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2014 Dodge Journey Daytime Running Lights


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Had no Issue at all adding the code to my 2013 sxt. All I had to do was tell the code to the dealer shop and explain what I wanted done. 5 min. job if that.

Something has changed for 2014 and I don't know what that is...yet. I have no issue adding the sales code to 2013 and earlier VIN's, but that code has been omitted from 2014's. A search of Chrysler's TechConnect site (multiple times) has not yielded any results. I'll keep you posted.

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Got mine activated yesterday. At first the dealer told me it couldn't be done. I showed him this thread and he worked at it a bit more. Came out and said he just couldn't get it. Funny thing is, when I drove away, my DRL's were working.....LOL....he activated them and didn't even realize he did it.

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What the heck? I went through the same thing. I find it hard to believe that the dealerships can't get this right. I lost track now, but I was told multiple times that my DRLs couldn't be activated. Then Journeyman did it no problem. From another state!!! Love them now. Love that I can control them from the touchscreen. Best of luck to all those having problems.

Peace.

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Hey, this is awesome, could you add that code to mine? The DRLs are not working and I made sure they were turned on in the dash settings. Mine is a 2012, last 8 is CT255668. I'm taking it to a dealer Saturday for a key programming. Got 19400 miles on it.

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Hey, this is awesome, could you add that code to mine? The DRLs are not working and I made sure they were turned on in the dash settings. Mine is a 2012, last 8 is CT255668. I'm taking it to a dealer Saturday for a key programming. Got 19400 miles on it.

Code has been added. Have your dealer perform a reconfiguration, also known as a restoration after they program your new key and the DRL shoud work.

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Update - Slightly humorus.... I took my Journey (can't seem do get to calling it a "DJ") in to the dealer for the new fob programming. They did that and cut the key insert. I asked them to do the reconfiguration/restoration and they said sure, they could do that what kind of problems am I having? I said "none really, but I haven't had the car long and I just want it done and it should activate the DRLs. Shop manager said "that won't work, DRLs are only on Canidian models" I said well, it's supposed to be in the system and I want to have it done to see if it works. He said OK. and they did it.

I saw them back out of the garage and got up to see the front when he pulled it around and the DRLs WERE ON!! He parked it and came back in and said "it didn't work, the DRLs won't work." I looked at him and said "do you realize when you pulled it out that they were on?" He said "they were?" I said yup, you guys should check out the Dodge Journey forums, said thank you and left. LOL!

Multi kudos to Journeyman425! Awesome.

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Amusing indeed! Happy that the restoration worked - no reason why it shouldn't - the only thing I haven't figured out yet is why the sales code has disappeared from the 2014 options lists. I'm working on that...

Chrysler is pretty vague when discussing the DRL activation. The US model owner's manuals simply state that, if the model is equipped with DRL then they can be toggled on and off with the touch screen. But they don't say how to enable them or that a dealer visit is required to activate them. It's almost like we at the dealership had to discover this by accident. I found one document on the Chrysler side after an extensive search which gave instructions about adding a sales code to the options list and then reconfiguring the car so they work. I wrote to the Chrysler STAR center last week about the missing 2014 sales code, and how do I make them work. I received a quick, rather cryptic reply that if the code isn't there then it is not possible to enable them. I don't buy it. I'm convinced that there is a way.

Same issue with my trailer tow harness. I factory ordered the car with the trailer tow prep group. We had to connect the supplied tow harness to the existing wiring when the hitch was installed. No problem, right? Well, hooked up a tester to the trailer lights and they did not work. Fuse is in place, not blown, and there is only one way to connect the harness. So, why don't they work? Same reason as the DRL - we had to add a sales code for a Mopar trailer hitch and then restore the car and sure enough, now they work. This baffled me to no end. Why on earth would we have to add this sales code to make the car work when the car was ordered and built with the trailer tow group already??? And...trailer tow prep group is listed in the options already!! If I ordered it that way, then I'm going to tow with it - duh!

Anyway - they (your dealership) probably did not realize that the DRL does not come on unless the car is running and shifted into gear. When in park, the lights are off. They started the car after the reconfiguration and saw that the lights were off and concluded that they didn't work. Also, don't forget that when you have a turn signal on, the corresponding DRL goes off so that oncoming traffic can clearly see the turn signal flashing. Once the signal cancels the light comes back on. Enjoy!

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Same issue with my trailer tow harness. I factory ordered the car with the trailer tow prep group. We had to connect the supplied tow harness to the existing wiring when the hitch was installed. No problem, right? Well, hooked up a tester to the trailer lights and they did not work. Fuse is in place, not blown, and there is only one way to connect the harness. So, why don't they work? Same reason as the DRL - we had to add a sales code for a Mopar trailer hitch and then restore the car and sure enough, now they work.

Thanks again, I plan on having a hitch installed with the wiring at a U-haul, will I need to have the code put in mine and do another reconfigure to get my trailer lights working?

This is my old car pulling the max weight I will pull with the Journey -

943022_10201472194790481_586313491_n.jpg

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Thanks again, I plan on having a hitch installed with the wiring at a U-haul, will I need to have the code put in mine and do another reconfigure to get my trailer lights working?

This is my old car pulling the max weight I will pull with the Journey -

943022_10201472194790481_586313491_n.jpg

You might have to, although there have been some folks here on this Forum that have added aftermarket wiring to their Journeys and have not have to reconfigure the car to enable them. If they do not work after properly installing the wiring, then let me know and I'll add the code for you. Afterwards, you'll have to do the same and return for a reconfiguration.

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  • 3 weeks later...

I contacted the STAR (Service Technical Assistance Resource) center last month and asked how to enable the DRL on my friend's 2014 R/T if the sales code was not present in his database. I received a short and very cryptic response saying that if the code was not there, then it was not possible to activate them. I intend to follow up with them again and ask for a more detailed explanation, as none was offered. It's entirely possible that US models have to now be ordered with them. DRL does appear as an option when you order a 2014, but it also appeared as an option on my 2013. I did not order it, yet I was able to turn them on with the addition of the LMK sales code. That's all I have for now.

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When you ordered the "option" of the DRLs on the 2013 model (mine, too), all that the factory did was to pre-load the "option" code (LMK) to the build information that was loaded into the BMC when it was at the factory. The hardware is all there in all models, just the code on your build sheet was necessary. For our 2013s, all that needed to be done was to add the "option" (the LMK) code, after the fact in order to make them work. For units being shipped to those countries that required DRLs in order to sell them, the factory set the LMK code at the software build point (it would also have disabled the UConnect "off" switch, again via a software script). If the DRLs are, in fact, an "option" on the 2014 models, then there must be a corresponding code, somewhere, that enables them for those countries (CA, for example) that require them (a mandatory option). From a cost perspective, I can't picture MOPAR, or any other manufacturer, going to adding hardware and changing assembly lines for the DRLs when with the modern computers, a simple software "switch" (the LMK code) would enable them at virtually no cost to the manufacturer or changes in an assembly line. Somewhere, there must be "code" that is used to enable them and, if so, then logically, that code can be added (as we did with our 2013s). Since the LMK code worked for the 2013, again, logic would say "why change something that works" for the 2014 model year, since it is basically unchanged (except for trim levels) from the 2013 model; there hasn't been a major refresh of the basic DJ for 2014.

I used to do a lot of "experimenting" with the folks at my dealership (great bunch of guys; sales and service); that's how I/we found out on my 2008 Jeep Hemi Commander, that to enable the DRLs on it, we had to change the country setting to CA, start the car (the DRLs worked), stop the car, change it back to US (didn't want the metric readings) and the DRLs stayed on. It appeared on the Jeep, that the software allowed them to be enabled, but, once enabled, they couldn't be shut off. I imagine that if someone with 2014 and a dealership like mine were to try adding the LMK code that they may find that it turns the DRLs on and enables the UConnect on/off controls. Again, short of a major refresh there hasn't been a need to rewrite thousands of lines of CANbus code for the DJ (or any of the other models for that matter). With Fiat still trying to get a grip on the new company, most of the models have stayed the same for 2014 with the exception of trim levels and a few minor cosmetic changes. I'm a retired IT hardware/software Integrator, and that was how things worked (or used to; I've been retired now for 8 years), but, the cost/benefit ratio doesn't change. Code is cheap, standardized construction is cheaper (as Henry Ford demonstrated) and the combination is what is competitive.

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Somewhere, there must be "code" that is used to enable them and, if so, then logically, that code can be added (as we did with our 2013s). Since the LMK code worked for the 2013, again, logic would say "why change something that works" for the 2014 model year, since it is basically unchanged (except for trim levels) from the 2013 model; there hasn't been a major refresh of the basic DJ for 2014.

I imagine that if someone with 2014 and a dealership like mine were to try adding the LMK code that they may find that it turns the DRLs on and enables the UConnect on/off controls.

The omission of the LMK sales code is what I have been trying to figure out all along, and no one at Chrysler has yet to provide me with a factual answer. From a mechanical and engineering standpoint, the Journey for 2014 is identical to its 2013 brethren. The only changes are in color/trim availability, the addition of the Crossroad model (just a trim package) and a name change on one model from Crew to Limited - nothing more than a badge. I have run the VIN on several 2014 models trying to add LMK to the build sheet so that when the vehicle is reconfigured, the code is picked up and would then allow the DRL to be enabled via the touchscreen. The process involves logging into a vehicle options update section on Chrysler's TechConnect site. In this area, you type in the VIN and a drop-down menu appears with all the available add-on sales codes for that particular VIN. For 2014, LMK is simply not there. I ran a VIN for a Canadian 2014 and sure enough, LMK is present in the standard features section of his build sheet - logically so, as we all know that DRL are mandated in Canada. I simply do not know what happened to LMK for US 2014s.

When you open a window in TechConnect to factory order a 2014, you are asked to select options that you want. DRL appears as optional for a nominal fee. So, my guess is that LMK has become proprietary to Chrysler at the point of ordering and is no longer allowed to be added at the dealer end. It is the only thing that I can rationally surmise, since LMK is still used to enable DRL in Canada. I would like to run a VIN on a US model 2014 that has DRL enabled to add credibility to my theory. Interestingly enough, as I mentioned in my previous post, I could have selected DRL as an extra-cost option when I ordered my 2013 Crew. My guess is that they (Chrysler) figured at the time that either they would charge for it up front or the dealer would charge the customer to enable it. Perhaps they've now figured that they could better profit by simply charging for it when the car is ordered and built rather than have someone like myself adding sales codes for our Journey-owning friends all over the country for free! :)

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Perhaps they've now figured that they could better profit by simply charging for it when the car is ordered and built rather than have someone like myself adding sales codes for our Journey-owning friends all over the country for free! :)

He He He He ;)

Thanks for doing this for all of us. I really appreciate it, as I'm sure all the others do as well. Love my touchscreen DRL control.

Peace.

Edited by redtomatoman
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I would agree with Journeyman425. The only thing that bothers me a bit, is what happens if someone orders the DRL from the factory, but, is delivered without the code having been installed at the factory? Surely, there must be a technical "fix" that would allow the activation in the event of a "miss" by the factory...? I, personally, have refused delivery of a vehicle because it was shipped without the options I ordered... As an explanation, we order and pay cash for our cars. I have 4 vehicles and two drivers; it isn't necessary for us to "get a vehicle now", so, we order exactly what we want and won't accept anything else. So, in that case, I would have refused delivery of the DJ and made them order a new one; I can't imagine Dodge biting the bullet on the cost of making the "dud" and not having a "fix" for adding the code. It, probably though, is a tightly controlled "secret" to keep the changes to a cost item, but, I think that is a big mistake on Dodge's part. What is the true cost, if the process was freely available, to keep some customers happy? It is that type of thought that losses customers. I've been a MOPAR man for the better part of half a century. My last purchase (the DJ) may, in fact, be my last MOPAR purchase. I'm still miffed at MOPAR on my DJ. I ordered and paid for the roof rails and "tow package" only to find out on delivery that neither one is actually usable despite the fact I paid for them. I paid for the roof rails; what's with not including the cross bars so that I could actually use them? Same thing with the "tow package"; I ordered the package intending to use it, and I come to find out that there is no hitch and the wiring is just "chucked" into the back storage area...? When I found that out (on delivery) I refused delivery until the dealer knocked off the price of those "options"; they, too, were scratching their heads at the lack of customer appreciation that that kind of "service" represents. It would be like ordering a Ram HD pickup with the HD tow package to find out that it didn't come with the bed for the back or a tow hitch; extra cost my #%$#. OK, I'm off that soapbox now, I just get really irritated when I think about it. I, out of pig headedness, still haven't purchased the cross rails or hitch; I won't give MOPAR the money for them, just out of principle. I've still got my RAM CTD and at least in 2011, it still came with the bed and hitch :lol:

Edited by webslave
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  • 2 weeks later...

Wow Journeyman this is awesome what you're doing - I've been banging my head against the wall trying to get my DRLs activated having now been to two different dealerships before stumbling across this thread. Maybe it's not possible for my 2012, but anything you can do would be much appreciated - the last 8 of my VIN are CT143092 and the car has 36k miles on it. Thanks!

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Wow Journeyman this is awesome what you're doing - I've been banging my head against the wall trying to get my DRLs activated having now been to two different dealerships before stumbling across this thread. Maybe it's not possible for my 2012, but anything you can do would be much appreciated - the last 8 of my VIN are CT143092 and the car has 36k miles on it. Thanks!

Journeyman recently posted he would be offline for a few days for some R & R but I'm sure he would be glad to check once he gets back.

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Wow Journeyman this is awesome what you're doing - I've been banging my head against the wall trying to get my DRLs activated having now been to two different dealerships before stumbling across this thread. Maybe it's not possible for my 2012, but anything you can do would be much appreciated - the last 8 of my VIN are CT143092 and the car has 36k miles on it. Thanks!

I ran your VIN - and interestingly enough, in the Options section of your build sheet there is already a sales code present for DRL. However, sales code LMK for DRL was also available for me to add as a Dealer option which is what we have been doing to enable them. Now, if you take your Journey to the dealer and have them perform a restoration, or reconfiguration, they *should* now work with your touch screen. Remember, they come on once you enable them in the touch screen and then shift into Drive or Reverse. They will not come on simply at idle in park. And when a turn signal is in use, the corresponding DRL turns off so the signal can be clearly seen by oncoming traffic.

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Journeyman recently posted he would be offline for a few days for some R & R but I'm sure he would be glad to check once he gets back.

Thanks for covering for me there, DF72! Turned my device off on Thursday and didn't turn it back on until Monday night - short but sweet indeed!

Edited by Journeyman425
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