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Almondjim's avatar
Almondjim
Explorer
Apr 26, 2015

Jeep Trail Hawk Toad

I just purchased a 2015 Jeep Trail Hawk to pull behind my 45' Entegra. I transferred
the Roadmaster tow bar and Invisibrake from a Chevy Silverado by a reputable and reliable RV Dealer. The Jeep is now displaying engine light, check parking brake,
and traction control. The transmission also gets stuck in PARK and I have to relieve
manually by pushing release button. The Jeep is back at dealer being examined.

Has anyone experienced such problems? If so, what was the remedy? We are leaving
on a very long trip in a few weeks and I am worried about further problems. This is
my first Jeep product and do not know what to expect from dealer and factory network...
  • You have a Jeep Cherokee TrailHawk I would guess.

    More than likely there are computer faults in one or more of the affected controllers. The dealer will need to address corrective actions using their Witech tools....
  • Is this a simple fix or something more complicated?
    Again, I am worried about repeat problems and complication of being on the road.
    Should I buy and carry with me spare controllers ?

    Thanks for your input
  • Almondjim wrote:
    I just purchased a 2015 Jeep Trail Hawk to pull behind my 45' Entegra. I transferred
    the Roadmaster tow bar and Invisibrake from a Chevy Silverado by a reputable and reliable RV Dealer. The Jeep is now displaying engine light, check parking brake,
    and traction control. The transmission also gets stuck in PARK and I have to relieve
    manually by pushing release button. The Jeep is back at dealer being examined.

    Has anyone experienced such problems? If so, what was the remedy? We are leaving
    on a very long trip in a few weeks and I am worried about further problems. This is
    my first Jeep product and do not know what to expect from dealer and factory network...


    my first thought was did you make sure the Trail Hawk can be flat towed? did you check the 'Recreational Towing' or similar section of the owner's manual or trust the sales critter? in most cases 4WD Jeeps that have a manually selectable neutral position in the transfer case can be flat towed. REMCO is a usually reliable arbiter on whether a vehicle can be flat towed or needs modification. their website is here or call them at 1-800-228-2481.
  • Yes. Fully towable and has passage in the owner's manuel......
    Push transfer case disconnect, check to be sure disconnected by cycling to D and R with
    engine running, and then turn off engine and put transmission in P. Should be good to go.
  • I wouldn't be so quick to blame the car. By the sounds of the supplemental braking you installed it had to be wired to the car. That's were my suspicions would be. Not wired correctly or it's causing a fault in the cars computers.

    We have the Brake Buddy and have had zero issues with the last two jeeps, including our Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk which we've had going on two years. It doesn't wire into the cars wiring. Too many electrical systems in these new cars IMHO and I wasn't about to start splicing wires - and that included the brake lights ( we have wireless magnetic ones).

    So that is what I would suspect, along with there is a specific way they need to be put into nuetral. If you fail to follow them correctly it won't work.


    Go here - a lot of information on how they are installed. Specifically noted it won't work on all vehicles along with other warnings. Are you sure this installation was done correctly? If it wasn't the dealer is going to point a finger at this.

    Just a snipet

    CAUTION
    Although not recommended, if single terminal
    diodes are used they must be installed in each of the wiring circuits. Otherwise, InvisiBrake may not function properly. Non-warranty electrical damage may also occur to a vehicle with an unprotected circuit.


    http://roadmasterinc.com/pdf/85-4649-33.pdf
  • Almondjim wrote:
    Yes. Fully towable and has passage in the owner's manuel......
    Push transfer case disconnect, check to be sure disconnected by cycling to D and R with
    engine running, and then turn off engine and put transmission in P. Should be good to go.


    ok. then I would suspect the aux brake installation.
  • Don't know if this might have anything to do with your problem, but it's worth checking.

    Make sure the Auto Park Brake feature is turned OFF in the Uconnect settings.

    The electric park brake can be programmed to be applied automatically whenever the vehicle is at a standstill and the automatic transmission is placed in PARK,

    Then also be careful not to accidently apply the parking brake during your towing setup routine.

    The park brake can be applied even when the ignition switch is OFF but the BRAKE warning lamp will not illuminate, however, it can only be released when the ignition switch is in the ON/RUN position.