Hey everyone. I'm a dodge newbie (sorta) but I'm learning fast.
I just bought a 2014 Dodge Journey SXT Blacktop. It has the Uconnect 8.4RE2, according to the Uconnect website. When I test drove the car everything worked fine. After I purchased it, I decided to delete the Ipod and Iphone that was currently in the system and pair my Samsung galaxy Note 4. For the record, my Note 4 is rooted and running a custom ROM. I was able to pair my phone and play music no problem, never tried the vr or phone buttons on the wheel but I was able to pair and play music without issue. I drove home parked it and went inside. When I went out again, I noticed my phone wouldn't pair. When I touched the phone button, of course, it says "Hands Free System Loading". Thought that was weird, so I shut the car off turned it back on, nothing. Can't get into the bluetooth settings, vr and phone button on the wheel do nothing...etc.
Off to google I go, only to find out this is a common problem. This exact problem is all over the internet going all the way back to 2009. Unbelievable! Every Dodge forum I've searched has a similar post. After reading and reading, I learned about the dealer menu, the screenshot menu and finally the Engineering menu. Forum posters have been able to reset their systems back to factory by holding the temp up and temp down buttons and entering the engineering menu. I tried that but of course my specific Dodge does not seem to allow access to the Engineering menu. If anyone knows how to enter the engineering menu on this system please let me know.
So far to attempt to remedy this problem, I have pulled the radio and HFM fuse for more than an hour. I have disconnected the battery for more than an hour. I have pulled the radio out of the dash and checked the connections on the back. None of that has worked. I have held the vr and phone buttons on the dash for 30 seconds and then opened the door for 30 seconds. I have held the tune and power buttons. I have held all four temp up and down buttons. None of these present the Engineering menu.
It seems the only recourse at this point is to replace the HFM. I can see it above the brake pedal assembly. Youtube videos show it as fairly easy to replace, no worse than a lot of other dashboard work I've done. I called the parts department and the part number they gave me ends in AC but the one currently installed ends in AB so obviously a new one has been issued.
I visited my local dodge dealer and they pulled the history on the vehicle. It seems the HFM was replaced less than a year ago under warranty, but not by them and they wouldn't redo it. The service writer I spoke to seemed convinced it was the radio itself and he would charge me around $500 to send it out and have it "fixed". Otherwise almost 2k to replace the radio. I left, I can get and replace the HFM and the radio myself, if necessary. The radio is a breeze to remove.
The Bluetooth and hands free features are not a requirement but it would be nice to have all the features working. I plan on bringing it up at the dealership I bought it from although I don't expect them to volunteer to help, but it can't hurt to mention it. I will keep this post updated until my issue is resolved. If anyone has any advice please chime in. Otherwise, I'm enjoying the vehicle so far, shame I have to beat it on the tollway each day. Thanks in advance, nice forum ya got here.