Aamir Ahmed, Uconnect Marketing, describes some of the new features being offered by Uconnect for 2016.
To borrow a phrase from Old New Top Gear, 'That's not gone well.' Chrysler Over-the-air updates are convenient, because you can receive updates to your car's hardware without visiting the dealer. They can also be horrifically inconvenient, as evidenced by a recent screw-up. This week, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles sent an over-the-air update to certain 2017 and 2018 Uconnect infotainment systems, which can be found on, Ram, Fiat and Chrysler vehicles. While that might seem well and good, the update apparently went wrong and forced many infotainment systems into an endless bootloop, where the screen restarts every minute or so. Sound annoying?
Owners took to Twitter to gripe. Uconnect's customer support also sent out a tweet of acknowledgement, promising both an investigation and a resolution, albeit without a specific timeline. Certain 2017 & 2018 Uconnect systems may experience a reboot every 45-60 seconds. Our Engineering teams are investigating the cause and working towards a resolution. We will post here as soon as more information is available and apologize for the inconvenience.— UconnectCares (@UconnectCares) As you might expect when a company admits an error, that tweet's ratio is.
While losing the ability to listen to SiriusXM Turbo might feel like a first world problem, Uconnect's tendrils reach well beyond the radio. The system is also responsible for managing climate settings, setting the seat heater and accessing the backup camera.
![Uconnect 8.4 update 2016 Uconnect 8.4 update 2016](/uploads/1/2/4/0/124068030/585994790.jpg)
Thus, owners aren't missing out on audio so much as they are missing out on half the vehicle's features, some of which are rather important. For what it's worth, though, it doesn't appear to be affecting every single new Uconnect system. Roadshow has a Fiat Chrysler press car currently in our possession, and the system is working fine. But the bootloop is an issue for a fellow auto writer with a different FCA vehicle.
Here's the real question - will it work? I love my 8.4 touchscreens, but the software was gotten worse with each version I have. My 2011 Journey and 2013 Charger were flawless. The 2013 Ram and 2014 Durango has a hard time recognizing the presense of the USB drive or SD Card. At times, if I moved the USB between vehicles, when I took it back to the original vehicle, it doubled the songs - there would be two copies of everything. I'm not sure how it copies to the internal hard drive but still uses the USB.
Anyway, the Durango is in the shop this morning because it randomly allows use of the USB/SD. Sometimes it will play, sometimes it won't. Radio always works.
The hands-free capabilities have been great on every version. I guess my complaint rests solely with the 'alternative' sources. Here's the real question - will it work?
I love my 8.4 touchscreens, but the software was gotten worse with each version I have. My 2011 Journey and 2013 Charger were flawless. The 2013 Ram and 2014 Durango has a hard time recognizing the presense of the USB drive or SD Card. At times, if I moved the USB between vehicles, when I took it back to the original vehicle, it doubled the songs - there would be two copies of everything.
I'm not sure how it copies to the internal hard drive but still uses the USB. Anyway, the Durango is in the shop this morning because it randomly allows use of the USB/SD. Sometimes it will play, sometimes it won't. Radio always works. The hands-free capabilities have been great on every version. I guess my complaint rests solely with the 'alternative' sources.