Soft Brakes - weak brakes - sponge brakes 2021 3500 - merged threads

[jetrinka]

I have a pretty heavy 2500, lots of crap bolted to it.

Panic stop incident last night was scary but the truck got reeled in before we punted an accord.

Brakes get a thumbs up

I agree. Mine hauls itself to a stop no problem when needed.

 

[Greenhills]

I have a pretty heavy 2500, lots of crap bolted to it.

Panic stop incident last night was scary but the truck got reeled in before we punted an accord.

Brakes get a thumbs up

I know it sounds stupid.. but the harder you push the pedal, the harder it stops. I think some folks aren't used to having to really step on the pedal.

I know since putting 37s on, the everyday braking feels reduced, stopping distance versus pedal input has definitely changed. However i had to do a quick panic brake at highway speeds the other day... i mashed the pedal all the way to the floor and she still came to an absolutely grinding halt.

 

[Cummins610]

First thing I noticed on the 2021 test drive is they brakes didn’t feel right, hopefully someone starts reporting and we can get a TSB or something

 

[gregf40]

Yep, got mine back Sat and the same issue. They replaced the module and pump drained and bled the brakes now they are dramatically softer. And not covered under my warranty. Seems this is an ongoing issues with 2018 2500s. Any way i can get this covered by Ram.

 

[Brutal_HO]

I'm starting to wonder if this isn't in some way a hydraulic line pressure/ABS controller related software issue.

My pedal always seems to be much harder when ACC is running and I step on the brakes.

Sent from my work avoidance device

 

[Nickyp]

I have 3500 SRW and the pedal travel is spongy at best… is their an aftermarket solution?

 

[Shootersoasis]

I just traded in a 2019 srw 3500 that definitely had the spongelike brake pedal. It always stopped when needed but would cause a pucker moment every now and then. Picked up a 2022 dually and the brake feel is night and day difference. I was worried when I ordered the truck that I might have to just get accustomed to the brake feel, but it has much better so far. Don’t know if the drw made the difference or the newer model.

 

[Lary0071]

Note that I dumped the 2019 2500HD for a 21 3500HD dually. The brake pedal is massively different, very firm, and his right at the top of the travel every time. It may be a hit or miss, or maybe the dually has different parts that equate to a much better feeling brake pedal.

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model year difference more likely. I have a 2020 3500 DRW and the pedal is far from firm, definitely not at the top.

note also going from a 2500 to a 3500 is apples to oranges

Similar experience here. My 2016 2500 cummins had the "spongy" brake pedal feel. Our new 2021 DRW 3500 has a firm pedal right at the top. It feels good.

Well guys, I kicked the 2021 Ram 3500 dually with firm brakes for a 2022 Ram 3500 dually that also had very nice and responsive / firm brakes. So far only my 2019 Ram 2500 had the annoyingly soft pedal.

2022 Patriot Blue 3500 Dually Limited Longhorn 6.7L with 4.11 gears.

 

[rudyyoko]

Interesting - my 2018 3500 had a very firm pedal. Took it in last week due to an anti lock brake warning on the dash. They replaced the hydraulic pump and I now have a noticeably softer pedal.

Sounds like the pump was not working properly and thats why the pedal was firm. Seems kind of backwards to me.

 

[GUNBUNNY2BG4U]

I now have 600miles on my new 2021 3500 HO Long Bed. In general I'm extremely happy BUT the brakes seem a bit soft? i.e. have to push the peddle approx. halfway to start feeling any action.

The brakes in my previous 2008 3500 SO Short bed seemed more aggressive.

Is this normal for the new trucks?

Probably needs to go back to the dealer to check it out.

TIA

How do you know that hydraulic booster brakes feel different than vacuum booster brakes it could be the hydraulic system which they are more powerful but wouldn't hurt to bring it back to the dealer and just have a look at it just be safe

 

[Jared2500Ram]

I have a 2021 2500 and I always thought since new there was something wrong with the brakes. It dusted horribly when new only in the front and now with 31,000 miles the brakes are almost metal to metal on the front. The rear brakes look new. Is this normal all the GM trucks I have ever had went 200,000+ on the brakes.

 

[2500Ram]

I have a 2021 2500 and I always thought since new there was something wrong with the brakes. It dusted horribly when new only in the front and now with 31,000 miles the brakes are almost metal to metal on the front. The rear brakes look new. Is this normal all the GM trucks I have ever had went 200,000+ on the brakes.

The front dusts hard on all disc front vehicles. 31K of highway driving is too soon for brakes. 31K of towing is early but OK. Not sure I've ever seen brakes go 200K. At a minimum you would have to clean and lubricate I would think...at that point new pads are probably installed. If you use your Ram like a truck its not going anywhere near 200K on pads.

 

[thecastle]

Im reading through this thread, lots of observations of poor brake feel. What are things people can do to improve it? 1) change brake fluid, it should be changed every 2 years as it absorbs lots of water which lowers its boiling point and results in spongy brakes. bmw, Porsche etc all recommend at least every 2 years, or after every track event to keep boiling temps high, once the fluid boils your brake peddle is going to the floor.. 2) change pads, what a lot of folks here don’t like is the soft initial bite the stock pads have. Switch to a more aggressive pad, with more initial bite, and you’ll have much stronger braking response with less pedal travel. Sorry more dust, and noise are often the trade for good brake response. 3) move to stainless steel braided lines, the cheap rubber lines in these trucks expand with braking pressure causing you to have to push the pedal further. 4) that’s the end of the cheap options.. I cheated my brake fluid and it had a big difference. My previous car / tow vehicle was a bmw x5m which had manhole cover sized brakes, and was in a different league in breaking.

 

[jetrinka]

I hear a lot of complaints but no one really doing anything about it and then others like myself feel like they are fine. Has anyone actually taken the time to just try and bleed the brakes out to see if it improves? Along with common problems like bed mis-alignment, wrinkled paint on front bumpers, horrendous factory alignments, etc why shouldn't we assume some trucks may have air in the lines? Mass production baby!!!

 

[copcarguy]

Im reading through this thread, lots of observations of poor brake feel. What are things people can do to improve it? 1) change brake fluid, it should be changed every 2 years as it absorbs lots of water which lowers its boiling point and results in spongy brakes. bmw, Porsche etc all recommend at least every 2 years, or after every track event to keep boiling temps high, once the fluid boils your brake peddle is going to the floor.. 2) change pads, what a lot of folks here don’t like is the soft initial bite the stock pads have. Switch to a more aggressive pad, with more initial bite, and you’ll have much stronger braking response with less pedal travel. Sorry more dust, and noise are often the trade for good brake response. 3) move to stainless steel braided lines, the cheap rubber lines in these trucks expand with braking pressure causing you to have to push the pedal further. 4) that’s the end of the cheap options.. I cheated my brake fluid and it had a big difference. My previous car / tow vehicle was a bmw x5m which had manhole cover sized brakes, and was in a different league in breaking.

I agree with everything you’ve said, but you shouldn’t have to do anything whatsoever on a brand new vehicle.

 

[thecastle]

I agree with everything you’ve said, but you shouldn’t have to do anything whatsoever on a brand new vehicle.

I agree brakes should be confidence inspiring. I suspect some of this is just driver preference on brake pedal feel. In my opinion and I hate to be cynical here, is that the primary goal of truck brakes is to be economical, with low noise, dust and low chance that the pads will glaze the rotors and cause pulsing (feels like warped). The customer base who use these vehicles for work/companies want their brakes to be reliable, long lasting with low replacement/maintenance costs. Unfortunately; those requirements tend to be the opposite of high performance brakes, with good pedal feel and short stopping distances. These brakes are engineered to be good for controlling the truck on long downhill grades, and being economical. Its like good tires. The grippier the tire, the softer the compound and the shorter they last. I agree with you; since its new it should be built with a more enthusiastic bent, better pedal feel and short stopping distances. But that isn't what I believe RAM was after in their design compromise and the folks who care, and want to have more confidence in their brakes they'll need to upgrade the brakes to get them where they want them to be. Speaking from experience coming from tracking cars, and owning high performance vehicles, I noticed immediately the ram's brake pedal is soft, the brakes seem to stop okay with decent modulation, and I think they're good for 1 hard stop from 65 before fade comes in (that code brown moment when the pedal goes to the floor and it wont stop). They aren't autobahn bred brakes.

 

[BigJim]

2021 Ram 3500 SRW 6.4 gas 10,000 miles. Worst brake pedal feel of any vehicle I've driven in 5 decades! I actually had to move my seat forward several clicks just to make sure I can press the pedal down far enough to stop! Most of the time very soft and have to press down farther then I would like, once in a while the pedal is up and firm like it should be. I've had everything checked out twice by the dealer and they report everything is in spec's and nothing wrong with brake pads, disc's or brake fluid and bled the lines. I was told that this is just normal. This might be the last Ram I own if this is normal. Down right scary!

 

[thecastle]

It seems common on all pickups to have soft brakes recently. you should read all the complaints in Chevy/gmc forums. I think it’s what truck manufactures think owners like since it’s a common design among brands. Its certainly not hurt sales.

i found changing my brake fluid made a big difference

Brakes soft

2021 2500 HD diesel. brakes seem soft or take a lot of effort. Im coming from a half ton but have had diesels before, just seems a lot of effort on brakes. Any others out there? Any TSBs

www.gm-trucks.com

 

[TinGoatTravelers]

It seems common on all pickups to have soft brakes recently. you should read all the complaints in Chevy/gmc forums. I think it’s what truck manufactures think owners like since it’s a common design among brands. Its certainly not hurt sales.

i found changing my brake fluid made a big difference

Brakes soft

2021 2500 HD diesel. brakes seem soft or take a lot of effort. Im coming from a half ton but have had diesels before, just seems a lot of effort on brakes. Any others out there? Any TSBs

www.gm-trucks.com

I had a 2013 GM Duramax. The brakes on that were significantly better than my 2022 Ram 2500 Hemi. Maybe I should say they were exactly in line with my expectations of what brakes should feel and operate like. I am not a fan of the Ram’s soft and spongy brakes at all….they just don’t feel like they’re stopping the truck at all…

 

[Patriot Motor Sports USA]

21' 3500 MC, I have been annoyed with the long and spongy brake stroke as well. Has anyone else noticed excessive front wheel brake dust? I think I may lift her up and bleed all the lines, maybe go with some higher end ceramic pads too.

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Did you ever find a set of aftermarket pads? I have been looking for a set to change out my 2021 MC DRW 3500 and so far only the dealer can get them. I too hate the soft pedal and will bleed the system with higher performance Motul fluid sooner than later.