Complaint 2237246

Complaint Summary

BACK OVER PREVENTION: WARNINGS

Owner Narrative

2026 Ram 3500 with <2700 miles. The trailer brakes are not applied appropriately when using the brake pedal, even though it will brake appropriately (with 1 of 3 trailers) while squeezing the manual override. This includes all brake levels (1-10 gain). When the trailer is disconnected, the truck will brake and show the appropriate level of pressure on the dash, though when the trailers are connected, one might press their foot 50% of the way down on the pedal while only 5% of the pressure is displayed on the dash and applied to the trailer brakes. This has nearly caused 3 separate accidents while towing (16,600 pounds total) when people merged and braked hard in traffic. Ram dealership initially refused to investigate until persisting and becoming very angry. At that point, the issue was confirmed. Brake module parts are pending replacement at this time. Their current "test methods" don't include an actual trailer and are insufficient to diagnose and identify the issue. There is no doubt that this will kill someone at some point. There was eventually a service trailer brake system message that popped up, though this wasn't persistent and went away automatically, not stored permanently, when the trailer disconnected. This message appeared previously approx 3 times, though there was no trailer connected to the truck at the time. Proximity sensors in the front and rear are also faulty, delaying notification of item in proximity, not displaying at all, or randomly being accurate. It also detects traffic that is a significant distance away. The same Ram dealership repeated the issue and called this "normal or expected behavior". It is, most definitely, not, and may present a danger to small children walking around the vehicle, pets, or potentially property due to the lack of notification of objects present.

Owner-submitted narrative on file with NHTSA. Complaint narratives are self-reported and have not been verified.