Outside temp wrong

[smokeater95]

The outside temp is often off by 10-30 degrees. This isn’t a big deal except when the outside temp is 40 or below, the heated seats, steering wheel, and front/rear defrosters are supposed to turn on. Asked the dealership to check it out but they said there’s nothing wrong.

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[smokeythecat]

I always wondered where those sensors were located. It seems like it may have come loose and is resting against something warm. Is it always off by the same amount? If you compare when you first start your engine after being cold is it still different?

 

[BUSHRVN]

The sensor is right in front of the radiator at the top to the drivers side so if it still has warmth in it from your last drive or if you have your block heater plugged in, there can/will be enough heat coming out of the engine bay to raise the temp reading enough to be over the heated seat/wheel turn on threshold. Once I start driving it drops to the correct temperature, which has been at and close to -40C/F in the last week!

 

[wcjeep]

Every Chrysler/Jeep product I've owned has had inaccurate outside temp and poor mpg calculator.

 

[grimmjeeper]

The temp sensor als doesn't update unless you're driving 25 MPH or faster. So it can stay stuck if you're not going fast.

It starts with the reading when you first turn it on so if it's heat soaked you need to drive a bit for it to correct.

I find that it's not so far off if you're driving down the highway. In town it can be less accurate.

 

[smokeater95]

Every Chrysler/Jeep product I've owned has had inaccurate outside temp and poor mpg calculator.

This is my 4th Jeep- never had this issue.

 

[smokeater95]

I always wondered where those sensors were located. It seems like it may have come loose and is resting against something warm. Is it always off by the same amount? If you compare when you first start your engine after being cold is it still different?

The temp today has not been above 41 (snow/sleet most of the day). When I got in the car this morning (it had been parked for about 15 hours in my detached, unheated, uninsulated garage) the car temp read 41 degrees (it was 34 outside). As I drove it, the temp eventually corrected itself. I parked it in my driveway outside for about 10 hours & when I got in tonight, it was 27 degrees but the car temp read 51. Again, as I drove it, the car temp corrected itself. It’s frustrating to me mostly because it’s obviously an issue for me & many other people but the dealership says it’s fine. And the feature of automatically warming the seat & steering wheel whenever the temp is below 40 is useless… but I’m paying for it anyway. Not cool.

 

[smokeythecat]

The temp sensor als doesn't update unless you're driving 25 MPH or faster.

Off topic, but does the compass work this way, too? I have been unimpressed with the compass, in how well it updates and the granularity of the readings. But since I didn't even expect to get a compass in the first place I'm not going to worry about it.

 

[smokeythecat]

The temp today has not been above 41 (snow/sleet most of the day). When I got in the car this morning (it had been parked for about 15 hours in my detached, unheated, uninsulated garage) the car temp read 41 degrees (it was 34 outside). As I drove it, the temp eventually corrected itself. I parked it in my driveway outside for about 10 hours & when I got in tonight, it was 27 degrees but the car temp read 51. Again, as I drove it, the car temp corrected itself. It’s frustrating to me mostly because it’s obviously an issue for me & many other people but the dealership says it’s fine. And the feature of automatically warming the seat & steering wheel whenever the temp is below 40 is useless… but I’m paying for it anyway. Not cool.

Ugh. OK. Well, it rules out anything I was thinking about. Frankly it sounds like a bad sensor to me. Or the 25 m.p.h. thing that grimmjeeper mentioned.

 

[McKenzie]

The outside temp is often off by 10-30 degrees. This isn’t a big deal except when the outside temp is 40 or below, the heated seats, steering wheel, and front/rear defrosters are supposed to turn on. Asked the dealership to check it out but they said there’s nothing wrong.

I think the problem is that you’re in Youngstown ?

kidding.Sort of. Born and raised just west on I-80, and thankfully living WAY west on I-90

 

[DaltonGang]

Mine seems to be spot on. I guess i am lucky.

 

[grimmjeeper]

Off topic, but does the compass work this way, too? I have been unimpressed with the compass, in how well it updates and the granularity of the readings. But since I didn't even expect to get a compass in the first place I'm not going to worry about it.

I don't know much about the compass. I do know there is a section in the manual about it.

 

[DavidArmen]

I have not noticed this issue yet, even when I just start the jeep in the morning. It’s always accurate to a few degrees as far as I’ve noticed.

 

[MEHillwalker80]

Mine is off by around 10 degrees - too warm

 

[LCW]

The temp sensor als doesn't update unless you're driving 25 MPH or faster. So it can stay stuck if you're not going fast.

It starts with the reading when you first turn it on so if it's heat soaked you need to drive a bit for it to correct.

I find that it's not so far off if you're driving down the highway. In town it can be less accurate.

This would explain why the external temp won't update while rock crawling. Every day this week in Moab doing trails, won't update until after done with the trail and get back up to highway speed rolling back to town.

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