I just got a 23 1500 and the cargo light only works when the truck is in park. Is this normal? I found some other info online that it may be disabled in drive because of rear facing lights being illegal in some states. The odd thing is that if I hit the button while in drive nothing happens, but as soon as I put it in park the light will come on like it recognized me pressing it while it was in drive. I’m not sure if this is correct.
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Cargo Light
- Thread starter Turtle721
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vincentw56
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I'm not sure if they made a change for later years, but my 2020 works while driving.
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Was your truck originally shipped and sold to California or Mississippi? You can find out on your build sheet with your VIN at this link:
FCA RAM
If so, the cargo lamp output is configured to be disabled with vehicle moving.
I get an error when I try to look up my VIN "Oops please try again!". I have pictures of it brand new at a dealer in Ohio.Was your truck originally shipped and sold to California or Mississippi? You can find out on your build sheet with your VIN at this link:
View attachment 195700FCA RAM
fcagroup.my.site.com
If so, the cargo lamp output is configured to be disabled with vehicle moving.
View attachment 195701
Is that option only enabled if it was shipped to California or Mississippi?
What is odd to me is that if I press the button when its in drive and then put it in park the light comes on so it is recognizing me pressing it while its in drive. I feel like something is wrong.
Last edited:
Where is this configuration, and can it be changed? I would like to see cargo (motos) driving down bumpy roads.Was your truck originally shipped and sold to California or Mississippi? You can find out on your build sheet with your VIN at this link:
View attachment 195700FCA RAM
If so, the cargo lamp output is configured to be disabled with vehicle moving.
View attachment 195701
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It’s a setting in alfaobd, and it is set to yes on California and Mississippi trucks, but I checked it on both my 2500 and 1500 trucks, and it doesn’t do what you guys are wanting.
That setting only applies to the tow mirror rear trailer spot lamps and whether or not they’ll stay on in reverse.
The normal behavior for the cargo lamps in the CHMSL is to be on in park, neutral, and reverse, but not in drive. If the switch is on, it will still indicate that in the cluster while in drive, but they will be off until shifted out of drive. There’s no way to change that behavior.
millerbjm
Ram Guru
My 2025 will turn on the cargo light while driving, I just tested it tonight.
Okay so based upon what you said they will not work in drive. My truck is not a Cali or Mississippi truck.
When in drive and I hit the button for the cargo lights I don't get the indicator in the cluster. It only comes on once I put it into R, N, P so I think something is still off.
However, I'm also having some other odd, but minor issues. Some of the buttons don't light up at night when the headlights are turned on (front/rear defroster, recirculate, Auto, and mode), but they do function. When activated the orange "ON" indicator turns on, but its super dim. When the lights are turned off, the orange indicator functions completely normal and isn't super dim. Also, the adjustor to adjust the dash brightness works completely normal when the headlights are turned on manually, but sometimes when its on auto the brightness is maxed out and the adjustor does nothing. Then all of a sudden it randomly starts working (I have noticed it seems it doesn't work when its just starting to get dark out, but once it gets fully dark it seems to start working).
The dash brightness sounds like it's working as designed.
Back lighting for the switch panel definitely isn't, probably just need a new switch panel.
Its the adjuster that controls the brightness for the buttons, interior lights (by your feet), cluster, and screen brightness. It stays on maxed out brightness which is almost blinding at night. It definitely should work and i'm confident its not working properly because it functions differently in another family members RAM.
It could potentially be that, but I find it odd that they behave differently depending if the headlights are on/off which makes me think its something with the truck "programming".
ZombieSlayer
Ram Guru
On my truck it's the auto setting on the headlights. Same thing happens with my dimmer and backlighting especially during daylight. It's also never consistent, so I never use auto 
This is normal. The truck thinks it needs full bright for the sunlight.
So this is normal? Here is a video of it not working on auto and one of it working on auto. Today I was driving it and the auto lights came on. The adjustor wouldn't do anything. Went somewhere and when I got back in it and started the truck it was working.
Yes, perfectly normal, and properly designed. Regardless of knob position, if the headlights are off, as shown by the green light in the tach, the dash is full bright to be bright enough for sunlight. You also can see another automatic action of the wipers turning on headlights.
Okay, I have a Dodge Dart with the same exact adjustor and when the auto lights kick on so does the dimming ability. I guess on the RAMS the trigger for the auto headlights and the dimming are separate. Thats great news though! I thought something was wrong.
