Trailer Hitch

[Dandy]

Am I missing something? It sounds like this is an easy fix. UHaul or any trailer place will install a brake controller and 7pin harness adapter for a couple hundred bucks at most. The more important thing is that the vehicle can pull with a class III 2” hitch receiver. I’m just confused why one seemingly simple fix would be cause to spend thousands more on another comparable vehicle.

It may be an easy fix for a trailer place, but it is an additional expense and how good of a job will they do. Also, if there starts to be some sort of wiring "gremlin", the dealerships will often point to any aftermarket part wired into the vehicle and the finger pointing begins. Believe me, the company I work for makes 3rd party add ons to agricultural equipment. Our team has had to gt to know the equipment that ours is attached to very well and we end up helping to diagnose their issues because the finger is usually pointed at us. In our newer designs, we have gone so far to include methods for clients to verify that our system is running correctly and the issue falls on the item it is attached to. We even have a supply of data loggers that we send to clients so that we collect hard data to determine where the issue is. If a company is going to rate a vehicle for 5K towing, they should include the necessary components to do it safely and legally. I am willing to bet that a lot of people are unaware of what the legal WEIGHT RATING of the trailer is in their state where brakes are required. Yes, it is based on the WEIGHT RATING and not the actual weight of the trailer.

You are dead wrong. The most important things about towing are cooling (for towing up hill), load leveling (for headlight and steering safety) and most importantly: braking. Bad trailer braking characteristics is the #1 cause of trailer related accidents... and the Tellie is not designed for proper towing braking. Almost any vehicle can ‘tow’ (on the flat). That is the easy part.

^^^^THIS^^^ Stopping is the largest issue in safety when towing. Given enough time, vehicles can easily pull and get up to some speed towing, but they cannot necessary stop. When I tow a trailer with electric brakes, I go so far as setting up the controller to brake the trailer slightly harder than my truck. This assures a straight braking path so that in an emergency the trailer is not pushing the truck. I adjust on every tow, because of the change in weight. I could not agree with your statements in this thread more!

 

[Garydotka]

It may be an easy fix for a trailer place, but it is an additional expense and how good of a job will they do. Also, if there starts to be some sort of wiring "gremlin", the dealerships will often point to any aftermarket part wired into the vehicle and the finger pointing begins. Believe me, the company I work for makes 3rd party add ons to agricultural equipment. Our team has had to gt to know the equipment that ours is attached to very well and we end up helping to diagnose their issues because the finger is usually pointed at us. In our newer designs, we have gone so far to include methods for clients to verify that our system is running correctly and the issue falls on the item it is attached to. We even have a supply of data loggers that we send to clients so that we collect hard data to determine where the issue is. If a company is going to rate a vehicle for 5K towing, they should include the necessary components to do it safely and legally. I am willing to bet that a lot of people are unaware of what the legal WEIGHT RATING of the trailer is in their state where brakes are required. Yes, it is based on the WEIGHT RATING and not the actual weight of the trailer.


^^^^THIS^^^ Stopping is the largest issue in safety when towing. Given enough time, vehicles can easily pull and get up to some speed towing, but they cannot necessary stop. When I tow a trailer with electric brakes, I go so far as setting up the controller to brake the trailer slightly harder than my truck. This assures a straight braking path so that in an emergency the trailer is not pushing the truck. I adjust on every tow, because of the change in weight. I could not agree with your statements in this thread more!

Precisely. You have described the primary functional purpose of a trailer brake controller: to be able to adjust the initiation and gain of the voltage to the [electric] trailer brakes - based on the weight and brake characteristics of the towed trailer - so that braking is safe, for the range from a slow stop to a panic stop. Surge brakes is ofcourse a different story. Kia should have designed the vehicle for that... if they want to market it as an SUV - designed and built in America for AmericaN consumers after-all - as they claim. If they spec it to tow 5000 lbs, AND they have load leveling rear shocks (nice!), AND they have a ‘Towing Package’, then it is beyond me why they wouldn’t have done the complete job and put in a relay, a contoller connector (if not the brake controller itself) and a wiring harness with a 7-pin connector as part of the package. If I lived in Kansas or Nebraska - and stayed there - I might not be so concerned about the Telluride’s trailer braking capability... but most of us live or tow in the hills and mountains. It needs extra cooling to get up the hills, and a brake controller to get down the hills, at a minimum (downhill is where surge brakes don’t work as good as electric brakes). And for certain, I’d have very little confidence that a salesman at a Kia dealer would know squat about trailer towing engineering and dynamics. He/she only wants to find reasons to convince you that everything is ‘OK, don’t worry!’. And that fact is why I wish for the Telluride’s trailer towing woes to be solved by the Kia product engineering team and factory... and NOT the ‘make the sale’ Kia dealer guys or the ‘time is money’ guys at UHaul... or even the on-line eTrailer gadget guys... although they (eTrailer) might be the most knowledgeable (for generic after-market). With all that said... I’m done with this thread. Moving-on, unless there is new news from Kia about their Telluride trailer brake controller and 7 pin connector/harness situation. Like someone said, maybe Hyundai will get this right... and put the real ‘U’ back in their big SUV sister product- the Palisade.

 

[2020Telly]

You are dead wrong. The most important things about towing are cooling (for towing up hill), load leveling (for headlight and steering safety) and most importantly: braking. Bad trailer braking characteristics is the #1 cause of trailer related accidents... and the Tellie is not designed for proper towing braking. Almost any vehicle can ‘tow’ (on the flat). That is the easy part.

I’m just trying to educate myself to understand the thinking and I’m okay with being wrong that’s why I asked. So are you saying that even with an aftermarket brake controller Kia is lying about 5,000 lb. towing capacity? I’m new to this. My last vehicle was a minivan with upgraded cooling to allow for towing up to 3,500 but I only ever towed 2,000 max. Now with my Telluride I want to make sure if I ever did add a brake controller and 7pin wiring to try 5,000 I wouldn’t be creating a safety issue.

 

[Garydotka]

I’m just trying to educate myself to understand the thinking and I’m okay with being wrong that’s why I asked. So are you saying that even with an aftermarket brake controller Kia is lying about 5,000 lb. towing capacity? I’m new to this. My last vehicle was a minivan with upgraded cooling to allow for towing up to 3,500 but I only ever towed 2,000 max. Now with my Telluride I want to make sure if I ever did add a brake controller and 7pin wiring to try 5,000 I wouldn’t be creating a safety issue.

NCTelly: with an aftermarket brake controller installed, you’ll be fine - if it works as it should, and the load leveling shocks work as they should. I don’t think Kia increased their tranny cooling with a larger radiator, like most towing packages do (maybe Kia did increase their cooling capability?) so that is the only thing you might want to be careful with when towing up-hill. If you were pulling 3000 lbs or more, you’ll want to tow slower on long uphill grades, in the right gear. Myself? I’d be worried about warranty aspects. A Uhaul guy will have to cut and splice into the factory brake wiring, up under your dash, and run a few wires down the length of the vehicle to add the controller and 7-pin connector. He might also need to run a new power feed through the firewall to the battery, since the amp rating and fusing on the brake pedal wiring is likely not high enough to run the trailer brakes. He might have to add a relay as well. For warranty reasons alone (a long warranty being a very nice feature of the Kia) I’d make the dealer responsible for doing the work and testing it’s functionality - both the trailer brakes and the Tellies brakes and lighting too - to assure there is not any excess current draw on the vehicles’ systems. Brake wiring ‘gremlins’ are more common than they should be. Lastly, I wouldn’t bother with installing the brake controller and associated 7-pin connector until you actually had/bought a trailer with electric brakes. Some trailers have surge brakes instead. Most camping trailers will have electric brakes. Many utility trailers are rated at ‘2995’ lbs to stay under most states regulations, and they will thus not have their own brakes.

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[stbentoak]

The fact that it come with a 4 pin means no serious towing was considered when someone at KIA said " Hey we better throw some kind of a hitch on this thing and charge for it!"

There is more to it than mounting a receiver and 4 PIN lights for a Radio Flyer.... I'll stick to towing with my ragged old pick up and save the 800.00... Prob can get one sooner with out it to boot..

 

[Gwyn]

So I have contacted Kia on this issue, they said they will get back to me on it. I am not holding my breath.

Until they get back to me, I see a technology solution here.
Amazon.com: Tekonsha 90250 Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control: Automotive

Never used it, but it will allow you to two with brakes that are wireless.

 

[Dandy]

So I have contacted Kia on this issue, they said they will get back to me on it. I am not holding my breath.

Until they get back to me, I see a technology solution here.
Amazon.com: Tekonsha 90250 Prodigy RF Electronic Brake Control: Automotive

Never used it, but it will allow you to two with brakes that are wireless.

1: I would not trust a Wireless connection to control the braking system. I have seen some applications in Agricultural that are attempting to use wireless controllers and it has not been stable.

2: If you read the quick description you will see that a 7 pin is still required to power this. All it essentially saves is running signal wires to the controller.

If you trust wireless, this is a nice options to prevent mounting controllers in multiple cars, but you still need a fully wired 7 pin on each vehicle.

 

[Gwyn]

1: I would not trust a Wireless connection to control the braking system. I have seen some applications in Agricultural that are attempting to use wireless controllers and it has not been stable.

2: If you read the quick description you will see that a 7 pin is still required to power this. All it essentially saves is running signal wires to the controller.

If you trust wireless, this is a nice options to prevent mounting controllers in multiple cars, but you still need a fully wired 7 pin on each vehicle.

According to the forums, the kit does come with an adapter for a 4 pin. And I 100% agree with you on the wireless thing, but according to most people it is 100% solid. I think I will just have to have a 7 pin with proper wires install by the dealer.

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[cgallagher]

This thread makes me glad I purchased what was already on the way instead of ordering a Telly with a hitch. I'd be pissed if I was waiting 3 more months and it came with this 4 pin.

 

[Garydotka]

A 4-pin doesn't have a brake power lead. Only lights. A 4-pin to 7-pin adapter just lets you use a 7 pin male plug-in from the trailer... but it wont operate the brakes 'no how'.... with a wireless controller or not. No matter how you slice it - if your trailer has electric brakes, you need a dedicated brake power feed from the vehicle - ordinarily coming from a trailer brake controller - unless you wish to try a questionably reliable wireless device (in which case you STILL need a brake power feed.

 

[Gwyn]

Kia got back to me. Basically they don't know. The response was "it is not stated in the materials".

 

[Tunes4us]

Kia got back to me. Basically they don't know. The response was "it is not stated in the materials".

Didn’t we all know that was going to be their answer.

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[westcoastTelly]

EAF ............................EARLY ADOPTER FRUSTRATION !!

 

[LouV]

I've been trying to find a trailer hitch for the Telly. You can see it listed as a option in the build but no part number is listed

https://www.kia.com/us/k3/content/m...2020_witch-w-harness--kia-2880x-optns-jpg.jpg

Anyone know how to order one?

www.kiaaccessorryguide.com (PN# S9F61 AU000) BOL

 

[critrider]

Curt Manufacturing informed me that they are working on the hitch. Expected it have stock in 3-5 weeks.

 

[loweboy]

The whole reason I just purchased this vehicle was to be able to tow my 2800lb boat ! I have no trailer brakes and a flat 4 pin connector . The dealer agreed to install the 2" receiver when it arrives from Kia or U haul .
I hope the engineers at least provided a " plug " near the rear end to allow for the light system hook up. Hacking the wiring system is ridiculous .
I havent taken delivery yet , should I do something before its too late ?

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[monkeyman]

There is a 4 pin harness for light hookup. I haven't seen a car based SUV not require trailer brakes at 1 or 2k lbs, so that is common. Even on trucks, trailer brakes are required and based on the trucks GVWR (not GCWR).

Myself, I'm waiting to see 7 pin connector options and will add electric trailer brakes to my boat trailer if I step down from my truck (still scary w/o trailer brakes on truck on hwy). Look at the VW Atlas owners that bought early when they came out They got hosed and can't use the full 5K tow rating with the non factory hitch, which wasn't available at first. Never know what you're going to get when you buy early without all the info unfortunately.

 

[Garydotka]

Personally, I'm passing on buying a Telly entirely because of the trailer brake situation. I need to occasionally tow a 3500# camper with twin axles and electric brakes. Without a 7 pin connector and a trailer brake controller, the Telly can't do it. If Kia would have installed an under-dash TBC connector and a proper harness to the rear with a standard 7 pin connector, I'd drop-in an aftermarket trailer brake controller and all would be good, and I'd buy a Telly. However, since Kia failed to do either of these common-practice tow package elements - on an SUV afterall! - that is a signal to me that Kia engineering doesn't really understand trailer towing and they may not have fully tested its ability to brake with the 5000# tow capacity. As such, I'm skeptical of the Telly's ability to actually tow and brake any trailer of 3000#'s or more. The Telly's 'tow package' is apparently just a welded-on 2" receiver, some load-leveling rear shocks slapped in-place of the standard shocks, and a couple lighting wires run to the rear to a third-party's bracket with a 4-pin connector cobbled into the bracket that was actually designed to hold a 7-pin connector. Shame on Kia. It wreaks of being rushed to market - and that makes me wonder what else on the vehicle might have been compromised just to make a production schedule. I have been discussing with dealers regularly, and watching Kia communications lines carefully, and I talked to some Kia people at the NYC Auto show, but not a breath of anyone at Kia recognizing its Telluride has an engineering/design/safety shortcoming for the 5000# towing spec that it claims.

 

[loweboy]

Looks like I got fooled by the salesman I told him about my 2800lb and he said no problem without trailer brakes ( Gross trailer weight of more than 2,800 kg (6,160 Ibs) – Brakes are required, in Ontario Canada ) I dont plan on driving too far and relatively flat ground , also I will be driving very cautiously . Should I find a truck instead and wiggle out of this deal ???

 

[monkeyman]

Looks like I got fooled by the salesman I told him about my 2800lb and he said no problem without trailer brakes ( Gross trailer weight of more than 2,800 kg (6,160 Ibs) – Brakes are required, in Ontario Canada ) I dont plan on driving too far and relatively flat ground , also I will be driving very cautiously . Should I find a truck instead and wiggle out of this deal ???

You "should" be able to add a 7 pin harness and trailer brake controller with some effort. The question is when. May be a few months at least before there is an aftermarket option. If you have time and the Tellirude is what you want. I'm getting a ridgline if the Tellirude towing isn't all figured out soon.

The tongue weight discrepency is what really gets me the most. The tow limit is really 3500 lbs because they say may 10% for tongue weight, but max tongue weight is 350 lbs. Unless it's a mistype. But still they obviously didn't pay attention to towing and tow testing. Just not enough information for me to trust towing 4500 lbs yet.