Out of the blue, the radio on our 2021 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited would not turn off with the rest of the vehicle.

It has the key fob/start button combo which I'm not particularly fond of and multiple attempts to turn the engine on and off had no effect on the radio. It remained on.

I ultimately decided to try disconnecting the negative terminal at the battery and this, of course, resulted in the radio going off. I was quite pleased that once I started the vehicle again, I was able to operate the radio normally without incident. Anyone have any ideas on what was going on with this thing?

I’ve had odd radio issues like that on multiple Mopar products and a Chevy equinox (all work vehicles) in the last 8 years.

Is it the Chrysler UConnect system? If so, it just sucks. My 2018 Durango has that system, and about 20% of the time when I start the car, it turns on and just stays on the "DODGE" screen. Can't change the volume or interact with it in any way. And it controls the radio, Bluetooth integration, HVAC controls, and all the other user interface functions of the vehicle. There's no reset option, either....only way to fix it is to shut the car off for about 10 minutes so everything times out and then start it again. Dodge dealer wasn't any help, either.

I miss the old days when all that stuff was controlled by mechanical knobs and sliders.

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Is it the Chrysler UConnect system? If so, it just sucks.

Yes, it has the UConnect and I'm not impressed with it either.

I didn't try waiting to see if it would time out at some point. I'll have to try that sometime when I have access to tools in case it doesn't cooperate and stays on. Now I'm just concerned about something less obvious staying on leading to parasitic drain and a dead battery.

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Now I'm just concerned about something less obvious staying on leading to parasitic drain and a dead battery.

Do you carry a jump pack with you?

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Do you carry a jump pack with you?

That’s a sore subject. I did and after using it once, I recharged it and thought all was well until I tried to turn it on again. Nothing.

After some troubleshooting, I found the power switch to be defective. Called the company and tried to order one. They told me they don’t sell parts. When I asked about getting it repaired, they said they don’t do out of warranty repairs. They did offer to give me a discount on a new one. I declined.

You may try a soft or hard reset. There are quite a few postings online about the resets and how to perform them, but I wont list any here as they may or not work and, in some cases will erase your saved information or system updates. YMMV.

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Originally posted by YooperSigs:
You may try a soft or hard reset. There are quite a few postings online about the resets and how to perform them, but I wont list any here as they may or not work and, in some cases will erase your saved information or system updates. YMMV.

This and make sure the firmware is up to date.
Like everything electronic anymore they need to be reset on occasion beyond just being cycled on and off.

it's a jeep thing

if you plan to keep it for the long haul I would replace the radio system from the sound of things.

I have the same year wrangler. I have the big screen with the alpine speaker and nav.

To reset mine, I press the button so it’s in the run position, without starting the Jeep. Then press and hold the power and tune buttons and hold for 30 seconds or so and release. The screen will reboot and the Uconnect system will restart.

This is how you get the backup camera to work when it blacks out every month or so…

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Originally posted by Black92LX:

This and make sure the firmware is up to date.
Like everything electronic anymore they need to be reset on occasion beyond just being cycled on and off.

It updates itself. It downloads the update and tells you this in fine print at the bottom left of the screen. When it’s updating, it’ll keep doing its thing even after you shut off the Jeep.

Reset of the system works everytime for me.

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Originally posted by Beancooker:
I have the same year wrangler. I have the big screen with the alpine speaker and nav.

To reset mine, I press the button so it’s in the run position, without starting the Jeep. Then press and hold the power and tune buttons and hold for 30 seconds or so and release. The screen will reboot and the Uconnect system will restart.

This is how you get the backup camera to work when it blacks out every month or so…

Thanks, Beancooker! I’ll give that a try if it happens again (or if the backup camera goes out).

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Originally posted by FiveFiveSixFan:

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Originally posted by Beancooker:
I have the same year wrangler. I have the big screen with the alpine speaker and nav.

To reset mine, I press the button so it’s in the run position, without starting the Jeep. Then press and hold the power and tune buttons and hold for 30 seconds or so and release. The screen will reboot and the Uconnect system will restart.

This is how you get the backup camera to work when it blacks out every month or so…

Thanks, Beancooker! I’ll give that a try if it happens again (or if the backup camera goes out).

Yes. My 2022 Ram Rebel 1500 Uconnect runs like a champ...99% of the time. It's one of the better systems out there (sorry haters). But on those occasions where I get a freeze, etc...I do a hard reset similar to above.

I’ve got nothing constructive to add, but that I don’t even use my U Connect after giving up on it, and that I’m glad I got the last year of the JK line and opted for manual everything, including a dumb radio vs smart one. 75,000 miles and I hope to keep it forever. Even our Honda Civic is stupid fancy.

It may be a software issue. My wife used to have an Altima where the infotainment screen froze up every time a phone was plugged into the USB port. After some research, it turned out that the glitches were a known issue. The only easy way to fix it was to unplug the battery and do a reset in diagnostic mode when it glitched.

One of the options available with U Connect is to continue a call through the radio after the vehicle is turned off.

Have you tried connecting with a different phone to see if it has the same results?

I haven't had any problems with mine, but it is a Harmon/Kardon navigation unit in a 2004 Dodge truck.

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Have you tried connecting with a different phone to see if it has the same results?

No, I haven't tried that. There's only one phone paired with this vehicle.

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Originally posted by Beancooker:
I have the same year wrangler. I have the big screen with the alpine speaker and nav.

To reset mine, I press the button so it’s in the run position, without starting the Jeep. Then press and hold the power and tune buttons and hold for 30 seconds or so and release. The screen will reboot and the Uconnect system will restart.

This is how you get the backup camera to work when it blacks out every month or so…

Thanks for that! I'll have to give it a try on the Durango. I've tried the buttons before, but not with the engine off and ignition in "Run." You'd think the guys at the dealership could have suggested that .