Why Is Stoplight Circuit Difficult to Find on 2017 Ram 1500 For Installing Brake Controller

Question:

Jameson I dont know if I told you I have curt # 51458 pigtail in line with the curt # C84VV controller. Could the dealer have goofed up when I had it flashed because I have no juice to any of the trailer tow fuses? Thanks for bearing with me

asked by: Robert

Expert Reply:

Your generation of Ram truck uses a powernet style of wiring at the brake switch wiring which means the voltage will actually read lower than what a 12 volt circuit tester is going to show. Also if you are trying to hardwire a controller you are going to have issues as we've found that if you don't use a harness designed specifically for your truck's wiring setup you may damage the vehicle.

So to install the Curt Discovery part # C84VV you have to use the vehicle specific install harness part # C51458 which plugs into the brake controller install port and actually makes the install much easier.

I attached a help article on installing brake controllers in your generation of Ram truck as well.

expert reply by: Jameson C

Robert P.

10/7/2019

Jameson I dont know if I told you I have curt # 51458 pigtail in line with the curt # 51120 controller. Could the dealer have goofed up when I had it flashed because I have no juice to any of the trailer tow fuses? Thanks for bearing with me

Jameson C.

10/7/2019

It's very possible that there was an issue with the flashing of the vehicle computer to enable the brake controller wiring like you mentioned. If you can't get any power to any of the brake controller or trailer wiring circuits it's very likely that the TIPM of the vehicle either needs to be reset or the circuits just weren't activated. Either way only a Ram dealer can really help with that.