Jeep® Wrangler 4xe Over-The-Air (OTA) Update Leaves Owners Stranded

Over-the-air (OTA) updates are meant to make owning a modern vehicle easier. But for some Jeep® Wrangler (JL) 4xe owners this past weekend, the latest software patch had the opposite effect—leaving them stranded after an update gone wrong.

According to Ars Technica, Stellantis rolled out a telematics update for the Wrangler 4xe’s Uconnect infotainment system late last week. The update was intended to enhance connectivity features but instead resulted in a serious malfunction that caused some plug-in hybrid (PHEV) models to lose power while driving—sometimes at highway speeds.

The problem didn’t appear immediately after installation. Several owners reported that their Wranglers continued running normally until suddenly entering a “limp” or “no power” state mid-drive. In some cases, the vehicles completely shut down, forcing drivers to coast to the side of the road. Posts detailing the issue quickly flooded social media, Reddit, and 4xeForums, with owners sharing experiences of losing propulsion and seeing warning lights appear on the dash before their Jeeps became immobile.

Realizing the severity of the issue, Jeep quickly pulled the update. Unfortunately, by the time the automaker stopped distribution, many owners had already downloaded or installed it. A representative from Jeep Cares, who actively participates on 4xeForums, confirmed that the company was aware of the problem and urged anyone who hadn’t installed the update yet to ignore the OTA pop-up prompt. The representative added that owners who already had performed the update should “please exercise extreme caution” and avoid using Hybrid or Electric drive modes until a fix was available.

By Saturday evening, Jeep pushed a corrective update to resolve the issue. The same Jeep Cares representative provided detailed instructions for affected owners, advising them to start their vehicle in an area with strong cellular coverage, let it run for at least 10 minutes, then restart it and check for the “Ready” status on the cluster. This procedure was designed to ensure the follow-up fix is properly installed and clears any lingering fault codes.

The issue stemmed from an incomplete version of the Uconnect telematics software that was sent through the Wrangler 4xe’s OTA system. The partial software package caused a communication failure between vehicle systems, effectively bricking the hybrid powertrain module in some cases.

For owners, the ordeal has been frustrating—and in some cases, dangerous. Losing power at highway speeds poses a serious safety concern. Thankfully, Jeep acted quickly to release a patch, though it highlights a growing concern among modern vehicle owners: the risk of OTA updates gone wrong.

As automakers continue to rely more heavily on OTA technology, these incidents serve as an important reminder that even digital upgrades require careful validation before reaching customers.

Source: Ars Technica / 4xeForums / Chris Hall aka Jeep4xeFans / JeepsOnTheRun