"What DON'T you like about your 5th Gen RAM"?

[Tulecreeper]

Wow. Seems to me like it probably would’ve been the better option to just get a truck that had the electric door locks and the passive entry system so that like, reverting back to the Lowes incident, even if you were arm-carrying those bags of rock, you could’ve just walked over there to your driver side door handle, grabbed it, and all the doors, including the tailgate would unlock for you and being that you said you primarily keep your tonneau cover unlocked, you could’ve just walked back there with one hand, threw up your cover and let the tailgate down.

Or if none of that electronic/electric stuff was desired, I would’ve gotten a truck that didn’t even have a key fob but one thing about it, you could just go buy you another tailgate handle that has a key cylinder in it so that you could unplug the wiring harness that goes to the lock actuator in the tailgate and then after you had that new cylinder keyed to your ignition/door key, you’d have full control over whenever your tailgate was locked.

I didn't want any electronic stuff on it. I was surprised it came with a push-button start and no keyed tailgate lock. Getting a keyed ignition wasn't an option/delete thing when I ordered it. I bought the truck the way it is because I wanted the towing and cargo capacity, period. That, and because RAM is the only manufacturer with that kind of towing capacity that would allow me to order a truck; all the others required that I take what was available on the lot. All of them had way more truck than I wanted for way more money than I wanted to pay. I didn't even get carpeting or cloth seats because to get either one I had to buy one of the $1500-$2000 option packages that came with a whole bunch of other stuff I also didn't want nor need.

As for the tailgate thing. Another thing I didn't want nor need is the backup camera mounted in the tailgate handle. It comes on the UConnect screen when I put it in reverse even if I have the system turned off. And because it's annoying, I put a piece of electrical tape over the camera lens. Although that is a good idea, changing out the tailgate handle, I think I would have to replace the whole tailgate because it's got the electronic actuator in there. Also, if I disconnect the wiring I think I would get a continuous alert that #1- the tailgate is open, or, #2- the camera is malfunctioning, or #3- some other BS warning I won't be able to override.

No, I'm pretty much stuck with what I have. I love the truck and its handling, power, and towing capabilities. It's just the electronic crap that's frustrating me.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Wait a second… you say you have manual locks, but how is it you have the passive entry door handles that has the lock button on the outside of the handle and the touch sensor on the inside, or what exactly are you talking about that you have when you say you “push the lock button on the door”?

I don't have passive entry - I don't even know what that means. When I lock the doors, I push down the lock button on the top rear of the inside of the door.

 

[corneileous]

I didn't want any electronic stuff on it. I was surprised it came with a push-button start and no keyed tailgate lock. Getting a keyed ignition wasn't an option/delete thing when I ordered it. I bought the truck the way it is because I wanted the towing and cargo capacity, period. That, and because RAM is the only manufacturer with that kind of towing capacity that would allow me to order a truck; all the others required that I take what was available on the lot. All of them had way more truck than I wanted for way more money than I wanted to pay. I didn't even get carpeting or cloth seats because to get either one I had to buy one of the $1500-$2000 option packages that came with a whole bunch of other stuff I also didn't want nor need.

I don’t know man, all I can say at this point is maybe you just shouldn’t of bought a new truck and maybe should’ve gotten something a lot older with a lot less technology, something that you could’ve built yourself without getting too crazy in a major project if all this electronic stuff bothers you that bad.

But yeah, that’s pretty crazy that they now have the keyless start as standard equipment. Being that, I guess you do have manual door locks and no key to put into the ignition that they would’ve come up with someway so that if you ever did leave your fob inside the cab of the truck, that you wouldn’t be able to lock yourself out because see, with the passive entry system like my truck has, I also have the push button start like you do but if I was to someday not have my head on straight and try to lock the truck manually from the inside door lock button on the armrest, my horn will hold once, and the driver door will automatically unlock as soon as I close the door.

As for the tailgate thing. Another thing I didn't want nor need is the backup camera mounted in the tailgate handle. It comes on the UConnect screen when I put it in reverse even if I have the system turned off. And because it's annoying, I put a piece of electrical tape over the camera lens.

Wow. Lol. I don’t necessarily need a back up camera either but, aside from it being kind of a mandatory thing for all vehicles manufactured after 2017, it does make it nice for hitching up to a trailer so I will say that.

Although that is a good idea, changing out the tailgate handle, I think I would have to replace the whole tailgate because it's got the electronic actuator in there.

In that case, you would just still get the new tailgate handle that has a lock cylinder in it but instead of disconnecting the wiring harness to the lock actuator if you’re worried about it causing any kind of warning message to show up on your dash, you should be able to just disconnect the lock actuator from the tailgate handle so that even though it will still do its thing, it won’t actually lock the handle. Or, you could try putting a piece of electrical tape over the buttons inside your key fob to make it so that pushing those two buttons won’t lock or unlock your tailgate.

But actually as I was typing all that, I just realized that in order for you to be able to remove your tailgate if you ever wanted to put a slide in camper back there, your truck should’ve come with a wide, rectangular plastic wiring harness cover that covers the plug where you’d have to disconnect the wiring harness for your tailgate from the back of the bed so if you unplugged that harness, you’d disable your back up camera and your lock actuator all in one shot.

 

[corneileous]

I don't have passive entry - I don't even know what that means. When I lock the doors, I push down the lock button on the top rear of the inside of the door.

Oh, OK, I got confused when you said button because that’s actually a plunger just like they always have been.

But now I’m curious… Even though the only electric lock you have on that truck is on your tailgate, does your tailgate automatically lock when you start driving over 20 miles an hour?

 

[Tulecreeper]

Oh, OK, I got confused when you said button because that’s actually a plunger just like they always have been.

I've never heard the term "lock plunger", only "lock button".

But now I’m curious… Even though the only electric lock you have on that truck is on your tailgate, does your tailgate automatically lock when you start driving over 20 miles an hour?

Not that I know of, but how would I know? It doesn't say anything about that in the manual, and it's not something I've seen in the UConnect settings menu. If it does automatically lock, then it automatically unlocks again when I stop the truck.

 

[corneileous]

I've never heard the term "lock plunger", only "lock button".

Lock plunger might not be necessarily the 100% correct term because on a lot of the older vehicles, it was in the shape of an upside down plunger which is why a lot of people referred to it as that but it certainly isn’t a button in the general sense because it’s not electric and it’s more of a lever than anything. In modern terms when somebody says door lock button, they’re referring to the buttons top of the armrest for example that operate electric door locks.

Not that I know of, but how would I know? It doesn't say anything about that in the manual, and it's not something I've seen in the UConnect settings menu. If it does automatically lock, then it automatically unlocks again when I stop the truck.

Well, being that you have manual door locks, it probably doesn’t, but then again, you wouldn’t hear it if it did, but let me ask you… Has there ever been any time where you’ve tried though open your tailgate to find out that it was locked and you were sure that you never did push the lock button on your fob to lock it? Even before you answer that question, I would have to take an educated guess and say it probably doesn’t and that if it was ever locked when you didn’t expect it to be, it was probably locked because you accidentally pushed the lock button on the fob.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Lock plunger might not be necessarily the 100% correct term because on a lot of the older vehicles, it was in the shape of an upside down plunger which is why a lot of people referred to it as that but it certainly isn’t a button in the general sense because it’s not electric and it’s more of a lever than anything. In modern terms when somebody says door lock button, they’re referring to the buttons top of the armrest for example that operate electric door locks.

Well, being that you have manual door locks, it probably doesn’t, but then again, you wouldn’t hear it if it did, but let me ask you… Has there ever been any time where you’ve tried though open your tailgate to find out that it was locked and you were sure that you never did push the lock button on your fob to lock it? Even before you answer that question, I would have to take an educated guess and say it probably doesn’t and that if it was ever locked when you didn’t expect it to be, it was probably locked because you accidentally pushed the lock button on the fob.

I have had the truck for 3 1/2 months and I have not one time purposely pushed the button to lock the tailgate, except to test it. However it has been locked on numerous occasions when I tried to open it, so it had to be when it got pushed in my pocket.

 

[corneileous]

I have had the truck for 3 1/2 months and I have not one time purposely pushed the button to lock the tailgate, except to test it. However it has been locked on numerous occasions when I tried to open it, so it had to be when it got pushed in my pocket.

Well, like I said earlier, you can disable your back up camera and that electric locking tailgate all in one shot by unplugging the wiring harness that plugs your tailgate into the back of the bed.

 

[jejb]

Even though it’s outlined below which one of the two things I said you were referring to, there was two options that I wrote up there so what’s wrong with leaving your fob in the cab of the truck? That way you don’t have to worry about leaving your door open.

As I said, I'm just not comfortable doing that. I've read of scenarios where the truck locked itself with the key fob in it. Also in my case, my fob has keys on it for locking/unlocking the house/RV shed/trailer locks/etc. I'm generally doing one of those things when have the truck running when I exit it, so I need the fob with me.

I just hate the idea of not having the fob/keys with me all the time also. Sometimes I'm WAY out in the boonies. Locking my keys in the truck would be a major PITA.

Not sure I understand what you’re getting at…

If you have a 4 door truck running, before closing the drivers door when you get out of it, hold the key fob up against the outside glass on the drivers side rear door. Then close the drivers door. No honking and you have the key fob with you. You have to remember to do it, but it's no more work than remembering to leave the fob in the truck.

 

[jejb]

Of course, with any kind of technology like that, there’s going to be new problems that will arise that could possibly happen to someone but it’s not a reason to not be a fan of the technology. In the case of the Arlington cemetery, I would’ve had the key fob in my pocket which is what I already do anyways.

As for the spouse who left on an airplane with the key to the vehicle in her bag, why wasn’t the key fob in the other spouses front pocket who I’m assuming did the driving and dropped her off? Yeah, those are both unfortunate events but the way I see it, both of those could’ve very easily been avoided.

I can sort of understand it. All of our vehicles are push button start. I ALWAYS have my truck fob/keys with me. We have our "grocery getter" which is our around our area car. We both drive it a lot, so the fob's for it hang on a hook. When we go someplace together, we don't always both grab a fob. As long as one is in the car, it'll start. But we are both very aware of who has the fob and it's never been an issue. But I kind of get it.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Well, like I said earlier, you can disable your back up camera and that electric locking tailgate all in one shot by unplugging the wiring harness that plugs your tailgate into the back of the bed.

Yes, and then how would I lock my tailgate when I actually needed to?

 

[corneileous]

As I said, I'm just not comfortable doing that. I've read of scenarios where the truck locked itself with the key fob in it. Also in my case, my fob has keys on it for locking/unlocking the house/RV shed/trailer locks/etc. I'm generally doing one of those things when have the truck running when I exit it, so I need the fob with me.

I just hate the idea of not having the fob/keys with me all the time also. Sometimes I'm WAY out in the boonies. Locking my keys in the truck would be a major PITA.

Well then I guess what you’re gonna have to start doing is just start turning your truck off if you’re not comfortable leaving the fob in the cab and closing the door with it idling or if you don’t want your horn honking at you when you take the fob with you because it’s got other keys on it. I don’t know really what more to tell you guys other than if you have the push button start and the passive entry system where your front door handles have the lock button on the outside of the handle and the touch sensor on the inside of the handle that it should be completely impossible to lock yourself out if you leave the key in the truck and accidentally hit the lock button or anything else. I haven’t yet tried this with the engine running, but I do know for a fact that if everything is turned off that I cannot lock my key inside the truck because if the key is in there and I close the door with the door locked, my horn will honk and it will immediately unlock the driver door as soon as the door closes.

If you have a 4 door truck running, before closing the drivers door when you get out of it, hold the key fob up against the outside glass on the drivers side rear door. Then close the drivers door. No honking and you have the key fob with you. You have to remember to do it, but it's no more work than remembering to leave the fob in the truck.

Hmm.

 

[corneileous]

I can sort of understand it. All of our vehicles are push button start. I ALWAYS have my truck fob/keys with me. We have our "grocery getter" which is our around our area car. We both drive it a lot, so the fob's for it hang on a hook. When we go someplace together, we don't always both grab a fob. As long as one is in the car, it'll start. But we are both very aware of who has the fob and it's never been an issue. But I kind of get it.

The only thing I can say to that is that with all this brand new technology, some of it comes with responsibility to keep yourself out of a bind and if one can’t except that responsibility then they need to just get something that doesn’t have any technology and be more inconvenienced. Sure, having manual door locks, no fob, no push button start or passive entry virtually equals 100% full proof but you can’t have both.

 

[corneileous]

Yes, and then how would I lock my tailgate when I actually needed to?

Well then like I was saying yesterday, you would go on one of those plentiful Mopar online part sites and buy you a new tailgate handle that has a lock cylinder in it and if it doesn’t come with its own key which, I kinda doubt it will, then you would go to either the dealer or probably most likely to a locksmith and have them re-key that lock cylinder to the key that’s inside your fob or whatever it is you have. I’m assuming your fob looks similar to this one in the screenshot, correct?

After that, the same key you use to lock and unlock your truck, you would use to lock and unlock the tailgate.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Well then like I was saying yesterday, you would go on one of those plentiful Mopar online part sites and buy you a new tailgate handle that has a lock cylinder in it and if it doesn’t come with its own key which, I kinda doubt it will, then you would go to either the dealer or probably most likely to a locksmith and have them re-key that lock cylinder to the key that’s inside your fob or whatever it is you have. I’m assuming your fob looks similar to this one in the screenshot, correct?

After that, the same key you use to lock and unlock your truck, you would use to lock and unlock the tailgate.

As I said, your tailgate idea is good, but I'm sure I would need to replace the entire tailgate and not just the lock mechanism. The whole tailgate is set up for the electronic lock system - the actuator, the bolts, the wiring - and I don't think I can just pull the existing one and replace it with a keyed lock mechanism. Even if it could be done, the whole tailgate would need to be gutted for the new parts and that would cost as much as a new tailgate.

And yes, my fob looks like that, except the Open/Close buttons are for the tailgate only.

 

[PolarisCobra]

Seems to me that in the 'old' days, when you had a standard brass key that you had to put in the ignition to start your truck, you could easily get out with it running, and if the door is locked when you close it, you won't have an easy time getting back in. What is different?

My easy solution (I do this all the time at the gas station for example) is to lower the window about half way, so I can reach in and unlock the door if I do something silly.

 

[corneileous]

As I said, your tailgate idea is good, but I'm sure I would need to replace the entire tailgate and not just the lock mechanism. The whole tailgate is set up for the electronic lock system - the actuator, the bolts, the wiring - and I don't think I can just pull the existing one and replace it with a keyed lock mechanism. Even if it could be done, the whole tailgate would need to be gutted for the new parts and that would cost as much as a new tailgate.

And yes, my fob looks like that, except the Open/Close buttons are for the tailgate only.

I may be wrong but you shouldn’t have to replace the whole tailgate or even gut anything out of it because to my knowledge, the trucks that have locking tailgates should use the same exact tailgate handle as the trucks that don’t have locking tailgates but if you’re really curious about this, call up your local Dodge dealer and ask them if they have a key-lockable tailgate handle that will fit your truck so that you have the ability to use a key to also lock and unlock it.

I’m not sure on the new body style trucks, but I can tell you for a fact that on the fourth GEN trucks, even those that came with the electric-locking tailgate, having the ability to lock and unlock your tailgate with the key was an option that, in other words, there are some trucks out there that have an electronic tailgate lock but no way to unlock the tailgate if their battery was to ever die on them or they somehow lost power to the tailgate. I see absolutely no reason why that design option wouldn’t have carried on to the newer trucks.

All you gotta do is just make a phone call to your dealer and they should be able to tell you.

 

[corneileous]

Seems to me that in the 'old' days, when you had a standard brass key that you had to put in the ignition to start your truck, you could easily get out with it running, and if the door is locked when you close it, you won't have an easy time getting back in. What is different?

What do you mean, what is different? Sure, back then if you did that you’d go real quick from having a good day to a bad day but with the newer technology, you shouldn’t have to worry about that.

My easy solution (I do this all the time at the gas station for example) is to lower the window about half way, so I can reach in and unlock the door if I do something silly.

Sure, there’s nothing wrong with that but being that I always keep the key fob in my pocket, I don’t have to lower the window to make sure I can get back in my truck if something were to happen and even if my truck was all the sudden lose power, I have the little valet key inside my fob that I can at least unlock the truck.

 

[Tulecreeper]

Seems to me that in the 'old' days, when you had a standard brass key that you had to put in the ignition to start your truck, you could easily get out with it running, and if the door is locked when you close it, you won't have an easy time getting back in. What is different?

My easy solution (I do this all the time at the gas station for example) is to lower the window about half way, so I can reach in and unlock the door if I do something silly.

I'm probably going to jinx myself here, but I can recall only one time locking my keys in my vehicle, and that was in about 1988. I had fished a bass tournament that day, and because it was hot I had left my window cracked about an inch. When I returned and realized my keys were in the ignition, I stuck one of my rods through the opening with a crankplug on it and was actually able to pull the keys out of the ignition and back out the window. Actually surprised my self that it worked.

 

[Tulecreeper]

I may be wrong but you shouldn’t have to replace the whole tailgate or even gut anything out of it because to my knowledge, the trucks that have locking tailgates should use the same exact tailgate handle as the trucks that don’t have locking tailgates but if you’re really curious about this, call up your local Dodge dealer and ask them if they have a key-lockable tailgate handle that will fit your truck so that you have the ability to use a key to also lock and unlock it.

I’m not sure on the new body style trucks, but I can tell you for a fact that on the fourth GEN trucks, even those that came with the electric-locking tailgate, having the ability to lock and unlock your tailgate with the key was an option that, in other words, there are some trucks out there that have an electronic tailgate lock but no way to unlock the tailgate if their battery was to ever die on them or they somehow lost power to the tailgate. I see absolutely no reason why that design option wouldn’t have carried on to the newer trucks.

All you gotta do is just make a phone call to your dealer and they should be able to tell you.

Yeah, no key for mine...electronic only, which I think is a very bad idea for the reason you mentioned.

I don't think it would use the same handle. On a tailgate with a keyed handle, you have to pull the handle out maybe an inch to physically move the latching bars that hold it shut. On my electronic-only tailgate handle, I barely have to touch it and the tailgate unlatches. Not much more pressure than you have to use to push the buttons on your fob. It's basically just a push-button bar that indents maybe 1/8 inch and activates the actuator to withdraw the latching bars.

I am going to contacvt the dealer about it though. Maybe they'll just trade the manual locking tailgate for mine, mine being worth way more than a locking one.