Jeep’s Pop-up Ads Are Driving People Mad At Every Stoplight

                                        https://www.carscoops.com/author/thanos-pappas/                                    

It’s no secret that car manufacturers are getting creative with their revenue streams through subscription services and paywalled features, but some moves are pushing the boundaries of consumer patience. A Jeep owner recently shared his frustrating experience about a pop-up ad that relentlessly invades the infotainment screen, with no ability to turn it off, every time his car comes to a stop. Welcome to the future of driving, where your car tries to sell you something while you’re stuck at a red light.

The frustrated Jeep owner took to Reddit to share his ongoing battle with the incessant pop-up ad. From the looks of it, the vehicle in question appears to be an older Jeep Grand Cherokee, featuring the ever-present UConnect infotainment system.

The Ad You Can’t Escape

So, how does this work? It’s simple. Every time you stop the car, the screen greets you with a message that reads: “Purchase Peace of Mind.” Apparently, Jeep’s idea of peace of mind involves your wallet. The ad pushes the FlexCare Extended Care Premium Plans, the warranty program that took over from Mopar Vehicle Protection last year.

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The message doesn’t just politely ask you to consider it, it demands your attention. It reads: “FlexCare Extended Care Premium plans are factory backed and offer you Peace of Mind in case of a mechanical breakdown. Press the Call button to speak to a specialist. Odometer must be less than 36,000 miles to purchase.”

Much like pop-up ads on the internet, you’re given three options to get rid of it: call a “specialist,” press OK, or hit the tiny X button at the top-right corner. However, in this owner’s case, pressing OK didn’t make it go away. The ad just kept coming back, as persistent as your most annoying relative during the holidays.

Stellantis Says It Was A Glitch

We reached out to Stellantis for comment on the incident, and a PR spokesperson told Carscoops that the ad was part of an in-vehicle message designed to inform Jeep customers about Mopar’s extended vehicle care options. However, they clarified that a temporary software bug had affected the ability to opt out immediately in a few isolated cases.

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“This was an in-vehicle message designed to inform Jeep customers about Mopar extended vehicle care options,” the spokesperson told us. “A temporary software glitch affected the ability to instantly opt out in a few isolated cases, though instant opt-out is the standard for all our in-vehicle messages. Our team had already identified and corrected the error, and we are following up directly with the customer to ensure the matter is fully resolved.”

Photo: RahRahRasputin_ / Reddit

Same Ad, Different Jeep

Interestingly, this isn’t the first time Jeep owners have complained about this kind of pop-up ad. A couple of years ago, a Jeep Gladiator owner posted about a similar experience on Reddit, and just last December, another Jeep Wrangler 4xe owner lost their cool over the exact same ad.

On the 4xe Forums, the user vented about the relentless pop-up ad: “Short of smashing a brick through the screen, does anyone know how to stop the radio from displaying a damn Mopar Extended Warranty ad on the Uconnect screen every time I come to a stop? 4 ads in less than 12 miles today. I can’t believe they’ve graduated from telemarketing phone harassment to actually displaying this crap on the screen in the vehicle while your driving. Any suggestions?”

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The response from a forum user called Jeep Cares, which sounds like an official customer service account, wasn’t exactly reassuring: “Thank you for tagging us and we are certainly sorry to hear of the frustration this has caused you. At this time, we advise that customers click the large [X] in the corner to close out and clear stored notifications from the vehicle. It should also be noted that ads are part of your contractual agreement with Sirius XM, but we are working on the frequency. Thank you for your patience.”

Ads Don’t Belong in Your Car

It’s clear that Stellantis has some work to do in balancing customer experience with monetizing their vehicles. As more car functions shift to screens, the last thing drivers need is another platform for companies to push ads. If automakers continue using screens to generate ad revenue, they can expect a serious backlash. People are already bombarded with enough ads on their phones and TVs—cars should offer a break from that noise, not just become another billboard on wheels.