Hey Guys,
I just picked up a new 2019 Ram Laramie Sport Crew Cab w/new Tailgate, Customer Preferred package and Level 2 for all the audio and safety at 64K... Now, let me preface this by saying I am a Microsoft Engineer so technology is supposed to be my forte.. However, I haven't seen this many bugs in a vehicle technology in a long time that neither the Dealership, Uconnect, or SiriusXM Guardian can comprehend. So please read through and add to the list so I can escalate this to FCA since I can find someone on the inside through business relationships.. Picked up my Truck Friday, went through everything at the dealership. Everything worked. Saturday rolls around and BAM. Nothing works.
-Before I get into the nitty gritty, the Truck is gorgous from the inside out. FCA DID A GREAT JOB Designing. Just the software sucks.
Equipment
iPhone XS Max
2019 Ram Laramie Sport Crew Cab
1) NAV is completely lost. What is even worse is if you use Carplay (Apple) It still tries to use the Trucks GPS not the phones which makes it still inaccurate.
2) SiriusXM Guardian somehow un-activated and now will not re-activate under any circumstances. The issue you are going to run into is that they will resend a signal which you can do from the Mopar site. This works if you lose a signal and it is still activated. If it is not activated, then it is grayed out which means you can't even use it.
3) The Voice recognition is completely useless. Especially with the NAV out it makes it even worse.
4) The HK 19 speakers.. I mean its good.. is it 2K good? Nope.
5) The backup camera is hit or miss depending on your combination of how you use it. If you hit the back up camera while doing something else the screen goes black. I don't remember the exact combo but I was able to reproduce it multiple times and had to hit the power button a few times to get the screen to come back up.
6) The split screen doesn't function correctly. It still can't differentiate b/t the top and bottom all the time.
7) The A/C.. Now I have read some of the threads and I think they are on to something. I don't know if it is a different type of refrigerant or not but I have had a 2016 dodge ram and a 2013 ram. (Yes, I know, I have a problem with new trucks) Anyways, it blows. And not in a good way.
8) S.O.S Button does not work, this is due to the rest of the system not working. It uses an embedded SIM similar to your phone/smart watch. I believe this is causing the software glitch on this.
9) Bluetooth and calling seems to cut in and out. I have had calls drop a few times already which is also strange.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Soft Reset
- Using the steering wheel on both ACC and RUN. This did not fix any issues. I believe it actually made it worse as now my screen will go black.
-Disconnect Battery and let it reset... Works for a computer right?? Nope. Software is still having issues.
GPS Re-Calibrate
-I was told to drive in 5 circles counter clockwise under 15mph. Turn the engine off. Open the door for 30 seconds and it would re-calibrate... Nope. Just made me dizzy.
HARD RESET
DOES THIS EVEN EXIST??? In the 8.4 Uconnect, you could download and update all you want. You could perform a factory reset etc. You can get into dealermode and delete your personal data.. Cool Bro.
I have spent the last two days along with being at the dealership for them to open a star case and tell me that they have seen a few issues.. Now, I am pretty good at troubleshooting and ruling out variables so if you have a truck that isn't having any of these issues please speak up so we can see what software rev you are on along with date MFG>
- Long story short, This truck is brand new which means anyone who has any previous versions is most likely having the same/similar issues. I believe this has to do with the SIM LTE as it is activating but now being processed incorrectly in the Uconnect software which is not being handled. FCA apparently have had quite a few TSB's with this model already and that is why I waited hoping it would all be demo'd out. I was wrong.. But lets get some pressure going to get this hammered as this is a great truck. I just don't understand why there isn't a Project Manager handling the relationship between FCA, Uconnect and Sirius. When you sell a package of Technology for an additional 5-7K it better damn work. Please leave any thoughts as I am about to return it.
UPDATE:
Took the Truck back to the dealership after having multiple conversations with Uconnect and them assigning me a Case Manager. They went through and said they will have to order a new 12" radio for it. I was back there in the shop working with the tech after they found out about my background. Even using the USB Stick, you CANNOT, I repeat, CANNOT Factory reset or reload the Uconnect software. If the unit has 28.1 on it and it is not working, you cannot re-install. Not even Over the air. So that sucked. After we went through 3-4 hours of Diagnostics with the Witech, it still didn't work. So they ordered a new radio, then I get a call from Uconnect. Uconnect told me the radio they ordered wasn't new and it was a refurb.... Uconnect said they are trying to get an OEM (New) one expedited and sent to the dealer. The case manager also told me that they are aware of the NAV issue on the units but they do not know which, how, or what. In other words, if you have NAV units, you either need a new truck or a new radio to fix it. They did not have any way of tracking them either. So I told them to find a new truck and I am not going to be their experiment on figuring this out as I have been managing this the whole time. We will see what happens.
