Are you the original owner or is this a new vehicle to you? It‘s possible the unit has failed. If this is a new car for you, it’s also possible the previous owner may have replaced the radio with an aftermarket one maybe to get CarPlay features. Then when he sold or traded this in he put the original radio back in and didnt connect everything or worse the original wiring harness may have been spliced for the aftermarket one leaving you with a butchered wiring harness that needs repair or replacement.

 

You could also try a reset following these steps

1. Ensure your vehicle is in park and in “Run” mode.
2. Press and hold down the volume and tuner knob buttons at the same time.
3. Hold down the knobs for 10 – 20 seconds.
4. After holding down the knobs, the screen should flash your vehicle brand name and then go dark.
5. After a few moments the brand name will return, the system will reinitialize, and it will return you to the main UConnect screen.

And possibly check out the diagnostic mode following the steps in the video, skip past the first minute.
diagnostic mode

 

I am not the original owner, it is just new to me. I ran the diagnostic mode, but it did not fix the problem.. I will probably have to bring it back in and maybe take it apart. I have been looking for a replacement online because they quoted me so hight, but I'm afraid I will get the wrong one.

 

You may want to consider a repair service, like that offered by infotainment.com. I believe the "vehicle phone requires service" message can be due to a bad air card, which infotainment.com says they can fix as part of their $300 repair service.

You would have to remove the radio from the car and ship it to them, but there are a number of videos around showing how to do it.

Also, you can call or email them to discuss the issues you're having before paying for the service and shipping the radio to them.

In the interest of full disclosure, I've been having a bizarre Uconnect issue for 2 years now, and recently tried this repair service. In my case, they weren't able to solve the issue, but they refunded me all but $69.

Repair Service - FCA Uconnect 3C RA4 or RA3 8.4-Inch Touchscreen Radio

INTRODUCTION Do you own a vehicle with a factory installed defective or damaged UConnect 3 8.4-inch touchscreen RA4 or RA3 radio? These Infotainment systems are featured in many Chrysler / Dodge / Jeep / RAM vehicles from 2013-2018 as listed below. Repair or replace yours today! Some common...

www.infotainment.com

 

I have a 2016 jeep grand cherokee and it started out that my phone would not connect to my Bluetooth in my Jeep. Then there was an error popping up on my screen saying "vehicle phone requires service. Please contact your dealer". I thought I needed an update so I brought it to my dealer but they said the whole radio needs to be replaced and it will cost around $1400. I didn't even have this Jeep a year and I am not able to listen to Sirius XM radio because my tuner and controls on my steering wheel and dial will not work when I am playing xm radio, and I cannot connect my phone via bluetooth or use hands free calling. Very frustrating for a new vehicle.

I'm very sorry to hear this. Have you had a case open for this concern? If not, I would be happy to help! Please send us a private message.

Alison
JeepCares