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Frustrating, insistent calls “trying to reach you about your extended warranty” are a fact of life. They’re such a cliché they’ve become a meme. But Jeep doesn’t seem to be in on the joke. One Grand Cherokee owner shared a photo of their infotainment screen displaying an ad for Jeep’s extended warranty. The kicker? They didn’t even qualify for it. And they weren’t alone.

“Jeep puts ads on the f—— screen in my car.” That was the headline of a Reddit post that blew up two years ago. Thousands of users shared their own horror stories of unwanted pop-ups in their Jeeps. Last week, a second Jeep owner posted the exact same warranty ad issue. Ironically, this second owner was seeing ads for a warranty–up to 36,000 miles–that their SUV no longer qualified for.

Drivers speak out, Jeep’s warranty spam response is weak

One commenter reported their Jeep Uconnect screen would randomly block the music menu with an alert: “I shouldn’t take my eyes off of the road for too long because it’s dangerous”—forcing them to take their eyes off the road to dismiss it. Another was furious: “Bought a Charger last year. The satellite radio ran out. For a solid month, every time the car would stop—even at traffic lights—it would display a screen prompting me to pay.”

Some took action: “If I bought a car and it started having ads, I would return it.” Others warned future buyers: “Noted, I wanted to buy a Jeep. Now I don’t. Good work team!” One summed it up: “Any car that puts ads in the dash should be returned to the dealer immediately with a loudly delivered complaint.”

So what about the extended warranty spam? Jeep issued a PR statement blaming a “temporary software glitch” that allegedly affected “instant opt-out” for the extended warranty spam. But customers weren’t buying it. “Pretty sure you can sue the s— out of Jeep for putting ads in a product you own, and most importantly endangering you and others by trying to distract you in traffic.”

The reality: Automakers see dollar signs

Tech journalist Caleb Jacobs tried to figure out how to stop Jeep’s warranty ads. Turns out, you can’t just toggle a setting in the car. You have to set up a Jeep account online and opt out there. One angry driver joked, “Theres no adblock? WTF.”

This isn’t a one-time Jeep problem. Other automakers are getting in on the action. BMW made heated seats a subscription. GM is killing Apple CarPlay to push its own system–and its own subscriptions. What’s next? A commenter said: “Another five years and we’ll have to watch an ad before the doors unlock and pay a subscription to put the car in drive.”

Pop-ups in a car you’ve already paid for are unethical. They’re distracting. And they’re just plain annoying. A final comment summed up public sentiment: “STOP buying products that promote ads.” Jeep (and every other automaker watching) needs to get the message. Otherwise, we’ll all be trapped in ad-riddled rolling billboards.

You can see the most recent Reddit post on this issue embedded below:

Posts from the assholedesign
community on Reddit

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Henry Cesari

Henry Cesari joined MotorBiscuit in 2021 and brings his deep interest in vintage cars, trucks, and motorcycles to the site. Having restored his first classic car at just 16 years old, Henry has wrenched on everything from overland campers to Japanese motorcycles and even pre-war Bugattis. Henry is also an avid attendee at local car shows and genuinely enjoys connecting with fellow auto enthusiasts.

Henry earned a Bachelor’s in Anthropology and English from the University of Vermont. He has since incorporated his love of the written word with his admiration of classic cars. While Henry is interested in vintage cars, he believes the golden age of cars is yet to come. He is confident journalists will play an important role in this revolution by exposing the industry as it is now and envisioning its possible future.