Ram, Jeep and Chrysler owners in the United States are frustrated after their vehicles began showing advertisements on their touchscreens.
Social media posts, reported by The Autopian, have shown adverts suddenly appearing on the centre touchscreen of several Jeep, Ram and Chrysler vehicles, causing surprise and irritation for owners.
All three brands are part of Stellantis and use the company’s Uconnect infotainment – the same system offered in Jeep, Ram and Alfa Romeo vehicles sold in Australia, although the issue is yet to raise its head here.
The ads popped up while the owners were in the middle of using the functions on the touchscreen, typically features not accessible via physical buttons – forcing owners to pause to remove the offending message.
Making matters worse, the ads were not only enabled by the Stellantis system but came from the automaker itself – and a phone call to its customer care line was the only way to stop them.
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According to Autoblog, X social media platform user GMN Ape (@AGMNApe) posted an image of the ad, which offers a $US1500 ($A2299) ‘retail cash bonus’ towards the purchase of the brand’s vehicles.
When The Autopian reached out to Stellantis, it issued the outlet with a statement saying the ads have only gone out to targeted owners – not every owner – and that it was designed “to minimize any intrusions”.
It explained the “In-Vehicle Message” (IVM) is used to alert owners to “important messages, such as exclusive sales offers, vehicle recalls and vehicle health monitor alerts”.
Stellantis told The Autopian the adverts are only shown on vehicle startup and disappear when the vehicle starts moving or the owner clicks the ‘OK’ or ‘X’ screen buttons on the advert.
The ad won’t reappear unless the driver hits the ‘Remind Me Later’ touchscreen button.
It’s not the first time Stellantis has sent an advert out via its Uconnect system, with complaints in February 2025 from owners who said they couldn’t remove the offending material from their vehicles.
Stellantis said this was a glitch and worked to fix the issue.
Back in 2021, Ford patented in-car adverts for its vehicles, which would see a front-mounted camera transfer external ads – such as on a passing billboard – to the car’s internal screen.
In 2024, Ford – again – patented tech to listen in to in-car conversations and serve up target ads to occupants based on these, as well as tailored to physical location, such as in a shopping centre carpark.
Ford Australia said at the time it had no plans to introduce either technology on its vehicles here.
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