Mopar factory trailer brake controller - my impressions and review

[Trickster]

I'd personally recommend the Tekonsha Primus IQ for price (~$130 installed at trailer dealership) and value. Works great, not expensive and plug and play with my June/July 2019 build Overland, no muss no fuss.

Tekonsha having been around for what seems forever is a excellent brand. Installed many over the years personally and at the RV dealership. BUT, am willing to try a more discreet dial style on the JT, as the look is nice and less obtrusive to my boots.

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[Trickster]

I could have saved some money if I had found and read this thread,I just had the dealership install the Mopar controller,for the controller and install it was $600 I don't like messing with electrical that's why I had them do it

Heard you the first three times….lol.
Sounds like they got you good for $600.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

So been following your thread here.
First question because I may have missed the answer along the way, do you still have the Mopar BC?
Second, you initially thought it was a cheap POS, still feel that way? (If in fact you still have it).
Lastly, for a person looking NOW, what would recommend for a BC?
Redarc, Mopar, Curtis?
Some time has passed so just wondering.
Btw, JT build date is Dec 20.
Thanks Rick

The control knob/dial is cheaply made compared to Redarc, etc. It's a perfect FIT in the dash and it matches the layout and scheme of the dash, but the feel is light and the plastic brittle compared to the Redarc dial/knob.
I like that it is a MOPAR accessory and is covered by the normal MOPAR accessory warranty (I believe 2 years) and when installed in the JT, it's covered by the truck warranty (as the dealership explained, if I had 2.5 years left on the main warranty, the brake controller would then have that same warranty instead of the 2 year accessory warranty - that's from the local dealership)
The product works fine - I hauled my car to Il and back, a bit over 2.5 hours away, some of the roads were not great, lots of small towns on the IL side of the river, bumps and ruts and all that stuff and I never felt like the brakes weren't functioning like they should.
IMO it's stuffed tight in the left kick panel area - not a great place for it with wet or snowy feet with salt and water getting to that area but with the dead pedal I put in, my foot should never get close to the brake controller itself.
I feel the Redarc is better quality, especially the dial or knob end of things, and the fact it has a CAT5 network cable to connect the dial to the box means you can put any of the parts anywhere you want, but it wasn't worth reversing the process and putting the Redarc back in my truck for a couple of reasons - the MOPAR controller works. It's in there, and I'll use the Redarc in my wife's Grand Cherokee at some point.
If I had known how the MOPAR controller was going to be - I'd have left the Redarc in place, on the other hand, being OCD, the MOPAR dial doesn't look out of place while the Redarc one was close - but still looked like it was installed later.

I could have saved some money if I had found and read this thread,I just had the dealership install the Mopar controller,for the controller and install it was $600 I don't like messing with electrical that's why I had them do it

I've seen people who thought they knew what they were doing, or were too prideful to admit they might not do a great job, burn things. Better to be wise rather than macho or so unwilling to admit they might not do a great job than to mess things up and spend MORE in the process.
I will NEVER "diss" anyone for deciding to pay someone else to do something. I just won't. Not everyone can be or do all things. It's life. If you don't like electric, or preferred to not - it's foolish to talk someone into doing something they aren't real comfortable with.
And having a dealer do it - you have their INSTALLATION warranty - in other words, if they messed up or broke ANYTHING at all during the install - it's on THEM. If they messed up a dash panel, blew a fuse, stripped threads somewhere or broke the dial/knob - it's on them. They eat it. The dials on these are fragile IMO. I'd had 60s transistor radio dials that felt more substantial than these. Mine doesn't have great detent feel.. You can feel it, but it's not a definite or well defined detent.

 

[Trickster]

The control knob/dial is cheaply made compared to Redarc, etc. It's a perfect FIT in the dash and it matches the layout and scheme of the dash, but the feel is light and the plastic brittle compared to the Redarc dial/knob.
I like that it is a MOPAR accessory and is covered by the normal MOPAR accessory warranty (I believe 2 years) and when installed in the JT, it's covered by the truck warranty (as the dealership explained, if I had 2.5 years left on the main warranty, the brake controller would then have that same warranty instead of the 2 year accessory warranty - that's from the local dealership)
The product works fine - I hauled my car to Il and back, a bit over 2.5 hours away, some of the roads were not great, lots of small towns on the IL side of the river, bumps and ruts and all that stuff and I never felt like the brakes weren't functioning like they should.
IMO it's stuffed tight in the left kick panel area - not a great place for it with wet or snowy feet with salt and water getting to that area but with the dead pedal I put in, my foot should never get close to the brake controller itself.
I feel the Redarc is better quality, especially the dial or knob end of things, and the fact it has a CAT5 network cable to connect the dial to the box means you can put any of the parts anywhere you want, but it wasn't worth reversing the process and putting the Redarc back in my truck for a couple of reasons - the MOPAR controller works. It's in there, and I'll use the Redarc in my wife's Grand Cherokee at some point.
If I had known how the MOPAR controller was going to be - I'd have left the Redarc in place, on the other hand, being OCD, the MOPAR dial doesn't look out of place while the Redarc one was close - but still looked like it was installed later.



I've seen people who thought they knew what they were doing, or were too prideful to admit they might not do a great job, burn things. Better to be wise rather than macho or so unwilling to admit they might not do a great job than to mess things up and spend MORE in the process.
I will NEVER "diss" anyone for deciding to pay someone else to do something. I just won't. Not everyone can be or do all things. It's life. If you don't like electric, or preferred to not - it's foolish to talk someone into doing something they aren't real comfortable with.
And having a dealer do it - you have their INSTALLATION warranty - in other words, if they messed up or broke ANYTHING at all during the install - it's on THEM. If they messed up a dash panel, blew a fuse, stripped threads somewhere or broke the dial/knob - it's on them. They eat it. The dials on these are fragile IMO. I'd had 60s transistor radio dials that felt more substantial than these. Mine doesn't have great detent feel.. You can feel it, but it's not a definite or well defined detent.

Thanks for the reply.
Still struggling with the choices. Curt Echo is interesting enough, like the versatility part of being transferable and easy install. I would get the manual button for the rare moments you want to manually activate the trailer brakes.
Redarc has is good points too, very discreet and robust.
Then the Mopar has its points with being OEM, warranty, and with the Mrs. being an employee the price would be more reasonable and she can get a tech to install it fairly reasonably price wise.
I’ve got 6 months to figure this out before the next camping season, so
I will analyze this to death in the meantime.

 

[Phil3333]

I could have saved some money if I had found and read this thread,I just had the dealership install the Mopar controller,for the controller and install it was $600 I don't like messing with electrical that's why I had them do it

The control knob/dial is cheaply made compared to Redarc, etc. It's a perfect FIT in the dash and it matches the layout and scheme of the dash, but the feel is light and the plastic brittle compared to the Redarc dial/knob.
I like that it is a MOPAR accessory and is covered by the normal MOPAR accessory warranty (I believe 2 years) and when installed in the JT, it's covered by the truck warranty (as the dealership explained, if I had 2.5 years left on the main warranty, the brake controller would then have that same warranty instead of the 2 year accessory warranty - that's from the local dealership)
The product works fine - I hauled my car to Il and back, a bit over 2.5 hours away, some of the roads were not great, lots of small towns on the IL side of the river, bumps and ruts and all that stuff and I never felt like the brakes weren't functioning like they should.
IMO it's stuffed tight in the left kick panel area - not a great place for it with wet or snowy feet with salt and water getting to that area but with the dead pedal I put in, my foot should never get close to the brake controller itself.
I feel the Redarc is better quality, especially the dial or knob end of things, and the fact it has a CAT5 network cable to connect the dial to the box means you can put any of the parts anywhere you want, but it wasn't worth reversing the process and putting the Redarc back in my truck for a couple of reasons - the MOPAR controller works. It's in there, and I'll use the Redarc in my wife's Grand Cherokee at some point.
If I had known how the MOPAR controller was going to be - I'd have left the Redarc in place, on the other hand, being OCD, the MOPAR dial doesn't look out of place while the Redarc one was close - but still looked like it was installed later.



I've seen people who thought they knew what they were doing, or were too prideful to admit they might not do a great job, burn things. Better to be wise rather than macho or so unwilling to admit they might not do a great job than to mess things up and spend MORE in the process.
I will NEVER "diss" anyone for deciding to pay someone else to do something. I just won't. Not everyone can be or do all things. It's life. If you don't like electric, or preferred to not - it's foolish to talk someone into doing something they aren't real comfortable with.
And having a dealer do it - you have their INSTALLATION warranty - in other words, if they messed up or broke ANYTHING at all during the install - it's on THEM. If they messed up a dash panel, blew a fuse, stripped threads somewhere or broke the dial/knob - it's on them. They eat it. The dials on these are fragile IMO. I'd had 60s transistor radio dials that felt more substantial than these. Mine doesn't have great detent feel.. You can feel it, but it's not a definite or well defined detent.

Ya I just don't like messing with wiring,I installed my own lift and other things like that so it's not like I don't do anything

 

[Trickster]

Well it didn’t take me six months to decide.
Went with the Curt Echo.
$100 cheaper than Mopar and the installation is done in 5 minutes.
Went with the “O crap” BT button as well.
Versatility is what decided it for me, may be the last brake controller I ever need to buy.

 

[takeitsleazy]

I’m moving and towing my wife’s Jeep from FL to ND, and want to make sure I did this thing right- it’s hard to without a trailer yet, though.

2019 build
Redarc controller
Ram harness w wires swapped as annotated in several posts/video
Showed Mopar publication to dealer and he was able to update with correct code

End result is that, according to the dealer, it will not communicate with the Jeep (with no trailer attached). It is connected properly as far as I’m aware-pressing the knob gets you a “breathing” blue led indicating sleep mode. But they weren’t able to see it communicating with the JT and recommended OEM- no thanks.

Anything stick out as unusual to any of you? Or do I just need to test it once a trailers hooked up? I’m just triple checking before I make the long trip.

This thread was very helpful though- thanks to all of you

 

[jwilson2899]

I’m moving and towing my wife’s Jeep from FL to ND, and want to make sure I did this thing right- it’s hard to without a trailer yet, though.

2019 build
Redarc controller
Ram harness w wires swapped as annotated in several posts/video
Showed Mopar publication to dealer and he was able to update with correct code

End result is that, according to the dealer, it will not communicate with the Jeep (with no trailer attached). It is connected properly as far as I’m aware-pressing the knob gets you a “breathing” blue led indicating sleep mode. But they weren’t able to see it communicating with the JT and recommended OEM- no thanks.

Anything stick out as unusual to any of you? Or do I just need to test it once a trailers hooked up? I’m just triple checking before I make the long trip.

This thread was very helpful though- thanks to all of you

There is no communication between the truck and the brake controller they're confusing this with the Ram which does have a fully integrated brake controller. If they performed the TSB, and you have the Redarc hooked up with the blue breathing light then everything is good to go. Even if you had the factory controller, it hooks up exactly the same as the Redarc and still won't have communication with the truck.

 

[takeitsleazy]

There is no communication between the truck and the brake controller they're confusing this with the Ram which does have a fully integrated brake controller. If they performed the TSB, and you have the Redarc hooked up with the blue breathing light then everything is good to go. Even if you had the factory controller, it hooks up exactly the same as the Redarc and still won't have communication with the truck.

thanks for the reply-one less thing to worry about with this move

 

[Elff]

Well it didn’t take me six months to decide.
Went with the Curt Echo.
$100 cheaper than Mopar and the installation is done in 5 minutes.
Went with the “O crap” BT button as well.
Versatility is what decided it for me, may be the last brake controller I ever need to buy.

After learning today that the 2022 Mopar Trailer brake controller is not available yet, and scratching my head about that, I found this long thread to get some answers.

The geek inside me thinks this is awesome.

Since it has been a couple months since you posted, What's your current thoughts?
Has it worked as well as it says it does?

 

[ShadowsPapa]

After learning today that the 2022 Mopar Trailer brake controller is not available yet, and scratching my head about that, I found this long thread to get some answers.

The geek inside me thinks this is awesome.

Since it has been a couple months since you posted, What's your current thoughts?
Has it worked as well as it says it does?

You mean it's not available as a factory installation?
You can still buy it and install it yourself or make it part of the deal when buying a truck - dealer installs it for you, no charge.
The brake controller should be the same 20, 21 or 22 model years.

 

[Elff]

According to the Online 2022 Brochure on Page 21
https://mydigimag.rrd.com/publicati...ue[]=null&co=US&pid=497&pc=J-JT-web&ver=html5
It's a dealer installed option.

My dealer is saying one that is compatible with the 2022 Gladiator is not available yet. Maybe it's just that Jeep has not tested and confirmed the existing one with the 2022, because I can not think of a single reason why it would not work.

This is one thing that I find completely stupid and it's across all brands
Why is it, when you order a Tow Package, it does not include a brake controller?

Anyway, I am going to go with the Curt Echo.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

Why is it, when you order a Tow Package, it does not include a brake controller?

Because not all trailers need that sort of controller, and some trailers need more capable controllers. It allows customers to make a choice - some will prefer different types of controllers. For example, the Redarc I have here is a dual-mode controller, more capabilities than most controllers. The Curt Echo is good for people who have multiple trailers or perhaps tow a boat one week, a heavy travel trailer the next week, an empty car hauler the next week because it can save settings for each trailer.
It's the same reason they don't automatically include bed liners, tonneau covers, etc.

 

[Mr._Bill]

According to the Online 2022 Brochure on Page 21
https://mydigimag.rrd.com/publicati...ue[]=null&co=US&pid=497&pc=J-JT-web&ver=html5
It's a dealer installed option.

My dealer is saying one that is compatible with the 2022 Gladiator is not available yet. Maybe it's just that Jeep has not tested and confirmed the existing one with the 2022, because I can not think of a single reason why it would not work.

This is one thing that I find completely stupid and it's across all brands
Why is it, when you order a Tow Package, it does not include a brake controller?

Anyway, I am going to go with the Curt Echo.

Including a Brake Controller costs money, and not everyone needs or wants one, or wants the Factory unit. Some people order the Tow Package just to get the electrical and cooling upgrades. I wasn't willing to give up the 12v outlet, so I went with a Curt Spectrum, and spent about half of what the Mopar unit costs.

 

[Elff]

Yup, it does cost money, but it should at least be a Factory build choice
Tow + Brake controller package or just Tow Package.
hell they force so many other options at consumers,
at least this one makes sense

also for anyone else wondering,
The Redarc is good to go for 2022

https://www.etrailer.com/question-587851.html

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