I’m noticing that most of the “Uconnect box requires service” issues are related to 2022 model years.
I have had multiple issues with my 22 3500 Laramie with the radio and backup camera since new.
Most of it has been resolved under warranty with multiple dealer visits. (New radio, Camera and wiring) all with separate visits to the dealer.
The “Uconnect Box Requires Service” message has never been resolved. The dealer kept kicking the can down the road saying there is no fix for it yet and that Ram will eventually put out an OTA update which never happened. They also said it’s under warranty for three years so just wait it out.
Fast forward to three years and three weeks, out of warranty when I brought it up to them. They told me it would be $170 out of pocket for them to evaluate it. I made the appointment and dropped it off. They said they updated the software but the issue is still there and now want another $340 to dig in further to find the problem, not to fix it, said that would be extra. They said if it needed parts it could be expensive and would not know how much until they further evaluate it. I feel this repair would be open ended just to get rid of the annoying message every time you start it up and noticed the light on the sos button stays red all the time so I guess that does not work either.
They told me to call Ram Cares which I did. I feel like i got the run-around between them and the dealer. I brought the truck back home.
I got a call from the dealer survey department asking me if I was satisfied with my recent visit. I told them I bought five new vehicles from them, four HD trucks and A Jeep Grand Cherokee since 2015 and no, I’m not satisfied with my visit. The next day i get a call from Uconnect, they said they would contact the dealer and get back to me, which they did. Now they say i would still have to pay for the diagnostics and they would partially pay for the repair but i would have to pay a percentage of it. They can not tell me what percentage until they know the cost, so it is still an open ended cost to resolve.
So that’s my rant
The uconnect system in my 2022 Ram has never got it right. Wrong names on streets, it forgets how I set up the displays, It never remembers the climate control settings, the AI is to dumb, "voice commands" are never under stood, there is a 50/50 chance it will not recognize my phone, ect. I always have a message in the dash that says "settings are unavailable when in motion". OK, so I stop and set the displays to what I want and click on the save and exit. The settings are saved, until I turn off the truck. The dash message continues to say "settings are unavailable when in motion".
My Ram sees my home wifi when I park in my garage. When I choose the home network, uconnect asks for the connection password. When I put the password in I get a "connection successful" message. I then click to update; I get a message that says a wifi connection is required .....
I just use my dash mounted Garmin GPS for navigation and set the dash settings for where I want stuff to be displayed on the dash and heads up display, each time I start the truck, if I want to use those functions for a certain trip. I do not use all of the functions in everyday driving so I do not have to set every thing every time I drive my truck.
I always figured that I must be missing a "save" button somewhere.
I find it annoying that the Ram service people simply say that I have to pay them to diagnose a problem; they are not able to tell me what that cost will be ahead of time. I do not want to give them a blank check. What is particularly annoying is for the Ram service guy to tell me that there is no fix for that problem then I read In the various forums that someone had a similar problem but the dealer "flashed" the ECU CPM or TRINFIXIT or some such thing and it cost then $42.99. Perhaps a customer should ask, "What is the cost to "flash the widget" and do not ask for the problem to be fixed. Of course, if the service manager gives a cost for that, there is no refund if "flashing the widget" is not the solution. And, how would the customer even know if the technician actually performed a flash? I mean they will not let the customer watch the technician. In my case, I could watch a technician hook up a wire or two and then push a button on his PC and then say , "All done!" The wires could be hooked up to a "chromium digi rod" for all I know and the TRINFIXIT module was never even part of the equation.
If the Ram dealer does not know how much it will cost to fix, a problem, then the service guy wants wants to say, "I can fix your tuck by changing parts until the problem goes away. You have to pay for time and the parts I replace until I fix it." If a customer signs the work order, the customer will not get the truck back until the bills are paid. As for the warranty, the dealer only has to say your problem was not covered by the warranty. Of course, the customer can hire a lawyer to dispute that but it would cost more than than the fix. I keep getting emails that it is time for me to give them a ridiculous amount of cash to extend my warranty. I am familiar with the warranty. It is never a covered item or it is always something that "I did" to cause the part to fail. Don't get me started on lawyers....
My advice would be, if a service manager has to "diagnose" a problem, then the customer needs to run away. If the techs do not know what the problem is from a description of the problem, they just want the customer to finance a fishing trip. By the way, a fishing guide never guarantees a catch.
