Brake Controller

[BossHogg]

I had explained the issue when I made the appt. Then she called me so I could explain to him my issues. He was instantly confrontational, rude to my wife and father, and showed no interest in addressing the issue other than to insinuate that I was an idiot.

Time to try another dealer, that is what Chrysler Customer Care would tell you.

 

[15BlueStreak]

So I had the dealer check my brake controller before I took delivery of my new truck. I also talked to mechanic that was going to look at it. He though it should have 12 volts at full gain to brakes but did not want to commit to it because he was not sure what ram has it setup for. Also he went on to say that my meter would not be able to read the pwm that the controller puts out. He said there diagnostic tool would be the most accurate. So they said they could not find anything wrong with it. However the mechanic sent an email to Ram to verify things. I tried to reference the star case with them. But that number boss posted is not the same as there star case numbers are listed. Theirs are much longer. Anyways I tried the brakes in driveway to see if they lockup. What I found interesting is there is a slight delay from when you slide the slider to full brake and when the brakes hit on trailer. In fact it almost seemed they did not hit until I let off brake on truck and let the truck roll at idle then a split second later the trailer stopped the truck. Kind of odd really. I will test it more tomorrow with a tow and see how it goes. I will keep the tekonsha when it comes for a backup just in case!

Nathan

 

[cc rider]

Mine lock up in the driveway too, even at slow speeds. It's when im doing at least 30 or 40ish (I think) that they don't give me enough braking. By the way should they even lock up at high speed or is there some kind of safety built in to keep you from Jackknifing

 

[15BlueStreak]

No they should not lockup. The proper way to set them up is to set gain just so they don't lock up pushing slider all the way doing 20 mph. My dad likes to set his up so that he feels the trailer hit before truck brakes. He likes the trailer to slow truck down a little. It is just a matter of preference. But you don't want them to lock up.

Nathan

 

[cc rider]

I know how to set them. I'm just wondering if you have the gain set to 10 and even put the slider to 100 at high speed and you hit the brakes hard in an emergency situation will you Jackknife. I guess I should have said can you , not should you.

 

[drittal]

Cruising at 20-25 I cannot lock up my trailer brakes on pavement or concrete with 10 gain heavy electric 100% slider. This is with an 8500lb toy hauler. However I seem to settle on 6.5 to 7.0 as what feels comfortable for most situations I have encountered.

How are we supposed to set our brakes for maximum braking effort if the controller won't let us following the instructions in the manual???

 

[BossHogg]

So I had the dealer check my brake controller before I took delivery of my new truck. I also talked to mechanic that was going to look at it. He though it should have 12 volts at full gain to brakes but did not want to commit to it because he was not sure what ram has it setup for.

From the RAM's owners' manual;
"This module has been designed and verified with
electric trailer brakes and new electric over hydraulic
systems."
That means 12 volts, just like ever other brake controller, OEM and after-market. I hate hearing about someone, unqualified, to say something so untrue about an issue so important. It is frustrating. I have the same issue with the dealers I've visited. Image telling me they hooked up a blower motor and because it ran, the brake controller is working as designed (see below), unbelievable!

Also he went on to say that my meter would not be able to read the pwm that the controller puts out. He said there diagnostic tool would be the most accurate. So they said they could not find anything wrong with it. However the mechanic sent an email to Ram to verify things. I tried to reference the star case with them. But that number boss posted is not the same as there star case numbers are listed.

A volt meter cannot measure the PWM unless you have a meter like a Fluke 289 which can read both the duty cycle and the time period on the PWM brake signal. A volt meter will read the equivalent DC voltage from the PWM signal.

I don't know how STAR case numbers are formatted, to eliminate any fat-********* here it is from the horse's mouth;



Here is the RV dealer's result of checking out the coach's brakes;

How are we supposed to set our brakes for maximum braking effort if the controller won't let us following the instructions in the manual???

Ah the $100 question I can't get Chrysler to answer outside of telling me to get my trailer brakes checked.

 

[Riccochet]

Chrysler won't do anything until there are injuries/deaths due to their flaw. Plausible deniability until they're forced to act.

Sad, really. They did the same thing with Wrangler heated mirrors. All kinds of reports of mirror housings melting and getting messed up. Chrysler did nothing until Jeep's started catching fire and did so with people inside.

 

[15BlueStreak]

I did a test drive with camper hooked up. Could not get trailer brakes to lock at all doing 20mph. Even with gain set to 10. This may be due to trailer weight or brake power don't know. Either way brakes seemed to function well. Did quite a few panic stops with gain at 5. Truck stopped in a hurry. My camper weighs between 8500 to 9000. Stops were done around 30 mph. So I guess I have nothing to compare to until I get an aftermarket. Then it's not really apples to apples comparison. I will say this my brakes will hold truck from moving when slider is held and give some throttle input to truck. So I guess I would say my brakes are functioning ok at this time. I will see when I do a longer tow on thursday and take some brake Temps to be sure. For my situation I think this w o uld be a hard issue to press since myself my truck does not appear to have any issues slowing my setup down. As stated before I think it's going to take a very unfortunate accident or a whole lot of people to complain to get any real action on this for Ram to give a definite answer. Maybe as more of these 2015 truck are used for towing more issues may arise.

 

[BossHogg]

I will say this my brakes will hold truck from moving when slider is held and give some throttle input to truck. So I guess I would say my brakes are functioning ok at this time. I will see when I do a longer tow on thursday and take some brake Temps to be sure. For my situation I think this w o uld be a hard issue to press since myself my truck does not appear to have any issues slowing my setup down.

It is all about how much voltage your trailer brakes need. On my fiver with Dexter axles and 12 inch electric brakes, I need 10.5 volts to lock the wheels (on gravel, they would lock on payment but Dexter told me this was normal), I am a few volts short with the ITBM but with the Prodigy, no problems.

Using the ITBM, holding the slide all the way will not stop the truck trailer with slight throttle input.

 

[cc rider]

Boss, you're starting to sound like a broken record . I think you and I are the only ones that have had the big fivers in the 13k range

By the way,getting harness replaced tomorrow.

 

[Kwhite]

Why are you getting harness replaced?

 

[cc rider]

No idea. That's what " tech" decided to do. He pulled connector off the bumper and thought water might have been getting in there cause it's not attached where it goes in the hole with ziptie/clip. I'm Going to have him look at connector too as some mentioned here and see what he thinks.

 

[Kwhite]

As soon as i get a chance im going to check my connection at the rear bumper, i know that it probably wont help, im hoping that a fix comes up soon for the controller, i submitted a complaint several weeks ago to the NHTSA but have not heard anything, please keep us informed

 

[cc rider]

Of course I will

 

[15BlueStreak]

I will be contacting my dealer next week to see if the tech has gotten a reply from ram. I don't really know if I should report to Nhsta or not since I "may" not have an issue with mine. However that could be different if I had a larger camper. Hmmm. Maybe I should upgrade!

 

[BossHogg]

Boss, you're starting to sound like a broken record .

I know, shame on me.

I'm about to give up, I've traveled every path I could find and can't find anyone at Chrysler that will listen. The dealers tell me it works as designed despite the overwhelming evidence in doesn't.

Since I put the effort in to writing a paper for the NTSB, I may send it off to a few rags to see if anyone would publish it, that could bring attention.

 

[drittal]

I know, shame on me.

I'm about to give up, I've traveled every path I could find and can't find anyone at Chrysler that will listen. The dealers tell me it works as designed despite the overwhelming evidence in doesn't.

Since I put the effort in to writing a paper for the NTSB, I may send it off to a few rags to see if anyone would publish it, that could bring attention.

Try "The Fast Lane Truck" and Mr. TRUCK. Maybe they can verify an issue and get an answer.

 

[Riccochet]

Just replace the damn thing with a Prodigy P3 and be done with it. It'll cost you more in fuel going back and forth to the dealer trying to get the stock controller fixed.

 

[BossHogg]

Just replace the damn thing with a Prodigy P3 and be done with it. It'll cost you more in fuel going back and forth to the dealer trying to get the stock controller fixed.

I and many others have long ago installed Prodigy brake controllers which can be discovered by browsing the 20 pages of this thread but, that isn't the point of this.