Adding Passive Entry: How-to

[vincentw56]

I am going to do this on my Bright White 2500 and my buddy wants to do it on his '22 1500 Rebel. His door handles are black plastic. Do they make the plastic handles with the passive entry for the Rebel? I can't find any part numbers for them.

I believe you have to use the black handles listed in the parts list post. They don't make them in the matt black. Or have someone paint them.

 

[chris17bh]

Starting to order parts to add this to my son's 2022...did anyone figure out what the correct terminal and wire seal numbers are for the 2021+ rear fascia connector?

Thanks!

-Chris

 

[CRedemann64]

2019 & 2020 Rear Antenna Install

This will help guide you through the basic process of adding the rear antenna to a 2019-2020 5TH-Gen 1500. Whether you use your own wiring, or replace the entire rear fascia harness, the antenna location will be the same. If using the factory harness, it’s going to be plug and play so just remove and replace the entire thing. If you’re just adding the 2 wires needed, then follow the steps below.

To add the two wires and connector for the rear antenna, start by finding the connector below, which is where the rear fascia connector plugs in to the body harness. It's right above the rear resonator on the driver's side.

View attachment 79408

To unplug it, pull up on the little yellow tab and then the red piece will slide out. If the connector doesn’t pop off, you haven't pulled the red piece out enough. It will disengage on its own once you slide it out far enough.

Once unplugged, remove the first couple of clips from the frame so you have some slack, then remove the black cover from the backside of the rear fascia connector. You should be looking at something like this, and we will be working with terminal positions 19 and 20. Position 19 is the "PASSIVE ENTRY ANTENNA 5 SIGNAL" and position 20 is the "PASSIVE ENTRY ANTENNA 5 RETURN". Refer to the photo at the end of this post which shows the antenna connector and which wire is which.

View attachment 79409

There will probably be little plugs in the terminal positions, so you need to push them out. If you have a tool for depinning connectors, slide it in the terminal positions from the face side of the connector (photo directly below) and the plugs will push right out. If you do not have one, a small piece of wire or a paperclip will likely work just as well.

View attachment 79410

Once the plugs are out, before you can insert the terminals from your new harness, there is a plate that needs to be slid out of the way. In the photo below you can see it slid out of the connector, to the opposite side of the one you moved to unplug it. A small flathead should be all you need to get it started and then just slide it out far enough to access the positions you need.

View attachment 79411

After that you can insert the new terminals into the backside of the connector. Don't force them in, they should go in with very little effort if they are oriented correctly. You will hear them click into place when they are seated. Once they're both in, slide the red tray back in.

You can then install the black cover on the back of the connector, and route your wiring however you choose over to the antenna. I ran the new harness inside the first section of wire loom so that it was contained in the black cover like all the rest, then I taped it all up and just ran the wires alongside the factory harness.

The photo below shows where the antenna mounts in a little cubby behind the center of the rear bumper. If you look up from under the truck, between the spare tire and bumper you will see it. If you drop the spare down you will have room to work and come up with a way of securing it with clips or small bolts.

View attachment 79412
View attachment 88400

Does someone have pictures of how the pins insert into this connector? Which way is “up”??

 

[MannyN]

Does someone have pictures of how the pins insert into this connector? Which way is “up”??

Was stated above. They only fit in in the right orientation.
After that you can insert the new terminals into the backside of the connector. Don't force them in, they should go in with very little effort if they are oriented correctly. You will hear them click into place when they are seated. Once they're both in, slide the red tray back in.

 

[sfidelisrp]

Just wanted to post another success story. 2019 1500 Bighorn, using @Jimmy07 built harness' (thanks bro), including the rear antenna. All went flawless but I will point out I actually used this video and it didn't require me to pull off the second panel in the door and mess around with the window. Feels good to have this again, especially when the wife has it on her vehicle.

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[NorskieRider]

Has anyone done this on a 2026 yet?

 

[vincentw56]

Has anyone done this on a 2026 yet?

Yes, details coming soon.

J

Post in thread 'SGW 2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn'

Dec 28, 2025

Got a few things swapped in on the 2025 Big Horn yesterday.

• Jimmy07

• 

 

[Jimmy07]

Has anyone done this on a 2026 yet?

Yes, here’s the full how-to thread for 2025-2026’s:

J

Thread 'HOW TO: Add Passive Entry To 2025+'

Dec 27, 2025

I’ve got the passive entry install figured out on the 2025-2026 Ram 1500, so here’s the write-up.
This is a bit complicated and can be expensive, not due to the parts and install, but due to what’s required to get it all programmed. More information n that in the programming post below, but figure on somewhere around $1000 for everything to get this added and working.

I’m not going to get too deep into explaining every detail of removing trim pieces and parts to run the custom harnesses, since there are plenty of videos of these 5th gen rams, but I’ll post video links as I find them...

• Jimmy07

• 

 

[kuddy]

2021 Rear Antenna Install

For the 2021 models, there is a new connector utilized for the rear fascia harness. The basic concept of adding wires to it is the same, however the process to do so is a little bit different.

Start by locating the connector, which is in the same location as the 19-20’s, but does not look the same. There is a connector that looks similar to the previous trucks in the general location, but this is for the tail light jumper harness and is not what we are looking for.

View attachment 79426

It may be helpful to remove the connector from the bracket it is clipped to so you can get a little slack and be able to see the release mechanism a little better. I also advise undoing the first clip which retains the harness to the side of the trailer hitch, this will allow you to sit comfortably behind the truck and work on it once it’s unplugged.

Once you are ready to disconnect the harness, refer to the photo below and follow the steps indicated. First, slide the red tab towards the rear. It should only move about ¼” give or take. Next, depress and hold the small serrated black tab. Finally, lift up on the white locking bar which will pivot up and over the connector shell, releasing the fascia harness from the body harness.

View attachment 79427

Once the connector is free and you have room to work, the black cover needs to come off to gain access to the wire-insertion side of the connector. Use a small flathead and carefully lift the little tabs around the cover while working it apart. They are only thin plastic, so be careful.

View attachment 79428

Once the cover is removed, you will be able to see the wire-insertion side of the connector. You will be looking for positions 33 and 34 as indicated in the photo below. Since this truck already has passive entry, it has the factory wiring in these positions. When you look at your connector you will see 2 orange plugs like the other vacant positions.

View attachment 79429

Just like on the 19-20’s, the rubber plugs need to come out before your terminals go in. This is where the ’21 differs again. Looking at the face of the connector as shown below, you will see a small white peg protruding above the green plate. This is connected to the plate that locks the terminal pins into the housing. You will need to insert something small into the opening and slide the peg towards the black housing as indicated in the 2 photos below. It doesn’t move much, but you should feel and/or hear it click slightly once it moves, and also notice the gap on the outside of it goes away.

View attachment 79430

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Once you have moved the locking plate over, use a de-pinning tool/small paperclip/piece of wire to push the rubber plugs out the other side of the two terminal positions you will be using (circled in red above).

After the plugs are out, simply insert the new pins into the correct position from the wire-insertion side of the connector. (see photo below) The wire from pin 1 on the antenna connector (signal) will go to pin 33 on the rear fascia connector, and the wire from pin 2 on the antenna connector (return) will go to pin 34 on the rear fascia connector. They should only go in one way and will click in place. So if they aren’t going in easily, don’t force them. The seals may be a tight fit, so a small dab of dielectric grease may help them slide in, or you may need to gently pull the pin in all the way from the face side of the connector.

View attachment 79433

Once both are in all the way, you can slide the white peg back over to lock them in place. Then just reinstall everything in reverse order from how you took it out.

Mounting the antenna is the same as it is on the ’19-20 models. Just find a way to secure it in the small cubby on the inside of the bumper behind where the license plate mounts.

Does anyone happen to have the part number for the housings for this connector? I have a 24 ram and this connector fills up with water. I need both housings and it looks like a 40 pin connector. The cam lever is missing from mine.