2019 Ram 1500 OBD code U11E9 - Fixed!

[Ruben-Ram5th 1500]

2019 Ram 1500 OBD code U11E9 Fixed!

Last week I got this OBD code U11E9 “AGS grille shutter malfunction or lost communication.” After doing some research I notice that a lot of people were just changing the grill shutters right away but the issue persisted. I did more research, and found that it the grille shutters and the air dam at the bottom behind the front bumper are linked together and that a lot of times the issue is either a broken wire at the grille shutters connector or a bad air dam. The only repair that I found was one for the electrical connector for the grille shutters and nothing else.

Here’s what I did to repair mine.

1. Disconnect the bottom air dam to see if the code clears. If it does, follow the next steps. If the code didn’t clear, check the harness going to the grille shutters looks like one of the wires corrodes and breaks near the windshield washer reservoir.
2. If the code cleared. Leave air dam unplugged and remove 4 nuts holding the assembly, the unit is very light.
3. Once the unit has been removed, place on a table or workbench for easier disassembly.
4. Take pictures to make so you have some reference on how everything was.
5. Remove the four 10mm bolts to air dam.
6. Loosen the two 10mm on the hinge bracket and slide out. For the motor side, 3 torx screws must be removed, then slide out.
7. With a medium flathead screw driver, super gently and evenly start prying on the white cap of the motor. In my case, I got a lot of rusty water coming out.
8. Once the white cap is removed, remove water.
9. Gently pull on the electric board and set it a side. The board just plugged in.
10. Remove shaft and 4 smaller torx screws inside and with a small flathead screwdriver gently pry upwards the motor and gear assembly inside.
11. Remove shaft seals one on each end. In my case, both were hard dried out and cracked.
12. At this point, the unit is disassembled and everything should be cleaned and degreased. I clean the electronic board with alcohol and compressed air, no scrubbing on the board.
13. In my case, the seals were bad so I ordered them in Amazon for $10. These seals fit perfect. Of course they will be a tight because they are new.
14. Grease and assemble. Fitting the shaft in the seals gets a bit tricky, but nothing crazy. Before putting the white cap, add sealant to keep water from coming in. Find someone to help you keep thing aligned.

I tried adding more pictures, but I think I reached the limit.

Hopefully this $10 repair and some dedication helps someone out there that is struggling with the same issue.

 

[JetMech]

2019 Ram 1500 OBD code U11E9 Fixed!

Last week I got this OBD code U11E9 “AGS grille shutter malfunction or lost communication.” After doing some research I notice that a lot of people were just changing the grill shutters right away but the issue persisted. I did more research, and found that it the grille shutters and the air dam at the bottom behind the front bumper are linked together and that a lot of times the issue is either a broken wire at the grille shutters connector or a bad air dam. The only repair that I found was one for the electrical connector for the grille shutters and nothing else.

Here’s what I did to repair mine.

1. Disconnect the bottom air dam to see if the code clears. If it does, follow the next steps. If the code didn’t clear, check the harness going to the grille shutters looks like one of the wires corrodes and breaks near the windshield washer reservoir.
2. If the code cleared. Leave air dam unplugged and remove 4 nuts holding the assembly, the unit is very light.
3. Once the unit has been removed, place on a table or workbench for easier disassembly.
4. Take pictures to make so you have some reference on how everything was.
5. Remove the four 10mm bolts to air dam.
6. Loosen the two 10mm on the hinge bracket and slide out. For the motor side, 3 torx screws must be removed, then slide out.
7. With a medium flathead screw driver, super gently and evenly start prying on the white cap of the motor. In my case, I got a lot of rusty water coming out. View attachment 162105 View attachment 162106
8. Once the white cap is removed, remove water. View attachment 162107 View attachment 162112
9. Gently pull on the electric board and set it a side. The board just plugged in. View attachment 162108
10. Remove shaft and 4 smaller torx screws inside and with a small flathead screwdriver gently pry upwards the motor and gear assembly inside. View attachment 162109
11. Remove shaft seals one on each end. In my case, both were hard dried out and cracked. View attachment 162110
12. At this point, the unit is disassembled and everything should be cleaned and degreased. I clean the electronic board with alcohol and compressed air, no scrubbing on the board. View attachment 162113
13. In my case, the seals were bad so I ordered them in Amazon for $10. These seals fit perfect. Of course they will be a tight because they are new. View attachment 162114
14. Grease and assemble. Fitting the shaft in the seals gets a bit tricky, but nothing crazy. Before putting the white cap, add sealant to keep water from coming in. Find someone to help you keep thing aligned.

I tried adding more pictures, but I think I reached the limit.

Hopefully this $10 repair and some dedication helps someone out there that is struggling with the same issue.

Great post! I had the same OBD code on my 2019. Disconected the air dam plug, cleared codes and it has not repeated. Will have to try this repair next. No recall posted for my VIN like others have noted.

 

[Cbty2050]

Some have an extended warranty on the air dam.

 

[Ruben-Ram5th 1500]

Great post! I had the same OBD code on my 2019. Disconected the air dam plug, cleared codes and it has not repeated. Will have to try this repair next. No recall posted for my VIN like others have noted.

Thanks! I was really concern finding the oil seal. Luckily I was able to find it in Amazon. So far no issue. A video would’ve been more helpful.

Great post! I had the same OBD code on my 2019. Disconected the air dam plug, cleared codes and it has not repeated. Will have to try this repair next. No recall posted for my VIN like others have noted.

 

[BChillyP]

Actuator housing: (3)x T20
Internal motor housing: (3)x T10

2020 Ram. With the air dam (AAD) plugged in, I get U11E9 AGS Communication Lost and U0645 AAD Communication Lost errors. With the AAD unplugged, I only get U0645 for the AAD and the AGS correctly cycle within 10sec of startup. I fully disassembled and cleaned the AAD actuator per above steps, but the symptoms remain. $400 for a brand new AAD assembly (Front Air Dam - Mopar (68274406AH)) is ridiculous for known crap. My issue started at 37k miles, so just beyond the warranty. Any ideas guys? I haven't unwrapped the cabling yet, but it looked good. Also, couldn't tell by OP's pics, but my actuator only had 3 pins where 4 are possible.
Any ideas are greatly welcomed.

 

[Titanschris]

2019 Ram 1500 OBD code U11E9 Fixed!

Last week I got this OBD code U11E9 “AGS grille shutter malfunction or lost communication.” After doing some research I notice that a lot of people were just changing the grill shutters right away but the issue persisted. I did more research, and found that it the grille shutters and the air dam at the bottom behind the front bumper are linked together and that a lot of times the issue is either a broken wire at the grille shutters connector or a bad air dam. The only repair that I found was one for the electrical connector for the grille shutters and nothing else.

Here’s what I did to repair mine.

1. Disconnect the bottom air dam to see if the code clears. If it does, follow the next steps. If the code didn’t clear, check the harness going to the grille shutters looks like one of the wires corrodes and breaks near the windshield washer reservoir.
2. If the code cleared. Leave air dam unplugged and remove 4 nuts holding the assembly, the unit is very light.
3. Once the unit has been removed, place on a table or workbench for easier disassembly.
4. Take pictures to make so you have some reference on how everything was.
5. Remove the four 10mm bolts to air dam.
6. Loosen the two 10mm on the hinge bracket and slide out. For the motor side, 3 torx screws must be removed, then slide out.
7. With a medium flathead screw driver, super gently and evenly start prying on the white cap of the motor. In my case, I got a lot of rusty water coming out. View attachment 162105 View attachment 162106
8. Once the white cap is removed, remove water. View attachment 162107 View attachment 162112
9. Gently pull on the electric board and set it a side. The board just plugged in. View attachment 162108
10. Remove shaft and 4 smaller torx screws inside and with a small flathead screwdriver gently pry upwards the motor and gear assembly inside. View attachment 162109
11. Remove shaft seals one on each end. In my case, both were hard dried out and cracked. View attachment 162110
12. At this point, the unit is disassembled and everything should be cleaned and degreased. I clean the electronic board with alcohol and compressed air, no scrubbing on the board. View attachment 162113
13. In my case, the seals were bad so I ordered them in Amazon for $10. These seals fit perfect. Of course they will be a tight because they are new. View attachment 162114
14. Grease and assemble. Fitting the shaft in the seals gets a bit tricky, but nothing crazy. Before putting the white cap, add sealant to keep water from coming in. Find someone to help you keep thing aligned.

I tried adding more pictures, but I think I reached the limit.

Hopefully this $10 repair and some dedication helps someone out there that is struggling with the same issue.

Great post…I just got this code tonight on my 2019. Question…is it safe to drive until I can get the seals? I don’t want to cause any further issues with the truck. Thanks.

 

[Ruben-Ram5th 1500]

Great post…I just got this code tonight on my 2019. Question…is it safe to drive until I can get the seals? I don’t want to cause any further issues with the truck. Thanks.

I drove mine for a week with no issues until the seals came in.

 

[laoxu]

Thank you for sharing! I got both AGS and AAD error code last week. I read your post and disassembled the AAD controller. Same issue! I cleaned the parts and ordered oil sealers today. Just wondering what's kind of grease you use for lubricant before putting them back together? Thanks.