Worried about your car being hacked as you drive down the freeway? Here’s a list of affected vehicles.
Australian readers can relax – the Aussie uConnect systems do not connect to the Internet, and in any case are an entirely different system to the affected units which are only fitted to cars in North America so the vulnerability the researchers used to control the Cherokee doesn’t exist in our cars.
The particular uConnect system with the bug is an 8.4 inch touchscreen radio system and Fiat Chrysler say the following vehicles only are affected (all North American models):
- 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
If you’re not sure, you can can enter a vehicle identification number (VIN) and find out if their vehicle needs the software update. Your VIN will be stamped on the vehicle somewhere, usually around the engine bay – consult your owner’s manual for details.
Fiat Chrysler say that if your vehicle needs the update, you can download the software to a USB drive and install it yourself, or you can make an appointment with your FCA US dealership and have them install it for you for free. The update, if installed DIY, will take 30-45 minutes, and your vehicle needs to be parked throughout the software update/installation process.
North American owners can call the Fiat Chrslyer Customer Care Center at 1-877-855-8400 for any questions.
However, that’s just this specific hack. There’s a wider conversation to be had on electronic vehicle security and we’ve discussed that in our article on Should you worry about someone hacking your car ?.
