Jeep’s latest annoying pop-up ad nags you to buy an extended warranty at every stop sign
Editor’s take: It’s amazing how we practically can’t avoid ads anywhere we go. The entire streaming industry was built upon people tired of being gouged just to sit through shows heavily laden with commercials. More recently, our daily drives are being interrupted by companies looking to pester us while we’re on the road. The dystopian days of blazing corporate neon in every direction we look are fast approaching.
It appears that telemarketers selling extended car warranties have another weapon to pester car owners to “purchase peace of mind.” Full-screen pop-up ads have started appearing on late-model Jeeps’ center consoles. What’s worse is the ads demand user action.
One Reddit user, going by RahRahRasputin, posted a picture of the ad, showing that the driver (or passenger potentially) can tap the X, OK, or place a call. He added that even if he hits OK or the X to close the dialog, it returns whenever he stops at an intersection or for any other reason.
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The persistent nagging is even more ridiculous because the Redditor’s car is not even eligible for the warranty. The ad states that only vehicles with less than 36,000 miles are eligible. Laughably, his 2022 Jeep Grand Cherokee car hit that milestone a week before the ad started appearing. It’s either a big coincidence in timing or a horrible joke by the connected-vehicle software designer.
A Jeep spokesperson stated that the notification was a harmless message to inform customers of Mopar’s extended coverage. The notification was supposed to have an instant opt-out option, but “a temporary software glitch” prevented it from appearing in “a few isolated cases.” The spokesperson claims an OTA patch has fixed the glitch, and representatives are following up with owners to ensure the problem is resolved.
It’s worth mentioning that this is not the first instance of Jeep’s software nagging owners with ads on the infotainment system. The Drive found older posts on Reddit and the Jeep forums dating back to 2023 complaining of similar issues.
A Jeep customer service specialist told one owner that “ads are part of your contractual agreement with Sirius XM.” In other words, you can’t turn off the ads because: features. The rep mentioned that Jeep was trying to dial in the ad frequency but had no plans to eliminate them.
One user found a workaround for the problem. If you create an account on Jeep’s connected car website, you can go to the settings and turn off in-car notifications. The only caveat is you will likely get the offers spammed to your email. Of course, it’s a small price to pay for not getting spammed while you drive, plus you can just relegate the notices to the spam folder – win-win.
