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what in the **** just happened?

3K views 14 replies 7 participants last post by  XtremeModder 
#1 ·
Well, I had an issue last winter (and when I bought it) where when it started getting damp out my radio (uconnect5) wouldn't work once in awhile... that has long been fixed.

Today driving home after going out for some food with some coworkers, I let it heat up a bit using the remote start, about half way home my climate setting (3/4s up to the highest speed for the fans) quickly turned off and then the screen said Climate ON and turned everything back on... on top of that it looked like my passenger side headlight went out, I turned off the lights and then back on quickly and it was fine after that.

Has anyone had something like that happen? If it happens again then it will worry me a bit as I've had a 4ch amp, monoblock amp, HID headlights and dash cam all wired in and knowing my luck lately the dealer will tell me too bad warranty void...
 
#3 ·
Bizarre UConnect issues turned out to be the first sign that my battery had a bad cell.

It was nothing that was throwing a code, so the dealer literally had no idea how to investigate the issue.

The problem got worse until it was beginning to affect the real brains and I began to experience engine shut downs while driving as well as catastrophic tranny issues.

Took FCA opening a STAR case to figure out the bad battery, believe it or not.

I'd start there. And just so you know, it tested fine with my multimeter at home. They had to put it on a proper load tester to diagnose the bad cell.

Good luck.

-Rob
 
#4 ·
I think @BurtonRW has given you a good tip. There's no indication of the year model of your KL, but your "join date" suggests to me that it's either a '14 or '15. That means it's time for the battery to show signs of age – especially if you have a V6 with ESS. In this era of "smart" everything, if one component of a smart system isn't 100%, bizarre behavior is likely to happen in the rest of the system. You can profit from Rob's ordeal and get your battery thoroughly tested. Even if it tests "good," I would still replace the battery because it won't be that long until age plus wear-and-tear demand a replacement anyway.
 
#5 ·
@graphicswizard : his join date is Aug. 2014 so the KL is definitely a 2014 MY. They didn't have ESS then, but more importantly, they had regular flooded batteries and we've quite a few members come in here with dead or dying batteries (2014 MY batteries...). ESS equipped KLs have AGM batteries and they seem to hold up, though it's early to tell.
@XtremeModder : if it turns out to be a bad battery, do check out the AGMs as a replacement. Group 94R is the one for the KLs.
 
#6 ·
@graphicswizard : his join date is Aug. 2014 so the KL is definitely a 2014 MY. They didn't have ESS then, but more importantly, they had regular flooded batteries and we've quite a few members come in here with dead or dying batteries (2014 MY batteries...). ESS equipped KLs have AGM batteries and they seem to hold up, though it's early to tell.
@XtremeModder : if it turns out to be a bad battery, do check out the AGMs as a replacement. Group 94R is the one for the KLs.
I allowed for the possibility that @XtremeModder joined before actually making a purchase. Several members have done that.

I agree that it's too early to tell about the AGM batteries. Mine was recently tested and the results suggested that its days are numbered. I'm keeping an eye on it, and if I start seeing any weird electrical behavior, the battery will be replaced forthwith.
 
#9 ·
Sorry everyone, thought I put it in.

It's a 2015 Cherokee Sport V6 4x4

I just made an appointment with my dealer to have the current recall performed (something about the transaxle) and have mentioned about the battery charging issue that my dash always displays (hence why my ESS never works). It took a 4 hour drive in total for it to actually get back to charged...
 
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