2021 Gladiator with Nav problems

[Tammy]

Hi there, we just got a 2021 Jeep Gladiator a week ago and have been having Nav issues since day 1. The dealership has had us reset the nav multiple times with no success. We took it to them yesterday hoping that it needed an update and even that didn't work.

The service advisor pulled another one off the lot to check that Nav and that one had the same problems as well so we know it's not just our Nav that isn't working properly.

The issue is when we put a street name in, it doesn't recognize it. It won't give us the option of spelling out the whole street a lot of times either...it prefills the streets that it *thinks* are there but doesn't include all of the streets.

I hope this makes sense and someone can shed some light on this. It even has the service advisor stumped.

Thank you!

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[kevman65]

Sounds like corrupt software. They may have to replace the whole head unit if they don't have a way to upload/update software manually versus over the modem.

 

[Tammy]

Sounds like corrupt software. They may have to replace the whole head unit if they don't have a way to upload/update software manually versus over the modem.

Thank you...that is actually the second time I have heard to replace the head unit.

 

[kevman65]

Thank you...that is actually the second time I have heard to replace the head unit.

Seems to be their fallback position when it comes to the head unit.

 

[PhantomChameleon]

Mine SUCKS when it comes to searching for anything...I usually have to put in an exact full address - it can't find much of anything by just searching for a name of a place/building/street. It also chooses the most ridiculous routes to get anywhere. I just thought it was horrible software, but maybe it has an actual issue that is making it so bad? I just always use android auto and google maps but maybe I should look into the issue more?

 

[gpwrang33]

is there a different name for the street you are looking up? i know on my last car with built in nav i had to find the "official" name of a road. searching for a route number road i would have to spell route out completely or US or RT or even RTE. built in navs aren't as up to date as google maps so they miss new roads and things like that. have you tried the send and go feature on the uconnect app? i have been finding the address of certain places on my phone, copying the address then pasting it into the uconnect app then sending it to the truck and it seems like that has been working ok. but yes i have been finding that trying to search for an address is very frustrating or even typing in the address you already know is difficult. i think its the nav software not the head unit itself. its just an outdated clumsy system. i use it mainly for just hitting my home button if i don't want to plug my phone in for android auto.

 

[Ogre_FL]

Mine SUCKS when it comes to searching for anything...I usually have to put in an exact full address - it can't find much of anything by just searching for a name of a place/building/street. It also chooses the most ridiculous routes to get anywhere. I just thought it was horrible software, but maybe it has an actual issue that is making it so bad? I just always use android auto and google maps but maybe I should look into the issue more?

Mine is awful too.
I cant ever seem to use it to find anything beyond a general search like all restaurants and even then only right in area that I am located.
I dont think I have ever had luck trying to put a name of some place in.
Like you, the few times I have used it I had to put the full address of where I was going, that is after looking it up on google maps.
Yea the routing sucks too.
I also have just given up on it and plug the phone in to use Android auto when I need navigation or to find someplace.

The odd thing is its core is Garmin software.
I know Garmin maps have some routing issues (the same as this has), but all my Garmin's can search better than this.

 

[Mr._Bill]

Hi there, we just got a 2021 Jeep Gladiator a week ago and have been having Nav issues since day 1. The dealership has had us reset the nav multiple times with no success. We took it to them yesterday hoping that it needed an update and even that didn't work.

The service advisor pulled another one off the lot to check that Nav and that one had the same problems as well so we know it's not just our Nav that isn't working properly.

The issue is when we put a street name in, it doesn't recognize it. It won't give us the option of spelling out the whole street a lot of times either...it prefills the streets that it *thinks* are there but doesn't include all of the streets.

I hope this makes sense and someone can shed some light on this. It even has the service advisor stumped.

Thank you!

It's poor software. When putting addresses in, it helps to put the city in first and then the address. I used the NAV quite a bit when I first got the truck (two years ago), but eventually gave up on it and switched to Google Maps and Android Auto.

 

[JeepJunky]

I've had this issue with a Cherokee Trailhawk, Sahara Wrangler, Ram 1500 Sport, and now my Mojave. Using voice to find a location would return bonkers replies like 'Enter the City, and State. (How about the freakin' State and City I am currently in?!) My Wrangler sometimes would show me driving 500 feet off of the road through farmers fields. The first vehicles listed, I used a Garmin NUVI with lifetime free updates, which worked perfectly.
Since the Mojave has Android auto, that's what I use for Nav.
The rest of the functions on the 8.4 are great.

 

[PhantomChameleon]

Mine is awful too.
I cant ever seem to use it to find anything beyond a general search like all restaurants and even then only right in area that I am located.
I dont think I have ever had luck trying to put a name of some place in.
Like you, the few times I have used it I had to put the full address of where I was going, that is after looking it up on google maps.
Yea the routing sucks too.
I also have just given up on it and plug the phone in to use Android auto when I need navigation or to find someplace.

The odd thing is its core is Garmin software.
I know Garmin maps have some routing issues (the same as this has), but all my Garmin's can search better than this.

Good to know it's not just mine. Like JeepJunky mentioned, the other functions of the 8.4 are great, but that navigation is pretty unusable on a normal basis. Maybe they'll improve it via update at some point, but not holding my breath. Thank goodness for Android Auto.

 

[pcrawfordpt]

It’s an inferior Nav system compared to iMap/Google maps. I only use the nave to find places near me that self populate (restaurants, gas, etc.). If I need to search and address I use iMap/Google Maps. Easier to choose the route you prefer as well. Jeep nav takes me odd routes.

 

[CivilJeep]

This may seem obvious, but have you checked that it’s looking at the right state? I live near a state line, and sometimes it defaults to the wrong state. Just a thought.

 

[ShadowsPapa]

This may seem obvious, but have you checked that it’s looking at the right state? I live near a state line, and sometimes it defaults to the wrong state. Just a thought.

That's been an issue with every NAV system I've used. You need to start with the basics.
State, city, THEN the rest.

My big issue with it only came up recently - it's been behaving fine as is the system in my wife's 2021 WK2, especially around home/Iowa.
But our trip to Colorado last month I started to run Waze on my phone while running the JT's NAV system. They rarely agreed.
But the biggest issues were - the Jeep nav would take us on a route that included residential - well, for example - we're on SW Circle drive for example, WAZE would have us continue on that street and then make a right turn only WHATEVER street. The Jeep NAV would have us leave SW circle drive, go a few blocks through a residential area and then turn back onto SW circle drive and then later turn right on WHATEVER street. Why?
IT did that time after time - Waze would keep us on the main roads, Jeep would have us turn off and go through some non-business area and then back onto the street we had been on, or some alternative route that included a lot of stop signs, slower speed limits and so on. It was like the truck was trying to avoid main street traffic.
Worse though was when we tried to find some quilt shops for my wife - we'd be on a divided 4 lane in town through a business district with shopping centers, etc. You know the sort - there's a left turn lane you go into to make a left turn across the other traffic into the shopping center parking lot. Pretty simple stuff. WAZE took us to the left turn area directly into the shopping center.
But no - the truck had us continue on past the shopping center to the next major intersection, tell us to make a u-turn, and then later tell us to turn right into the shopping center!
Three times in a row it would not tell us to make a left turn, instead it would take us a block down to the next major intersection, u-turn, then backtrack then a right turn to the shopping center. It was as if it had no clue there were ways to turn left!
Waze knew, though. On the way home I told my wife ignore the truck's nav - pay attention to my phone!
The truck is fine in Iowa, never misses a lick - it's like NE, KS and CO confused it!

 

[Ogre_FL]

I found back in 2015 that Garmin/HERE maps developed issues where some minor roads were given incorrect and VERY high speed ratings.
Prior to that update all minor roads had the same default lower rating.
It causes all kinds of routing issues.
I tried working with Garmin, but they would not look into it as a global or reagional problem and only fix the speed ratings on individual roads as I would point them out to them.
In the end I got them to just give me back the last good/old version of the maps that I still use today for any rural navigation with Garmin units.
Sadly cant figure out how to put those map files on the JT.

 

[joejoethetireman]

My opinion is that the head end GPS will never be as good as android auto / google maps. Just plug your phone in and use that.

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