Hackers Take Control of Jeep Remotely: What Owners Should Do

Editor’s note: A list of specific vehicles impacted was added on July 22. This story was first updated on July 21 to reflect a statement from FCA.

In a widely circulated story, Wired is reporting that two hackers have found a weakness in the Uconnect multimedia system in Jeeps. They demonstrated how they could take control of not just the car’s electronics but also everything from the air conditioning to the transmission and brakes.

The duo says the vulnerability is found on Chrysler vehicles with the 8.4-inch touchscreen Uconnect in the 2013, 2014 and early 2015 model years, but they’ve only tested the braking and transmission hacks on a Jeep Cherokee.

Wired reports that the hackers have been working with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles for nine months to help fix the problem. The story went to press five days after the company released a Technical Service Bulletin for owners to get the software upgraded to protect from such hacking attacks.

FCA released the following statement to Cars.com: “Under no circumstances does FCA condone or believe it’s appropriate to disclose ‘how-to information’ that would potentially encourage, or help enable hackers to gain unauthorized and unlawful access to vehicle systems.” FCA went on to note that it has a team of engineers dedicated to identifying and implementing software best practices, including cybersecurity standards.

Owners at home can install the fix by downloading an update via a USB drive at the Uconnect site. Dealers can also install the update.

Owners can read the full bulletin here or call FCA’s Uconnect customer hotline at 877-855-8400. 

Here is a list of vehicles that FCA confirms needs the update: 

• 2013-2014 Ram 1500 Pickup
• 2013-2014 Ram 3500 Cab Chassis
• 2013-2014 Ram 2500 Pickup
• 2013-2014 Ram 4500/5500 Cab Chassis
• 2013-2014 Ram 3500 Pickup
• 2014 Grand Cherokee
• 2014 Durango
• 2013-2014 Viper
• 2014 Cherokee
• Some 2015 Chrysler 200s