2024 Brake controller Problems

Topcatter · July 22, 2023

On 7/7/2023 at 3:15 PM, 64BAwagon said:

The modules on the 2024 trucks are different than the ones used on the 2020 and 2021 models.

I have said it before but I think the issue a lot of times is that the new trucks have a very sophisticated electronic setup in order to provide all of the data but we are hooking them up to trailers that use wiring processes from the 50's For instance, look at the junction box on any trailer where the umbilical (7 way) cord connects, its a nightmare.

I have seen multiple posts on a Grand design tech site that I contribute to. The majority of them are resolved on the trailer. As sloppy as the RV industry is it only takes one bad connector to cause a fault. The last one I saw was from a chafed (unshielded) wire on the brakes that was inside the axle tube.

Scott

I am having the same problem with my 2024 GMC Sierra SLT Duramax and a Grand Design Imagine 2500rl. Both the GMC and RV dealer have been struggling with this to no avail. All of the trailer wiring and magnets have been tested and/or replaced. The GMC dealer actually soldered all of the trailer wiring connections to eliminate and loose connections. Again, nothing. They are bringing in a GM tech to assist.

Interesting note, I have noticed one consistency, it always occurs after I drive through an underpass and the solar panel gets shaded out. As soon as the sun his it again, the warnings go off.

64BAwagon · July 23, 2023

4 hours ago, Topcatter said:

I am having the same problem with my 2024 GMC Sierra SLT Duramax and a Grand Design Imagine 2500rl. Both the GMC and RV dealer have been struggling with this to no avail. All of the trailer wiring and magnets have been tested and/or replaced. The GMC dealer actually soldered all of the trailer wiring connections to eliminate and loose connections. Again, nothing. They are bringing in a GM tech to assist.

Interesting note, I have noticed one consistency, it always occurs after I drive through an underpass and the solar panel gets shaded out. As soon as the sun his it again, the warnings go off.

Theres a bulletin about the solar backfeeding into the controller on the trucks and causing faults. @Kyleb100 posted it on the first page of this thread.

Edited July 23, 2023 by 64BAwagon

pbois · July 25, 2023

I have a 24 HD and currently on a cross country trip w my travel trailer. No solar on my rig and it has been disconnecting off and on for the last few weeks. Replaced the trailer plug and no change. It would disconnect as soon as we took off in the morning and some days it wouldn’t do it. Strange and dangerous as it would sometimes disconnect going down hill to a stop. I stopped at a dealer in Kansas who seems to believe that the new trucks send a 12v pulse every second to the trailer and believes that is the problem as my truck throw a bunch of codes related to the trailer. He recommended an old school direct wired controller(not going to do that)

64BAwagon · July 25, 2023

9 minutes ago, pbois said:

I have a 24 HD and currently on a cross country trip w my travel trailer. No solar on my rig and it has been disconnecting off and on for the last few weeks. Replaced the trailer plug and no change. It would disconnect as soon as we took off in the morning and some days it wouldn’t do it. Strange and dangerous as it would sometimes disconnect going down hill to a stop. I stopped at a dealer in Kansas who seems to believe that the new trucks send a 12v pulse every second to the trailer and believes that is the problem as my truck throw a bunch of codes related to the trailer. He recommended an old school direct wired controller(not going to do that)

If the dealer contacts GM technical services they can get the latest updates on a fix, I understand this is a work in progress fix at GM.

UWSkier · July 25, 2023

When this happens, what messages are you guys seeing on your info screens? I get a "check trailer wiring" message every few hundred miles it seems, followed immediately by a "trailer brakes connected" message. I don't ever see one saying trailer disconnected, and I always give the brakes a test squeeze when I see a message pop up and thus far, they've always worked. Only time they didn't was when the truck was brand new and I was testing the truck/trailer combo, before I disconnected my solar.

Super disconcerting, for sure though. Can't believe GM pushed this garbage out to the market without any real-world testing as they would have found this issue in the first day...

Rototerrier · July 25, 2023

I put a simple dc switch between my solar controller and battery and that fixed it.

When mine crapped out it would always indicate to check trailer wiring followed by trailer brake disconnected. A couple minutes later trailer brakes would return.

In every instance i lost trailer brakes. Not even the manual slider would work.

Considering the importance of trailer brakes and the safety issues with losing them, you’d think gm would leave them on if there was an issue.

Shouldn’t the failsafe be to where the trailer brakes remain active not disabled? Seems very odd. I’m just glad there’s a workaround. Not a big deal for me to flip a switch to disconnect my solar. But that doesn’t mean I’m not ticked off over it. It put me in some very dangerous situations for many miles of my 800 mile trip. Not to mention the 3 attempts to track down faulty wiring, plug replacement, pulled all 4 hubs, etc. i even dropped the coroplast twice to check and recheck all wires and connections. Huge pain and very time consuming. I’ve always been pretty firmly in the “it’s always the trailer” camp so i really went after it.

Edited July 25, 2023 by Rototerrier

Paul Boisclair · July 27, 2023

Mine would read trailer brake malfunction then brake’s disconnected. I would check the slide and confirmed the brakes were dead. Another issues I’m having is the side cameras activating when my turn signal is on. they are supposed to come on when towing and they do for the first 20 minutes of towing, then after that the front camera comes on instead. Sometimes the camera from above will show when the turn signal is activated. Anybody hear of this issue?

Sam Greend · July 27, 2023

I have a 2024 Silverado 2500 HD. My trailer is a Sonic 241 VFL with a solar panel. I get the check trailer connection followed by a loss of trailer brakes. It happens on multiple trailers with trailer brakes. I took the trailer and the truck to the RV dealer... they slathered on DG grease and while it didnt completely stop the problem it did lessen its occurrence and they said its the truck. I have taken the truck back to the dealer and they even replaced the 12v receptacle. GM needs to fix this critical error that puts the driver and the public at risk. But they are probably going to wait until people die to address what is probably a softwear issue.

2Ranchers · August 3, 2023

Yup. Plugged in to our new camp trailer yesterday and got the 'check trailer wiring' alert. Turned off the solar panels and all systems normal.

The situation is completely unacceptable. I bought a Silverado to tow trailers that charge batteries going down the road, not have dead batteries when we arrive. Fix it GM.

Rototerrier · August 3, 2023

Just drove 360 miles with the solar disconnected today and not a single issue.

Sam Greend · August 3, 2023

So the chevy dealership that sold me my 2500 said to get a pollak RV 7 way to fix the problem. So i ordered it and had it sent just two days before my cross country trip (1 Aug). I drove with without trailer brakes most of the way through Mississippi. Got a mobile rv guy to install it. I only lost brakes 4 times the next day and 3 times today. turning the truck into chevy tomorrow.... UNSAFE!!!!!! SO i am going to put a disconnect for the solar panel and hopefully that will work. If not i just got off the phone with CURT and they said this should work. Curt Echo Wireless Brake Controller - 7-Way Plug Mount w/ Bluetooth App - 1 to 2 Axle - Proportional CURT Trailer Brake Controller C51180 (etrailer.com)

Edited August 8, 2023 by Sam Greend
new information

Kyleb100 · August 4, 2023

I just finished a 2300 mile trip and my trailer brake issues are gone with the solar panels disconnected. Kind of a PITA but better than having no brakes

Rototerrier · August 4, 2023

I did the plug as well. No difference. Only thing that resolved it was disconnecting Solar.

it is a nice plug though, so no complaints there.

GoVols · August 4, 2023

I did the pollak plug as well and it didn’t fix it. Like others stated it is a nice and secure plug though.

I installed the solar panel circuit breaker, shut off my panel and went on a 3 hour trip and the trailer brakes were flawless. Not a single issue.

kmonto · August 6, 2023

So I have a 2020 2500hd diesel and on my TT (I DO NOT HAVE SOLAR PANELS) but it does have a battery. I lose trailer brakes randomly but I can generate it almost 100% every time by just slamming on the brakes hard - sure enough brakes are gone on the trailer and the truck states, "Trailer Disconnected", "Trailer Brakes Disconnected". I have paid the diagnostic fees at GM, All the various dealerships state that the truck is working as designed. Mind you losing brakes going down a mountain 7% grade is wonderful with 2 grandsons in the truck. I have been dealing with this since NEW. GM will not address it till I either DIE, someone riding with me DIES, or I kill other people. They DO NOT SEEM TO BACK THEIR PRODUCTS! I spent 1.1k on new brakes, wiring the trailer, new polk plugs both the single blade and the dual blade, I even replaced the plug on the truck and trailer with the NEW 7 PIN MAGNETIC one (it rocks), but the problem is still there. My 2012 ford f150 NEVER HAD THIS PROBLEM. So what is the deal?!? Why is GM waiting for people to DIE before they resolve these issues. Those with the 2024 seems to have a variant on the problem. I am out thousands of dollars with GM not knowing how to resolve this issue. etrailer now recommends I replace the factory trailer controller as a suggestion. I look at buying a new truck to replace this LEMON but they all are 11 to 15k more then what I paid for in 2020. I contacted a lawyer that states, I can't sell the truck knowing that the trailer brake situation exists without telling the new buyer. Like someone is going to buy it with this problem. I called Customer Care with GM, all they want me to do is take it in AGAIN, pay the non refundable diagnostic fee (EVEN IF THEY DON'T OR CAN'T SOLVE THE PROBLEM). How many more times do I give several dealerships attempts at solving this problem.

Edited August 6, 2023 by kmonto