Anyone ever swap tow mirrors for power folds?

I have a 2014 1500 Outdoorsman, and it came with tow mirrors. I like the mirrors just fine but I can't fit in the garage with them. A second problem is that, living on a military base, I have to be careful not to take out the cop at the gate checking ID's, haha. Anyways, I've seen on other forums, and have seen in some discussions here that people have swapped mirrors, although, usually TO tow mirrors instead of from them.

I'd like to swap my mirrors for the black power/heated/power folding ones that the Outdoorsman comes with, and realize it will take some leg work...new door control modules, new drivers master switch (for the power fold button) and of course, the mirrors themselves. Looks like the BCM needs to be reprogrammed also.

Has anybody ever done this successfully that you know of?

Theres a thread for someone looking to trade for these I think. Ill try and find a link for you.

Thanks for the help, Uneasy. Alright, soooo....I spent about an hour on the phone with Chrysler and they spoke to the Tech Connect folks (same ones the dealer calls) and the answer I got is:

While it technically can be done, it creates a big headache (meaning they don't want to) but, it has been done before. What was interesting is that, as people have mentioned, the check engine light comes on and some people ignore it. What they told me is that it causes a communication error and has caused people transmission damage. I thought that sounded ridiculous, but they were pretty fervent in stating that trucks have been in and out of shops because of improper configuration issues like this one causes. I just kinda shook my head and thought "fine". It was good to hear that despite this possibility, Chrysler is working on a uniform programming setup so that people can switch mirrors without all the hoops, and without risking damage. They suggested getting anyone else who might be interested in swapping mirrors to call in, even if you don't supply personal info/VIN info to them and ask them to get it done to the Ram helpline at (866) 726-4636.

So if you want to do a swap like I do, it may be good to call in so they can see the number of requests rise. Apparently it's widely requested and they are working on it, but have no estimation of when that might be. Till then, I'm still going to do some research and will build up the parts as I can.

Mirror Swaps Power fold or Tow Mirrors - Page 3 - Dodge Cummins Diesel Forum


This guy did it.

Thanks, MiRam. It looks like I just need to find a guy with an Outdoorsman who wants to swap mirrors, and get in touch with a dealer who has a good tech adviser that's willing to put the effort into it.

Guys: Need some help.

My 2014 Limited came with the standard power fold mirrors.


The mirrors were warped so I had them replace them.

Well, they replaced them with the trailer tow mirrors, so the power fold no longer works.

I am about to take delivery, they said they would ship me the colt reject power fold mirrors and have a local dealer install them for me (they we not local).

This is not the first issue with this dealer's service department.

Could they have screwed anything else up, like removing a module that was no longer needed with the trailer rows but is needed with the power folds?

I assume both mirrors mount the same way correct?

After reading others' experiences with this, talking to service managers in person and the Ram tech people over the phone, to switch the mirrors you have to swap door modules also, or they won't work correctly. Look to make sure they actually work, that your temp sensor works (it's in the driver's mirror assembly) and that your switches look correct. To do it right, it's more than just a simple swap. They do mount up the same, but use different brackets. Your power folds have an extra switch located in between the L and R button for your mirror adjustment.

The Ram people told me some dealers have been successful swapping them out, others caused perpetual check engine light issues (can be fixed with a complete re-build of your PCM programming) and others lost functionality of the driver's mirror because they didn't change out the door modules.

My advice, to ensure they don't do anything hokey, would be to not let them swap anything and get it exactly as you ordered it, unless you really want tow mirrors. If you do, you can have mine!

Thanks, but too late, the trailer tow mirrors are on the vehicle. Definitely not liking them.

They are supposed to order the stock power folds and have a sister dealership that is closer to me install them for me.

I'm sure this will be a nightmare, but we'll see.

Ah man, let us know how it goes. I don't like the tow mirrors either. A lot of people do but I'd much rather have the power folds. It'll be interesting to see how this goes. They already swapped them one way, it'll be good to see what it takes to get them back to normal.

EOD_Tex said:

Ah man, let us know how it goes. I don't like the tow mirrors either. A lot of people do but I'd much rather have the power folds. It'll be interesting to see how this goes. They already swapped them one way, it'll be good to see what it takes to get them back to normal.

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I love my trailer tow mirrors, until I go through the drive through at McDonald's or somewhere, then they get real annoying. I love the convex mirror part because I use it as a blind spot mirror.

Just out of curiousity, would switching my standard power/heated (non-power folding, no puddle or turn signal light) mirrors for a set of base tow mirrors cause the same problem? Or would it be simply plug and play?

loveracing1988---Totally agree about the convex mirrors, the blind spots are really minimized with those. These mirrors are problems for m when I drive to the gate to get on post, the guards have to move, lol.

supertrooper--from what I'm told and what I've seen in other forums, the mirror types have different door modules that are incompatible. While the harnesses ARE plug and play (assuming you have the same/compatible year equipment) the modules know what you're plugging in. The mirrors will probably work, but, at least on models that have the temp sensor moved to the mirror assembly, the sensor won't work without a computer update and will cause a check engine light. The Tech Adviser for Chrysler actually said that one guy changed his out, ignored the CEL and had transmission problems until they did a whole PCM re-programming. So they said, it was due to the computer not knowing how hot it was outside, which caused issues with the computer/transmission/engine slats (the ones that open and close on the grill) all talking to each other. He explained these trucks are like a big loop of information, things being passed all around constantly. I don't know if I buy all that, but he works for Chrysler and I don't...so I don't know. The end all story I got is that, YES, you can do the change/swap and do it right, but it takes some doing. He said they are working on updates so that this WILL be a simple plug and play change and he recommended calling the Ram helpdesk/customer service number, even if you don't want to give them your name and VIN, so they can log in additional calls for wanting this done and hopefully make it happen sooner than later.

I kinda have the same issue, I want to swap the tow mirrors that came with truck from the factory for non folding non tow mirrors, I have a 2016 Ram 1500 sport and I want to install the standard mirrors that come with the sport model, I don't have power fold control but I don't mind that, my question is will the connectors work or line up when going from tow to standard, has any one have the same issue or an answer on this? Thank you

nails65----After many circuitous conversations and trying to get FCA to issue a new program, they refused. FCA told my dealership, after they had already changed the hardware, that while they "can" build a new from-scratch program to enable a mirror swap, they won't do it. They acknowledged that they can, that they have, but stated that they will not. It didn't matter that the stock mirrors for my truck were power folds...I "upgraded" to tow mirrors and am stuck with them. The dealership told me that they couldn't get the mirrors to work. It's possible there was partial function as others have reported, so you may be able to do the change you're looking for. Can't be sure on that, though and the only thing I am sure of is that FCA tells us owners to get bent when it comes to support of this nature. Maybe your luck will change and they'll give you a different answer? If so, let us know!

From what they told me, the wiring is different depending upon your build. The Service Manual wiring diagrams and physical inspection disagree with that. Engineers at FCA told me, through the help line, that they don't build vast amounts of wiring sets, there are just a few and that is because of model similarity in options. Some wiring ports just aren't used. That said, it may work for you, however, you may still run into the programming problem that I did.

Going to grab the power fold module for my 16... Mine has a chrome trim around it, but I think that might be in the door panel and not the switch assembly.. ?? I've got mopar 68110867AA but it doesn't show with the chrome trim