redtomatoman

Okay. Thanks DodgeCares. That ends the mission for me. I think I'll keep my trusty Gen 1 Droid. Love this phone anyway.

I tried to PM this message to DodgeCares, but I get an error that he is not able to receive messages so I'll throw this out to everyone. . . I am trying to enable the text SMS function on my RB5 Uconnect system in my 2011 Journey. I'm not a frequent text'r but it has become my mission to make this work if it is possible. I am due for a phone upgrade soon and would like to get a phone that will allow the text notification and possibly text response through Uconnect. I found this document. . . http://m.jeep.com/do...ty_Document.pdf but it is from 3/2011 and I would like to know if there is a newer version of this table of phone compatibility results. On this table there are no results for text (SMS) on the table indicating that it has not been tested as of 3/2011. I've previously posted on the forum and been to 2 different dealers; I can't seem to find anyone who knows anything about text functionality. My questions are these: 1. Can my 2011 RB5 system allow text (SMS) functionality? 2. What phone(s) would allow this functionality? 3. How does the text functionality work? Can I do this while driving? Peace.

I can see why you call the radio a POS. I'd be frustrated if that was my experience with the radio. Honestly, I'd complain until the dealer either fixed it to my satisfaction or outright replaced the radio. I'd aim for the latter. I feel your pain. It will likely take some perseverance on your part, but if you're unhappy, make them fix it. Best of Luck to you. Peace.

Baby it for the first 10K miles. I drove mine easy except for occasional WOT efforts. At about 12K mine started getting much better mpg's. Currently I get 25-27mpg @ 65 mph on the highway using cruise control. Over the last 4 tanks of gas my EVIC mpg meter says 23.7mpg for a mix of town and highway driving. I got 27.1 mpg average on my last trip to Durango (275 miles round trip). Except for the little uncertainty regarding the tank fill level on fill ups, my EVIC meter is pretty accurate. I try to always top off until I see a little gas refluxing out of the gas tank spout. I feel like this gives me a pretty consistent fill each time. Good Luck. Peace.

Wow that is weird. So this is an established problem that Dodge/Fiat has no fix for? Dodge would be ripping my 8.4 out of the dash and installing a new one if my radio did not work! I'd be hot, I'm sure. Have you been to different dealers to see if anyone can figure this out? I'd either drive straight to the dealer when this happened or I'd video record it on my phone to show the dealer what the radio does. Peace.

OK, so the mp3 files skip because of the way the Uconnect system was engineered? What is the radio rds function? I've never heard of that. Peace.

Not sure exactly what you mean regarding the radio not starting. I haven't heard of that as a problem. I have heard (as I'm sure you have too through this forum) about the radio starting loudly on engine start up, there is a TSB for that. The mp3 skipping baffles me. I think bug is an adequate label. Not sure what causes that. I get the idea it is related to the Uconnect's attempt at voice control for music. It seems as if the Uconnect system does not just passively play an iPod, it actually takes it over and attempts to catalog the music for VC. The skipping may be some sort of a buffering capacity issue. Not sure. My search issue is related to Gracenotes. I have turned my Gracenotes off and forgone my album art in favor of the abc search functionality. Peace.

Ok, maybe I overstated slightly. The technology is good. I have a few beefs with Uconnect. The Gracenotes album art integration is silly, but that does not affect functionality. I leave it off and have no album art on anything because the Gracenotes database goofs up some of the artist's names and I can't find them on an alphabetical search. Dodge engineers could have smacked it out of the park on the WOW factor here, but they went down swinging. I'm still moderately hopeful for an update for the album art. And for the 2011, the voice command system works excellent for phone calls (which is what I use it for), but not so much for the stereo (I do not use and would not use this function anyway). Currently my Uconnect text function (I think I have this) is limited by my gen 1 motorola droid. I'm hoping that I can utilize that function in the future. I hate texting but everyone else seems to love it. Texting is silly, but I guess I gotta roll with it. According to the lack of responses on my thread concerning texting, I get the idea that either no Journey owners use the texting functionality or Journeys are not equipped. Not sure which. The short answer here is that Uconnect could be better. Find me any system for anything that can't be improved, and I'll laugh at you. I've been happy with the technology in my DJ. Some key updates would make me very happy. . . Peace.

No ideas here, but I will be watching this thread to see if you post a followup. One time I had a similar occurrence. I was driving and came to a stop at an intersection. Screen went out for sure and A/C went off, I think. I want to say the stereo still worked, but I can't remember. Car still ran fine and brakes worked as I stopped. I turned the engine off, restarted, and all the electronics came alive as they should. It was strange. It happened so fast and the car was new so I didn't think to make a mental note of all the symptoms. I think I may have posted something on this forum. Anyway, it has only happened once since I got my DJ in June 2011. It happened while driving in town. My DJ is my trip car and I have about 16 K miles on the car now. I'd say 80+% of those miles are highway miles. Not sure if that has anything to do with this situation or not. The only thing I can say is that shortly (about a month or so) after my electronics went out at the intersection, my cruise control began acting funny and ultimately my SCCM (steering column control module) was replaced to correct that. Maybe that little gizmo is contributing? That is the only problem I have had with my DJ over the past year. Good Luck. I'll be interested in updates. Peace.

I have a 2011 R/T. Have been happy with it thus far. Enjoy yours. Drive it like its stolen occasionally and you'll remember that its not all CUV; there's a little bit of charger in there. At least in mine. . . Peace.

I really like the auto stick. It works well to do that quick pass on a two lane road. Shift that thing down to 3 and hammer. The pentastar really shines! The Journey is no porsche, but I'll tell you, it can go when pushed. I've been getting great mileage lately as well. Seems as if my engine is completely broken in at 16K miles. Getting 25-27 miles per gallon if I drive according to the efficiency meter. Peace.

What do you mean when you say upgraded? Do you have the touchscreen? I don't know that I can upgrade mine. I have the 8.4 and I think mine is too integrated. Peace.

I really like my 2011. I have the R/T and it has been quite reliable. No brake issues as of 16,000+ miles. One electronic module issue that affected the cruise control was replaced by the dealer. No vehicle is going to be completely without problems. Engine runs strong and quiet except when I stomp on it, then it has a nice growl. I'd say, "Do it". There was nothing that I drove in 2011 that offered the entire package like the Journey, IMHO. Best of Luck to you. Peace.

Interesting. My 2011 gets very upset about the key fob leaving the vehicle. It is not shy about telling you either. . . Don't think driving without the fob could happen without the driver's knowledge in a Journey. Peace.

What sucks more, pushing the ACC button every thirty mins while at the drive-in theater or figuring out you accidently left the ACC button on for hours and being in need of a jump? I'm going with the latter. I like to play some music at the beach occasionally. It is a hassle to go back to the car to restart the music, but it also serves as a reminder to occasionally restart the car. Six of one, half a dozen of the the other. . . Peace.

Oh, yeah. I forgot to add that I had a good experience with tire rack. Not excessively cheap, but competitive and I like being able to use a local installer while still having the bizillion tire choices that tire rack offers. Peace.

I believe the Kumho shortage is improved, at least. There are other brands and different sizes that will fit on our Journeys. Don't panic. When the time comes, you'll have plenty of replacement choices. Keep your Journey aligned and your tires properly inflated and chances are that your tires will last a long time. Anything can happen, though, I've had mine for over a year on my 2011, and I have had no issues. They've rolled as smoothly at 105mph as they have at 10mph thus far. I even put a different size/design of Kumho tires on my wife's SUV. No problem over the last 8 months on her rig either. Good Luck. Peace.

Stupidest is not a word. Just thought I'd point that out. . . Peace.

I have. I've also left them in the car all night. Stupid. Peace.

On my JC, my gauge seems to be fine, but I just cannot rely on the tank being full when the pump cuts out. I often have to top off more than 1 US gallon bit by bit because the tank/pump combo acts as if the tank is full. After adding the last gallon+ by topping off, the gauge seems fine. Is this bulletin going to remedy my need to top off or is this just some computer reset for those with clear gas gauge inaccuracies? Peace.

Is the problem really just torque steering? Hard acceleration can cause a feeling of the vehicle wanting to wander. I am not a mechanic or an expert driver so I don't know a lot about the finer points of torque steering tendencies. My understanding is that torque steering forces change depending on engine torque, suspension, and steering combinations. Depending how much you accelerate and which way you are turning, that will affect the torque steer direction. Or maybe torque steer is always to the same direction, not sure. Obviously, a constant pulling to the right can be a million different things. If it is significant, I think you need to take it to the dealer. Immediately. Steering is pretty important. So are brakes and tires as bramfrank suggests as possible causes above. Peace.

Works on mine too. I suppose the punchline here is go get it checked if you want it. I honestly hate mine. It's gone off unexpectedly a few times. Last time mine went off was when I was parked outside a bar. I was playing pool and bent over the table to shoot a shot when some douche bag's alarm went off. Come to find out that douche was me. I had to be that guy who has the annoying car alarm. Shit! I'd be happy if mine didn't work. Doubt my panic button would save me from any real reasons to actually panic anyway. Peace.

Does anyone use the SMS text function in their journey? If so, can you be notified and reply to a text on the screen while driving? Peace.

I have a 2011 R/T. Basically the same. The journey is a crossover. Not amazingly sporty, but for a 7 seater it's fairly sporty. Great technology and a lively engine. Some complain about the computer tuning being more for MPG. Yeah, it is. Use the manual shifter if you want. Nice to get 25-27 MPG on the freeway though. If find the suspension to be good on hard turns with plenty of anti-sway. Drive the thing. For a CUV, I think its pretty sporty. I can probably do 0-60 in the mid to upper 7's. Good luck. Peace.

I don't personally care what anyone chooses to drive, but I think you have to be realistic. Snake oil salesmen? I'm not sure I agree. How can one argue with the simple observation that computers create as many problems as they solve? No thinking individual can, IMHO. BUT, what computers do do is create more possibilities that previously did not exist. There will always be Ford v Chevy, PC v Mac, and hamburger v hotdog debates out there, but one thing one must embrace, if they want to move forward with the world, is change. Accept it, cars now come with computers; including all the inherent advantages and problems. Shopping for a car is no longer about who has the best transmission or more hp. Its a software crap shoot. Think about how many problems you've had recently that were software related. No matter what you choose, you roll the dice, and capitalism requires all companies to challenge you when it comes to giving any of your purchase dollars back. Do your homework, yes, but be realistic when problems occur. Too many? Sure, cut your losses, but don't expect computers from Japan or Germany or anywhere else to perform better than any other computers. I did weeks of research. I also drove EVERYTHING. That takes time, and when it look back, it was probably nearly worthless except for the completely subjective "driving experience" which has nothing to do with the probability for future problems. Best of luck to you in your quest for a new ride. If you get a great car, rest assured it was not because you did your homework. If you get a lemon, it, similarly, had nothing to do with the lack thereof. When you get your car, treat it as well as you can, and it will likely return the favor. On a related note, as much as toyota left a bad taste in my mouth, I would still (and I drove the Venza in my quest for my latest vehicle) consider them because they are capable of producing very good vehicles. I happened to like the Journey more than the Venza in this instance. . . Anyway, don't limit yourself. Considering more vehicles increases the chances that you will find that ideal vehicle. Peace.