[Speedfreak93]

Had an issue with my factory U Connect radio changing stations on its own and switching modes from FM to XM on its own. Dealer believed the radio was bad, installed a new one that I paid for. Same issue is happening so they replaced it again under a warranty item, but I’m still experiencing this. Any other ideas what could be causing it?

 

[Rockster]

Had an issue with my factory U Connect radio changing stations on its own and switching modes from FM to XM on its own. Dealer believed the radio was bad, installed a new one that I paid for. Same issue is happening so they replaced it again under a warranty item, but I’m still experiencing this. Any other ideas what could be causing it?

Couple of things come to mind...

One is I have read where the uConnect radio can act up after an update. The advice I recall being offered by others who have experienced this with their cars is to just wait. The radio will "sort" itself out.

I had my Hellcat uConnect radio updated at least once over the air and after it never manifested any signs of any issues that could be blamed on the update process or the need for the radio to sort this out.

The 2nd thing that comes to mind is based on my experience with my Hellcat and I'd suspect the battery. The battery might not be bad but if the car is not used enough the battery can get run down -- and my experience is the Hellcat battery appears to be subjected to a pretty heavy drain even with the engine off and the car locked -- and upon engine start the 12V power glitches -- drops -- significantly. This drop can cause problems with the uConnect radio.

I have observed Performance Pages freezing up when loading or even the LCD being filled with wide vertical blue bars.

Would not replace the battery but I would seriously consider having the battery treated to a reconditioning which involves using a smart battery charger which can go through a desulfation operation and (it is hoped) resurrect the battery and leave it with a good solid charge.

If this is done then I'd see if the radio settles down.

If the radio doesn't settle down and work right and one is sure the battery is good enough and charged enough to not have its voltage drop so precipitously upon engine start then you need to consider a wiring harness issue, wonky ground connection. This could be at the radio in the dash but it might be with one of the battery cables at either the battery or where the cables connect to the car/chassis/ground.

Has the car been parked for long with no use? This can sometimes result in mice getting at the car and they love to chew on wiring harnesses.

 

[Bradsredeye]

Rockster should have written the owner's manual. As always, great post.

 

[baabootoo]

A long shot, but did you check to see what version is in there? I did the U-Connect update the other day (2015 model), and it cleaned up a lot.

 

[MJS73]

I seriously think some od these issues are caused by the tight pack of wires in the steering column, especially if it happens when you turn the steering wheel.

 

[Speedfreak93]

Couple of things come to mind...

One is I have read where the uConnect radio can act up after an update. The advice I recall being offered by others who have experienced this with their cars is to just wait. The radio will "sort" itself out.

I had my Hellcat uConnect radio updated at least once over the air and after it never manifested any signs of any issues that could be blamed on the update process or the need for the radio to sort this out.

The 2nd thing that comes to mind is based on my experience with my Hellcat and I'd suspect the battery. The battery might not be bad but if the car is not used enough the battery can get run down -- and my experience is the Hellcat battery appears to be subjected to a pretty heavy drain even with the engine off and the car locked -- and upon engine start the 12V power glitches -- drops -- significantly. This drop can cause problems with the uConnect radio.

I have observed Performance Pages freezing up when loading or even the LCD being filled with wide vertical blue bars.

Would not replace the battery but I would seriously consider having the battery treated to a reconditioning which involves using a smart battery charger which can go through a desulfation operation and (it is hoped) resurrect the battery and leave it with a good solid charge.

If this is done then I'd see if the radio settles down.

If the radio doesn't settle down and work right and one is sure the battery is good enough and charged enough to not have its voltage drop so precipitously upon engine start then you need to consider a wiring harness issue, wonky ground connection. This could be at the radio in the dash but it might be with one of the battery cables at either the battery or where the cables connect to the car/chassis/ground.

Has the car been parked for long with no use? This can sometimes result in mice getting at the car and they love to chew on wiring harnesses.

Thank you for such a thorough reply with great information. I’m going to look into the battery cables and ground wires. Only other issue I found was the volume button on the steering wheel isn’t working, wondering if that somehow is connected to the radio issue. If I sort it out, I’ll update the thread with the information. Thanks again!

 

[Rockster]

Thank you for such a thorough reply with great information. I’m going to look into the battery cables and ground wires. Only other issue I found was the volume button on the steering wheel isn’t working, wondering if that somehow is connected to the radio issue. If I sort it out, I’ll update the thread with the information. Thanks again!

I'm no expert but a non functioning button on the steering wheel could be a problem with the "clock spring" electrical contacts mechanism inside the wheel. This might (might) account for the other behavior.

But like I said I'm no expert. If you care to check out battery cables/connections -- as long as you are comfortable with this -- on your drive way fine. But beyond that let a Dodge tech diagnose the cause of the symptoms/behavior.

 

[2fast4u]

I'll 2nd the clock spring, being as steering controls have buttons for volume, channel, and media switching...would look for issue there.