Has anyone installed the Mopar Trailer Brake Controller?

[robynE]

I wanted to look at the whole manual but I can't find it anywhere. I was going to call Mopar but they don't have a number! Anyone have a link to a copy of the manual?

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[No Spark V6]

Oh so the Mopar one does give light indicators? I had been asking this all along and responses said no indicators. I can live with colored lights! I will definitely reconsider the Mopar one as I also do not like having to mount the P3 and banging my knee on it. Its also overkill big time for what I'm towing. I really prefer the clean install of the Mopar one.

By the way, It wasn't really a poor practice situation. I would have had to climb under the camper and visually inspect the brake lines to find that there was a cut in the line. The trailer lights were all still functioning. I camp alone so my standard practice when I pull out is I call my roommate and he stands at the front door and watches me test all my lights and turn signals and everything checked out. There is no indicator of electric brake failure that I know of other than the P3. I also check tire pressure before every trip.

I hear you on the stop and go brake check, and I should have done that, but I hadn't been doing that as I was always able to just rely on the P3 to see that pressure was being applied. The P3 shows in numbers the degree of braking being applied. In the case the morning I pulled out and the brakes weren't working, the P3 was showing intermittent brake connectivity so I'm assuming the line wasn't completely severed but eventually was by the time I got on the highway. I honestly thought the P3 was malfunctioning and not actual brake failure. Dumb of me to think that! I should default to the opposite assumption.

My trailer is about 2700 pounds, so I'm not going to feel it pushing the Jeep much unless I did a slam on the brakes scenario like when I'm initially setting up the controller.

Thanks for posting the page from the Mopar controller. This is a game changer.

Someone can correct me if I'm wrong, but even if your brake controller(regardless of brand)didn't show a fault, that would really only check electrical systems. The best test for a fully functional system would be the manual brake check.

 

[robynE]

But the P3 actually shows the amount of brake being applied from the trailer. Like coming to a normal stop the P3 will show increments from 1 to the max setting number of 4 in my case for a hard stop. Since the brakes are electric powered its communicating the degree of brakes being applied isn't it? Not sure how to phrase my question.

 

[No Spark V6]

But the P3 actually shows the amount of brake being applied from the trailer. Like coming to a normal stop the P3 will show increments from 1 to the max setting number of 4 in my case for a hard stop. Since the brakes are electric powered its communicating the degree of brakes being applied isn't it? Not sure how to phrase my question.

Wouldn't that just be based on the input from the brake pedal or manual override? I'm assuming if you had worn out brakes or even more extreme removed the rotors/drums from the trailer the controller would tell you everything is functioning just fine based on all of the wiring being intact. My point is more that while the controller told you there was an electrical fault, I think there are other failures it probably can't detect so the only way to ensure a fully functional system is the manual override. Maybe someone can prove me wrong and I'd be happy to be educated on that.

 

[brewski]

I wanted to look at the whole manual but I can't find it anywhere. I was going to call Mopar but they don't have a number! Anyone have a link to a copy of the manual?

I can post it up later. Do you want the user's guide sheet or the install instructions? I think someone posted the install instructions on this forum.

But the P3 actually shows the amount of brake being applied from the trailer. Like coming to a normal stop the P3 will show increments from 1 to the max setting number of 4 in my case for a hard stop. Since the brakes are electric powered its communicating the degree of brakes being applied isn't it? Not sure how to phrase my question.

I had a Hopkins that did that and it is a cute little thing to display, but in reality it doesn't matter how much brake percentage is being applied. You need to be able to feel the trailer and adjust the brakes for the weight. When you feel it pull just a little, you want to reduce that amount just a hair so it is barely noticeable. The amount of brake needed in the city and highway are different. Automatics are good at compensating for these differences (from my experience), but they are not as good as a human who is paying attention to what is going on back there.

I don't want you to feel like you're being picked on, but it sounds like you aren't grasping what others are saying. relying on the P3 to tell you everything is ok is not a good practice. You want to be able to do this with yourself and a 2700lb trailer with brakes will definitely push and pull the jeep if the brakes are set too soft or too sensitive. It is good to play with this and get a sense of what can happen.

The reason I like proportional brake controllers is they make it less fiddling with the controller between different speeds and terrains. But they aren't 100% automatic where you don't have to still adjust your settings and check over your trailer before towing.

 

[robynE]

After I hook up the first thing I do at the start of leaving is check brakes using the manual brake option, get up to 20-25mph then hit the manual brake and feel for the trailer brakes to engage and slow the vehicle down. I do this every time to verify brakes and adjust brakes if needed, just good practice. I also check all running lights, turn signals, hazard function and brake lights before every trip.

Is there a manual brake trigger on the Mopar? There is literally NOTHING about its functionality on the Mopar website. I mean is that the one you have installed? I certainly do all the safety checks I knew to do to include one final walk around the whole camper. I even have a checklist that I use even though I've done it all 500 times just to make sure I don't forget to check something. I check tire pressure every trip. I will add a manual brake check to that list. I had just been relying on the data the P3 was sending me which seemed to indicate perhaps less than I thought it was indicating. I thought that was good enough, but clearly it wasn't.

 

[robynE]

I can post it up later. Do you want the user's guide sheet or the install instructions? I think someone posted the install instructions on this forum.

I'm just wanting the users guide. I'm going to have it installed by the dealership. Thanks!

 

[robynE]

I don't feel like I'm being picked on, but I always check over my trailer before towing just to be clear about that. I'm literally OCD about safety checks and tire pressure. So I want to know the right way to do this. I always say "You don't know that you don't know something until you know". I thought though that once i did the initial controller set up with the hard braking from 25mph and making the adjustments to the P3 if I felt any push or ABS kick in on the Jeep, that you didn't have to mess with it after that if the weight of your trailer didn't change. I camp alone and I'm a minimalist, so the weight of the camper doesn't change much at all. I mean I drove up and down my street four or five times getting up to 25mph and then hard braking until I got it dialed in. I know what "right" feels like. I know its not right if ABS kicks in on the Jeep. I know what it feels like when the camper pushes me. This is my second camper and I've been towing with a Jeep for about 8 years now, but I'm always learning new things that I just didn't know. I also only tow mainly on interstate highways, no hilly areas, just straight driving. Nothing changes from trip to trip. Maybe this is why it never occurred to me to adjust the settings on the P3.

I am planning a trip to the Shenandoah Mountains in May (which is why I ordered the 4xe that has more power) so perhaps you are saying I would need to dial up the intensity on the way back down the mountain.

 

[brewski]

I'm just wanting the users guide. I'm going to have it installed by the dealership. Thanks!

hopefully the resolution isn’t destroyed they the website

 

[robynE]

AWESOME!! Thanks so much! I can see it just fine! I will be installing the Mopar on the new 4xe when it comes in before I even bring it home.

 

[robynE]

Any suggestions on where to look to buy the Mopar Brake Controller? My dealership says its on a nationwide back order! I'm going to search for third party sellers, but not sure who to trust. Where is the go to supplier for forum members for something like this?

Hum, I wonder if maybe its not available right now because there were issues with it? Maybe I don't want to buy one already out there?

I'm not seeing it available anywhere online anyway.

UPDATE: I just found out that there is a hold on installing these by FCA. That's why they aren't available anywhere right now.

 

[ChuckWalla]

Glad I found this thread. I've been planning to get the brake controller dealer installed on my 2020 Willys (not sure of build date: how do I know?) with the tow package. Guess I'll sit tight for a while. I'm towing a sub 2000 lb teardrop behind a 2 dr Wrangler and thought the brake controller will help going down steep grades. I assumed the tow kit came with a controller so this is BS.

 

[robynE]

You can't even get the brake controller at all right now. FCA issued a do not install order and the part is unavailable everywhere.

 

[brewski]

You can't even get the brake controller at all right now. FCA issued a do not install order and the part is unavailable everywhere.

I recently saw this pic from someone in a JT forum. If I was going to do it again, I might do this because the redarc is a great unit (functions the same as the mopar one) and that is a good location w/ keeping the 12v port. Now I will say from installing my mopar harness, I don't think installing the redarc in this location is going to be easy. There are some features on the backside there behind it that will make this a challenge. But this is next level install location, I love it.

 

[mahewd]

My 2015 Ram has the integrated trailer brake controller and it work really well. I've had 2 aftermarket controllers in two previous trucks and the integrated unit beats either of them hands down. Smooth operation, trouble free, and reliable.

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