Red G8R Posted October 2, 2015 Report Share Posted October 2, 2015 My replacement unit is on order but still no news of its arrival as yet and it's been 3 weeks today. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red G8R Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 Finally had the radio unit replaced last week and working well. Unfortunately the installer damaged the trim which they have agreed to replace. It means another visit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted November 18, 2015 Report Share Posted November 18, 2015 (edited) It's actually hard to damage the trim if you use the proper tool - he must have been a real fumble-fingers. Edited November 18, 2015 by bramfrank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Red G8R Posted November 23, 2015 Report Share Posted November 23, 2015 Looked like an untrained person used a screw driver to pry off the trim. I'm sure I could have done better myself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey13 Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 Well, my GPS broke when my 2013 Journey hit 11K on the odometer. They first tried to flash it. Wasted 2hrs. It did not work. Then they replaced it. I had to wait almost 3 months for a replacement unit. My vehicle now has 27K on the odometer and guess what? It broke again! Same problem. Can't unlock maps error. So back to the dealer again. They took a look and concluded I need a 2nd replacement. My warranty is up next year July 2016, then what? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OhareFred Posted December 22, 2015 Report Share Posted December 22, 2015 You are screwedunless you have a extended warranty. These gps units are giving people fits. Good luck.... jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 Just buy an extended warranty FROM CHRYSLER for your vehicle. You can get up to 7 years and 160K coverage, though it can get a bit pricey - I have the 7/115 zero deductible on my vehicle - costs something less than $2K - if your dealer wants more he's being a pig.The radio is not the only liability in there - lots of electronics and many dealers aren't all that good at troubleshooting and repairing electronic issues. RoseCotton and jkeaton 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey13 Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 I think by the time July 2016 hits, I will be trading it in and getting something else. May or may not be a chrysler after this fiasco. I had replaced the GPS console now twice within a year. That is crazy! I shouldn't have to fork out 2K on an extended warranty to protect myself from a a flaw in their product line. I paid nearly $40K for this vehicle, I shouldn't have to be dealing with repeating problem on the same faulty item. I call that a manufacturer defect and it should be fixed/resolved! That or, if the warranty expires, that particular part of the defective item should always be replaced even if the vehicle goes out of warranty. My next car won't be having any GPS built in, I will just get a portable one instead. aukfan33 and OhareFred 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jkeaton Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 I just use my phone. You couldn't pay me to get a factory installed nav unit. Good luck with your next vehicle! OhareFred 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted December 23, 2015 Report Share Posted December 23, 2015 (edited) Well, the hundreds of thousands of 300, Charger, Dart and Journey owners who HAVEN'T had issues with their nav radios obviously aren't checking out threads about problematic onesI've suggested, based on the fact that a percentage of the owners who have experienced radio failures seem to have them repeatedly at intervals while people who have not had failures seem to be able to go forever.I can see two possible explanations for this; 1. If the radio has failed FCA will replace it with a refurbished one . . . . that means one that has failed and been recertified. Since they don't know WHY they fail due to memory issues, reloading the memory and testing will give them a functional radio that they send out - and whatever it is that triggers the problem hasn't been resolved in the 'repaired' radio - so essentially you are swapping out one defective radio for another. 2. Some combination of features and settings in the radio causes the processor to overwrite memory in critical locations - so if you have the combination of features, options and settings that causes the problem you will experience the issue when the stars line up (it could even be a combination of satellites, a set of region codes and a specific time of day and some option, like DRLs with the vehicle running at that time) . . . so even with an electronically perfect radio, this software bug would strike wen the combinations line up.I vote for the first explanation - but that's just a gut feeling.I have installed a nav radio in my Journey that I bought from a scrap yard - so far, so good. Edited December 23, 2015 by bramfrank jkeaton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey13 Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Well, I got a new GPS unit installed in my car last week tuesday. Let's see how long this one lasts before it implodes with the same issue. I am on radio #3 now...2nd replacement within 12 months... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 4, 2016 Report Share Posted January 4, 2016 Indeed; Swapping out units with essentially unrepaired 'refurbished' modules is a recipe for disappointment.Given your warranty status I would go on record (with a registered letter to FCA) holding them responsible moving forward since there is 'clearly a defect of some sort that affects a higher than expected percentage of these vehicles for reasons that have never been determined'.You are entitled to reasonable service from the vehicle systems and you have not been getting that - so you hold the company accountable and responsible to repair any issues with the radio subsystem moving forward. Two failures is two too many.My opinion about the cause remains unchanged. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey13 Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 I will give it one more chance. If this 3rd radio fails by June, then I will be writing. It is nuts that I have gone through 3 GPS units now within the span of a year (12 months). Each radio/gps unit costs estimated $1500 not including labor to replace (according to the car dealer that replaced it 2x now); how can they expect to make money on this and continue down this road? This is the worst experience I have ever had with a vehicle purchase. And here I thought FORD was bad LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larryl Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 It is their Achilles heel on these vehicles I'm beginning to think I'm on refurb unit # 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 5, 2016 Report Share Posted January 5, 2016 (edited) I will give it one more chance. If this 3rd radio fails by June, then I will be writing. It is nuts that I have gone through 3 GPS units now within the span of a year (12 months). Each radio/gps unit costs estimated $1500 not including labor to replace (according to the car dealer that replaced it 2x now); how can they expect to make money on this and continue down this road? This is the worst experience I have ever had with a vehicle purchase. And here I thought FORD was bad LOL It is their Achilles heel on these vehicles I'm beginning to think I'm on refurb unit # 4 Well, to begin, their cost is nowhere near $1,500, because they are recycling failed units - in some cases, as noted multiple times - your defective units go back to the repair depot for a core credit where all they do is reload the firmware and maps and send them out to the next dealer calling for a replacement. Note that you can buy units in the field for about US$800-$1200 which never fail (I happen to have a spare on my shelf that I bought 'just in case' available for purchase). The key to success would seem to be the source of those field-purchased units, which is from accidented vehicles, which likely are not subject to the issues that the radios and/or feature combination that causes those failures in those of the radios in your vehicles - as I've noted, those who suffer problems tend to suffer them repeatedly while the majority of owners never have issues (now watch - having said I have a spare to sell and because I said it isn't likely to happen, MY unit will fail tomorrow - that's just how Murphy seems to work). They use the same radios we do in both the 300 and the Charger as well and the same hardware, with different firmware is used in the Dart - I've seen no spate of reports about those vehicles of the sort of failure mode reported for the Journey. There's only the occasional report that I found by doing a cursory search with Google. Then again I also see some reports of the same problem on the 430N (the previous generation radio that dhh3 loves). Perhaps the issue is related to both the combination of features AND the vehicle type or even the serial number of the vehicle!!! However to suggest that this is the vehicle's weak point may well not be appropriate, but is quite likely rather a symptom of a poor repair procedure coupled to an unresolved trigger mechanism. Edited January 5, 2016 by bramfrank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aukfan33 Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 Welp! 8 months later and happened again. Going to dealer in the morning to order replacement since this was less than 12 months and they have the record of replacing it last time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 Think about getting an extended warranty . . . they're just going to put in a radio that they got from another vehicle with the same problem and reloaded . . . . . aukfan33 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted January 20, 2016 Report Share Posted January 20, 2016 The model lineup here is optioned out differently. The R/T is ONLY available as a 6 cylinder AWD 7 passenger vehicle with most every option included . . .. . a loaded R/T WITH every conceivable option including Nav, sunroof, kid seats and so on is about $39,950 prep/transport and such included (including $2k in incentives) before negotiating - the AWD Crossroad is even more expensive AT LIST when loaded up. By way of comparison, an R/T loaded the same way in the US retails at $36,968 plus prep (that includes $2.5K in incentives).Given today's exchange rates, the Canadian R/T costs $27,365 in US dollars - and even when I bought mine in '14, it would have been 34,364 (yes, that's how far the Canadian dollar has fallen, but it would still have been $2.5K cheaper to buy in Canada than in the US even then.My FWD Crossroad is likewise loaded up with 'stuff', so to speak before adding any options, though it is missing things like remote start (The base AWD version has more than just the AWD hardware over the base FWD version).But to give you an idea, the MSRP of my unit was on the order of $34.5K (about $29,660 in US funds) - but I paid about $8K less by the time we were through (plus tax) and managed to get the dealer to include snow tires on steel rims and my extended warranty . . . . . then again I was able to push my stealer very hard - they were desperate to get rid of the vehicle because it was a 5 passenger and their other clients apparently did not want anything but 7 passenger versions for some reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
journey13 Posted January 24, 2016 Report Share Posted January 24, 2016 (edited) The model lineup here is optioned out differently. The R/T is ONLY available as a 6 cylinder AWD 7 passenger vehicle with most every option included . . .. . a loaded R/T WITH every conceivable option including Nav, sunroof, kid seats and so on is about $39,950 prep/transport and such included (including $2k in incentives) before negotiating - the AWD Crossroad is even more expensive AT LIST when loaded up. By way of comparison, an R/T loaded the same way in the US retails at $36,968 plus prep (that includes $2.5K in incentives). Given today's exchange rates, the Canadian R/T costs $27,365 in US dollars - and even when I bought mine in '14, it would have been 34,364 (yes, that's how far the Canadian dollar has fallen, but it would still have been $2.5K cheaper to buy in Canada than in the US even then. My FWD Crossroad is likewise loaded up with 'stuff', so to speak before adding any options, though it is missing things like remote start (The base AWD version has more than just the AWD hardware over the base FWD version). But to give you an idea, the MSRP of my unit was on the order of $34.5K (about $29,660 in US funds) - but I paid about $8K less by the time we were through (plus tax) and managed to get the dealer to include snow tires on steel rims and my extended warranty . . . . . then again I was able to push my stealer very hard - they were desperate to get rid of the vehicle because it was a 5 passenger and their other clients apparently did not want anything but 7 passenger versions for some reason. Ya, my Journey sticker price was $39K Canadian on the lot. It is a fully loaded R/T model with every possible option imaginable i.e. V6, AWD, Remote Start, heated seats/steering wheel, nav/gps/dvd with dvd overhead in rear passenger, 7 seats, HID fog and head lamps, sunroof, leather bra for the front, leather interior (black), rear trunk cover, rear leather mat for trunk, chrome nerf bars, chrome handles, chrome trim interior, etc. After negotiation, the selling price was $29,500 + Taxes + Fees + Financing. In the end, the price came backup up to $38,500 after I drove it off the lot. Everything else has been good with the vehicle, no problems except for this stupid and annoying GPS issue.... Edited January 24, 2016 by journey13 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry in TX Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 (edited) Hi all, new to the thread here and recently had my first nav failure (2013 Journey Crew). Same symptoms - "Can't unlock maps". Dealer tested it and has a unit on order. I did get an extended warranty but they said I am still under the original warranty now. I am wondering why I wouldn't experiment now with some other mapping software or attempt to update the maps myself, if they are going to replace the unit anyway. If I screw it up what's the worst that can happen. @bramfrank - I read someplace here that you wanted to "get your hands on one" to attempt some kind of update. Can you recommend a resource, URL, or website where I can get an open source map or aftermarket mapping product? I found someplace a few weeks ago and can't find it again. Actually I just found it! The reference I saw was for Fiat - https://sites.google.com/a/pantad.com/freemont-firmwares/ (fixed the link!) Has anybody tried this? Edited February 1, 2016 by Jerry in TX RoseCotton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aukfan33 Posted January 31, 2016 Report Share Posted January 31, 2016 Welcome to the forum. The link you posted returns an error. As for the map issue it seems quite a few of us have suffered through this and as others have stated, it appears that they're replacing the head units with reman units so it's just a matter of time before it fails again. If someone could come up with the fix to replace the failed nav software it would save all of us a lot of stress. Going back to the dealership (even when they step up and help owners out) isn't really a good situation when they can't preorder the replacement head unit and you end up making two (or more) trips to deal with a known failure. Good luck with this. I've had two failures already in about 12 months and some have had more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jerry in TX Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 That's interesting. The link in my bookmarks works but if I click the link above in my post I get an error - and the links are exactly the same. If you Google the title of the page "New Updates / Firmwares for Freemont" (include the quote marks) you may be able to find and load the website. I would be interested to know if anyone has tried this. I may try it since I really don't have anything to lose at this point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 The problem IMO is not likely with the firmware, but rather with the maps - the device is powering up properly but reports that the maps are locked. If you do want to try reloading the firmware I wish you luck - but do NOT take the Fiat firmware . . . go to the uConnect site, enter your VIN and download the file from there . . . . however I wouldn't even do that since I personally prefer the older CTP13 version which is not going to be offered to you. Having said all this, there are two major hardware variants of the RB5. There was a major change about 2/3 of the way through the 2102 model year. That's one reason for using the uConnect site since their database knows which version you have . . . or had . . . if your radio's been changed and it they put an early radio to replace the late model and if the database hasn't been updated, you could well be downloading radio-killer firmware. So figure out what you have before trying anything. RoseCotton 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bramfrank Posted February 1, 2016 Report Share Posted February 1, 2016 (edited) Your link has a few extra characters after the closing slash . . . . OK, that site is a private site created by a member here because he didn't like the way the uConnect site works - his file links are good, though again you need to know what you have if your radio's been changed, so you can apply the right file to your radio. Edited February 1, 2016 by bramfrank Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aukfan33 Posted February 2, 2016 Report Share Posted February 2, 2016 Update on my situation. Was told by the tech that the issue with the nav failing on these is now a known issue since so many owners are reporting this same failure in their vehicles. Mine is now being replaced free of charge and I was told (fwiw) that since it's now a known issue a fix is forthcoming so the failure doesn't happen in the future. We'll see what happens. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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