Can't Unlock Maps

[journey13]

Well, I am happy to report (NOT).... that my third (3) radio is dead now....

 

I've had 2 replacements during the warranty period within three (3) years of owning the vehicle and the warranty expiring. The vehicle is now in its 4th year and the GPS module has died again..each time I had this service, chrysler dealer wasted hours trying to solve it, even weeks at times, making excuses to the point where they finally replaced the radio which only bought me a few months of usage.

 

I plan to go to the media with this problem because after 3 radio's , I have had it! WAY TO GO CHRYSLER! So who's going to fix this now for me now that my car no longer has a warranty eh chrysler??? 

 

Just to humilate your product quality, I have posted a video for you to see!!!! 

 

 

Edited May 8, 2017 by journey13

[OhareFred]

Isnt that working?  It brings up a map, will it not give directions?  Thats what youneed to show because to me it looks like its working.  Just sayin

 

btw I agree with you completely, Dodge doesnt give a shit about this problem.

Edited May 8, 2017 by OhareFred

[journey13]

No it does not work. As you notice, it defaults to Blaine WA. I'm no where near Blaine WA. I'm like 50km away from where the map is showing. The GPS module does not work anymore as it can't load the maps from the flash. The car moves across the map from default and does not even reflect my exact location.

[aukfan33]

Not sure if this helps but I can share my experience with this. I too have had this happen numerous times but my dealer has replaced the TGM each time due to a known issue that was first replaced under warranty. Maybe if you approach this from that aspect they might take care of you

[journey13]

Yeah, I'm not giving any more money to Dodge every year. I've replaced the TGM module 2x now within a 3 year period. Customers shouldn't be replacing the module year after year to resolve an issue Dodge is fully aware of and refuses to do something about it. Oh yeah, they did do something about it. They called it a recall for all 2014 and newer models but left all the 2013 out of the recall. It is a wasted breath talking to the dealership here as they keep saying they don't know what the problem is. Unless Dodge gets their act together and deals with this problem and actually initiates a full blown recall on the units, my family and the rest of my friends that know about this won't ever be buying another Dodge vehicle let alone a Dodge Journey, dosen't matter what year its from.

[jkeaton]

50 minutes ago, journey13 said:

Yeah, I'm not giving any more money to Dodge every year. I've replaced the TGM module 2x now within a 3 year period. Customers shouldn't be replacing the module year after year to resolve an issue Dodge is fully aware of and refuses to do something about it. Oh yeah, they did do something about it. They called it a recall for all 2014 and newer models but left all the 2013 out of the recall. It is a wasted breath talking to the dealership here as they keep saying they don't know what the problem is. Unless Dodge gets their act together and deals with this problem and actually initiates a full blown recall on the units, my family and the rest of my friends that know about this won't ever be buying another Dodge vehicle let alone a Dodge Journey, dosen't matter what year its from.

 

Sorry to see you go.

[gazjoureny]

Hi All,

 

My 2014 dodge  journey got the  "cant unlock Maps" feature . 

 

I understand these things happen, took it to the dealer(as still under warrenty)  As im in  Australia the dealer advised 2 weeks to get a new unit from america.  It arrived in 10 days. dealer installed and now I have 2017 Maps rather than 2014 (win win).

 

After almost 3 years of ownership my dodge journey still puts a smile on my dial I still wouldnt trade it for anything else.

 

Gaz

[journey13]

On 6/10/2017 at 7:14 PM, gazjoureny said:

Hi All,

 

My 2014 dodge  journey got the  "cant unlock Maps" feature . 

 

I understand these things happen, took it to the dealer(as still under warrenty)  As im in  Australia the dealer advised 2 weeks to get a new unit from america.  It arrived in 10 days. dealer installed and now I have 2017 Maps rather than 2014 (win win).

 

After almost 3 years of ownership my dodge journey still puts a smile on my dial I still wouldnt trade it for anything else.

 

Gaz

Wait till its out of warranty!

 

BTW I think I may have found a problem to all my electrical issues with my 2013 Dodge Journey. In the last few days, both my AWD Service light came on followed by the famous, wait for it....Air Bag Warning light!!! Some of you may not know but Chrysler had a major recall on their vehicle in April 2013 for a faulty air bag warning light illuminating in the dash for no reason. When this happens, your air bags are disabled and will not deploy in the event of a crash. You can read more about it here -> https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/04/09/chrysler-300-dodge-charger-challenger-recall-airbag/2067947/

 

I took it to a reputable shop (non dealer) and they tested all the fuses in the vehicle. ALL FUSES WORK. Then they hooked it up to the scanner and in the Air Bag module, there is an alert stating 'open circuit". It is the same code as the recall in 2013...

 

So, perhaps the 2013 Dodge Journey's still are affected by this recall which entails a complete replacement of the interior wiring harness on both driver and passenger side.

 

I also have electrical problems with my Dodge. Every year, while the Vehicle was under warranty. Dodge had to replace my GPS unit 2X due to the "can't unlock maps" feature. Nobody can't figure out why. The GPS unit has died on me for the 3rd time now, this time however after the warranty so I can't get it fixed. The first time it died June 30th 2014, roughly after a year of owning it. The next time it died on Dec 30th 2015. If it is indeed the harness, I will make a request for the GPS module to be repaired/replaced as well as I have a suspicion that this faulty wiring harness and the recall in 2013 has something to do with it. I mean, if your harness is faulty and you have electrical problems, GPS failures and the harness go hand in hand. Would you not think? 

 

That and get this, my other electrical issue is the car has turned itself on 2x in the past  year without me as the driver even sitting inside it! And no, i did not remote start it. The car was parked once underground for 8hrs. It was turned off when I left it and when I came back, the car was on. Air conditioning at full blast which I never go full blast BTW. And burned through half a tank of gas.

 

So explain that for me! Why would I want to get another Journey? Heck no. This is my only one and if I survive with it to keep longer then I am greateful but I am now done with Dodge Vehicles.

 

I have an appointment next week with Dodge to service the air bag light, they suspect I may need a new wiring harness...we see what happens, stay tuned...

 

One more thing, I also have a dash cam in my car that sometimes, once a week, doesn't turn on with the ignition despite being wired to a spare fuse in the interior. I have to turn off the car and the back again just to get power to the dash camera...so yeah...sounds like a wiring harness!!!

 

My car only has 43,000 km...it's been nothing but a headache!

Edited July 1, 2017 by journey13

[bramfrank]

11 hours ago, journey13 said:

Wait till its out of warranty!

 

BTW I think I may have found a problem to all my electrical issues with my 2013 Dodge Journey. In the last few days, both my AWD Service light came on followed by the famous, wait for it....Air Bag Warning light!!! Some of you may not know but Chrysler had a major recall on their vehicle in April 2013 for a faulty air bag warning light illuminating in the dash for no reason. When this happens, your air bags are disabled and will not deploy in the event of a crash. You can read more about it here -> https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/04/09/chrysler-300-dodge-charger-challenger-recall-airbag/2067947/

 

I took it to a reputable shop (non dealer) and they tested all the fuses in the vehicle. ALL FUSES WORK. Then they hooked it up to the scanner and in the Air Bag module, there is an alert stating 'open circuit". It is the same code as the recall in 2013...

 

So, perhaps the 2013 Dodge Journey's still are affected by this recall which entails a complete replacement of the interior wiring harness on both driver and passenger side.

 

I also have electrical problems with my Dodge. Every year, while the Vehicle was under warranty. Dodge had to replace my GPS unit 2X due to the "can't unlock maps" feature. Nobody can't figure out why. The GPS unit has died on me for the 3rd time now, this time however after the warranty so I can't get it fixed. The first time it died June 30th 2014, roughly after a year of owning it. The next time it died on Dec 30th 2015. If it is indeed the harness, I will make a request for the GPS module to be repaired/replaced as well as I have a suspicion that this faulty wiring harness and the recall in 2013 has something to do with it. I mean, if your harness is faulty and you have electrical problems, GPS failures and the harness go hand in hand. Would you not think? 

 

That and get this, my other electrical issue is the car has turned itself on 2x in the past  year without me as the driver even sitting inside it! And no, i did not remote start it. The car was parked once underground for 8hrs. It was turned off when I left it and when I came back, the car was on. Air conditioning at full blast which I never go full blast BTW. And burned through half a tank of gas.

 

So explain that for me! Why would I want to get another Journey? Heck no. This is my only one and if I survive with it to keep longer then I am greateful but I am now done with Dodge Vehicles.

 

I have an appointment next week with Dodge to service the air bag light, they suspect I may need a new wiring harness...we see what happens, stay tuned...

 

One more thing, I also have a dash cam in my car that sometimes, once a week, doesn't turn on with the ignition despite being wired to a spare fuse in the interior. I have to turn off the car and the back again just to get power to the dash camera...so yeah...sounds like a wiring harness!!!

 

My car only has 43,000 km...it's been nothing but a headache!

 

Well, I suppose the firs thing to do is to correct some of your misconceptions;

First of all, an open circuit is not the same as a blown fuse.  You are from BC, which is often considered to be a damp environment.  Your electrical issues could well be due to corrosion or a bad crimp on a wire or cold solder joint in the airbag module.

Secondly, the 'Can't unlock maps' problem has nothing at all to do with a wiring harness matter, but rather a glitch on the GPS card inside the TGM, likely due to a hardware design issue that leads to memory corruption in the unit.  It doesn't have to be replaced, but rather the maps simply re-installed.

And while there was a recall for the 2014-2015 radios, it did not resolve anything, so consider yourself lucky to not have had to visit the dealer to apply a useless Band-Aid to the system.

Your dash cam issue is more likely due to the dash cam than it is to your vehicle.

 

Edited July 1, 2017 by bramfrank

[journey13]

6 hours ago, bramfrank said:

 

Well, I suppose the firs thing to do is to correct some of your misconceptions;

First of all, an open circuit is not the same as a blown fuse.  You are from BC, which is often considered to be a damp environment.  Your electrical issues could well be due to corrosion or a bad crimp on a wire or cold solder joint in the airbag module.

Secondly, the 'Can't unlock maps' problem has nothing at all to do with a wiring harness matter, but rather a glitch on the GPS card inside the TGM, likely due to a hardware design issue that leads to memory corruption in the unit.  It doesn't have to be replaced, but rather the maps simply re-installed.

And while there was a recall for the 2014-2015 radios, it did not resolve anything, so consider yourself lucky to not have had to visit the dealer to apply a useless Band-Aid to the system.

Your dash cam issue is more likely due to the dash cam than it is to your vehicle.

 

FYI. I never said an open circuit is the same as a fuse. I just said that the fuses were all good when they were checked but when the car was hooked up to a scanner, it threw an open circuit error code. Same to the one in the recall in 2013. The dealer stated that the issue may be related to corrosion and I may need a new harness but they won't know for sure until I bring it in.They wouldn't speculate on the air bag light either until they take a look at the vehicle.

 

As for the GPS, reloading the maps does not work. The dealership has tried multiple times during the warranty period, each time they worked on it for 2-3 months before they finally gave up. In both cases it did not work and they had to replace the unit.

 

And as for the dash cam. I have electrical problems even with my windows not working sometimes, as well as the rear wiper. So I doubt it is my dash cam...dash cam is brand new, only about a month old.

[bramfrank]

58 minutes ago, journey13 said:

FYI. I never said an open circuit is the same as a fuse. I just said that the fuses were all good when they were checked but when the car was hooked up to a scanner, it threw an open circuit error code. Same to the one in the recall in 2013. The dealer stated that the issue may be related to corrosion and I may need a new harness but they won't know for sure until I bring it in.They wouldn't speculate on the air bag light either until they take a look at the vehicle.

 

As for the GPS, reloading the maps does not work. The dealership has tried multiple times during the warranty period, each time they worked on it for 2-3 months before they finally gave up. In both cases it did not work and they had to replace the unit.

 

And as for the dash cam. I have electrical problems even with my windows not working sometimes, as well as the rear wiper. So I doubt it is my dash cam...dash cam is brand new, only about a month old.

Your dealer's an idiot.  Reloading the maps DOES work.  What he is doing is reloading the firmware.

I hope you have an extended warranty.

[journey13]

On 7/1/2017 at 10:56 AM, bramfrank said:

Your dealer's an idiot.  Reloading the maps DOES work.  What he is doing is reloading the firmware.

I hope you have an extended warranty.

 

Both times I was told they tried to 1) Reload the Maps and 2) Reload the firmware. I actually had to wait a month for them to get the CD ordered in order to attempt a map update as they did not have a copy on-site.I was told they tried both the firmware and the maps and neither attempt worked. So they replaced the faulty part each time under the warranty. 

 

The car dealer is a big dealership with a big name behind it; can't say much for some of their staff as I have had issues with them in the past. They have screwed up work on my car before and had to refund me as a result.

 

As for the dashcam, I changed to a different ground. Perhaps the ground was my issue. I will be monitoring it closely to see if I have any further power issues with it.

 

As for the extended warranty, I did not get it at the time of purchase. Last time I did buy one, I never ended up using it which was a total waste of money. I haven't had major issues with the vehicle other than the problematic GPS unit.

 

The electrical problems that I am having now are something new.

Edited July 3, 2017 by journey13

[bramfrank]

I have yet to run into a navigator displaying the 'can't unlock maps' message that couldn't be recovered with fresh mapping.

But that doesn't excuse FCA for not dealing with this problem since it started appearing in the 2013+ versions of the navigator.

As to having an extended warranty . . . . modern cars are stuffed full of microprocessors which are sensitive to bad grounds, weak batteries and such.  And dealers have a terrible history in terms of their diagnostic capabilities, in a large part because there can be a myriad range of causes for many faults and determining the exact cause can require a lot of insight that most car techs don't have.  To that end you wind up paying for the dealer to thrash about trying to fix a problem or worse, paying for them to change expensive parts that don't actually solve the problem.  Having a warranty puts those charges where they belong;  in the manufacturer's hands.

One thing I'm seeing a lot of in the forums is where the vehicle acts up and the owner changes the battery (which is located in a truly idiotic location.  It should probably be inside the vehicle in back the way it is in my daughter's Pontiac G5 and my nephew's Charger wagon) and it turns out that the 'smart regulator' on the alternator has given up the ghost and it affects all sorts of systems in the vehicle.

A bad battery shouldn't kill the alternator.

Edited July 3, 2017 by bramfrank

[journey13]

2 hours ago, bramfrank said:

I have yet to run into a navigator displaying the 'can't unlock maps' message that couldn't be recovered with fresh mapping.

But that doesn't excuse FCA for not dealing with this problem since it started appearing in the 2013+ versions of the navigator.

As to having an extended warranty . . . . modern cars are stuffed full of microprocessors which are sensitive to bad grounds, weak batteries and such.  And dealers have a terrible history in terms of their diagnostic capabilities, in a large part because there can be a myriad range of causes for many faults and determining the exact cause can require a lot of insight that most car techs don't have.  To that end you wind up paying for the dealer to thrash about trying to fix a problem or worse, paying for them to change expensive parts that don't actually solve the problem.  Having a warranty puts those charges where they belong;  in the manufacturer's hands.

One thing I'm seeing a lot of in the forums is where the vehicle acts up and the owner changes the battery (which is located in a truly idiotic location.  It should probably be inside the vehicle in back the way it is in my daughter's Pontiac G5 and my nephew's Charger wagon) and it turns out that the 'smart regulator' on the alternator has given up the ghost and it affects all sorts of systems in the vehicle.

A bad battery shouldn't kill the alternator.

 

Lucky for you. I've had problems with the navigation system ever since I owned the vehicle. It's been the only repeating issue in the car. Other than that, the vehicle was fine until the most recent issue of the air bag light illumination coming on and the error code of 'open circuit' in the air bag module. I am actually considering changing out the radio with the GPS unit to after market considering its on going problems with the maps etc. I am currently researching what GPS aftermarket unit would be more suitable for the journey to utilize the large touch screen along with the overhead dvd screen in the vehicle. If anyone has any advice or suggestions, I am all ears.

Edited July 3, 2017 by journey13

[bramfrank]

Of the dozens of radios people have asked me to help them with not a single one has been a problem to resuscitate - there is a thread which details how to do this on this site.  Anything more and the problem is not going to be the one that affects most owners and as such not something you can blame on FCA per se.

My last Journey was GPS-less and I had a higher end Garmin stand-alone navigator that had voice recognition stuck to the windshield above the mirror and ran the power cable through the headliner and right side roof pillar down to be connected to the fuse box behind the glove box - no buttons to push, it was activated by speaking the configurable trigger phrase.  It was very inconspicuous and very convenient.  A friend whose Journey has the enhanced roof console did something similar and had his Garmin navigator installed in the eyeglass holder and can make it disappear by folding it up into the roof.. 

[journey13]

5 hours ago, bramfrank said:

Of the dozens of radios people have asked me to help them with not a single one has been a problem to resuscitate - there is a thread which details how to do this on this site.  Anything more and the problem is not going to be the one that affects most owners and as such not something you can blame on FCA per se.

My last Journey was GPS-less and I had a higher end Garmin stand-alone navigator that had voice recognition stuck to the windshield above the mirror and ran the power cable through the headliner and right side roof pillar down to be connected to the fuse box behind the glove box - no buttons to push, it was activated by speaking the configurable trigger phrase.  It was very inconspicuous and very convenient.  A friend whose Journey has the enhanced roof console did something similar and had his Garmin navigator installed in the eyeglass holder and can make it disappear by folding it up into the roof.. 

 

Can you post the link to the thread that talks about how to reload the maps onto the GPS unit?

[journey13]

No luck on the dash cam with a different ground while connected to the under glove compartment fuse box (spare) on the passenger side. I now suspect it is my passenger under the dash harness as faulty as when I connect the dash cam through the lighter plug it has no issues.

[journey13]

Take a look at my dash when I start the vehicle...

 

My Service AWD light came on a few days ago on my way home from work, this was the 2nd time it came on. The last time was about a month ago and after 3 car starts the light disappeared. What is interesting about the day when the Service AWD light came on is on the following morning when I started my car to go to work, the Air Bag light warning came on and does not go away. So the next day, I went to a reputable repair shop and had it scanned and in the Air Bag Module there is an error code stating 'open circuit'...

 

 

Edited July 3, 2017 by journey13

[journey13]

So, I had the car serviced at a dealer. They ran diagnostics. Wiring was OK. Relays OK. Turns out my PDC under the hood was the problem as somehow it got dislodged from the clips and a fuse was missing as no power was found to F118. How in the heck does that happen? It cost me a few hundred dollars to get the dealer to troubleshoot but at least I am grateful it was not thousands. Both error codes for the Air Bag Module and the AWD are now gone and the dash camera is working fine. I'm still left with a broken GPS unit though. The dealer told me it would cost me $600+ labour to repair. No thanks! Anyone have suggestions for an after market replacement radio with GPS for the journey?

[bramfrank]

The missing fuse is pretty obvious - you said all the fuses were tested, so either one of them wasn't put back, or put it in the wrong place.

[journey13]

On 7/9/2017 at 2:56 AM, bramfrank said:

The missing fuse is pretty obvious - you said all the fuses were tested, so either one of them wasn't put back, or put it in the wrong place.

 

I took it to a vehicle service center (non-dealer) to have it scanned and was told of the error code. I was also told that no defective fuses were found. I guess they did not check for any missing ones. Since no problems were found, I took it to the dealer.

Edited July 10, 2017 by journey13

[Kenneth Elie]

just looking for a bit of confirmation feedback..

 

I have a 2014 Crossroad bought as new in 2014. No extended warranty. R65 recall performed in January 2016 and once before that aswell.

 

"No Maps" issue occured today while on CTP16. I then applied a radio and navigation update which brought me to CTP17 but the problem persists.

 

Is my only option now to take to deal and pay out of pocket for new HU? Anyway to obtain already owned registered maps without a fee?

[journey13]

On 8/5/2017 at 4:47 AM, Kenneth Elie said:

just looking for a bit of confirmation feedback..

 

I have a 2014 Crossroad bought as new in 2014. No extended warranty. R65 recall performed in January 2016 and once before that aswell.

 

"No Maps" issue occured today while on CTP16. I then applied a radio and navigation update which brought me to CTP17 but the problem persists.

 

Is my only option now to take to deal and pay out of pocket for new HU? Anyway to obtain already owned registered maps without a fee?

 

Myself, since my GPS Nav is not working, I am searching for an after-market unit. There is no sense in getting a replacement for the UConnect system when its going to fail again anyway down the road. It is just not worth to replace it every year at a cost of $600 CAD per year. Dodge needs to do something about this and until all the Dodge owners complain or file a class action lawsuit, nothing is going to happen. I've tried going to the dealer to resolve the problem, the dealers won't do anything once the vehicle is out of warranty so there is no hope in hell of resolving any issues with the Uconnect system once your main or extended warranties expire.

 

If I find an after market solution I will post here to share with everyone...

 

If someone has found a solution, please share with all of us...

 

Thank you

[bramfrank]

On ‎2017‎-‎08‎-‎05 at 7:47 AM, Kenneth Elie said:

just looking for a bit of confirmation feedback..

 

I have a 2014 Crossroad bought as new in 2014. No extended warranty. R65 recall performed in January 2016 and once before that aswell.

 

"No Maps" issue occured today while on CTP16. I then applied a radio and navigation update which brought me to CTP17 but the problem persists.

 

Is my only option now to take to deal and pay out of pocket for new HU? Anyway to obtain already owned registered maps without a fee?

 

 

There is a way to restore maps to the unit (with, or without a cost, depending on the route you care to follow and how technically adept you might be), but even if your warranty has expired you *ought* to be able to get Dodge to fix it free since this is a persistent defect that began before the warranty expires (expired?) and was covered by an ineffective recall.  By the way, you ca download all the firmware and other updates you like from the uConnect web site - you've lost your maps and they are not included in any free download.

 

 

 

7 minutes ago, journey13 said:

 

Myself, since my GPS Nav is not working, I am searching for an after-market unit. There is no sense in getting a replacement for the UConnect system when its going to fail again anyway down the road. It is just not worth to replace it every year at a cost of $600 CAD per year. Dodge needs to do something about this and until all the Dodge owners complain or file a class action lawsuit, nothing is going to happen. I've tried going to the dealer to resolve the problem, the dealers won't do anything once the vehicle is out of warranty so there is no hope in hell of resolving any issues with the Uconnect system once your main or extended warranties expire.

 

If I find an after market solution I will post here to share with everyone...

 

If someone has found a solution, please share with all of us...

 

Thank you

 

 

You don't need to replace the radio, just reload the mapping.  Once you've set up to reload the maps you can simply do it again when (not if) it loses them again.

On my last Journey, which had the small screen I simply put in a Garmin 3790, which is small and has voice recognition.  Because it didn't have an overhead console I put it above the mirror and fished the cabling down the passenger side roof pillar and connected it to the fuse block behind the glove box.

If you have an overhead console I beiieve that the smaller (4.3") Garmin devices (the 3790 is a 4.3" device) can be wedged into the glasses case and the wiring run down from there.

It MAY be possible to find switched power in the roof liner, which means that you wouldn't have to run the cabling down to the fuse block, but I'm not certain. 

[journey13]

14 hours ago, bramfrank said:

 

 

There is a way to restore maps to the unit (with, or without a cost, depending on the route you care to follow and how technically adept you might be), but even if your warranty has expired you *ought* to be able to get Dodge to fix it free since this is a persistent defect that began before the warranty expires (expired?) and was covered by an ineffective recall.  By the way, you ca download all the firmware and other updates you like from the uConnect web site - you've lost your maps and they are not included in any free download.

 

 

 

 

 

You don't need to replace the radio, just reload the mapping.  Once you've set up to reload the maps you can simply do it again when (not if) it loses them again.

On my last Journey, which had the small screen I simply put in a Garmin 3790, which is small and has voice recognition.  Because it didn't have an overhead console I put it above the mirror and fished the cabling down the passenger side roof pillar and connected it to the fuse block behind the glove box.

If you have an overhead console I beiieve that the smaller (4.3") Garmin devices (the 3790 is a 4.3" device) can be wedged into the glasses case and the wiring run down from there.

It MAY be possible to find switched power in the roof liner, which means that you wouldn't have to run the cabling down to the fuse block, but I'm not certain. 

Yeah...am not so sure about the reloading part...last time the dealer tried it, they told me that it did not work and they had to order a replacement...I did recently upgrade the unit to CTP17...a few days later the entire radio went black on me, nothing on the screen. After the car was off over night the screen came back....In order for me to reload the maps, I need to have the maps CD from uconnect supplier, that costs $150+ US dollars. I am not sure I am willing to jump ship just yet to invest that much to have a disappointment...has anyone tried to reload their maps after buying the expensive map CD/USB?