A software update to Jeep 4xE models caused major malfunctions over the weekend – leaving many owners stranded and some in danger after their power failed.
The culprit appears to have been a buggy "over the air" (OTA) software update to the company’s uconnect software on Friday October 10, which “bricked” vehicles if owners installed it.
A Jeep customer support representative on a 4XE forum posted Saturday: “Please exercise extreme caution this evening if you have completed the update. If you have NOT completed the update and see the pop-up, please continue deferring..."
Posting as “Kori”, they told Jeep customers on the forum that the issue was “a telematics module box update” – and later added that the software update was cancelled the same day.
But not before multiple users across the US had updated their vehicles and suffered the immediate consequences.
Jeep software update issue
Some described losing power abruptly whilst driving in the wake of the update. One Jeep owner, Kerry Hollis, who works in IT infrastructure at Wells Fargo, told The Stack: “This was a software change that obviously wasn’t tested thoroughly and was dangerous and could have had life safety implications.
“Fortunately, for me, I lost propulsion while going at low speed in my neighborhood, so I was able to pull over, restart and limp back to my home. I’ve read stories of others that weren’t in that situation, going at highway speeds, and in traffic...
"Stellantis reacted quickly but it shouldn’t have happened..."
He added: It’s concerning... that most auto manufacturers and new vehicles even have the ability to be disabled by the manufacturer or even worse, someone with a malicious intent.”
Jeep describes unconnect as software that “gives you access to the latest available features and enhancements. Updates can be performed over any password-protected Wi-Fi network. Select vehicles with connected service capabilities are eligible for over-the-air updates,” it adds. (The software can also be found in other marques from parent company Stellantis, but it appears only Jeep brands were affected by this update.)
See also: Ford eyes $1B in software sales
Another owner, Stephen Gutowski, owner of the reload.com news site, told The Stack: “On Friday night, my 2024 Jeep Wrangler Willys 4xe asked me to run an update when I got back home. I clicked ‘yes’ without really thinking about it.
"What's the worst that could happen, right?
He added: “Well, the next morning, I saw posts on the 4xe Facebook group I'm in that the update essentially bricked the 2024 Wranglers. I'm glad I saw that before I went out to my Jeep because I was prepared for something to maybe be wrong and did a test drive in my parking lot …”
“Sure enough, after driving maybe a half mile around my parking lot, the Jeep killed the gas and told me to put it in park. The dash lit up like a Christmas tree. The check engine light came on. Worse, it refused to go back into drive. It was just dead where it sat… I was [eventually] able to limp it back to my parking spot. I called my local dealership and they said it was a nationwide issue on at least the 2024 Wrangler 4xes…”
"Pretty scary"
Gutowski added: “On Sunday morning I saw Jeep's messages in the 4xe forum and the fix was ota’d to my Jeep. So, I let my car run for 15 minutes and did two power cycles. The check engine light went away, and everything seemed to be working normally again. Took it for a test drive around the neighborhood, and it drove like nothing ever happened.”
“It seems like it could have been extremely dangerous if I hadn't read about the problem before taking my car out on the road… imagine if it went dead on the highway. Pretty scary. Honestly, this feels like more of a modern car problem. I doubt this will be the last car to get bricked by an ota update. At least they were able to fix it with an ota update in a day.”
Disaster Jeep software update bricks vehicles, leaves owners stranded - never buy Stelantis
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- May 9, 2017
“a telematics module box update”
So they spied so hard they actually broke thousands upon thousands of cars. (I know it says telematics, not telemetry. This seems to be the latest euphemism for "spying on fucking everything".)
RVTVRN TV MVNKV
So they spied so hard they actually broke thousands upon thousands of cars. (I know it says telematics, not telemetry. This seems to be the latest euphemism for "spying on fucking everything".)
RVTVRN TV MVNKV
- Joined
- Mar 17, 2018
The implications (if not certainty) of potential human casualties & disaster of this is absolutely fucking terrifying.
I'll stick w/ my early aughties vehicles, thank you very the fuck much.
I'll stick w/ my early aughties vehicles, thank you very the fuck much.
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- Jan 7, 2022
This is the kind of shit we've all said was going to happen as cars got more computerized.
CEO of Autism
kiwifarms.net
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- Oct 2, 2024
When my car from 2006 dies, I'll buy an even older one.
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- Feb 25, 2023
Chrysler (or whatever bullshit they call themselves now to dodge rightful lawsuits) has been shit for decades, only saved by Cummins diesels in their heavy duty trucks. Only a drooling retard would spend any amount of money on a Jeep. Their marketing is directed at machismo retards and stupid women, and I love watching them fail lol
indigoisviolet
kiwifarms.net
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- Jan 18, 2022
Around jeets, never let them update the software on your jeep.
- Joined
- Apr 5, 2022
Better pray the community is still big enough for shitty chinese offbrand parts. PoS big automakers it turns out have addressed this 'problem' by reducing overall parts supply since the 2000s, and anything made before then has run through the vast majority of the stocks by the 30 year mark. Only since the late 2010s have mechanics really started to bitch about this nightmare.
- Joined
- Mar 30, 2020
Luckily no president managed to con people into liquidating their older cars so they could be cubed and shipped to China thereby killing the used part market!
Oh...wait...
You know a more conspiracy minded individual may see such things as pieces being moved into place for a checkmate.
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- Apr 5, 2022
were going to end up like those afro-mechanics refurbishing parts with blowtorches and sticks, and another sick irony is the only car companies whom make sure aliexpress is flush with OEM hologramed parts are the Chinese ones like SAIC. Which has come in clutch for the large community of people still pushing crappy old MGs back to life in the UK.
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- Jun 12, 2020
Buy a car pre-1970s to avoid any microchips so that your car can survive an EMP.
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Grub
kiwifarms.net
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- Jul 2, 2021
The only problem with old vehicles is they're constant problems. My last two vehicles have been late 90's vehicles. The engine blew in my car a few months ago and I've already had to dump almost as much money into the truck I picked up to replace it as I paid for it and I've barely scratched the surface of the work that needs to be done on it. The electrical's fucked. I don't even know what's been disconnected or just not working. I had to replace the ignition switch because Chevy's are retarded and I found some random wires just tapped off the main ignition wires going who knows where. The diffs are leaking, I have a slow brake leak and the rear brake drums need to be completely replaced, ball joints are fucked, connector on the headlight switch ie fucked so I randomly lose my headlights and have to pull the dash panel off and fuck with the wires to get them back.
90's vehicles are getting old now and it's hard to find one that's been properly maintained. Even when you do get one that's in good shape, the parts are still old and not made with the same quality that even older vehicles were.
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- Dec 27, 2020
If you think the government won't use some fake emergency to shut off our cars remotely some day, you slept through Covid.
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- Jul 6, 2020
I guess there is no better time than now to invest in a home CNC and milling machines
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- Apr 5, 2022
a lot of people are, and I see legendary daily driver cars like 1980-2000s Toyota landcruisers and W123 Mercedes getting covered by the boutique parts market. But the cost will be prohibitive unless you are a car nut. Shitboxes like econocar MGs from the 2000s and Toyota Corollas unless [its an AE86 literal Trueno wannabe] are fucked for future part availibility.
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- Jan 19, 2023
Given Tesla can lock people in its shitty cars and burn them alive with zero consequences, nothing is going to happen to Stellantis.
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- Jul 6, 2021
This is a form of violence and it should be treated as such. It’s no different than the CEO of Stellantis himself coming up and socking you straight in the jaw.
Violence strips you of your time or your agency, or both.
When you hear about these things, you must think of them the same way you would a stabbing or robbery. It’s no different from one, in fact it’s worse. It’s violence committed by a wealth extracting class to do nothing but fuck you over.
Violence strips you of your time or your agency, or both.
When you hear about these things, you must think of them the same way you would a stabbing or robbery. It’s no different from one, in fact it’s worse. It’s violence committed by a wealth extracting class to do nothing but fuck you over.
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- Jan 22, 2023
It's just Skynet activating its prototype land HK's.
