Electronic Brake Throttle fault while towing

[wdscuba1]

I purchased a 2022 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel last year, primarily for the purpose of towing my travel trailer. The first trailer I tried to haul with it weighed about 8500 lbs. on a long trip, I got repeated error messages about the Electronic Throttle and had to stop and start the vehicle repeatedly in order to get out of limp mode.
Took it to two dealers who saw the codes but since they couldn’t replicate the problem, said there was nothing wrong. Contacted RAM corporate. No response.
Trying to diagnose the problem myself, I decided the trailer was too heavy for the vehicle and traded it for a smaller trailer (4500 lbs). At first, it seemed like that solved the problem, but it soon started throwing the same fault and going into limp mode.
Took it to the dealer again. They could see the codes but could not find a problem.
As soon as we left home for the trip we are currently on, the fault was thrown. Took it straight to the dealer who “fixed the problem” by finding a broken cable and repairing it.
We thought we were good, but 6000 miles later, the fault has thrown over 23 times.
Some details:
1) we drive the truck frequently without towing and the fault has NEVER thrown.
2) at first, we had tow/haul mode on and stability control off. We have since left stability control on and it seems to happen less, but still happens, and
3) when the electronic throttle control lightning bolt happens, it also says service stability control system.
It is at another dealer now, who is telling us they can see the codes but don’t find any problem, and despite our extended warranty (mopar) are trying to charge us for reading the codes since they found nothing wrong.

Has anyone had similar issues, and found a resolution?

 

[2003F350]

Haven't had those kinds of issues but the long and short of it is there's an issue with a sensor in the stability control system that's being triggered by the extra weight of the camper. What that issue is I couldn't begin to guess, you would need to have a computer hooked up and live-monitoring the stability control system while towing to see what it puts out before the code is thrown.

Some things to check on: What's your payload/rear axle weight ratings, and how much is the ACTUAL hitch weight of your truck with your WDH setup (you are using one, right?)? Any obvious wiring issues (non-factory appearing wire splices and whatnot)? How much weight are you carrying in the bed of your truck when you're pulling the camper?

See, a LOT of half ton trucks don't have much for payload or rear axle weight ratings, and some people fall into the trap of 'it'll tow this much weight!' which is really a bogus number, especially with RVs. Now, depending on the RV you're pulling (and I wouldn't buy the 4500 lb number, you need to have it scaled to know what it REALLY is - your '8500 lb' camper was probably closer to 9500 loaded) you're probably well under that number, but if you're piling a lot of stuff into the bed of the truck as well, then the truck very well could be overloaded and triggering your stability control issue.

Long story short, it's better to put your stuff in the camper if you can, as it will reduce how much overall weight the truck is seeing, and with the electronics these trucks have on them today, they'll complain about just about anything. After 25 years of towing I've seen a LOT, and most issues come down to weight.