Jeep Touch Screen Freaking Out? 10 Easy Fixes

Is your Jeep’s high-tech touchscreen display suddenly acting up, freezing, glitching or just not responding at all? Don’t panic – you’re not alone. The Uconnect infotainment system in newer Jeep models is incredibly advanced, but also prone to some frustrating tech gremlins.

With a few targeted troubleshooting steps, you can likely get your uncooperative Jeep touchscreen back on track in no time. This comprehensive guide will walk you through the top 10 fixes for a freaking out Uconnect system, from simple reboots to replacing faulty hardware if necessary.

We’ll cover quick DIY tricks to attempt first, when to schedule service with a dealership, and how to isolate if the issue is caused by problematic software or hardware failure in your display. Read on to get your high-tech Jeep interior working smoothly again so you can get back on the road.

Symptoms of a Malfunctioning Jeep Touchscreen

Before we dive into fixes, let’s go over some common symptoms of a glitchy Jeep touchscreen:

• Display randomly freezing – The screen intermittently freezes and becomes unresponsive to touch. After a while, it may start working again on its own.
• Entire screen not responding – No matter where you touch, the display won’t react at all. Buttons don’t highlight and nothing happens.
• Buttons not working – Specific buttons like the home or back button don’t function when pressed.
• Software crashes – The infotainment software may freeze and display an error message. This often requires a reset.
• Strange behavior like flipping screens – The display switches between screens rapidly or displays screens upside down. Definitely a sign of a problem!
• Lagging or delayed response – It takes several seconds for anything to happen when you touch the screen.

Essentially any behavior that seems glitchy, delayed, or prevents you from using the touchscreen normally could indicate an issue. Next, let’s look at the steps to troubleshoot and fix a freaking out Jeep infotainment display.

1. Restart the Ignition

One of the simplest first steps you can try is restarting your Jeep’s ignition. This essentially reboots the vehicle’s computer and electrical systems, including the infotainment display.

• Turn off your engine and remove the key from the ignition
• Wait 15-30 seconds to allow systems to fully reset
• Reinsert the key and restart your Jeep as normal

Many minor software glitches, screen freezes, and touchscreen freak outs can be resolved with a basic restart. It gets power cycling the display and underlying hardware. Think of it as a “have you tried turning it off and on again” fix for your Jeep!

This quick and easy trick should always be one of the first troubleshooting steps to attempt. You may be pleasantly surprised that merely restarting your Jeep irons out the touchscreen gremlins after rebooting.

2. Hard Reset the Infotainment System

If your finicky Jeep touchscreen misbehavin’ survives a simple ignition restart, the next step is performing a hard reset on the Uconnect infotainment system itself.

This forces the system to fully reboot and clear any glitchy software behavior. Here’s how to hard reset a Uconnect display:

• With the ignition on and radio powered up, press and hold the Power button on the display for 10-15 seconds.
• Continue holding down the button down even when the screen goes black.
• Finally it will display the Uconnect reboot screen – you can then let go of the Power button.

Give the system several minutes to cycle through the reboot process. The display may flash on and off a few times as it resets.

Once completed, the Jeep touchscreen should have cleared any temporary software glitches and be ready for normal use again. Verify if the issues have resolved after the reset.

3. Check for Software Updates

Buggy infotainment software can certainly cause a Jeep’s touchscreen to freak out. A new software update from Jeep may have addressed technical glitches that are disrupting your system.

• Tap the Uconnect Settings icon on the main menu
• Select System Information
• Choose the Update Uconnect option to search for the latest software.

This will download and install the newest update over the air via WiFi right to your vehicle. Follow the prompts to complete the install process. Updates progress through several stages so be patient.

Once finished updating, restart the ignition and check if the touchscreen problems are remedied. Jeep is continually pushing out software patches so there’s a chance a recent one addresses your exact issue.

4. Wipe Screen with Microfiber Cloth

Here’s a simple maintenance fix that could improve touchscreen response – give the display a thorough cleaning!

Dust, dirt, debris, fingerprints, and buildup on the surface can interfere with the screen’s touch sensitivity. Try a gentle wipe down with a dry microfiber cloth.

• Only use a soft, microfiber lens wipe – never paper towels or harsh chemicals
• Lightly dampen cloth with distilled water if needed
• Wipe entire touchscreen surface using minimal pressure
• Buff display completely dry with a second clean microfiber cloth

Avoid pushing too hard on the screen or using liquids that could leak inside the display. Work top to bottom and left to right methodically.

Routine touchscreen cleaning removes grime that may impede the digitizer beneath the glass. Test if responsiveness improves after a good cleansing session.

5. Disconnect and Reconnect Battery

For a malfunctioning Jeep touch display that’s unresponsive to simpler fixes, disconnecting and reconnecting the battery may do the trick. This essentially achieves a “hard reset” of the vehicle’s electrical system and onboard computers.

• Turn off the ignition and disable alarm system if equipped
• Use a wrench to detach the negative battery terminal
• Wait 15-30 minutes to discharge power (or have a coffee break!)
• Resecure the disconnected battery cable to the negative terminal

Give your Jeep a few minutes after reconnecting the battery before firing up the ignition. The Uconnect system should now have undertaken a full reset.

While not as convenient as a basic restart, disconnecting the battery can resolve more serious crashes and reboot issues if standard resets fail. It clears not only the touchscreen but also the ECU and other computer aspects.

6. Replace Touch Screen Digitizer

If your Jeep’s touch display seems to have partially failed response or has noticeable cracked glass, the underlying touch digitizer may need replacement.

The digitizer is the physical touch-sensitive layer beneath the glass that detects finger contact and pressure on the screen. If damaged or malfunctioning, it can cause:

• Lack of response to touch in parts of the screen
• Dead spots that don’t react
• Glitchy, erratic responsiveness

Replacing just the digitizer assembly rather than the full display may be an affordable solution:

• Digitizer assemblies cost around $100-$150 from retailers
• They come complete with new glass in the frame
• Installs just like the factory part with brackets

Carefully pry off trim pieces to access bolts behind screen. Swap in the new digitizer and reassemble in reverse. Recalibrate the screen alignment as needed once installed.

While more labor intensive, a new digitizer can often remedy touchscreen issues without replacing the entire OEM display unit.

7. Update Maps and Navigation

Are you experiencing lagging, freezing, or slowness specifically when using the navigation, maps, or routing functions in the Jeep’s touchscreen display?

The cause may be outdated map data and GPS software. As roads and terrain change over time, the mapping system can become less responsive.

You may need to install an updated map database from Mopar/Jeep:

• Order latest map update DVDs for your model
• Insert SD card and install new maps
• Expect improved speed and responsiveness

Fresh maps provide much better routing accuracy and performance. Lagging and glitches when navigating backroads or highway systems is greatly reduced.

Note that fully updating your Uconnect software is also recommended after updating the nav maps themselves for full optimization.

8. Deactivate Passenger Display

Jeeps equipped with dual Uconnect touchscreens can suffer from tech issues stemming from only one side of the vehicle.

For example, if the driver’s side infotainment display is glitching but the passenger side behaves normally, the root cause may lie with the problem screen itself.

A quick way to test this theory is to temporarily disable the passenger side display:

• Tap Settings > Display Setup > Passenger Display
• Toggle to the Off position to disable the passenger touchscreen
• Monitor if the driver side improves in functionality

By isolating the faulty display, you can determine if the problem seems to originate from an individual screen failure rather than a system-wide issue.

If disabling the passenger side stabilizes your driver side, it points to a hardware problem with that specific unit rather than a core software bug or electrical short.

9. Schedule Service Appointment at Dealership

For Jeep infotainment issues that aren’t resolved with basic troubleshooting and resets, your next step may be to have it professionally diagnosed and repaired.

The service technicians at your Jeep dealership have specialized tools and software to fully test for problems and accurately pinpoint the cause. They can determine if the issue lies with:

• Faulty touch screen hardware itself
• Software bugs needing patched
• Electrical wiring short or disconnect

In addition, the mechanic can:

• Perform a deeper ECU reset on vehicle computers
• Flash updated firmware not available to owners
• Replace individual failed components

For tricky glitchy behavior, it helps to have the expertise of a Jeep technician with direct support from Chrysler. They also have access to replacement parts if needed.

Be prepared to demonstrate the exact touchscreen problems you’re experiencing so the techs can reproduce it. Along with scanning for diagnostic trouble codes, this gives them a head start remotely troubleshooting before you arrive.

10. Consider Infotainment System Replacement

In severe cases where the root cause is irreparable hardware failure of the touch display itself, replacement of the entire infotainment unit may ultimately be necessary.

If you’ve exhausted less intensive fixes like hardware resets, firmware updates, replacing the digitizer, and dealership repairs, the last resort could be removing and replacing the Uconnect system with:

• Brand new OEM radio head unit from Jeep
• Aftermarket head unit with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto

A direct fit OEM replacement from Mopar ensures full compatibility and integration with Jeep’s systems. However, an aftermarket option allows installing a more modern unit with added smartphone connectivity.

Just be prepared for a higher cost around $1000 or more for a new in-dash unit, compared to more affordable repairs. And know that full installation is required, which takes 2-3 hours of shop labor.

But when all else fails, a new head unit is the only permanent solution for a Jeep infotainment display that’s completely unresponsive and unusable due to hardware failure.

The Bottom Line

Dealing with a glitchy, frozen, or unresponsive Uconnect touchscreen in your Jeep can be incredibly frustrating and inconvenient. But in many cases, the problem can be resolved with simple troubleshooting steps or minor repairs.

First exhaust basic fixes like rebooting the ignition or performing master resets. Update software and clean the screen. Check for isolated failures on one display in dual screen models. If issues continue, seek professional help at your dealership to fully diagnose and troubleshoot.

With Jeep’s electrical complexity, sometimes trial and error is needed to pinpoint if software bugs or hardware components have failed. But with some diligent debugging, you can likely get your fancy touchscreen infotainment back on track.

The takeaway is not to panic when your Uconnect system starts freaking out. Methodically work through potential solutions until normal operation is restored. And avoid smashing your high-tech display in a rage! With creative troubleshooting, you can outsmart the Jeep gremlins.