Towing

[2020Telly]

@NCTelly thank you very much for you explanation! I’d like to go with Echo Curt wireless brake controller, too. Would you be able to make a video how do run a hot wire to the battery, 30A breaker and #8

It’s actually pretty straight forward. Here is a video. You just run one wire from the battery to where ever you want to mount the breaker then down the The engine bay to the back. The video shows tow breakers but you only need the one because the trailer will get power from the Curt Echo. That video also shows a Nissan where the battery is on the passenger side. The Telluride’s battery is on the driver side so it will be a cleaner install. Tuck and tie wrap the wire to keep it secure under the vehicle. It’s far less intrusive than running wires through the engine firewall into the cab where you will have to re-silicon any holes you make.

 

[KGZ]

It’s actually pretty straight forward. Here is a video. You just run one wire from the battery to where ever you want to mount the breaker then down the The engine bay to the back. The video shows tow breakers but you only need the one because the trailer will get power from the Curt Echo. That video also shows a Nissan where the battery is on the passenger side. The Telluride’s battery is on the driver side so it will be a cleaner install. Tuck and tie wrap the wire to keep it secure under the vehicle. It’s far less intrusive than running wires through the engine firewall into the cab where you will have to re-silicon any holes you make.

Great! Thank you so much!

 

[Sleepman]

I have a electronic break controller from lasts car instalation( only 2 months old) should I reuse it and have it installed? or go with the other type that just pludgs in and uses bluetooth?

 

[Sleepman]

I think its the Echo?

______________________________

 

[Sleepman]

Truth be told, I dont want to mount the controller on the dash. Drill screws into the hard plastic dash..not a great look. However breaks are important LOL and if the echo is not as good I will do it.

 

[ralph.w.brown]

Greetings All,
My first post-hope it’s not redundant. My 2021 EX with factory trailer hitch and 7-pin connectorView attachment 9430View attachment 9430 IS wired for all pins. In glovebox I found a four pin connector designed for hooking up a separate trailer brake controller, and very clear installation instructions. I’m attaching photos for clarity. If anyone needs closeups, let me know. Cheers, Doug

Doug,

Thanks for the information, very helpful. Can you confirm if the 2021 Telluride towing package came with a 7-pin round connector at the rear trailer hitch rather than a 4-pin flat connector?

Regards,

Ralph

 

[2020Telly]

Doug,

Thanks for the information, very helpful. Can you confirm if the 2021 Telluride towing package came with a 7-pin round connector at the rear trailer hitch rather than a 4-pin flat connector?

Regards,

Ralph

The 2021 towing option or package both come with the 7-pin round at the hitch.

 

[ralph.w.brown]

The 2021 towing option or package both come with the 7-pin round at the hitch.

Thanks for confirming!

______________________________

 

[tdboyd]

Doug,

Thanks for the information, very helpful. Can you confirm if the 2021 Telluride towing package came with a 7-pin round connector at the rear trailer hitch rather than a 4-pin flat connector?

Regards,

Ralph

Hi Ralph, that’s affirmative! Including the pigtail for a direct-connect brake controller and install instructions. Cheers,

 

[ralph.w.brown]

Put 1,200 miles on my 2021 Kia Telluride SX AWD Wolf Grey Nightfall Edition with Towing Package and hitched it up to my Bockmann Portax K horse trailer. It pulled like a champ! Love it!

 

[Erock75]

Regarding the 2021 Tow Option with 7-pin harness:

If I were to guess based on what has been posted on this forum and the instructions that were provided above, the 2021 Tow Option with 7-pin harness is actually two physical parts. The first wire is the 7-pin harness that has a 9 wires on one side of the junction box that goes into the 12-pin connection to the vehicle's wiring harness and then 7-wires on the other side going to round trailer connection that goes into the hitch receiver and that is pre-installed. The second wire is the one shown above and is probably delivered sitting in the glove box to be installed by the owner if they add an electronic brake controller and it connects to the vehicle's wiring harness under the steering column near the fuse box and provides four wires to the brake controller at installation location of the brake controller installer's choosing. It would not make sense to attach the plastic end and then have loose exposed copper connection ends dangling in the dash if you don't have a brake controller to install.

If you plan to tow with a 4-pin flat you may need to buy a 7-way round to a 4-pin flat adapter, unless Kia also provided this it's about $10.

Regarding retrofitting the Kia 2021 7-pin harness in a 2020 Telluride:

This likely means that 2021 harness will not be plug-n-play in the 2020 Telluride because it looks like the rear 12-pin connection has pin #7 and #12 unused (#8 is present on the 2020). They must have run 2 more wires for Trailer Brake input to go up to the front and 12V hot to power the brakes themselves in the 2021 vehicle harness. This thread shows the 2020 pinout without 7 and 12 in use: Trailer Wiring I'm disappointed in that the only way to make the 2021 7-pin Kia harness to work still requires running two wires from the rear to the front and add a breaker on the 12v hot because I doubt that harness with the 4 wires has anything to plug into near the fuse box on the 2020.

At this point the simplest thing for me to do is to go with the Curt Wireless Echo and get a 7-way round upgrade that allows me to plug the 4-pin flat behind it, then run a hot to the battery and a 30A breaker. So this way instead of running two wires, I can just run one. I'll take in the reverse lights to pin #8.

This eTrailer Tekonsha video on YouTube shows the connection at 1min 31sec on the 2020 and you can clearly see only 6 wires up front there is probably another one hiding that is going to pin 8. Even though this is an aftermarket 4-pin flat harness it is identical to install to the Kia OEM 4-pin harness that was provided with the 2020 Kia Telluride Tow Option and Package.

Thank you for all the great info. I just have a couple of questions. I have a 2020 Kia Telluride EX, bought with the tow package. I am trying to tow a small trailer, personal watercraft. The trailer has a 4 pin, no brakes, simple light trailer. When I hook up trailer light to my 4 pin plug on my car I get all my lights except for brake lights. Hazards will make them flash, running lights good, just no brake lights. Also tried trailer on another car, everything works as it should, so I know it has to be the Kia's wiring for the 4 pin connector. My thought was getting an etrailer Tekonsha wiring harness and trying that. Do you think that would solve my problem? Or would it just be the same problem being that it has something to do with the actual Kia trailer wiring. Any help on this would be great. Thanks

 

[2020Telly]

Thank you for all the great info. I just have a couple of questions. I have a 2020 Kia Telluride EX, bought with the tow package. I am trying to tow a small trailer, personal watercraft. The trailer has a 4 pin, no brakes, simple light trailer. When I hook up trailer light to my 4 pin plug on my car I get all my lights except for brake lights. Hazards will make them flash, running lights good, just no brake lights. Also tried trailer on another car, everything works as it should, so I know it has to be the Kia's wiring for the 4 pin connector. My thought was getting an etrailer Tekonsha wiring harness and trying that. Do you think that would solve my problem? Or would it just be the same problem being that it has something to do with the actual Kia trailer wiring. Any help on this would be great. Thanks

A different 4-pin harness is the simplest test. Then it’s likely a trip to the dealer. There was also a recall on my 2020 related to trailer wiring. https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/rcl/2020/RCRIT-20V436-4962.pdf

______________________________