12 inch Uconnect is junk

[BigLazer4u]

Lol looks like I Made the right choice not getting the 12 inch screen.

 

[RamCares]

I’ve had my Ram 2500 laramie a week and a half ...I’ve now had two days where the Uconnect sporadically doesn’t work ...it drops the paired phone ...no media has sound ...u can see the song playing via Spotify etc ...the volume won’t turn up or down ...xm won’t connect ...all my apps work ...not sure what’s going on ...guess I’m going to take it in...then on top of it my Tim’s isn’t working back right tire doesn’t even register

I am deeply sorry for the trouble, @Mltaormina. Please do not hesitate to send us a private message for further support as you address this with your dealer.

Mark
RamCares

 

[Pribilof]

My 12" screen has been Flawless in my 2019 Longhorn. No issues of any kind

This. Sorry some of you have been having issues with your units. Mine is 22 months old and zero problems.

 

[WyoRooster74]

I occasionally have minor glitches or issues with my 12" unit, but that's pretty common with electronics. For the most part, it's a great unit in a great truck. It would be nice if every piece of advanced technology worked exactly as intended every second, but that's not the way the world works. I have much bigger problems than my radio glitching once every few months during my 20 minute commute.

Sent from my SM-G988U using Tapatalk

 

[Andrew8917]

I continue to see postings on issues owners are having with the 12inch screen. For me, two issues; when connected thru Bluetooth using my Apple 10 iPhone, phone calls are abruptly muted on my end. Second, the weather radar app is delayed in bring up information, if it brings it up at all.

I paid extra for the 12 inch radio and hear the 8.4 does not have these issues. I have taken to the dealer and was told these are both known issues and an update is due out. I was provided a case number.

Three months later, no resolution. The problem here is these radios have had issues since inception. Yet trucks are still rolling off the assembly with these defective units and we, as owners, are expected to live with the issue because the trucks are so nice.

Like I mentioned, we paid additional for the 12 inch screen and the issue needs to be corrected now. Either send the updates, refund the difference between the 12 and 8, or install new ones that work.

Any Update here OP? I have the 12 also but haven't had issues yet accept my android auto play occasionally becoming disconnected.

 

[2019_RPX_LTD]

2019 Ram 1500 Limited, 10700 miles, zero issues..

 

[Rabbit929]

I’ve had no issues as of yet in my 2020, but the UConnect is very lackluster for what it says it is.
The Uconnect App has a really hard time establishing a connection, and didn’t work 3 times I tried using it so it’s a wasted feature for me.
The onboard GPS has taken me some through some pretty screwed up places, so I have no idea where or who made the GPS system, because I don’t dare use it, I just use google maps on my phone. Hasn’t failed me yet, but it sucks because the onboard GPS looks really nice.

 

[malzm3]

10 days of ownership with the 12in... no issues.. sorry to hear some are having a bad experience

 

[danajberry]

I’m having similar issues. Have had the truck for 3 months. 3 months of issues. Absolutely love the truck, but this is a huge disappointment.

How can an almost $80k truck have a problem that wouldn’t be acceptable in a used car???

All suggestions are appreciated.

 

[johnspd]

While the 12 inch definitely has more issues than the 8.4, to call it junk is extreme.

Most of the time it works, at least for me. I have an issue maybe once a week.

For comparison, the Fords I've owned with Sync2/Syn3 all had their issues as well and at least as often.

The 12" infotainment center IS JUNK. Mine stays locked up for days and the dealership has been able to do nothing to resolve it. About to file a Lemon Law suit against Chrysler.

 

[johnspd]

Took my truck back to the dealership again with the infotainment center locked up yet again. This time Chrysler "GAVE THEM PERMISSION" to replace it this time. The dealer said it could be anywhere from 3-4 days to 3-4 weeks for it to come in. I will update once it is replaced to let everyone know if it actually corrects the issues. From what I have read so far about the replacements leads me to not have confidence that it will.

 

[MEGA19CTD]

We are having the same issues.

2019 with the 12". Locks up, wont do anything. Then randomly starts responding.

Now at the dealership for the 2nd time! Dealership thinks its a problem with the wiring harness?

Just opened a case with FCA... This is pretty silly and no offer of a loaner vehicle.

 

[DaveSharp]

If you get tired of your 12" you can send to me. Not to lessen the severity of your problems but I wouldn't mind a 12" screen to replace the El Crudunzo 5" I have in mine. I hope they fix it soon, I really do understand your anger. A lot of money to pay for something that comes on like a tooth ache.

 

[johnspd]

We are having the same issues.

2019 with the 12". Locks up, wont do anything. Then randomly starts responding.

Now at the dealership for the 2nd time! Dealership thinks its a problem with the wiring harness?

Just opened a case with FCA... This is pretty silly and no offer of a loaner vehicle.

This is a well known issue to Chrysler and there has been class action lawsuits filed over this issue ( I am pursuing a lemon law case as I don't have any confidence that Chrysler can fix it). From my research it appears to be a hardware design problem with the 12" screens up thru 2020 models. From what I have gathered 2021 models have a redesigned infotainment center from a different manufacturer to remedy the issues and supposedly it is not backwards compatible with the previous year models. I have serious doubts that when they replace my infotainment center that the system will function properly based on the research I have done so far. They are just swapping it out with the exact same model that has the exact same hardware design issues. I will keep everyone posted as to the success or lack of. I also submitted a case with FCA about 3 weeks ago and have not received any feedback from them, they appear to be useless. Frustrating is an understatement when spending close to $70000 on a vehicle and you get locked out of multiple functions for days at a time. It also came with a free year of sirius XM and Uconnect, I figure those functions have been available to me only about 40% of the time. so I have also asked them to extend my free service and am waiting to see if they extend it or not.

 

[johnspd]

I’ve had my Ram 2500 laramie a week and a half ...I’ve now had two days where the Uconnect sporadically doesn’t work ...it drops the paired phone ...no media has sound ...u can see the song playing via Spotify etc ...the volume won’t turn up or down ...xm won’t connect ...all my apps work ...not sure what’s going on ...guess I’m going to take it in...then on top of it my Tim’s isn’t working back right tire doesn’t even register

I have had nothing but issues with my12" screen since I purchased my truck in March of this year. Wish I would have researched it before buying the truck. Apparently there is a hardware design issue with the 12" system that Chrysler is well aware of and it does not appear that they have any fix for it. The 2021 models got a new system since Chrysler can't seem to fix the previous year models.

 

[HAL9001]

I'm an engineer for a leading microelectronics foundry that supplies automotive electronics built to vehicle manufacturer specifications. I'll try to offer some insight.

Vehicle audio systems used to be relatively simple, generally reliable electronics. The newer infotainment systems are now highly complex computer-based systems similar in design to smartphones. Not only is the hardware complex, but the software is too. Combine all that with the extreme hot and cold temperature cycles existing in a typical vehicle's interior and it's a recipe for problems. Try leaving your laptop or smartphone continuously in a 120 degree or a -10 degree F environment and see how reliable it is.

Generally, complex electronics are required to meet much higher build and test standards for extreme environment usage, such as those found aboard aircraft, but the cost would be prohibitive and impractical for consumer class vehicles. So, the manufacturers try to use lower-cost alternatives, and the results are not often great.

Now add to that constantly evolving software. Each year the software becomes more and more complex and is often hastily developed. Complex software requires many months, sometimes years to fully debug, but competition often requires rushing new software to the marketplace, and developers are always under pressure. Companies offering leading-edge systems, such as RAM, bear the brunt of it. Leading-edge is also referred to internally as the bleeding-edge. This is not just a car company problem, look at the massive issues Boeing is currently having with the latest generation 737 software.

If you look at vehicle ratings, such as those provided by Consumer Reports, one of the most common problem areas being reported with many vehicles is the infotainment systems. Problems are commonplace and hardware/software updates are constantly being issued. This is certainly not unique to RAM. Usually, only manufacturers offering older, far less capable, but more reliable infotainment systems have fewer issues. Every vehicle I've owned since complex infotainment systems became common has had significant issues.

Because these systems are quite costly, manufacturers usually won't allow the infotainment hardware to be replaced until it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the problem is not being caused by the software and/or cannot be resolved via software. This can take some time to prove. They have good reason to act this way, software is more often the cause than hardware. Software updates can often resolve issues. Software updates can also even sometimes resolve issues caused by hardware faults and deficiencies.

This is not going to change anytime soon. If you select a leading-edge infotainment system, it may be some time before the bugs are found in both the hardware and the software and the system become more reliable. Expect frequent software updates and perhaps hardware replacements. The good news is that as the vehicle ages, infotainment system problems should eventually become fewer and they should become more reliable as the bugs are worked out.

If your infotainment system works reliably, count yourself lucky. If you can get ~95% usability and reliability, you're actually doing fine. If you get less, you'll need to hope for a software fix or fight for a hardware replacement.

The manufacturers are, of course, well aware of all this. They're all working on improving the situation but many simply don't know how to effectively mitigate the demand for leading-edge infotainment systems with the problems that they cause.

 

[rule18]

I'm an engineer for a leading microelectronics foundry that supplies automotive electronics built to vehicle manufacturer specifications. I'll try to offer some insight.

Vehicle audio systems used to be relatively simple, generally reliable electronics. The newer infotainment systems are now highly complex computer-based systems similar in design to smartphones. Not only is the hardware complex, but the software is too. Combine all that with the extreme hot and cold temperature cycles existing in a typical vehicle's interior and it's a recipe for problems. Try leaving your laptop or smartphone continuously in a 120 degree or a -10 degree F environment and see how reliable it is.

Generally, complex electronics are required to meet much higher build and test standards for extreme environment usage, such as those found aboard aircraft, but the cost would be prohibitive and impractical for consumer class vehicles. So, the manufacturers try to use lower-cost alternatives, and the results are not often great.

Now add to that constantly evolving software. Each year the software becomes more and more complex and is often hastily developed. Complex software requires many months, sometimes years to fully debug, but competition often requires rushing new software to the marketplace, and developers are always under pressure. Companies offering leading-edge systems, such as RAM, bear the brunt of it. Leading-edge is also referred to internally as the bleeding-edge. This is not just a car company problem, look at the massive issues Boeing is currently having with the latest generation 737 software.

If you look at vehicle ratings, such as those provided by Consumer Reports, one of the most common problem areas being reported with many vehicles is the infotainment systems. Problems are commonplace and hardware/software updates are constantly being issued. This is certainly not unique to RAM. Usually, only manufacturers offering older, far less capable, but more reliable infotainment systems have fewer issues. Every vehicle I've owned since complex infotainment systems became common has had significant issues.

Because these systems are quite costly, manufacturers usually won't allow the infotainment hardware to be replaced until it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the problem is not being caused by the software and/or cannot be resolved via software. This can take some time to prove. They have good reason to act this way, software is more often the cause than hardware. Software updates can often resolve issues. Software updates can also even sometimes resolve issues caused by hardware faults and deficiencies.

This is not going to change anytime soon. If you select a leading-edge infotainment system, it may be some time before the bugs are found in both the hardware and the software and the system become more reliable. Expect frequent software updates and perhaps hardware replacements. The good news is that as the vehicle ages, infotainment system problems should eventually become fewer and they should become more reliable as the bugs are worked out.

If your infotainment system works reliably, count yourself lucky. If you can get ~95% usability and reliability, you're actually doing fine. If you get less, you'll need to hope for a software fix or fight for a hardware replacement.

The manufacturers are, of course, well aware of all this. They're all working on improving the situation but many simply don't know how to effectively mitigate the demand for leading-edge infotainment systems with the problems that they cause.

Good insight. I'll expand on your software paragraph. When new software is released, the known bug list could be 50+ line items (or more). Add to that the bugs that don't get exposed during Alpha and Beta testing. There's a tremendous amount of pressure from on high to get the technology out into the market to begin recouping the R&D costs so it's "release it now and we'll fix it later". This is of course why many consumers have a wait and see attitude.

 

[Shriner20452]

I'm back at my dealership for the 3rd time since I purchased my 2020 Ram Laramie Sport 4x4 on May 9th. The first time, the screen was defective and was replaced. I'd owned the truck for 5 weeks. It worked fine for 3 days, then started acting up again. In September I experienced the longest period without audio...an entire day while traveling to SE Kansas on a charity ride of 433 miles.

Like others I've talked to, my 12 inch Uconnect will either scan and not find a channel, or simply not scan at all. I can connect my Android to it (no, I don't use the Uconnect Android App. It takes over you phone and does what it wants to do and not what you want it to do.), however, if you get a call, you can't answer it because the Uconnect isn't working. Also, the volume is stuck on the radio and forget about Bluetooth, it won't connect either. I was actually able to drive the 35 minutes to my dealership last week and have them see what the radio was and wasn't doing. Fortunately, the climate control system and other app.

 

[RamCares]

I'm back at my dealership for the 3rd time since I purchased my 2020 Ram Laramie Sport 4x4 on May 9th. The first time, the screen was defective and was replaced. I'd owned the truck for 5 weeks. It worked fine for 3 days, then started acting up again. In September I experienced the longest period without audio...an entire day while traveling to SE Kansas on a charity ride of 433 miles.

Like others I've talked to, my 12 inch Uconnect will either scan and not find a channel, or simply not scan at all. I can connect my Android to it (no, I don't use the Uconnect Android App. It takes over you phone and does what it wants to do and not what you want it to do.), however, if you get a call, you can't answer it because the Uconnect isn't working. Also, the volume is stuck on the radio and forget about Bluetooth, it won't connect either. I was actually able to drive the 35 minutes to my dealership last week and have them see what the radio was and wasn't doing. Fortunately, the climate control system and other app.

I'm very sorry to hear this. Have you had a case open for this concern? If not, I would be happy to help! Please send us a private message.

Alison
RamCares

 

[johnspd]

I'm an engineer for a leading microelectronics foundry that supplies automotive electronics built to vehicle manufacturer specifications. I'll try to offer some insight.

Vehicle audio systems used to be relatively simple, generally reliable electronics. The newer infotainment systems are now highly complex computer-based systems similar in design to smartphones. Not only is the hardware complex, but the software is too. Combine all that with the extreme hot and cold temperature cycles existing in a typical vehicle's interior and it's a recipe for problems. Try leaving your laptop or smartphone continuously in a 120 degree or a -10 degree F environment and see how reliable it is.

Generally, complex electronics are required to meet much higher build and test standards for extreme environment usage, such as those found aboard aircraft, but the cost would be prohibitive and impractical for consumer class vehicles. So, the manufacturers try to use lower-cost alternatives, and the results are not often great.

Now add to that constantly evolving software. Each year the software becomes more and more complex and is often hastily developed. Complex software requires many months, sometimes years to fully debug, but competition often requires rushing new software to the marketplace, and developers are always under pressure. Companies offering leading-edge systems, such as RAM, bear the brunt of it. Leading-edge is also referred to internally as the bleeding-edge. This is not just a car company problem, look at the massive issues Boeing is currently having with the latest generation 737 software.

If you look at vehicle ratings, such as those provided by Consumer Reports, one of the most common problem areas being reported with many vehicles is the infotainment systems. Problems are commonplace and hardware/software updates are constantly being issued. This is certainly not unique to RAM. Usually, only manufacturers offering older, far less capable, but more reliable infotainment systems have fewer issues. Every vehicle I've owned since complex infotainment systems became common has had significant issues.

Because these systems are quite costly, manufacturers usually won't allow the infotainment hardware to be replaced until it's proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the problem is not being caused by the software and/or cannot be resolved via software. This can take some time to prove. They have good reason to act this way, software is more often the cause than hardware. Software updates can often resolve issues. Software updates can also even sometimes resolve issues caused by hardware faults and deficiencies.

This is not going to change anytime soon. If you select a leading-edge infotainment system, it may be some time before the bugs are found in both the hardware and the software and the system become more reliable. Expect frequent software updates and perhaps hardware replacements. The good news is that as the vehicle ages, infotainment system problems should eventually become fewer and they should become more reliable as the bugs are worked out.

If your infotainment system works reliably, count yourself lucky. If you can get ~95% usability and reliability, you're actually doing fine. If you get less, you'll need to hope for a software fix or fight for a hardware replacement.

The manufacturers are, of course, well aware of all this. They're all working on improving the situation but many simply don't know how to effectively mitigate the demand for leading-edge infotainment systems with the problems that they cause.

I can understand seeing some glitches due to the level of complexity and having to work thru them but Chrysler has proven they can not fix the issues with the pre 2021 year models 12" infotainment centers. This is why in my opinion the 2021 12" infotainment centers are a different design from a different manufacturer. As far as I am concerned it falls into the lemon law category, especially when paying north of $60k for a vehicle. This is unacceptable. As to your comments about heat, I work in the industrial automation field and routinely deal with control systems that are designed to function in temperatures of 140degF+ continuously.