PedalMonster 3-Year Long-Term Review: Reliability & Safety Tested
After three years of PedalMonster ownership, Eddie had to disconnect it so that he could take the truck in for a smog check. Since it had been sitting, he needed to drive it for a while to reset the emissions readiness monitors. Just to make sure there weren’t any issues, Eddie drove his truck for two weeks. “I probably drove this truck more than I’ve ever driven it. Of course, it passed the smog test. Driving it home, I realized that I needed to reconnect the PedalMonster. I was kind of used to the way the truck was driving, which was sluggish. So, I plugged that puppy back in, and man, you know how you take stuff for granted? The 4.8L truck just changed completely!”
Full Video Transcript
00:02 what’s up people of the internet you know I just wanted to make a a real quick video about my uh situation that just happened here and of course you got my truck and I’ve been having to get this stupid thing smogged right so of course I don’t drive it a whole lot and uh battery died and I
00:25
didn’t even think about it but when I went in to get it smogged the the guy told me oh it’s not ready right so it’s not ready that’s annoying you know you got to go through the drive cycles and all this stuff and you know whatever um so it was just annoying right so so I had to go through
00:48 do some drive cycles but let me get to the point right so the point was when when I went to get the smog I disconnected my um my Banks pedal monster and you know just not thinking nothing of it went in there right and then he tells me oh you got to drive the truck it’s you know it’s not ready blah
01:05 blah blah probably cuz I let my battery die and whatever and uh and plus I don’t drive a lot so I spent the next like week Man actually I think it’s been two weeks driving it around I probably drove this truck more than I’ve driven it ever probably since I got it and uh so I went
01:23 in there finally today to get the truck smogged and he’s like yeah it’s ready P of course it passed you know there’s nothing wrong with theck truck and it runs perfect so then I was leaving and I was driving back and then I remembered oh I need to plug my pedal monster back
01:40 in so I was kind of used to the way the truck was driving right and you know I mean when I’m driving around it just felt sluggish whatever so I plugged that puppy back in and man you know you you take stuff for granted um you know but that thing makes a huge difference and so driving back to to my
02:05 house you know of course I got the banks pedal monster like the truck just changed completely this is just a 4.8 L it ain’t nothing special it’s all pretty much stock you know but the difference the way the truck feels and cuz it’s got this like I said the small V8 the 4.8 L it just feels
02:25 it’s almost like night and day difference man and so of course when I get back back I haven’t opened up the app in forever and of course the battery died so I went I went and opened the app when I got home and uh you know it it told me I had to reconnect to the thing probably
02:42 actually it’s probably because I got a new phone to be honest with you that’s probably why it did that I hadn’t connected to it since I you know I get a new phone every year and so I didn’t replace it but or I hadn’t connected to it since probably I got this new phone
02:55 so I went reconnected to it you know and then of course it’s headed out an update I updated it and and it’s just I don’t know man it just feels so much better you know not necessarily after the update but just you know let me just uh like I don’t know it’s like almost
03:16 instantaneous man and before it’s like you hit the throttle and literally it’s like it feels like it feels like forever that the RPMs go up you know what I mean it’s just it’s just super annoying but I just thought I would make this little video just to talk about um my
03:33 experience with the uh with the pedal monster and when I had it unplugged you know like I said you kind of get used to it but you know as soon as I plugged it in it just felt so much better so if you know if you’re in the market or whatever you have a truck like this and and you
03:51 know just I don’t know maybe you’re used to it or whatever but if you thought about getting one man I’m going to say get it you know I know they’re probably still pretty pricey but I don’t know man it’s work it like I said I get it gets updates you know I haven’t really driven
04:05 it since I just updated it now but I’ve had this thing for three years and the fact that I just connected it again and it gave me an update I think it was like the 15th update or something that said but that’s pretty awesome from banks that they’re just you know they could
04:21 they continue to innovate they Continue to update their their products three years later I don’t know man pretty awesome but I just thought I would throw this video out there if you’re in the market for one of these uh you know pedal commanders whatever the pedal
04:34 monster from Banks is legit man I love it and uh I’m glad I remember to plug it back in but anyways just a quick video of what about that situation and I hope everybody has a wonderful 2025 cuz it’s you know it’s early we’re just getting started and uh like And subscribe and
04:51 we’ll see you in the next one peace
“I’m surprised at the throttle sensitivity difference between stock and the PedalMonster. It’s almost instantaneous now. Before you’d hit the throttle and it felt like it took forever for the RPMs to go up. It was just super annoying! As soon as I plugged it back in it just felt so much better. I’ve had this thing for three years, and the fact that I just connected it again and it gave me a firmware update—that’s pretty awesome that Banks continues to innovate and update their products. The PedalMonster from Banks is legit!”
Engineering Long-Term Reliability: Why OBD-II Power and ActiveSafety Prevent Throttle Failures
Many aftermarket throttle boosters develop glitches or trigger check engine lights after extended use due to their underlying electrical architecture. Most generic devices draw their operating power directly from the vehicle’s accelerator pedal position sensor circuit—a sensitive, low-current 5-volt reference line designed exclusively for signal transmission. Over time, drawing power from this circuit can cause voltage sag, signal corruption, diagnostic trouble codes (such as P2122 or P2138), and sudden vehicle limp-mode events. The Banks PedalMonster eliminates this vulnerability by drawing its primary 12-volt operating power directly from the vehicle’s OBD-II port, leaving the pedal sensor circuits entirely isolated and unburdened.
Long-term mechanical dependability also relies on fail-safe hardware. The PedalMonster features patented ActiveSafety technology with an internal fail-safe bypass relay. If the unit ever experiences an unexpected loss of power, a detached connection, or an internal fault, the relay instantaneously bridges the pedal circuits directly back to the factory ECU. The vehicle seamlessly reverts to 100% stock throttle operation without triggering a dead pedal or leaving the driver stranded on the highway.
Furthermore, the PedalMonster is 50-state emissions legal (CARB EO certified) and does not alter engine fueling maps, timing, or emissions readiness monitors. While Eddie disconnected his unit during state inspection simply to free up the physical OBD-II port for the inspection station’s diagnostic scanner, the device itself complies with emissions standards across all 50 states. Combined with over-the-air firmware updates delivered seamlessly via the Banks mobile app, the hardware continues to receive software refinements and vehicle protocol updates years after installation.
Related Throttle Technology & Real-World Reviews
- Banks PedalMonster vs Pedal Commander – Safety Matters — Learn why OBD-II connectivity, Reverse Safety, and ActiveSafety fail-safe relays make the PedalMonster the safest throttle controller available.
- PedalMonster Safety Features Make RAM 3500 Smarter & Safer — Explore how Reverse Safety and Low-Speed Trim prevent twitchy throttle behavior and unwanted acceleration during trailer hitching.
- The Story Behind PedalMonster — Discover the engineering background and test-track validation Gale Banks conducted to eliminate electronic throttle lag safely.
- In-Depth Review of PedalMonster — Read an extensive long-term review examining installation simplicity, app configuration, and drivability gains across everyday driving conditions.