Troubleshooting Blue Ox Patriot Faulting/Not connecting to Remote  

Question:

Expert Reply:

Hi Terri,

I'd actually start looking at the actual Blue Ox Patriot brake unit and how its set up based on what you're describing. The fact that “Brake Not Found” disappears when the Patriot is powered suggests the remote is at least detecting the brake, but the brake isn't successfully completing setup. There are a few things to check to make sure everything is set up correctly and that the brake unit is functioning properly.

1. Check that the Patriot has 12V of power going to it, the red light being on shows there is power to the unit, but the Patriot won't function if it has below 12V of power and will fault if the voltage drops below 10V.

2. Reposition the Patriot completely, attach the claw securely to the brake pedal, and make sure the back of the Patriot rests against the driver's seat, but the seat should not put pressure on the unit. If setup fails twice, Blue Ox specifically recommends adjusting the push pads and checking this positioning.

3. With the Patriot powered on but before pressing SETUP, look at the lights. Flashing blue and green is the normal sequence. If you get solid red and blue, there's too much pressure on the brake pedal; move the Patriot slightly away from the pedal

4. f you've started the towed vehicle at any point during troubleshooting, reset the Patriot and perform setup again. Blue Ox requires a reset anytime the towed vehicle has been started.

Once you've tried those few things, please let me know the result and if it's still not working, we can do more research from there.

expert reply by: Claire H

0

Tim

8/18/2026

I had the same experience as Terri, spent so much time resetting, adjusting, testing everything. I ended up many times just not using it. When I sold the RV and bought a new one I added Air Force One and never have to deal with that again. My Blue Ox unit is now for sale.

Claire H.

8/18/2026

@Tim I'm sorry to hear you had such a frustrating experience with the Blue Ox Patriot. Having to repeatedly reset, adjust, and test a braking system definitely takes away from the convenience it's supposed to provide. I'm glad to hear the Air Force One has been a better fit for you and is making your towing experience easier. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience with us and make us aware of the issues others may also experience.

George

8/18/2026

I had a different problem with my Patriot and called Blu Ox directly. After not resolving the issue they quickly sent a replacement unit under the warranty and I was back in business. Etrailer provides some of the best support around, but if you cant resolve the issue here call Blu Ox. They have great customer service as well.

Claire H.

8/18/2026

@George I'm sorry you had issues with your Patriot, but I'm happy to hear Blue Ox was able to send you another one and get you taken care of! What kind of issues were you having with the previous unit?

George

8/18/2026

@ClaireH It got to the point that it was not setting up when I installed it. It worked for several trips just fine but all of a sudden it would not set up. I would put it in position, push setup up and it would push really hard on the peddle and then give a setup error. It happend a few times and then resolve itself at first, but continued to get worse to the point I had to tow without brakes a few miles to the next stop and then my wife drove it the rest of our trip. Blue Ox had me try a few things that didn't work, then they shipped me a new one and asked I return the old in the box they shipped. No cost to me at all other than the trouble of dealing with this, which was a pain in my backside, but when a company stands behind their product and do the best they can to fix it quickly, I'm a fan. Nothings perfect and I understand that, but how a company deals with the problems says a lot to me. So even with this issue, I recommend Blue Ox products because they stand behind it!

Claire H.

8/19/2026

@George Oh man, yeah that does sound like there was something wrong internally with it based off what you described. I completely agree with you though, if a company stands behind their product and does what they can to make it right, I'll be loyal customer. I'm glad this new one has been working well for you!

Terri

10/10/2026

We were on a cross country try trip from Maryland to California. Prior to this happening, I was having to reset it 5-6 times just to get it to set up the first time when we were getting going in the mornings. It was very frustrating. Then about 2/3 of the way home, out of no where, it gave us a “no brake found” error. I tried several times to completely unplug everything from the trailer, from the brake buddy, and restart the process. I repositioned the brake, the claw, everything. Out of frustration, we drove thru the Appalachian mountains without a working brake controller on our toad. I’m wondering if I need to contact Blue Ox directly.

Claire H.

10/10/2026

@Terri At this point, I would definitely suggest reaching out to Blue Ox directly, for others in the past who had issues with the Patriot Blue Ox was very open to replacing their units after troubleshooting. That is scary having to drive through the mountain with no brakes, I'm glad you were able to make it home safely.