Jeep Recalls 24,238 Wranglers After Bricking Them With An OTA Update, A Thing That Keeps Happening

Nearly two weeks ago, Jeep pushed out an over-the-air software update to thousands of models, the sort of thing that usually just fixes bugs and patches recently discovered security vulnerabilities. However, this particular OTA update seemed to introduce a whole new issue to owners of certain Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrids. As we reported on Oct. 12:

An Over-The-Air (OTA) update to the infotainment system in some Jeeps appears to be causing certain models to go into a limp mode or otherwise fail to operate. The update appears to have gone out on Friday.

Needless to say, that’s not good. It’s incredibly inconvenient and frustrating when a vehicle you paid good money for stops working, and if your car decides to enter limp mode when you’re already moving at the speed of traffic, you could end up in a dangerous situation.

As soon as word of Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrids either going into limp mode or bricking themselves reached us, we reached out to Stellantis for more information on exactly what went wrong with this over-the-air update, and the automaker now has an answer. More than an answer, actually, because the problematic update has resulted in a recall. Here’s the official statement:

FCA US LLC is recalling an estimated 24,238 U.S.-market vehicles that may have received and installed an over-the-air software update.

An internal investigation determined that some vehicles may experience an intermittent communication issue between their telematics box module and hybrid control processor. If this happens, it could result in the propulsion system shutting down without warning.

To help prevent a subsequent loss of motive power, an interim corrective action was implemented.

The recall is limited to certain model-year 2023–2025 Jeep® Wrangler plug-in hybrid electric SUVs.

The Company is unaware of any related accidents or injuries. In accordance with regulation, recall notices will be mailed to all affected customers.

FCA urges customers to follow the instructions on their recall notices. Customers with questions or concerns may contact their dealers or call (800) 853-1403.

Additional vehicles will be subject to recall in Canada (est. 1,707).

So, between the United States and Canada, this over-the-air update has led to the recall of nearly 26,000 Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrids. While a final fix hasn’t been announced yet, an interim solution is available in the form of another software update. The culprit behind the update? Communication issues, which isn’t entirely surprising given how modern cars are all networked. Linking the telematics box with the hybrid control processor allows Wrangler 4Xe plug-in hybrids to support features like app-based remote start and connected navigation mapping based on remaining electric range, and vehicle health reports. Stuff that people actually want. However, this interconnectedness means that what should be minor issues can affect more than one vehicle system.

It’s worth noting that over-the-air updates that introduce malfunctions are more common than they should be. Two years ago, some Rivian owners reported over-the-air updates rendering their vehicles inoperable, and some Lucid owners were in a similar predicament. Earlier this year, a SiriusXM update caused certain Audi models to enter an infotainment boot loop, which was finally fully fixed when Audi rolled out a software update on the car side. Keep in mind, we’re just talking about successful over-the-air updates here. There are plenty more horror stories of over-the-air updates from various marques failing to complete, rendering cars inoperable.

In these cases of botched updates, the failure likely isn’t in the fundamental technology itself, it’s possibly somewhere in the culture. See, it’s customary for software teams to hold off on launching a product until testing and development pushes the bug frequency well below a manageable threshold. However, if an update gets sent out before it reaches acceptable reliability for any reason, there are usually either pressures or quality control process failures behind that.

The initial promise of over-the-air updates were that they’d make your car better over time. The hype failed to mention that sometimes, they might actually make your car worse. Considering how over-the-air updates can affect safety-critical systems, automakers have a responsibility to ensure the software they publish is safe for highway use. When that responsibility isn’t upheld, it’s only natural that consumers may not be happy.

Top graphic image: Jeep