Do our $$$$$ Escalade's not have an integrated brake controller?

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Vector

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I had assumed that just like the other GM SUV's that the Escalade had a trailer brake controller, but that they shunned the buttons/levers for a more refine look with electronics. Yet the other day I was looking through the manual to see how to bring it up on the touch screen, only to find little to nothing about towing, much less a brake controller.
Thus I must now assume GM's flagship luxury SUV does not have one, despite costing upwards of $90k for a fully decked out one.

So let me know if I am just making an incorrect assumption?
If I am not and the Escalade does not come with one, what on earth could be the reasoning. Do they think people with Escalade's do not tow things?
 
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Vector

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I priced one out the other day at $104K. They do not have the JL1 option to best of my knowledge and a quick browse across the internet. What year is yours?

Mine is an early build 2015, but a friend who has a 2018 doesn't think his has one, though he does not tow anyway.

I just find it hard to believe their most expensive flagship SUV does not come with one standard. I was giving them credit for not having it in the panel as it looks somewhat industrial in the Sub much less the Denali. Frankly seeing one in the 2015 Denali made me think the engineers at Cadillac made the Escalade even more refined.
 

swathdiver

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I guess they figured that most Esky owners won't be towing much. GMCs don't have them standard either, it's either a stand alone option or part of a package; at least when mine was built.

I read a 17s manual and at least the wiring is there for it.
 
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PG01

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They still would have to have a manual brake control somewhere in the dash. As refined as they are there is no getting around that...something like thisimage.jpg
 

adventurenali92

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You are correct. The Escalade does not come with a trailer brake controller as standard equipment. I believe that wiring is there but that’s you have to purchase a controller from GM, although I’m not entirely sure where you’d mount it on an Escalade.
 

thirdcoast

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Yep, got one of those brake controllers on my El Cheapo 2018 Tahoe Custom, but it was an option included with the Max Trailering Package, RPO NHT, for $580.00..

RPO JL1 is the stand alone Brake Controller order code..
 

PG01

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You are correct. The Escalade does not come with a trailer brake controller as standard equipment. I believe that wiring is there but that’s you have to purchase a controller from GM, although I’m not entirely sure where you’d mount it on an Escalade.
Any aftermarket controller will work, cant adapt factory ones into the 07-14’s and im sure its the same on newer models...
 

adventurenali92

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Any aftermarket controller will work, cant adapt factory ones into the 07-14’s and im sure its the same on newer models...
I thought he was talking about the newer gen. My bad. Crazy that even the 2007-2014s don’t either. I didn’t know that.
 

Tahoe14

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Correct, it is an option and comes with the max trailering package. 07-14 you had to order the brake controller and the max trailering package as separate options.
 

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