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Service trailer brake

HeliMark
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HeliMark Enthusiast

HeliMark

Posted
Posted

I have a '16 2500 DMax. Been pulling a 10K pound toyhauler ('16 Forest River Stealth), but the every so often, I get a "service stabilitrac/trailer brakes/abs" warnings. First time was after towing for about 600 miles, was able to get it to reset, than again after towing 3K miles, 800 miles, and so on. No real rhythm. Of course when the "service trailer brakes" comes on, I lose the trailer brakes, which has not been a big problem getting it off the road after that, but lucky I have not had an emergency while they were inop. Everything will reset after pulling the trailer plug, doing a dance, plugging and pulling the plug again and another dance and drive about 50'.

 

So far on the first one, the dealer replaced half of the trailer plug on the truck saying they found water in it. The other times, one dealer (mid trip) said I had a bad ABS module, but could not repair it at the time, and that the truck had codes for all the wheel sensors/abs/tranny and a couple of others. When I got home, the dealer here found one of the front calipers sticking, which had caused a warped disc. They ended up replacing the caliper and disc, regrind the other front disc and all new brake pads. They also found some unusual readings in the trailer plug, and ended up replacing the whole plug this time. They said the ABS was good.

 

After all that, I had to tow my trailer to a dealer for a warranty repair on the refer. After driving about 10 miles, all the warnings went off, losing the trailer brakes again. The refer had a bad thermo disc and thermo wire (both 12v), and when I pulled it home after the repair, no warnings.

 

So, here is my question. Could the bad thermo wire in the trailer cause some wonky voltage to backfeed to the truck, and cause the truck to go nuts? With all the new electronics, I know any abnormality can cause issue's.

 

Now that I have the trailer repaired, I have an appointment set up to see the dealer with the trailer hooked up and see if the computers can find anything.

 

Mark

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RickertsRed
RickertsRed

UPDATE   I did my fuse/battery trick and all was well for 2 weeks... until it rained, heavily. Service Stabilitrak and Service Trailer Brake were back, so now I know 100% it’s a broken wire

Dirtbiker
Dirtbiker

I pulled the abs fuse in my truck as I don't want stabilicrap and it can't be shut off anymore. I get a service stabilitrac and service trailer brakes message everytime I start my truck. But my traile

Dirtbiker
Dirtbiker

Not sure what the issue could be. My manual switch still works too. I know they tied stabilitrac to the trailer brakes now too so I am guessing that is why I am getting the trailer brake message. Good

Dirtbiker Enthusiast

Dirtbiker

Posted
Posted

I pulled the abs fuse in my truck as I don't want stabilicrap and it can't be shut off anymore. I get a service stabilitrac and service trailer brakes message everytime I start my truck. But my trailer brakes work just fine.

  • Like 1
LongrangeLauber Senior Enthusiast

LongrangeLauber

Posted
Posted

I've had the trailer brakes error before as well. Mine has been caused by two different issues at separate times. First time was the trailer brake wire had eroded away at the 7 way head. Second time there was a lot of moisture on the truck side of the connector. Periodically I get it and have to stop, pull the plug, blow it out, then restart the truck. Idk if it's the truck or trailer anymore, because I've replaced the heads on all my trailer ends and I still periodically get it

HeliMark Enthusiast

HeliMark

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I pulled the abs fuse in my truck as I don't want stabilicrap and it can't be shut off anymore. I get a service stabilitrac and service trailer brakes message everytime I start my truck. But my trailer brakes work just fine.

 

It does feel like the trailer brakes do work, but the manual slide switch (ITBC) will not work after getting the message which makes me question if the system is working. Personally could care less if the stabilitrak or abs system goes out (would be fixed), but for that error taking out the trailer brakes also is stupid. Should be an independent system that can be isolated in that event.

 

Book says that if there is a failure of the stabilitrak or abs in the truck, the trailer brakes could be partially or completely disabled. The message that they display should inform you if you have a complete trailer brake failure or partial. At least one would know at that point. Kinda important pulling a heavy load at 70 mph.

 

Glad these engineers don't work in the aviation industry.

 

Rant over.

 

Mark

Dirtbiker Enthusiast

Dirtbiker

Posted
Posted

Not sure what the issue could be. My manual switch still works too. I know they tied stabilitrac to the trailer brakes now too so I am guessing that is why I am getting the trailer brake message. Good luck. Too many computers driving the vehicles now!

  • Like 1
  • 3 weeks later...
redwngr Senior Enthusiast

redwngr

Posted
Posted

Whenever I've had that message it's been poor connection between the truck and trailer plugs.

  • Like 1
HeliMark Enthusiast

HeliMark

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Whenever I've had that message it's been poor connection between the truck and trailer plugs.

 

Thanks, I have been paying close attention to the plugs, cleaning them prior to any trips to try and eliminate them as the problem. The dealer has replaced the whole plug assembly on the truck due to "weird" readings though.

 

Last week I took the trailer out and put about 600 miles on it. Everything worked without any messages, so with all that has been done, maybe I have seen the end of this problem, but I will not bet on it. Unfortunately due to some commitments, I will not be able to take it out again until March/April.

 

Mark

  • 1 month later...
HDguy211 New Member

HDguy211

Posted
Posted

Hi Guys, I'm brand spankin' new to this site and only because I've been pulling my hair out for the last month. My issues are identical to what's on this thread. Service Stabilitrak, Service Trailer Brake warnings together regularly when towing with the "occasional" 70% of the time ABS which disables the trailer brakes to my 16K loaded fifth wheel! Been to the dealer now 5 times for this issue and dealer is telling me that my in bed 7 way is bad and when they disconnected it they found corrosion. I told them to leave it because I wanted to inspect this corrosion on my 1 month old 7 way that hasn't seen rain or even a car wash yet. Was told the tech cleaned it for me. HAHA! I looked at the damn thing and its brand new and still had the streaks where the dielectric grease was rubbed on terminals from its one and only connection. Has anyone gotten a fix yet. Truck is a 16 GMC 2500HD Dmax crew cab long bed. I appreciate any feedback I can get.

newdude Senior Enthusiast

newdude

Posted
Posted

 

It does feel like the trailer brakes do work, but the manual slide switch (ITBC) will not work after getting the message which makes me question if the system is working. Personally could care less if the stabilitrak or abs system goes out (would be fixed), but for that error taking out the trailer brakes also is stupid. Should be an independent system that can be isolated in that event.

 

Book says that if there is a failure of the stabilitrak or abs in the truck, the trailer brakes could be partially or completely disabled. The message that they display should inform you if you have a complete trailer brake failure or partial. At least one would know at that point. Kinda important pulling a heavy load at 70 mph.

 

Glad these engineers don't work in the aviation industry.

 

Rant over.

 

Mark

 

 

We've changed many a dash control switch for service trailer brake on these K2 trucks.

HeliMark Enthusiast

HeliMark

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

Hi Guys, I'm brand spankin' new to this site and only because I've been pulling my hair out for the last month. My issues are identical to what's on this thread. Service Stabilitrak, Service Trailer Brake warnings together regularly when towing with the "occasional" 70% of the time ABS which disables the trailer brakes to my 16K loaded fifth wheel! Been to the dealer now 5 times for this issue and dealer is telling me that my in bed 7 way is bad and when they disconnected it they found corrosion. I told them to leave it because I wanted to inspect this corrosion on my 1 month old 7 way that hasn't seen rain or even a car wash yet. Was told the tech cleaned it for me. HAHA! I looked at the damn thing and its brand new and still had the streaks where the dielectric grease was rubbed on terminals from its one and only connection. Has anyone gotten a fix yet. Truck is a 16 GMC 2500HD Dmax crew cab long bed. I appreciate any feedback I can get.

 

 

 

 

I live in sunny SoCal, so the first time I took the truck to the dealer, they said there was water in the plug, Never figured that one out. I have seen the "service stabilitrac" one more time when I started the truck, and it went away almost immediately. Nothing since. I towed my buddies car hauler also since the last fix with no issues. Next time I will be able to get my trailer out will be in March.

I would have the dealer replace the whole plug (apparently there is two parts of the plug), and make sure they cram every nook and cranny of it in dielectric grease, and keep your fingers crossed. These new trucks are extremely sensitive to any stray voltage.

Remember, if the dealer computer says it is okay, then it is. :wtf:

Mark

Edited by HeliMark
HDguy211 New Member

HDguy211

Posted
Posted

Thanks for the input. All I can do is keep in them with some gentle firm pressure. The sad thing is I love this truck, but I really bought it for 1 reason……. to tow. I will update if I find anything out further. Thanks

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

Not sure what the issue could be. My manual switch still works too. I know they tied stabilitrac to the trailer brakes now too so I am guessing that is why I am getting the trailer brake message. Good luck. Too many computers driving the vehicles now!

I had a problem in '15 w/ my previous truck while on an RV trip (fortunately only 2 hours from home). Drive to provincial park was OK but while driving to visit a relative, I get a Service Stabiltrac, 4WD and traction control message, plus truck was really sluggish (limp mode I guess).

 

Made it home & took it to dealer. They "reprogrammed" the TCCM to override some out of spec reading.

 

Why does everything have to be "tied together" so if 1 system fails, all the others do? Wouldn't it make sense to have the various systems independent of each other but get inputs from the others? As bad as Christmas lights wired so when 1 goes out, they all do. SMH!

 

I'm probably not looking @ the big picture as we were always told if we questioned something.

HeliMark Enthusiast

HeliMark

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Yeah, welcome to the litigious world.... With America leading the charge...

 

Some ****wad gets into an accident, which was absolutely his/her fault, but because the vehicle they were driving had some kind of safety system (which could not overcome the laws of physics and stupidity), and the person's ego could not accept that they are not Mario Andretti, they blame the vehicle and sue. Of course part of it is a money grab on top of it. Hence disable the car to avoid the lawsuit...

 

 

:smash::banghead:

 

Mark

revrnd Senior Enthusiast

revrnd

Posted
Posted

Just read recently in an article about the "advanced safety systems" (sarcasm off) that have recently been introduced.

 

From the Toronto Star:

 

 

Transmission locked out in park if brake light burns out

Brake lights are a well known vehicle safety feature that have been used for decades to warn drivers behind you that you're slowing down. Driving without brake lights can be very dangerous, so if your car is in park and a brake light switch or fuse isn't working, the transmission will lock in park to prevent you from driving.

 

The brake light switch sends a signal to the shift interlock solenoid when the brake pedal is depressed, which causes the interlock to release, but not if the switch is burnt out. This results in in the shifter being stuck in park. This feature is present on many car models, such as the Nissan Pathfinder and Altima, for example.

 

Thankfully, the problem is pretty easy to identify, as all you have to do is have someone stand behind your car while you step on the brakes so they can see if the lights work or not. There should be an override button you can use that unlocks it so you can drive your can to get it fixed.

Has anyone heard of the brake switch failing (well maybe yes seeing as everything is made so cheaply anymore)? In 40 years of driving I think I've replaced 1 GM "multifunction switch" & a floor mounted dimmer switch on my '82 GMC. The high mounted brake light on my Monte is pooched since the bulb on it burned out & fused itself to the socket.

 

I would hope that THERE IS an override switch other wise a driver could be stuck anywhere w/ a "dead" vehicle.

Debra in Cali Enthusiast

Debra in Cali

Posted
Posted

I had issues when I first plug in to our 5th wheel. I watch to make sure that it tells me that the trailer is connected. If it doesn't then I turn off the engine and restart it to see if it will come up. I usually does. I don't remember when I had a problem with our conventional tow trailer. My hubby is not happy with the way that trailer place owner installed the hitch and his method of installing our trailer plug. We are most likely going to redo the plug. Hubby is not happy when he has to hop out and adjust the plug.

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