Tazer has voided my warranty

[LakesAZ]

My main concern about doing anything to these trucks is that these "bypass" devices could leave a "fingerprint" which will send an alert when a dealer hooks up to it. I mean after all, they have the equipment to read and flash all of the modules in the vehicle so I would imagine that they could pick up the changes which indicates it was "tampered" with. Call me whatever you want but I think its crazy to risk the warranty on the vehicle over having a couple extra features available. I'd love to do a couple myself but I'll wait

I agree with this line of thinking. While the changes you can do with this type of equipment may improve your truck, it is not worth the loss of your warranty. Most of us bought our RAM trucks for the features it has, not the features it doesn't have.

 

[Rlaf75]

I agree with this line of thinking. While the changes you can do with this type of equipment may improve your truck, it is not worth the loss of your warranty. Most of us bought our RAM trucks for the features it has, not the features it doesn't have.

Especially with known problems that seem to pop up from time to time

 

[ekaz]

Just something that hasn't been mentioned, a lot has to do with your relationship with the dealership. It isn't something unknown that RAM/Stellanis looks for ways to deny a warranty claim, but a good relationship with your dealer can go a long way as well.

 

[BowDown]

Only thing is the Tazer doesn't do anything to the PCM. The SGW isn't the encryption for the PCM, which is why you have to either get an unlocked PCM, or send yours in to be unlocked if you want to do any actual tuning of the PCM.

You're missing the point, it doesn't matter if the tazer does or doesn't do anything, FCA sees it as tampering, period. You did something to alter the way the PCM/BCM was intended to work no matter how benign, warranty void.

 

[BowDown]

I feel like noone is answering the real question here. Does the vehicle latch a code that says the SGW has been bypassed? If that's the case then it doesn't matter if you leave the tazer installed or not. If they ever look for that flag then it's an automatic dismissal as they can claim they don't know what may have been done to the systems. Until someone with a scan tool, potentially alfa obd, and a tazer can actually answer that question then all of this back and forth is pointless.

GM's PCM's can, I see no reason why FCA's cannot given the amount of logging they are doing to try to protect themselves from fraudulent warranty repairs (Hellcats).

 

[BowDown]

Certainly not trying to knock anyone for doing it. I was going to do it without any hesitation. I already have the wiring harness for the passive entry lol. This thread has just persuaded me to wait a while. I also plan on keeping the truck for a long time but I'd also hate to be out thousands of dollars in warranty because I wanted fancier door handles lol.

My personal opinion on this is that it's BS. It sucks for OP and I wish there was a way to help him get that transmission fixed. I wish we had some dealership techs on the forum who may be able to shed more light on the situation.

Do it and simply have the dealer activate the service in the BCM then you've got no worries

 

[GKIII]

I also wonder if the type of bypass would matter. There are some where you unplug the SGW and plug the cables into another device, and then there are others like this:

Security Module Bypass | KaodTech

If you have a 2018+ RAM and would like to perform diagnostics or make changes to the modules of your truck using tools like AlfaOBD or AutoEngenuity, this bypass is for you.Does this allow access to all modules?It has been tested connecting to the BCM and RFH. Since it bypasses the security...

www.kaodtech.com

Where it just plugs into the CAN (I've only used this one). There would be no SGW unplugging to log in this case.

 

[Klicht87]

Just something that hasn't been mentioned, a lot has to do with your relationship with the dealership. It isn't something unknown that RAM/Stellanis looks for ways to deny a warranty claim, but a good relationship with your dealer can go a long way as well.

Fact! I've purchased a few vehicles from a local dealership and even with modifications and issues I had after those modifications on a previous truck, they never questioned anything or denied any claims.

 

[ekaz]

I also wonder if the type of bypass would matter. There are some where you unplug the SGW and plug the cables into another device, and then there are others like this:

Security Module Bypass | KaodTech

If you have a 2018+ RAM and would like to perform diagnostics or make changes to the modules of your truck using tools like AlfaOBD or AutoEngenuity, this bypass is for you.Does this allow access to all modules?It has been tested connecting to the BCM and RFH. Since it bypasses the security...

www.kaodtech.com

Where it just plugs into the CAN (I've only used this one). There would be no SGW unplugging to log in this case.

Z Automotive makes a similar cable as well but adds an OBD2 port, doesn't replace the factory one

 

[Aseras]

Lemon Laws vary by State. He may no longer be eligible or meet the required guidelines. Even if he was eligible, once RAM determines he "screwed" with the ECU...he's screwed and a Lemon Law will not help him! It is like fighting the Federal Government...better off just to trade it in for a new truck if he can.

No. state laws vary, the Magnusson Moss warranty act is federal and way stricter and applies everywhere. I've done several lemon law vehicles and won every single one. You can also file in state AND federal and double recover as they are separate jurisdictions so its not double jeopardy.

"JuSt TrDae It" is the worst most stupid thing you could do. Might be faster, but stupid and costly.

 

[Aseras]

The Tazer doesn't do anything to the PCM, it's all BCM changes. I think they locked it because they saw that the SGW was bypassed and they don't know if anything else was done to it. I'm curious if the code in the PCM was set, I think its a P1500 or something that gets tripped when a PCM gets unlocked.
I would push back a little and ask for more proof that it was the tazer that caused the issue. Even if they can't, I've heard its almost an act of god to get a warranty put back into place.

When the gateway is disconnected it sets a OBD code that it's uncontactable. There is 100% NO WAY to alter the actual PCM without replacing it with an unlocked replacement or removing it having it physically modified.

 

[GKIII]

When the gateway is disconnected it sets a OBD code that it's uncontactable. There is 100% NO WAY to alter the actual PCM without replacing it with an unlocked replacement or removing it having it physically modified.

What about the bypasses that simply connect to the CAN bus without disconnecting the SGW?

 

[ekaz]

When the gateway is disconnected it sets a OBD code that it's uncontactable. There is 100% NO WAY to alter the actual PCM without replacing it with an unlocked replacement or removing it having it physically modified.

I know this and believe I even stated that the PCM needs to be unlocked. Yep, first statement: "The Tazer doesn't do anything to the PCM, it's all BCM changes "
Even with an unlocked PCM, the tazer does not write to it. The tazer isn't an engine tuning device.

 

[‘19ramlveryeha]

I think everyone is forgetting that he was having major issues prior to this “warranty void”. The tazer did not cause the issues he was having. Now it did allow the crooks to stop helping him. Everyone on here’s posting recently seems to know better than him but you all forget you are paying for this vehicle. You own it. Proprietary or not you should be able to count on the vehicle mechanically working. His truck was having major issues prior to this.


2019 Ram 1500 ORP “long bed” - setting #5 bilsteins, 2”mopar ucas, hellwig sway bar, tonneau cover, bed mat, 20” Laramie sport wheels on 285/60r20 falkens. Flowmaster outlaw.

 

[BowDown]

I think everyone is forgetting that he was having major issues prior to this “warranty void”. The tazer did not cause the issues he was having. Now it did allow the crooks to stop helping him. Everyone on here’s posting recently seems to know better than him but you all forget you are paying for this vehicle. You own it. Proprietary or not you should be able to count on the vehicle mechanically working. His truck was having major issues prior to this.


2019 Ram 1500 ORP “long bed” - setting #5 bilsteins, 2”mopar ucas, hellwig sway bar, tonneau cover, bed mat, 20” Laramie sport wheels on 285/60r20 falkens. Flowmaster outlaw.

You don't own the software in the PCM or BCM

Cars, especially, have a profound legacy of tinkering. Hobbyists have always modded them, rearranged their guts, and reframed their exteriors. Which is why it’s mind-boggling to me that the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) just had to ask permission from the Copyright Office for tinkerers to modify and repair their own cars.

“Two of EFF's requests this year are on behalf of people who need to access the software in cars so they can do basic things like repair, modify, and test the security of their vehicles,” says Kit Walsh of the EFF. “Because Section 1201 of the DMCA prohibits unlocking ‘access controls’—also known as digital rights management (DRM)—on the software, car companies can threaten anyone who needs to get around those restrictions, no matter how legitimate the reason.”

The DMCA, more formally known as the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, is a copyright law that governs (very imperfectly) what the public can do with creative content—things like music, movies, and software.

WTF! It Should Not Be Illegal to Hack Your Own Car's Computer

I spent last weekend elbow-deep in engine grease, hands tangled in the steel guts of my wife’s Mazda 3. It’s a good little car, but lately its bellyachings have sent me out to the driveway to tinker under the hood. I regularly hurl invectives at the internal combustion engine—but the truth is, I...

www.wired.com

Once you've, in the manufacturers eyes, tampered with or attempted to tamper with the original software, they can legally void your warranty.
As it pertains to the warranty and the use of the tazer, it would appear that some do know more.

 

[BowDown]

I know this and believe I even stated that the PCM needs to be unlocked. Yep, first statement: "The Tazer doesn't do anything to the PCM, it's all BCM changes "
Even with an unlocked PCM, the tazer does not write to it. The tazer isn't an engine tuning device.

Doesn't matter, it alters the intended function of the software and or hardware

 

[Rlaf75]

I think everyone is forgetting that he was having major issues prior to this “warranty void”. The tazer did not cause the issues he was having. Now it did allow the crooks to stop helping him. Everyone on here’s posting recently seems to know better than him but you all forget you are paying for this vehicle. You own it. Proprietary or not you should be able to count on the vehicle mechanically working. His truck was having major issues prior to this.


2019 Ram 1500 ORP “long bed” - setting #5 bilsteins, 2”mopar ucas, hellwig sway bar, tonneau cover, bed mat, 20” Laramie sport wheels on 285/60r20 falkens. Flowmaster outlaw.

I dont think anyone has forgotten that's he's had problems before the taser. Like you said though, it did give them a reason to say FU and they wont cover it any further. His mistake of leaving hooked up or installed cost him his warranty as it showed them that the system was "tampered" with. I ride Harley Davidson's and they do the exact same thing. Any alterations to the ECM using aftermarket software will void the warranty. Manufacturers are cracking down on a lot of stuff because of government BS

 

[BowDown]

I dont think anyone has forgotten that's he's had problems before the taser. Like you said though, it did give them a reason to say FU and they wont cover it any further. His mistake of leaving hooked up or installed cost him his warranty as it showed them that the system was "tampered" with. I ride Harley Davidson's and they do the exact same thing. Any alterations to the ECM using aftermarket software will void the warranty. Manufacturers are cracking down on a lot of stuff because of government BS

Also cracking down because people mod or tune the PCM, damage the vehicle, return it to stock then bring it to the dealer to fix under warranty on the OEM's dime.

To quote Viper in the early 2000's, "people mod these cars to within an inch of its life then bring it back to us to fix under warranty"

 

[Cliffrunner88]

Just something that hasn't been mentioned, a lot has to do with your relationship with the dealership. It isn't something unknown that RAM/Stellanis looks for ways to deny a warranty claim, but a good relationship with your dealer can go a long way as well.

Well I’m screwed, lol. Got 2 dealerships in the adjacent towns, owned by the same parent company, and I didn’t buy the truck with them because I wanted to save over $6k…

 

[‘19ramlveryeha]

You don't own the software in the PCM or BCM

WTF! It Should Not Be Illegal to Hack Your Own Car's Computer

I spent last weekend elbow-deep in engine grease, hands tangled in the steel guts of my wife’s Mazda 3. It’s a good little car, but lately its bellyachings have sent me out to the driveway to tinker under the hood. I regularly hurl invectives at the internal combustion engine—but the truth is, I...

www.wired.com

Once you've, in the manufacturers eyes, tampered with or attempted to tamper with the original software, they can legally void your warranty.
As it pertains to the warranty and the use of the tazer, it would appear that some do know more.

Mechanical issues prior to the voided warranty.


2019 Ram 1500 ORP “long bed” - setting #5 bilsteins, 2”mopar ucas, hellwig sway bar, tonneau cover, bed mat, 20” Laramie sport wheels on 285/60r20 falkens. Flowmaster outlaw.