to have location access and it even wants access to your phone and messages. second it is very difficult to connect then it looses connection. it didn't work with my break, i had to push the big red button on the phone every time I want the trailer break to work. so theh phone needs to be in my lap while I am driving and every time I need to stop I have to look down and push the button, which only applies 100% breaking, sometimes it doesnt apply the breaks at all., which is ok when I am fully loaded. but when I am empty it skids the tires on the trailer. Please do yourself a favor and try anything else before you use this last resort, which there is a good chance it wont work anyway.

This is an easy substitution for the more common interior mounted-dash brake control. You will need a 7-pin connector that has the same light/turns/signal and brake functions. In addition, a 30amp 12v Power lead will be required from the alternator or battery for the unit to draw power.Pros:Flexibility to move across various tow vehicle and trailer solutions.App very simple to use, pretty intuitive once you've setup the initial bluetooth connection.Cons:Has the possibility to wiggle free from either the 7-pin vehicle mount, or from the 7-pin trailer plug.The retainer strap to wrap around the unit/7-pin protective door uses a rubber stretch hole over a round pin type of secure method. The problem I have is that the hard round pin is part of the stretch strap, and does not easily allow the hole to lock to the pin. In my case, the hard pin literally pulled itself from its anchor. I am looking at using a velcro computer cable strap to become the "lock" band. It's plastic, can adjust to a proper length and will grip better than a stretchable rubber pin (YMMV).Overall - this works well enough and is a cheaper solution that doesn't require any mechanical work to use the controller itself.

I use this controller with a Mercedes GL 350, an iPhone 13 Pro, and a Cargo Express 14 foot trailer. I got this product because I did not want to find space for a big controller interface box in my fairly compact under-dash space - partly because I am 6'7" tall and don't want to loose any leg clearance. The setup is just as simple as the YouTube instructional videos say it is. The controller and the Bluetooth app work very reliably while driving. The app is designed to keep the program running without going to sleep (with or without aux power), and it allows you to run the app in the background while you use (and switch back and forth with) a navigation app like Maps or Google maps. Once it has been set up and a profile initiated, it is possible to use the controller without the Bluetooth app (or if you loose connection or shut the app off) although it will just run on the settings of the last used profile. I really don't mess around with the settings while driving, so this is not an issue, although you do loose the ability to command the brakes ON while driving without applying the vehicle brakes just by using the controller (but the brakes still do come on just fine when you hit the vehicle brakes). (Apparently manual activation of just the trailer brakes alone can be used to correct an oversteer slide by the towing vehicle, but I have not had a chance to try that yet - fortunately.) I have only 2 minor complaints. First, the controller is kind of long - so when it is installed on my vehicle (with a low mounted and downward pointing trailer wiring plug) the plug and the trailer connection wire get close to the ground and I need to use a bungie cord to insure ground clearance. Also it is vulnerable to missteps as with loading the vehicle or from dogs climbing into the back of your vehicle. And second, for some reason the fit between the controller and the trailer wiring plug is not great - it needs a lot of force to connect (even with WD-40), it is hard to get the retainer latch to engage, and it always seems a little insecure - but it does work - no failures in my experience. Maybe thats just a problem with the Cargo Express plug - maybe not. But bottom line - this is a great product, it works great, and it very nicely gets around the awkwardness of a dash or under dash mounted brake controller.

I'm not sure why there are comments saying this doesn't work. It was super easy if you can read. It works extremely well. I was skeptical at first. But no issues at all and super easy to use app. Works great if you have to switch tow vehicles and one doesn't have a brake controller. Also is great if you don't want to mess with your trucks wiring.