Fix Jeep Grand Cherokee GPS Not Working – Reasons And Fixings 

Is your GPS giving you the wrong location? Are you stranded because your jeep grand Cherokee’s GPS isn’t working and you’re stuck in the middle of nowhere? It’s a sickening experience especially when you don’t know your location.

So, how to fix the jeep grand Cherokee GPS if it is not working? The malfunction could happen due to an older version of the Uconnect system, bad signal reception from the antenna, and a frozen GPS screen.

However, let us understand how the GPS of your grand Cherokee operates, why it malfunctions and ways to fix it.

Understanding How The GPS Works In Jeep Grand Cherokee

Before we proceed further in finding the causes of your jeep grand Cherokee’s GPS not working, we need to take a look at how the GPS connection works in your jeep.

The Connection Of GPS With Satellites

GPS means Global positioning system. It’s a device that aids you to track different locations,  with the help of an external antenna that receives signals. 

Also, the GPS on your jeep grand Cherokee works hand in hand with a mesh of satellites which is about  24 satellites as far as 20,000km altitude in the earth’s circuit. Thus, these satellites make it possible to calibrate the GPS device’s position and provide precise location data for your car. 

However, reception issues occur mostly in hilly areas surrounded by land. And they are caused by the need to concurrently gather information from four different satellites to have factual information. 

Connection Of Playback Screen With A GPS

The playback screen and GPS are connected, however, the GPS has a control button that interacts with and configures the gadget in the car.

GPS Connection With The Radio Antenna

The GPS uses an external radio antenna which helps to improve GPS reception. This makes your jeep’s  GPS to be seen as being superior and more exact when compared to a smartphone’s GPS. 

Why Jeep Grand Cherokee GPS Not Working

There have been several complaints from jeep grand Cherokee owners about their non-functional GPS. That’s why we want to discuss different reasons why your GPS is not working or giving you inaccurate information concerning a location. Watch this video to get some practical information regarding this issue:

• When The GPS Cannot Locate The Signal

When the GPS signal reception is poor or cannot locate any signal at all or are experiencing recurrent bugging, it’s a sign that you have a faulty antenna. The antenna helps to facilitate the smooth running of the GPS. 

If the antenna fails to work, the GPS will not respond, and this will occur if your antenna is worn out, damaged or poorly/wrongly installed. 

• An Older Version Of The Uconnect

If your GPS detects the wrong location all the time, you might need a system upgrade. Your Uconnect software is likely an older version that needs an update. Note that an update may spring up issues and may also alter some information. 

• A Frozen GPS Screen 

There were several complaints from owners of the grand Cherokee about a frozen GPS screen, which made it stop working. This is an electrical fault or a compromised operating system. 

• A Wrong Navigation Message By The GPS 

When you receive a wrong navigation message from the GPS of your jeep, which can occur because of a disconnected satellite from your Jeep Grand Cherokee GPS. Also, outdated cartography, a wrong map or a road network that keeps evolving will send a false navigation message through the GPS. 

Check this video to know more:

Fixing Jeep Grand Cherokee GPS 

Fixing your jeep grand Cherokee’s GPS is very essential to navigate through every road, both known and unknown. Hence let’s consider ways to fix an unresponsive jeep Cherokee GPS. 

• For A Displaced GPS Antenna 

If you’re experiencing a GPS breach, a displaced or bent antenna will likely be the cause. However, to fix this problem, adjust the antenna and fit it into the right position. Also, straighten your bent or twisted antenna to receive smooth signals. 

• For A Frozen GPS Screen

To resolve this problem, you’ll need to replace or reset the head unit (infotainment system) of the screen. And to reset the head unit, press down the volume key and tuner regulator together for about 10 secs to manually reset. Once done, take a look to see if it’s responding. 

If the head unit reset doesn’t respond, you may have to purchase another head unit, costing about $400 to $600. Also, check for a burnt or damaged fuse since it’s more of an electrical fault and replace it. 

• For A Wrong Navigation Message By The GPS 

If the map on your GPS is problematic or non-functional, you’d have false information from your jeep’s GPS. And this is normally because of an outdated Uconnect system. Hence you need to upgrade your software to the most current version to get the correct information from your GPS. 

To update, go to their website (Uconnect website for jeep grand Cherokee) and log in with your 17-digit VIN (vehicle identification number). You’d see new updates for your jeep; download it. Next, install the updated version on your jeep grand Cherokee. 

• The Bug Of 16th April 2019

This bug problem occurred after 20 years and this had to do with the GPS software date management. So ‘April 16th, 2019”, was the day the old-designed GPS in many cars/jeeps started malfunctioning, thus affecting all other GPS. 

To handle this, visit the GPS settings and manually renew the date to properly fix it. 

• Power Cable Problems

A badly installed GPS antenna cable will not receive signals to give correct information. Hence check if it’s correctly installed. if not, re-install it correctly and make sure the Uconnect system is up to date. 

How to Calibrate Your Jeep Grand Cherokee GPS?

To calibrate the GPS of your jeep, follow these simple steps below. 

Step 1: Put on your jeep’s ignition switch.

Step 2: Click on the up arrow key or down arrow key to get to the setup menu (customer programmable feature) and then select it.  

Step 3: Click on the down button to have a display of “CALIBRATE COMPASS” by the Electronic Vehicle Information Centre.  

Step 4: To start the calibration exercise properly, hold and release the select button, with that, the calibration will kick off. 

How To Update Your Jeep Grand Cherokee’s GPS?

Your GPS should be updated at the release of a newer version. So, to update your GPS, this step-by-step guide will aid you to achieve that. 

Step 1. Find the current version of your jeep grand Cherokee’s  GPS software. Visit the menu drop-down to find out the actual update for the model and year of the jeep.  

Step 2. Visit the product’s website to discover comprehensive information about recent features for products with their statistics as well.

Step 3. Proceed to the page for checking out to pay for the jeep Grand Cherokee’s map update. You can make use of any online payment platform that is highly secure. Automatic periodic updates should be allowed to give easy access to every automatic update on the map for the GPS units. 

Step 4. Every year a new map disc is released in line with the navigation system. Hence, ensure to obtain the recent map disc published for the year. The map discs should be carefully inputted into the GPS device. 

Step 5. To enjoy a free version of the latest GPS periodically, use the open-street-map project to keep it fully updated regularly. This will help with the downloading and transferring of maps easily. That is because some navigation systems still make use of map downloads. 

How to Reset Navigation System For Your Jeep

This reset is recommended once you encounter any problem with your car/jeep navigation system. Follow the procedure now.

First, hold down the center key and volume key for a period of 20 to 25 secs, this process will mildly reboot your jeep’s touchscreen. 

Next, once the 25 seconds elapse, the screen will flash its light, and your device will begin to respond perfectly. 

Again, if you desire to reset your GPS device at once, hold firmly the knob button for about 10 to 20 secs. After this, your jeep’s brand name will flash on the screen and blackout immediately while still holding down the knob button. 

Additionally, if at the end of the reset, your GPS still finds it difficult to disclose the correct location, try these steps below. 

Step 1. Go to your drop-down menu and click on favorites.

Step 2. Select your current resident location.

Step 3. If you want to go back to the default position, click on the menu icon, which is represented by three horizontal lines. 

Step 4. Click on the button for delete and click yes once the menu pops up.

It costs about $149.99 yearly to update your maps. For monthly payments, you’d have to pay $14.99 for updates. However, you only pay once to get it activated, but it is free.