Chrysler Facing Lawsuit Over Uconnect System Problems
January 23, 2020 Last Updated on December 22, 2020
At A Glance
- This Alert Affects:
- Anyone who has had issues with the Uconnect system in their 2017 or later Chrysler, Jeep or Dodge vehicle.
- What’s Going On?
- A class action lawsuit has been filed alleging Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect “infotainment” system is defective and causing a host of problems for drivers.
- What Problems Are People Reporting?
- Problems with the screens freezing or going black, GPS navigation not working, issues with the rear back-up camera and more.
- What You Can Do
- If you’ve had problems with the Uconnect system in your car, fill out the form on this page. Even though a lawsuit has already been filed, attorneys still need to speak with additional drivers to determine how widespread the Uconnect problems are.
- How Could a Class Action Help Me?
- If successful, drivers could recover money for loss of their car’s value, as well as any out-of-pocket repairs. It could also force Chrysler to come up with a real fix for the problem.
Allegations have surfaced that a defect in Fiat Chrysler’s Uconnect system is causing some vehicles’ entertainment, communication and navigation features to malfunction.
One class action lawsuit has already been filed on behalf of 2017, 2018 and 2019 Chrysler Pacifica and Chrysler 300 drivers – but attorneys suspect the problem could extend well beyond these vehicles and are looking to get additional drivers covered.
As part of their investigation, attorneys working with ClassAction.org would like to hear from anyone who has had problems with the Uconnect system in a 2017 or later:
- Jeep Cherokee
- Jeep Compass
- Jeep Grand Cherokee
- Jeep Wrangler
- Dodge Challenger
- Dodge Charger
- Dodge Durango
- Dodge Journey
- Ram 1500
- Ram 2500
- Chrysler Pacifica
- Chrysler 300
If you own or lease one of these vehicles and had problems with the Uconnect system, fill out the form on this page and share your story. After you get in touch, one of the attorneys handling this investigation may reach out to you directly to explain more about what you can do, how a class action can help and why you could be owed money back from Fiat Chrysler.
What Problems Are Being Reported with the Uconnect System?
The lawsuit alleges that the defect can cause a wide range of problems that affect the radio, touchscreen, GPS, rearview back-up camera, theater system, Bluetooth functionality and more. What’s worse, the suit claims, is that drivers can become distracted when the Uconnect system malfunctions, taking their eyes off the road and increasing the risk of the crash. They may also lose access to safety features such as the back-up camera and hands-free phone use.
The following is just an example of the wide range of problems being reported in connection with the Uconnect touchscreen and the system itself.
- Touch screen freezes, locks, goes black or “blank,” or flashes with the Chrysler logo
- Radio doesn’t work
- GPS and navigation system keeps turning on and off, or doesn’t work at all
- Rear-view backup camera doesn’t work when reversing, or stays on when the car is in forward motion
- Uconnect theater system doesn’t work properly
- Climate control isn’t responsive
- Heated seats don’t work or are “stuck on”
- Loss of Bluetooth connectivity, which is necessary for hands-free calling
- TV monitors fail to turn on, connect and/or sync with the Uconnect system
The following is an example of complaints posted online by drivers who’ve had problems with their Uconnect systems [sic throughout]:
I purchased a brand new 2018 Chrysler Pacifica last month. The day after we brought it home, the Uconnect system (which controls all entertainment, climate, navigation, etc. in the car) started malfunctioning. The situation has worsened to the present point where occasionally ONLY the am/fm radio works. No apple carplay, no phone pairing, no Sirius. Most of the time, however, we drive around in COMPLETE SILENCE, sometimes with our seat warmers stuck ‘on’ because we can’t turn them off since that feature is controlled by the Uconnect system as well…We’ve lost money, we’ve lost sleep, we’re stressed to the max over the fact that we’ve been swindled by Fiat Chrysler America.”
— Brookeye, 2018 Chrysler Pacifica driver PacificaForums.com
My 2018 Chrysler 300C (13,300 miles) infotainment system started having issues. It started changing from Bluetooth back to the phone repeatedly. The heated steering wheel would shut off within 10 minutes instead of the 80 stated in the owners manual. A new steering wheel was said to be the fix. Not.. Then the heated/cooled seats started shutting off early. Next the Navigation stopped working with no maps and showing my current location in a completely different city. I visited my Chrysler service center who looked at it and informed me the problems would be corrected within an hour after an update. Five hours later I'm told the entire system crashed…”
— 300C Hemi, 2018 chrysler 300 driver AutoWeek.com
The instant the vehicle is turned on I get a ‘Sound System Unavailable’ message in the instrument cluster. Over the past 3 days the Uconnect system has become completely unresponsive twice. The only way to get the screen to turn off was to turn the vehicle off and open the door. Additionally, the UConnect system has completely rebooted unexpectedly while driving.”
— bripappas, 2017 Jeep Compass Trailhawk driver, myjeepcompass.com
2 nights ago the unit froze on my way home from work and would not shut off despite me getting out of the car and waiting for about 20 min, and the screen was getting hot…The next day uconnect was back fully but then on the way home it froze again.”
— Razman247, 2017 Dodge Challenger driver, challengertalk.com
My 2018 ram has had uconnect issue for almost a year, the unit has been replaced once I get the blue screen of death, a black screen with nothing, ram will not replace it again, they say it a uconnect issue and uconnect says it's a software issue with no EED for the update to fix it.”
— Cristina, 2018 Dodge Ram driver, ramforumz.com
It has been alleged that Fiat Chrysler is aware of the issues drivers are experiencing, as the company’s representatives, dealers and technicians have all admitted that the Uconnect system defect is a “known and pervasive problem.”
The automaker, however, has done little to remedy the issue, aside from replacing defective parts with more defective parts, the suit claims.
Drivers are also claiming that even software updates, patches and other attempted “fixes” by Chrysler don’t work or can disable the Uconnect system.
How Can a Class Action Help Me?
A successful class action lawsuit could force Fiat Chrysler to find a real fix for the problem. Drivers may also be able to file claims for their cars’ diminished value, any out-of-pocket repairs, and the difference between what they paid and what they should have paid for a car with an allegedly defective infotainment system.
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