Trailer Brake Controller Problems???

75

Asked by Oscar Jun 13, 2010 at 07:05 PM about the 2010 Dodge RAM 2500

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

I have a 2010 2500 with a 6.7 diesel. I have benn using it to tow my 6ton boat with surge brakes and recently put on electric over hydrauic brake system made by Dexter. When i use the controller to put on the brakes, it is almost instant but when i put my foot on the brake pedal  it has a 3 or 4 second delay to engage the trailer brakes. Is this normal? Can his be ajusted? What might be causing this?
Thanks,
         Oscar

26 Answers

290

Trailer brake problem same thing. I am towing a travel trailer and am having two problems that i cant figure out or find literature on. 1 is the delay of the trailer brake from the second i press the pedal it takes a couple seconds to start applying brake. 2 If i adjust the brakes for a setting like 8.0 it never reaches 8.0 i've never seen it go over 4.0 . Now i do realize that the trailer brake is applied gradually but i would expect it to reach it max setting when applied for a several seconds like at a stop light. another thing i haven't tried is slamming the brakes on hard and seeing if that makes a difference. If i figure anything out ill get back to this forum. good luck.

29 people found this helpful.
760

i have a 2010 3500 when i am pulling my trailer and i go over a bumb the alarm sounds saying trailer brake disconnected then a second later says trailer brake connected. if i am going over a bumby road the bell sounds every 5 seconds it drives me nuts.

76 people found this helpful.
1,055

possibility- i mean something to try but the trailer does use the receiver ball as the ground point if the inside of your trailer where the ball seats is rusted or dirty or same with actual ball itself you may not be getting a good ground which may cause the trailer brakes to kick in and out especially over bumps but very possibly to do it randomly-- try cleaning both and adding some kind of di-electric grease or some close sort of grease. idea may not fix but is still a good thing to do

9 people found this helpful.
33,345

basically what both of you are expiriencing is the fact that trailer brake controllers are measuring your input voltage from your brake pedal, as well as they have a gyro inside that determines how hard the truck is trying to stop, when you manually engage the brakes your immediately putting all the power to the trailer brakes no matter what. ive never had a trailer controller that doesnt have a delay to engage

8 people found this helpful.
435

I have a 2500 that does the disconnect/connect problem. It doesn't appear to be bump related because I can shake the s**t out of the wire/trailer and not have any problems. It appears to be speed related and/or time related. The RV dealer says it's the brake controller. The Truck dealer says it's the RV wiring and they only see this problem when the trailer has LED lights. A.) The braking works properly when it's connected. B) I have the same problem with trailers that don't have LED tail lights. I'm about ready to get rid of it and use an aftermarket brake controller.

23 people found this helpful.
555

sounds like the controller might have a problem will led light because leds take less voltz to power them it might be tricking the controller into thinking there is nothing hooked up to the truck my o1 dodge does the same thing with my led tail lights makes my turn signall blink fast to let me know the bulb is out

6 people found this helpful.
435

Turns out it was in the RV. I decided to trace out the wires and found a Scotch-lock connector that was barely connected inside the RV Floor. I went through and replaced all the Scotch-locks with crimp caps and shrink tubing. No problems at all now. LED lights had nothing to do with the electric brake wire. They are in different pins of the seven way connector. I did learn that the magnets in the electric brakes have an ohm reading just like car speakers. I was able to tell that the ohm reading was a little off and that is what made me trace the wires in the RV. Thanks to Dexter axles for publishing the ohm values in the owners manual. NO thanks to the RV dealer or the truck dealer.

16 people found this helpful.
320

I have a 2012 2500 with the 6.7 cummins, and I had the wiring harness replaced once already for the rear of the vehicle. The connector is in the splash zone from the front left tire, and this fills with water when driving in the rain. These are not always sealed, and will cause the trailer brakes to fail. You will never get max current flow to the trailer, due to the bad connect. After I had mine replaced, it functioned fine for nearly 3 thousand miles. But it failed again, and this time I found this out at the worst possible time. It cause me to be pushed by my trailer into the back of another vehicle. Unfortunately dodge will not recognize this as a issue, and tell you that there is nothing wrong with the design. Typical large company trying to brush another design problem under the carpet. This issue has made my truck unsafe to use to tow a trailer. Worst 63 thousand I ever spent.

16 people found this helpful.
430

I have a 2015 ram 3500 truck with a factory break controller the brakes worked fine on my trailer for about a week and then trailer disconnect signal come on trailer brakes or gone and coming back on saying connect it did this about 2 weeks and than it quite completely.Anybody have and answers on that?

43 people found this helpful.
340

Wish I had an answer for you. My 2015 3500 doesn't have the disconnect problem, it just has very weak brake action. I tow a car trailer, a 15000 pound 5th wheel and small 6000 pound camping trailer and the results are the same - weak trailer brake support. This really got my attention when I picked up our new Jaco Pinnical 5th wheel and almost rear-ended a car at the second stop light. Controller was set to Heavy Trailer electric brakes and gain on 10 (max). Main reason I bought this truck was to tow and am very disappointed with this system. Took it to the dealer and they updated the "moduale software" which made little to no difference. Anyone else having this issue?

32 people found this helpful.
130

My question is on our 2016 2500 ram diesel we don't have the controller in the truck like our 2014 ram 1500 non diesel. We are told it runs off the computer in the truck but we can't find any settings for in on the settings on the dash. We were also told it runs off the electric line that hooks in from the trailer. Are any of these right or do we need to install a brake box inside the truck? We just bought a 43 foot 5th wheel and I want to make sure the brakes will work

13 people found this helpful.
130

Oulanger owner operator of a 2016 ram 3500. Which has a default with the trailer brakes module system. We have a hotshot company who travels across country. We live in Savannah Georgia area and we have a our truck stuck in California. We have been every dealership from Tennessee, Nevada and California and there's no dealership that has been able to help. We are extremely disappointed that we are having this problem. Being that this truck cost us over $50,000 just the bare basic of its type and now this issue is causing our company a major loss in profit.

6 people found this helpful.
320

I had a problem with the integrated trailer brake system in my 2012 2500 and 2015 2500. Check the main connector behind the left front tire, as it will get moisture in it and loose continuity. The system need good continuity to work. Also check the wiring above the spare tire, as it may be damaged.

16 people found this helpful.
110

Have the same problem as EODJJ above towing my 5th wheel, 13,000 lbs behind my 2015, 6.7 cummings. I have very weak break action. Took it to a trailer repair place that had a magic box that plugged into 7 pin connection and checked all the systems, turn signal, break lights, charging power and output voltage. He tested my output and was only reading 7 volts output on Heavy electric trailer and gain of 10 (max). Did not matter if he hit the breaks or used the controller, only 7 volts output. He was unsure about dodge but told me if he hooked up to any of his tow trucks it would go to 12 volt. Took to dealer yesterday and they found nothing wrong and now want me to bring in the truck and trailer. Don't know what good that is going to do, except confirm what I am telling them the breaks have a weak signal. Getting really frustrated.

11 people found this helpful.
340

Guru I appreciate your frustration with the brakes and dealer since I got the same reaction at my dealership. I'm now looking for a trailer repair shop in my area that has the "magic box" you mentioned. I had Camping World test my 5th wheel's brakes using their Chevy 3500 and they worked as designed in normal and emergency braking scenarios. I like everything else about this truck so if needed - I'll put a completely separate brake system in it - that works.

2 people found this helpful.
130

I know we had found out once we called ram manufacturer 800# to complian. To our surprise that once you purchase any parts from a dodge dealership for your ram that you have a 2year warranty. So the those three dealerships that we went to show not have charge us for the brake modular. We finally found a dealership in LA after being unable to leave California for three days in a a until it was fixed and done. Ram is repaying us for paying for the extra modular that we did not have to purchase. Come to find out is that the first dealership we went to never reprogrammed the computer on the ram so it could identify the new modular. It took driving from ga to cailf for the dealership in LA to figure it out. Smdh

7 people found this helpful.
110

Thanks for the info, will Let you know the outcome when I'm done. Hope it can help you.

630

i have a 2011 Dodge Ram 2500 diesel that even when we don't have a trailer attached keeps telling us that the trailer brakes are disconnected and displays service trailer brakes how can i fix this?

63 people found this helpful.
220

I have a 2017 6.7 diesel Dodge Ram Cumming. My trailer plug 7 way receiver won't work with my 7 way goose neck trailer plug. It will plug in but signal lights and brake lights, electric brake won't engage. Top right leg of the truck plug in stays hot.

22 people found this helpful.
50

MY TOW LIGHT STAYS ON ALL THE TIME WHAT CAN I DO TO FIX THIS

5 people found this helpful.
30

I have a related issue... the 7-pin coming from the trailer fits very snugly (have to really force it) when inserted in the factory Mercedes Sprinter (2013) connector... but is loose and "wanders" in the 2018 Ram 2500 factory connector. In fact, once seated, the first mile or two down the road, it gets loose... and the dash says No Trailer. Took it to the dealer (unfortunately, without the trailer) and they say it works fine. They insert the tester, and let me do it myself, and sure enough it is snug. And all 7 pins work as specified. They literally don't believe me when I say it isn't snug with my trailer. And just for grins, the tester they used and let me use... is made by Mercedes! I'm getting by using a zip tie to hold it in. They are cheap, but it sure looks ridiculous. Anyone else have loose connector for the 7-pin?

3 people found this helpful.
50

Our connectors were pretty sloppy on our 2013 Ram 3500. Went through years of check trailer brake signals with everyone telling me there wasn’t a problem. Then I actually lost my trailer brakes on a 25 mph exit in Alabama & they still couldn’t pinpoint a problem. Now the TIPM has failed & the truc stopped altogether. Turns out the TIPM could be the reason for just about any problem including the trailer brakes. FCA is plagued with TIPM & electrical issues. Be wary.

5 people found this helpful.
10

I have a 2012 3500 and have always had a problem with the trailer brake controller (from the factory) suddenly alerting that the trailer brake is not working, even when I do not have a trailer attached. Most of the time this happens when it has been raining, but sometimes it is dry and has been dry for several days. Took the truck to the local dealer but they claimed that they had no idea what was causing the problem and I should just leave the truck with them while they look for the cause of the problem. Decided not to leave the truck and did not need a several hundred dollar bill and be told that they were not able to find the problem.

1 people found this helpful.
50

Just in case anyone is had the same problem I did. I read across forums that trailer brakes are soft. Dodge will not give up the answer. They want to charge you for an easy end user task and charge you out the bung hole. So, on your uconnect screen go to apps--setting-- scroll to trailer brake--click current and set it to heavy electric to get full 12.4 volt output. It seems a recent update caused my to reset to low electricn setting only putting out 9.5 Volts. Save yourself $75.00 and a headache and youtube it. It is a Freaking End User Adjustment that Dodge dealerships are screwing their customers over by letting you believe it is on on-board OBDII access adjustment. CROOKS !!!! Thank you to my local trailer company they showed me how to adjust it for ummmmm FREE !!

5 people found this helpful.

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