I had problems with my mopar steps...Didn't seem that the rocker was strong enough...I looked at my friends quad cab and his structure around the mounts were better. I have a crew cab. Called Amp and they said the same thing. That dodge is supposed to fix the problem in the future crew cabs and the best solution was to weld their brackets on. So I purchased the amp steps and they sent the new weld on brackets also. Had dealer install the brackets and I installed the steps...Big difference...Solid now...no problems. No pull nuts...Theirs are welded to the bracket.

 

So - I'd read this thread back in July. Ordered my steps for my 2011 Crew 1500. Installed them, they worked great. However, I noticed a month or six weeks ago that they won't retract fully.

A couple weeks ago, I crawled under the truck and check all the bolts to assure they were still tight. No problems found.

I’ve hosed off the steps and the undercarriage hardware twice now, thinking that it may be the problem. No change.

We had some unusually warm weather here on the east coast the past couple weeks – thought that might make a difference. No difference.

I've emailed ELECTRICSTEP.COM and provided them this video,
video
to better explain and contrast the problem.

I'll update this thread when I hear back...

 

Loosen all your hardware, let the steps drop down and retract, and when it retracts fully, tighten down your hardware.

 

Thanks for the reply.

Really? Why would this be necessary?

Have you experienced this problem and remedied it with this procedure?

Are you referring to the mounting bolts ("all hardware") to the reverse of the rocker panel?

Thanks again.

 

I've never experienced this problem myself, I don't have power steps, but as an engineer, it looks to me like you have an alignment problem with your mounting. So if I were you, I'd start by loosening the mounting hardware, cycling the steps, and tightening the hardware. It may not work, but it may, and it should only take 5 or 10 minutes to try.

 

Well... "Give that man a CIGAR" IRONSIDES - You da MAN!

I decided to try loosening and re-tightening as suggested by IRONSIDES. I started on the passenger side, which was the worse offender. I started with the mounting hardware to the rocker panels- its a bit of a tight space to work but got them loosened and cycled the step, pushed everything into place, re-tighten, no change.

I then decided to try the four allen-headed bolts that secure the boards to the brackets. To be exact - these:


There are two on the front bracket and two on the rear bracket. And sure enough, when I loosened the four allen-headed bolts that hold the step to the brackets, cycled the bracket into place, it retracted completely. I re-tighten the allen-headed bolts. Repeated the four allen-head bolts on the opposite side. And they both now retract as good as new. Here is the result via video:

VIDEO

 

Glad it worked out for you

 

My father-in-law got his aftermarket and the shop that installed them only charged $169. It's a Ford and he checked with them and to buy through Ford they were almost $2000 ea!

 

Wonder if using LocTite would help with the bolts coming loose. Red or Blue, but I'm sure they see a lot of vibration under there. And that stuff does have a breaking strength if you ever had to remove them, but might help keep them in place

Just a thought