Automatic Door Locks Will Unlock, but Won't Lock

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Dwily

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My 13 ram is having the exact same problem. Anybody know what it cost to get the BCM replaced
 

Nystagmus

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I had a ‘13 in ‘14 that had this problem. My dealer never could fix the problem. I guess it was before the solution was discovered.
 
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BIGRed333

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OP here. It's been 2 years since they replaced my BCM. Haven't had any issues since it was replaced. My invoice says the FP-number (whatever that is) is 68200252-AF and the Description says "MODULE BO 08035029."
 

rdukw

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My truck has been having the door lock issue as well. Zt has been at the dealer twice now and all they do is re flash or reconfigure the BCM. They refuse to replace it. Has anyone tried to have their BCM rebuilt. I contacted these guys ( https://moduleexperts.com/body-control-module/ ) but they could not guarantee they could repair it.
 

aepowell

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After I showed this thread to my service manager mine was replaced under the waranty. They had tried everything they could to fix it. I havent had any problems since.
 

Ram13BH

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My truck has been having the door lock issue as well. Zt has been at the dealer twice now and all they do is re flash or reconfigure the BCM. They refuse to replace it. Has anyone tried to have their BCM rebuilt. I contacted these guys ( https://moduleexperts.com/body-control-module/ ) but they could not guarantee they could repair it.

No, replacing the BCM is the only way to fix this. The dealership diagnostics (for whatever reason) lead in the wrong direction every time.
 

rdukw

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And surprise surprise less than 24 hours after picking the truck up the locks still don't work. How did you guys go about finally getting the dealer to replace the BCM. My dealer seams to want to do everything but replace the bad part. I have gone as far as sending them this forum link and it had no affect on their decision to not replace the BCM
 

rdukw

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Everyone who has had this problem or continues to have this problem needs to file a complaint with the NHTSA immediately. This is a major safety issue as the it makes the child safety locks inoperable. If enough people complain hopefully they will put out a recall.
 

Mega-Hemi

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I did a little debugging on this issue. The wiring diagram for the door locks (attached) shows the following:

Connector C on the BCM housing
Pin 1 = Driver's door only unlock output signal
Pin 2 = Lock/unlock input signal (from door switch and key fob)
Pin 3 = Unlocks all other doors output signal (excluding the tailgate, this is a separate signal as well)

Pin 1 and 3 would normally be connected together but in the EVIC settings there is an option to make 1 press of key fob unlock only the driver's door (and tailgate) and a double press unlock all the doors. So these need to be separate output signals. If you do not carry around too many passengers, this is a redneck fix because the drivers side unlock and lock both work, the other doors are the problem as they do not lock.

Here is a diagram that shows the location of the three pins described above.

aeA2s2wlNUUDzoErDkUy5AvqHp5mtRfvlI6pz=w490-h727-no.jpg

Looking at these signals with an oscilloscope (with the dated time stamp from 1993, still works great!), all the unlock signals are close to the same on pin 1, 2, and 3. However, the lock signal is the same for the pin 2 input signal and pin 1 driver's door but has an unlock signal for pin 3 which controls the other three doors. Hence the problem we are all facing.

6Gmm9v6ixdADZmS95UTCSAlDPsK3VjSinrag=w1767-h957-no.png

It is quite possible the BCM's microcontroller firmware is misinterpreting the lock input signal. I've traced the signal on the PCB connector to the relay driver and nothing seems out of the ordinary. There is a simple Darlington relay driver whose input is connected to a microcontroller and ouput connected to the relay that drives the door lock actuator on the BCM PCB. The input signal to the driver is the same as the output just lower power which is indicative of a software issue with misinterpreting whatever signal tells the BCM to lock the doors.

Two interesting side notes:
1) Sometimes when the brake is applied, a warning shows up in the EVIC that says I have a parking brake out. This is a false positive. Possibly a related problem with the BCM as it likely controls these warning indications as well.
2) Since day 1 of owning my truck I took the cover off the tailgate and disabled the tail gate lock by simply unplugging the connector. The door lock problem might be related but it took 3 years for it to start showing up. Have others done the same by chance?

The BCM has to have a software flash by the dealership to function properly. I've purchased a used one for $80 from eBay that I am going to install in the dealership parking lot then get them to flash it. The BCM flashing manual says it takes 0.2 hours but the dealership says it costs $130, maybe that includes the labor to remove it as well. It is simply a flash using the OBD-II port underneath the steering wheel according to the flashing manual.

I'll let everyone know how it works out and the best way to avoid paying the dealershipp $$$ if your truck is out of warranty.

So, what would happen if we put a jumper in between pins 1 & 3? Is it possible to run both sets of actuators off pin 1?


UPDATE:
Disregard, that would only affect the unlock side, not lock.
 
Last edited:

marcus defey

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Read your analysis of this and am impressed. Was the BCM repairable. Also you mentioned you would take it to the dealer and you swap it and they flash it-how did that work out.
 

bmeyer2017

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I have really been looking into replacing the BCM myself. I don't think the truck will start without the BCM being programmed by the dealer, but I have a dealer down the street from me and will just have AAA tow it there so the dealer can program it.

One of the previous comments said they wanted to try and change the BCM in the dealer parking lot but after looking under the dash the BCM is buried under a lot of things and I may be wrong but it looks like the bracket for the pedals will need to come out to even get to the BCM.
 

yipykyah

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The tailgate has a dedicated wiring path from the BCM for the lock and unlock. For the doors, the path for the lock come off the BCM and hit the drivers door first. After that, it daisy chains for the other doors.

Since the drivers door will lock repeatedly, then you have a break on the daisy chain for the lock circuit going to the other doors.

https://techauthorityonlinedemo.extra.chrysler.com/service/repair/wiring/view/classic.htm
https://techauthorityonlinedemo.extra.chrysler.com/service/repair/wiring/view/classic.htm
locka.jpg

lock.jpg
Hootbro

I am having the same problem with my 13 Ram 1500, as well as the doorlock button on the inside of driver's door doing the same thing. The url you posted doesn't work. Where on the truck do I look to find the ground wire? Thanks.
 

BossHogg

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Add my 2013 RAM to the list. I've scheduled two visits to the dealer's service department and, as Murphy would predict, both times in all doors locked. Get home and they don't. Showed the dealer a video, said no help to them, they need it to be failing in order to diagnose.
 

Mega-Hemi

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Mines still hit or miss. Doesn’t work for a day, works fine the next.
 

bmeyer2017

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I have really been looking into replacing the BCM myself. I don't think the truck will start without the BCM being programmed by the dealer, but I have a dealer down the street from me and will just have AAA tow it there so the dealer can program it.

One of the previous comments said they wanted to try and change the BCM in the dealer parking lot but after looking under the dash the BCM is buried under a lot of things and I may be wrong but it looks like the bracket for the pedals will need to come out to even get to the BCM.

I just changed my BCM this past weekend. It is fairly hard to get to and I wouldn't recommend trying to change it in the parking lot of a dealership. It took me about 4 hours to do with trial and error on what needed to be removed, but I figured I would do a write up to help someone else out since I couldn't find anything on how to do it.

To take it out you need to remove the panel under the steering wheel and small squsare panel above the parking brake release (just so you can see everything) then remove the black amp looking thing. It has two 7mm (socket size) screws that you loosen on the amp bracket underneath a grounding bolt that also has to be removed and then there's one more 7mm screw way up on the top of the amp bracket. I used a few socket extensions to get that one out. Then the plastic side kick panel and parking brake bracket have to be removed. The kick panel just pops out but the parking brake has three 13mm nuts to remove. Those nuts can be difficult to reach and easy to loose. Once the parking brake bracket/ pedal is loosened just maneuver it around any wires and out of the way; the cable can stay attached. Now you should have clear access to the wire connectors on the BCM. Some of the connectors (I think two of them) have a tab on the top that you push down on the top to release but the others are like a cam lock style (similar to an engine wiring connector) that you slide upwards and they pop out. All of the wire connectors were easier to remove then I thought they would be. Then to remove the BCM remove the four 10mm nuts on each corner, again these are hard to reach with a tool and could get lost. I used a pencil magnet so I wouldn't loose them. After all that you should be able to finagle the BCM out and put the new one in in reverse order.

I was expecting the truck to need to be towed to the dealer but mine actually started. I just had a ton of warnings come up on the dash to service systems (Service 4x4 System, Service trailer brake, Service ABS, etc.) and the radio was locked out. I drove mine to the dealer right away so they could program/ flash it. It's takes the dealer about an hour to program it.
 

Rocket32

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Yup. When they flashed my BCM during the recall it still didn't fix it and my doors still don't lock all the time. Till I can afford to replace the BCM I will just manually lock all four doors if I need to
 

Mikedodge78

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I have a 13 RAM 1500, and have had the same problem with my door locks for the past year. I lock the doors and always have 1 or 2 doors locks stay open or not lock, the specific door changes frequently, and right now the 2 passenger doors are not working. I brought it to the dealer a few days ago and they said I need to change both actuators. The truck does not have a full warranty and they want 900. After reading this forum and getting nowhere with service advisor, I spoke with the service manager, and let him know this was a common issue related to the bcm module. They agreed to check further and have had the truck a few days and I am waiting to hear back. I filed a complaint with the NHTSA. If there is a Ram social specialist that can help any further please contact me.
 

Nystagmus

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It’s NOT the actuators. Don’t pay to have them replaced !!!
 

Mikedodge78

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Right away I said no to the actuators, they charge a 150 diagnostic fee if you decide not to do the repair. Got into a heated argument with service advisor over the diagnosis. I used all the information I learned from previous posts on this site, and was able to convince the service manager to check further into bcm module issues. I have had the truck 5 yrs, and it only has 30k. Strange to get a diagnosis of 2, and possibly 4 actuators needing to be replaced from a ram dealer.
 
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