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Problem With 2014 Grand Cherokee Heater

92K views 384 replies 79 participants last post by  barry1me 
#1 ·
I just bought a new 2014 Grand Cherokee Limited and noticed almost immediately that when I set the climate comtrol at, say, 68 degrees, the interior would heat up to 75 degrees. I took it to the dealer last Friday and they said that this was normal for 2014 Jeep GC. He took me for a ride in one on the lot, and it did the same thing. He also said that his new Dodge Durango did the same thing. He offered to contact Chrysler for me, and he forwarded their reply, which was that nothing could be done.

I am very frustrated about this. I never had this problem with my 2011 Jeep GC. When I set the temp at 68 in that one, it maintained the cabin temp at 68.

Is anyone else having this problem, and what can I do?

Thanks.
 
#2 ·
Maxim5928,
Interesting...I thought it was just me who thought the thing had a furnace for a heater. I have my heat set at 62 to be comfortable. I'll ask about it on my next visit. Seems the AC is similar, I've typically run it cooler than I have in other cars, meaning I set it at 68 or 70 when I typically set the air at 75 in other vehicles. Maybe, just a calibration issue.
 
#5 ·
On mine, the actual cabin temperature seems to overshoot the set temperature by quite a few degrees and stay that way for some time in auto mode. After some time, the fans will drop almost to zero and then the temperature seems to more closely to resemble the temp I've set.

In manual mode, it seems to also go just a bit above, and from there it depends on how I've set the climate mode. Auto never seems to throw enough air at the windshield, so I just leave the fans on higher and set the air distro manually when there is danger of fluids freezing on the windshield.

I wouldn't care to bet the OP's dealer is correct as opposed to just falling back on the old "aww, well, all of them are like that, this is normal" but I have a hunch faced with
such a ridiculous complaint I'd do likewise or suggest using Kentucky Windage on the temperature dial.

Not that I've ever seen a GC with the auto climate controls work all that well.... clear back to the 90s.
 
#8 ·
Well, here's another way to look at it. If you selected channel 115 CNN on your satellite radio, but the radio then played a channel 7 channels above 115, while still displaying channel 115, you wouldn't be happy about that, would you?

The climate control should heat the interior to the temperature selected.

Thank you for your input. I appreciate all the replies to this thread.
 
#6 ·
glad I am not alone. I typically need to set the temperature lower by about 3 degrees in order for me to be comfortable. What 71 to 73F is in the Subaru, corresponds to 67-69 in the Jeep. Not so bad when it comes to AC but gor heating, it quickly becomes a sauna inside.
 
#9 ·
maxim5928,
Did the dealer have any ideas to fix it? I assume they filed a STAR case on it? I do find it annoying. It isn't a big deal in the scheme of things but should work reasonably close. As it stands, it works as a thermostatically controlled HVAC unit with a thermo intensity control.
 
#10 ·
maxim5928,
Did the dealer have any ideas to fix it? I assume they filed a STAR case on it? I do find it annoying. It isn't a big deal in the scheme of things but should work reasonably close. As it stands, it works as a thermostatically controlled HVAC unit with a thermo intensity control.
Yes, they did file a STAR case, and they forwarded to me they reply. The reply was "this is normal and cannot be changed". The dealer has not been able to offer any solution to this. I believe this is a design problem, which Chrysler is resisting to correct. I am going to continue to press Chrysler on this issue. I didn't have any problems with my 2011 Jeep GC climate control, and I shouldn't be having any problems with this 2014.

Thank you for your interest and support.
 
#12 ·
I appreciate your concern. I set my Subaru at a different temperature to get to the same place as in my Jeep. I feel that it boils down to where the sensor is located. A vehicle is not well insulated for temperature and the inside temperature varies all over the inside of it.
 
#14 ·
Mine definitely is off too. I never use auto just because I've never had it work well on past cars, but the manual temps are weird. 62 can be insanely hot sometimes, others its comfortable. When it is really hot, I'll drop it down to 60 which feels like it drops 6-8 degrees or so.
 
#16 ·
I did not mention it to the dealer, because at the dealer level I don't believe they have the ability to properly diagnose these issues. Plus, it is less of an issue for me than having eco on set as a default.

But, this is the first vehicle I've had in 15 years that I have to fiddle with the temperature. All my other vehicles with auto temp control were set at 68 the day I bought them until the day I traded them in. Not so with the Jeep system.

Almost forgot ... Part of those 15 years I had a Liberty with manual a/c.
 
#17 ·
I noticed the same thing as the OP in my 2014 Overland. I came from a 2011 which worked perfectly.

The other issue related to this that upsets me is the very weak seat heaters compared to the 2011,

And the transmission, and lower mpg, and poorer fitting body panels, etc........

I liked the granite crystal when I bought it, but that silver is awesome. That's my fault at !least.
 
#18 ·
Good luck everyone! I haven't posted on here in a while, mainly because some of the apathetic responses from the owners were ticking me off. However, I have been having a similar problem (or maybe the same). When I have dual climate control on, my wife sets hers to say 74 or slightly higher and I have mine at 68 or 70, and it never fails there is no temperature differentiation. Her's first of all feels like a heater not a comfortable 74, and mine feels like a heater, not cooled at all. In fact, it is the same feeling as her side. This occurs when I have the fan on low speed, and then when I have the fan on higher speeds, it SOMETIMES (and sometimes is the word) slightly normalizes, but not by much.

Good luck getting it fixed. I have an enhanced customer support case open, and she was supposed to set up an appointment with the techs to work with the dealership, and either they never worked together or the tech was as stupid as the dealership, because nothing got fixed. When I reported to my case manager that the dealership basically just copy and pasted from previous appointments the problems, she basically acted like "oh well." In fact, they were supposed to take a picture of my front seat leather cracking, and all they did was copy and paste from the previous complaint about that (the stupid service manager is a lazy joke).

The sad thing is that all the dealerships in the Denver metro area are like that. I can't get anything fixed right. Plus, supposedly, the tech from Chrysler stated that you have to unlock the vehicle first and then press the liftgate twice to get it to open. So they went back on their word with that.

I am selling this piece of crap vehicle for a loss of about 3 grand. I can't stand the pathetic service from the top down, and the continual slew of problems that never get fixed (from the ones I mentioned to the Uconnect not functioning right with my USB). If you know anyone that wants an Overland V6 20" for 43717 with only 5900 miles on it and a clear bra install to include front bumpber and lives in the Denver area, let me know. It's Billet Silver with Blue Brown interior.

Either I am selling it or I am hiring a lawyer. No other company is this pathetic, and I am going to make Jeep/Chrylser pay for it. If anyone knows anyway to get out of this crappy vehicle, let me know! Such as a different clause than the "has to affect drivability."
 
#19 · (Edited)
Ok folks, there is hope. Most of the issues with the GC are software related. I know it isn't an excuse in today's automotive world. I took mine in today for the heat issue and had it resolved. The service tech did file a STAR case. They had him reset the body controller back to factory default, flash with the latest firmware for the HVAC, then disconnect the battery for 20 min. It was within one degree after that. If you set it for 72 degrees, you get 71. That is close enough to me. They also did a flash on the radio/nav to 13.48.3 pertaining to an update from December 13th 2013, which as WillX posted in the VIP section is teh latest release as of today. They also flashed the PCM with the latest code - I didn't have transmission issues before - but they said it should make things more refined. Certainly felt that way after I left.

The key component here is if you have a decent dealer, resolution is not that far away.
 
#20 ·
I have to say, in manual mode, the climate controls don't even make a lick of sense. You set it for a temp, it gets blazing hot for a few minutes, then it gets to the proper (or near) the proper temperature. Set it one degree higher, and boom, it gets blazing hot again until it re-stabilizes. What a stupid system. On manual mode, the car should ignore trying to equalize temperature numbers and simply act like every other car I've ever owned in my life - blue is cool and red is warm, and all the steps in between. If I want nice, warm air blowing on me (which auto doesn't do) you simply can't without sitting through flames licking out of the vents.
 
#45 ·
This is exactly what happens to my 2014 GC. I set manual to 60, it starts blowing really hot air and then will come down eventually but its so hot I have to turn it off. HVAC sucks in this car!
Will make an appointment to waste my time in a week or so. I think the car is trying to get it to 60 fast even though its in manual mode, its behaving like auto.
 
#21 ·
No surprise that something doesn't work with the Jeep. My problem is that I can't go to any dealership in my area for them to do anything right (and corporate doesn't care). I talked with the GM today and his excuse for things not getting fixed...... Yup, that's right absolutely nothing. Then he tried to tell me that Jeep's technology is far greater than other car companies I have had such as Lexus/Toyota/Honda,and that's why the techs can't fix/duplicate anything. Moreover, then he tried to tell me that his service manager is retiring so that is why the work wasn't being done.

This is what I am finding from the top-down. Crappy excuses and more excuses, or nothing done at all. Now, nobody wants a Jeep (especially not an overland) and I am stuck with this pathetic excuse of a company.

Does anyone know anything about the lemon laws for Colorado and what can qualify?
 
#28 · (Edited)
Thank you so much for following up on this. Having the STAR case number would be a big help, when I go back to the dealer with this solution. Thank you!!!
I will stop by the dealer tomorrow to get the case #. My Dad has a 2014 GC as well with the same issue. He took his to the dealer (in his area) and they had no clue what to do - working as designed (gosh I hate those words). I need to get the STAR case on here so you all can tell your service departments how to fix what they should be able to do on their own.
 
#26 ·
Here's a cut-n-paste from numerous posts I've made on this subject. It seems to be getting more exposure now, keep it up so we can get this issue taken care of.

(sorry to the regulars on here...having to read my stuff over and over again)



----------

Re: 2014 GC Overland Temperature Regulation
I have this issue aswell and have kicked the dead horse over it again.

Below is a cut-n-paste from a reply, but to answer some questions;

In the shop for a couple of days with this "problem".

I was told the Limited and higher models have four sensors inside (dual zone ), laredo 1 or 2 (?) for a single zone

My sensors had a range of 70ish, 85ish, 105ish and 85ish. I don't know if that translates to degrees, but that would be too logical. They agreed that is was strange that cold air would come out with a 80 setting, but as the manual says that this "manual" mode is basically Automatic except the blower setting.

With that in mind, with a hot cabin this manual mode will try to reach that 80 by any means....even if you get cold air blowing out:mad:

I just want a real manual mode, up is hot, down is cold. I'm smart enough to regulate it myself.

In addition to that problem, I feel it changes temp output depending on if you're highway or city driving. High RPMS it gets hot...too many variations in temp

Dealer says its normal. I have now set it to 82 plus and/ or high and just regulate the window crack or vent blower speed.

Good luck,
Al
p.s. here's my cut-n-paste from previous thread.
-----------------------------------------------
The HVAC system is a FAIL for me:mad:. Sure it works somewhat... when the windows are up and you're cruising on the highway.

Today while driving with the sunroof open, 35 degrees outside with sun. Set at 80 on "manual" mode....oh sorry, pseudo manual. 10 minutes of hot, 10 minutes of fan, 10 minutes of cold air....and repeat. Reduce 10 minute interval to 5 minutes if you're changing the RPM's a bit.

Yes, I know I've written about this before and I hope I find that "ah-ha" moment soon on why the Jeep was designed that way.

Dealership says the Laredo Jeep functions as you would think....manual, But Limiteds and up ( maybe due to the 8.4a) function in this pseudo-manual.
 
#27 ·
Ive had trouble with the heater also..seems to not really have middle ground its too hot or if I drop it a little it will get too cold,also unless I have it on full blast the windshield will fog up. They opened a star case but they say they still cant find the problem. I also dont know about anybody else but during the summer the air conditioning never could keep the car cool
 
#33 ·
Hmm, that worked for another dealer to use. If they put a case in about set vs actual temperature STAR will help them. I find many service departments are plain lazy unless the issue is biting them in the nose. Tell them to reference a ticket put in by Bergstrom Jeep Ram - Oshkosh WI.
 
#35 · (Edited)
I had started a similar thread when I first got the 2014 limited.

Since then I think I found settings that work pretty well.

I set it on 70. I do NOT use Auto. I set it to Manual Floor and Front vents and set the Fan on 2.

I hardly ever touch it now. Except when I need defrost

If you boost the temp or fan when you first get in, you will be in a furnace and over shoot. When you get home in your house do you set the temp to 80 to heat up faster. Of course not. Just leave it.

It does not heat up much faster if you do. Just be patient. It warms very quick.

It does overshoot a little. Don't turn it DOWN, it will settle on it's own.

If you lower it when it over shoots, later you'll be cold.

I just leave it on 70 at Fan 2 and it comes up moderate fast, very quiet, very even distribution, a little over shoot and doesn't take long to settle.

Your preference might be 69 or 71 whatever.

Find a comfortable temp on a long trip and just leave it there.

After I found this setting I think it's the most comfortable HVAC I've ever owned.

It's a Thermostat not a Heat Throttle.
 
#37 ·
I usually keep them synced at 68 to 70 when im driving by myself. Some days it will litterally cook you until you turn it down, other days it is fine. On days that it cooks me if I turn it all the way to cool and then back up to 68 or so it is fine. But if I leave it at 68 the longest I have gone is 10 minutes, after that I have to turn it down or I will be shedding layers.
 
#36 · (Edited)
I operate mine in much the same manner. 70 on drivers side and 72 for passenger (wife). I turn the driver side down to 68 when running air conditioning. I leave floor and defrost set for heat, and floor and dash vents for cooling (on really hot days I turn up the fan speed a little). I hardly ever touch these manual settings, and I'm very comfortable. If I get window fogging I hit the front defrost button for a bit, and if I start getting outside fumes, I hit the recirculate button. I have never used the auto settings in any of the last four vehicles that I've owned that had it. It never seemed to work well for me. My GC has been very comfortable in weather of both high and low temp extremes.
 
#38 · (Edited)
I concur: climate control on the 2014 Summit is abysmal.

The system pushes air that is uncomfortably hot (I had two thermometers in the front vents today, both measuring 130+ F at times). This is inordinate when the set thermostat value is 65 F. Even though it is freezing outside, I find myself forced to cycle between a setting of 60 F/Lo (which causes the system to blow cool air) and a slightly higher setting like 65 F (which causes the system to blow excessively hot air).

I also find it is overshooting the configured cabin temperature setting. This is brain-damaged, but I could deal with it by using an offset value when setting the thermostat. However, the overly hot air issue is untenable.

Obviously the system is capable of pushing warm air rather than this overkill. Clearly, this is something a software update could fix: cabin temperature sensor calibration and restricting the maximum temperature of the vent air.
 
#39 ·
I'm beginning to believe there is a problem with individual units. Could be a sensor, or some sort of software glitch. I have never had this problem. My vehicle stays comfortable, without overheating. I hope those of you that are having this problem can get it resolved. Keep after your dealer to find a fix. Make sure feedback is getting to Chrysler. This is not normal, and isn't happening in all GCs.
 
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