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Uconnect Navigation loses location

20680 Views 26 Replies 17 Participants Last post by  cindylongaberger
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
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LOL
having a Ram from the future has disadvantages
Vehicle: 2914 Ram 1500
Trim Level: Laramie
Color: Black
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The radio screen will show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service".

Most people don't know that any FCA vehicle, 2013 - 2018, that has the 911 & Assist buttons on the rear view mirror, also has a Phone Modem with its own identification number.
If no one in the vehicle is carrying a cell phone & they need to call in an Emergency, you can press the 911 button & you will be connected to 911

If you have Uconnect Access, you can ask someone in Michigan at FCA any question about your vehicle by pressing the Assist button

===============================================

My Ram sometimes used to indicate that i was up to 200 miles away from my actual location
You can not plan a travel route to a location, if the GPS indicates that you are located in another State :(

I have read that some people have shut the vehicle off & then back on to see if that helped, if it didn't they would drive in circles to see if that corrected the positioning

I finally just told my Service Advisor to have someone look at it

Now the only time that it looks like i am driving across fields, it is because the Nav Maps were not up to current conditions
We have 1 road that opened 2 years ago, my Nav Maps still don't show it
I am still not going to update the Nav Maps for another year
I always wait at least 3 years between updates
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I had a similar issue about a year ago on my 2014 Ram. I received a wireless update from unconnected while driving from Northern, VA to Philadelphia. That is when the problem started. Nav started showing that I was in Texas. I would get that vehicle phone not working message. Then unconnect would reset and restart and the problem would vanish for a short time then reappear. I took it to the dealership and it just happened that the phone message popped up while I was there. They said that they were not able to access the unconnect to reload software. The said that it looked like the update corrupted the software drivers. Even the USB port stopped working. They ended up replacing the entire radio. Uconnect paid for it. It took three months because the radios were on backorder. Dealer said that there were a lot issues with the software update, not just with Ram. Anyway the radio uses the celliar connection, not just for emergencies but to check in with unconnect to verify that your radio was activated and the features that it is suppose to have. when it cannot connect the radio gives that phone modem error message and the unconnect features and NAV go crazy.
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My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
Hello Tom R long,

Intermittent concerns can be frustrating and I do apologize for the inconvenience you're experiencing. If you could send me your VIN, I'd be glad to see if there any service bulletins or software updates that relate to what you've described.

Jasmine
Ram Social Care Specialist
i had the same problem in my truck, after uconnect update the software i got black screen, reset work fine for 2 days and again the problem. I have my car for 2 years and works perfect until December when i got the update. from January i tried to solve the problem and the last week uconnect order to replaced the radio, i was in the dealer and they say NO because my car is a rebuild tile. i don't understand why if uconnect is going to pay for that. Now i can't control the AC and i live in Florida, if i want to get cold in Miami i have to pay $1100 to replaced the radio.
I am getting my radio replaced for this issue

I guess I am lucky I purchased an extended warranty with my 2014 Ram Laramie. When I took it in for the radio and navigation issues they found my front struts were also leaking ($1100 ). I am getting both the struts changed and a new radio ( $1,000 ) for the $100 deductible.
I guess I am lucky I purchased an extended warranty with my 2014 Ram Laramie. When I took it in for the radio and navigation issues they found my front struts were also leaking ($1100 ). I am getting both the struts changed and a new radio ( $1,000 ) for the $100 deductible.
Hi Tom R Long,

We are glad to hear that you are working with your dealer to have these concerns resolved. If you are in need of additional assistance while in service, please send us a private message.

Darlene
Ram Social Care Specialist
I think my dealer consultant is not helpfull with me
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
I have the same problem but have yet to get an answer .
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
I have the same problem every time I would start the truck it would show me about 80 miles from where I really was, I removed the negative battery cable for a couple of minutes and it fixed the bad location problem but it will still on occasion lose location until I start the truck again.
November 3, 2019 a "GPS week rollover" occurred, the counter for counting weeks since GPS came online went back to zeroes. The firmware in our head units is old enough that it wouldn't know what to do, unless you installed an update meant to resolve it. Once the update is installed, the GPS will become accurate again (for the next 19.7 years, anyway)

Check driveuconnect.com to see if a software update is available for your VIN. The version should be 18.45.01.
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
My salesman told me the UConnect Navigation sucks and is too pricey. Use the Android or Apple app which uses your phone's navigation and updates for free.
My salesman told me the UConnect Navigation sucks and is too pricey. Use the Android or Apple app which uses your phone's navigation and updates for free.
FWIW we have 3 vehicles, all 3 with factory nav.

The RAM is the best out of the 3. Its the newest by a couple years, but just the UI, features, etc make it the best we have.

Im sure its not the best out there, but for factory I think its worth the $$$. I like having built in nav as a safety net for if you need to get home but the phone is dead, bluetooth not working, etc. Fire up the factory nav, press "Go Home" and follow the directions.
Hello Tom R long,

Intermittent concerns can be frustrating and I do apologize for the inconvenience you're experiencing. If you could send me your VIN, I'd be glad to see if there any service bulletins or software updates that relate to what you've described.

Jasmine
Ram Social Care Specialist
Jasmine, I am having the same problem as tom long. Please share bulletins or updates relating to this issue.
Thanks
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Jasmine, I am having the same problem as tom long. Please share bulletins or updates relating to this issue.
Thanks
Hi there,

Since there are multiple software updates and we don't like to speculate on the what may be causing your concerns, we'd like to follow up with you privately so we can look into this further. Please send our team a private message with more details and your VIN, if you'd like our support.

Thanks in advance,

Courtney
Ram Cares
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
I see this is a older post but I've had this issue since 2019 and its now 2021...when it happens i go into the GPS antenna strength and all the waypoints show zero as though the problem is in the antenna...I keep looking for someone junking a 4th gen that would sell me the gps antenna so i can check my therory but so far i havent found one.
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
Having the same exact issue since 2018. A
My Ram 1500 Laramie's Navigation system will randomly lose location and will show me in fields, rivers, lakes or anywhere but my true location. The screen will then show a rear view mirror and the caption "Vehicle phone requires service". I took it to my local Dodge dealership and they said they could not reproduce this issue and could not do anything unless this issue was present when I brought the vehicle in. One hour after leaving the dealership and using the navigation system it went bonkers again. Has anyone else had this issue?
I have the same issue with my navigation system and as much as I paid for this 2014 Dodge Ram 1500 Laramie. I should not be having this issue, which I've had since 2018.. Also since I purchase this vehicle I have had an issue with the cruise control working on and off since I had purchased it and took it to dealership and it works fine for them and it works for a couple of days then it starts with the same problem all over again. This also should not have been happening. I have a 2011 Dodge Ram Outdoorsman and no cruise control issues.
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