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Charging System error message on phone app

8K views 42 replies 17 participants last post by  scotth 
#1 ·
Strange Alert message on my Ram App Phone yesterday. Charging System! "if the symbol lights up when the engine has been started, this indicates a charging system failure."

However, nothing has light up on the dash. I've driven the truck, a 2022 Longhorn several times the past two days and the battery symbol does not light up and no other error messages display. It's just the phone app. The Truck runs great, starts right up, goes fast and doesn't use any gas.

I popped the hood and checked the battery cables--tight. I put a charger on. No clue why the phone app gave me this message.
Except, two days ago I did get a Uconnect update.... Very suspicious

Has anyone else seen this app message?
 
#3 ·
You're lucky you're only getting it on the app. I got that and several other messages the first time I drove the truck! The charging system message has been followed by battery messages on the dash every time I turn it on and off! The tire message was echoed on the dash one time--one tire low--but all tires were ~ equal and no more messages appear. The other errors just vaporized. I never got the charging system message again and the dealership couldn't find anything wrong with charging system or battery.

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#4 ·
Hi there,

Both of these issues are "known" phantom reports and are not real issues. You can go by your dealer and reference these, so at least they are documented.
The new radio software just released might address these, hopefully the dealer can download and put on USB stick so you can update it. Otherwise you have to wait for a future FOTA update and/or backend server fix to resolve the issues.

Hope this helps,
GDE
 

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#7 ·
Thanks for posting those. Does it make sense that a dealer told @gillable that:
A) they couldn't update his truck and
B) it could take up to 30 days for the OTA update?

Mine hasn't failed to start, so I guess I can wait to see if the update gets rid of the twice-per-drive "Battery requires attention" messages.
 
#6 ·
#13 ·
Glad to see in not the only one experiencing this. The heater wasn't working on my 1 month old truck so I took it to the dealership and they determined the hoses weren't connected correctly. 1 day after receiving my truck back I started to get these charging system errors. Mostly on my phone but then on my uconnect 12" last time I turned my truck off.

Now that y'all mentioned it I did have an update right after I got the truck back so it may be that. I was thinking they need someone up at the dealership. I may still call them to get it documented.

2 month old truck already having me contact the dealership twice.
 
#14 ·
22 Laramie. 26k miles. 6 months of ownership.

So I’ve been monitoring for a couple weeks now. I would consistently see 12.5-12.6 volts on the EVIC when I park it after work, and it’s measured the same with a Fluke MultiMeter.

12 hours later when I get in to go back to work I’m seeing 11.9-12.1. If it’s a weekend and it goes 18+ hours I’ve seen as low as 11.7v. Also confirmed with a MultiMeter.

I took it to the dealer for an oil change yesterday and asked them to take a look. They did a quick test of the battery and it looks like battery is bad. But in order for them to warranty it I need to bring it back tomorrow and let them do the full battery test.

Seems to me it started in middle of November after a radio update. When driving I see 13.0-14.6 on the EVIC. I drive about 1.5-2 hours each way to work 5-6 days a week. The alternator should have plenty of time to keep the battery topped up.
 
#15 ·
Thanks to the individual who started this thread and for the person who posted the two documents about the software update. Very helpful! I've had the battery charging notification coming through the Vehicle Health Report, but nothing in the truck itself. All good on the driving side.
 
#17 · (Edited)
It's strange that my experience is the opposite--message on the dash, but NOT on the VHR since the first drive.

Got the same message last week. Gonna do a wait and see before I bring it in… maybe if they get the recall parts for the high pressure fuel pump, then I’ll mention it
I'm doing the wait for a fix, but it could be many months before the get the HPFP fix. I won't trust mine that long.
 
#18 · (Edited)
2022 Ram 1500 Laramie EcoDiesel with 6,500 miles Thank you to all who contributed to this. For the past two weeks, we have been getting emails from Mopar saying that there is a "Triggered Alert" related to the Powertrain Charging System. No indicators on the dash and/or screen. Last week I suddenly had a low air pressure alert in one tire despite all tires having the same psi. Topped off the air in tires and indicator went away. Powertrain emails continued to come with no service indicators. Called Mopar and they did not have an answer as to why no alerts were on in the truck. Scheduled service for tomorrow. Last night, a message came up on the screen that the battery charging system needed servicing.
 
#19 ·
Do you mean emails or messages from the phone app? I haven't heard about email messages. I got the "one tire low" message once, also with all tires in range. It went away and stayed away without adding any air. I get the battery warning every time I turn the motor on and off. I wonder if you'll get it when you are taking the truck in. Let us know if they find anything and if the message goes/stays away.
 
#21 ·
Took my truck in to have them look at a small oil leak yesterday, and I printed out the TSB and error messages/emails I'd been getting and asked them to be sure the battery was OK (because I had seen some posts saying that after weeks of phantom messages, they did actually have a battery die). They said I was the first one with these symptoms they'd seen, so they went ahead and did tests of the battery and the alternator: everything checked out OK.

I don't know whether to look forward to the next uConnect update or to be worried about what new problems that update creates.
 
#23 ·
It is two days after they did the update and the alert emails have started again.
Based on traffic on this thread, it appears the problems started after the last update, which my vehicle received in early November. The uConnect website says my vehicle is up to date, so while an update will certainly be the way to fix this problem, I don't believe there is an update out there yet. My guess is your dealer was updating some other software package, but not the uConnect software where the error seems to be.
 
#26 ·
Strange Alert message on my Ram App Phone yesterday. Charging System! "if the symbol lights up when the engine has been started, this indicates a charging system failure." However, nothing has light up on the dash. I've driven the truck, a 2022 Longhorn several times the past two days and the battery symbol does not light up and no other error messages display. It's just the phone app. The Truck runs great, starts right up, goes fast and doesn't use any gas. I popped the hood and checked the battery cables--tight. I put a charger on. No clue why the phone app gave me this message. Except, two days ago I did get a Uconnect update.... Very suspicious Has anyone else seen this app message?
I have Same issue in my truck
 
#28 · (Edited)
Follow up.
I started getting the alert message on my 12 inch Uconnect screen every time I started and turned the truck off. I took it into the service dept last week. They checked it out, battery, alternator, etc. Everything is ok. They got an updated flash for the screen and that stopped the alert message. Nothing wrong with the truck or charging system!

The service dept said they got 3 trucks in with the same problem the day I brought mine in. I suggest calling your local Ram service and asking if there is an updated flash to download yourself before wasting time going to the dealer service dept. I found this link, maybe it will help, but I don't know if it's a Uconnect issue or some other flash of the system:

 
#29 ·
Follow up.
I started getting the alert message on my 12 inch Uconnect screen every time I started and turned the truck off. I took it into the service dept last week. They checked it out, battery, alternator, etc. Everything is ok. They got an updated flash for the screen and that stopped the alert message. Nothing wrong with the truck or charging system!

The service dept said they got 3 trucks in with the same problem the day I brought mine in. I suggest calling your local Ram service and asking if there is an updated flash to download yourself before wasting time going to the dealer service dept. I found this link, maybe it will help:

Thank you. I will have to check it out. We only received the message on the screen one night. I say "one night" because it flashed up about 15 times when we started up the truck. We would select "Ok" or hit the X but it kept popping up. Has not done it since. We just keep getting emails from Mopar and the Ram app.
 
#35 ·
Strange Alert message on my Ram App Phone yesterday. Charging System! "if the symbol lights up when the engine has been started, this indicates a charging system failure.
.....
Has anyone else seen this app message?
Me too. Here's my story: received brand new 1500 Bighorn ecodiesel in May, love it but in November (~11,000 miles) I got the charging system/battery alert on the screen with email and phone messages too. Started and ran fine in fairly cold weather, upper 20s - low 30s. Drove it for a week or so with more messages but no performance issues. Took it to the dealer after Thanksgiving weekend and they apparently found the battery was insufficiently charged to properly test so they charged it up, then it passed their test and they gave it back. That seemed pretty phony to me and it was - the messages came right back. When I monitor the voltage from the dashboard it is a little under 12 after starting, then is 13-14+ while driving which seems sufficient to charge the battery. Took it back after a couple of weeks driving with no issues but lots of messages, this time they "cleaned and tightened contacts plus found a wire that wasn't attached to the + terminal" - that also seemed kind of phony and didn't fix it either. Still getting the email messages.
I wish I had payed attention to the dashboard voltage monitoring before this started. Also I wonder if it started after a software update like some mentioned - I did have one of these pop up spontaneously on my dash one day at home and it apparently downloaded. It was certainly before the charging issue began but I can't recollect the timing of the update.

I'm waiting til after New Year to take it back in and will report back to the forum with the results.
 
#37 ·
Me too. Here's my story: received brand new 1500 Bighorn ecodiesel in May, love it but in November (~11,000 miles) I got the charging system/battery alert on the screen with email and phone messages too. Started and ran fine in fairly cold weather, upper 20s - low 30s. Drove it for a week or so with more messages but no performance issues. Took it to the dealer after Thanksgiving weekend and they apparently found the battery was insufficiently charged to properly test so they charged it up, then it passed their test and they gave it back. That seemed pretty phony to me and it was - the messages came right back. When I monitor the voltage from the dashboard it is a little under 12 after starting, then is 13-14+ while driving which seems sufficient to charge the battery. Took it back after a couple of weeks driving with no issues but lots of messages, this time they "cleaned and tightened contacts plus found a wire that wasn't attached to the + terminal" - that also seemed kind of phony and didn't fix it either. Still getting the email messages.
I wish I had payed attention to the dashboard voltage monitoring before this started. Also I wonder if it started after a software update like some mentioned - I did have one of these pop up spontaneously on my dash one day at home and it apparently downloaded. It was certainly before the charging issue began but I can't recollect the timing of the update.

I'm waiting til after New Year to take it back in and will report back to the forum with the results.
It seems like a lot of the problems started in the Fall. Do you remember getting an OTA update or did you take it in for anything? I don't know if you would get the OTA update without your OK.
 
#36 ·
Strange Alert message on my Ram App Phone yesterday. Charging System! "if the symbol lights up when the engine has been started, this indicates a charging system failure." However, nothing has light up on the dash. I've driven the truck, a 2022 Longhorn several times the past two days and the battery symbol does not light up and no other error messages display. It's just the phone app. The Truck runs great, starts right up, goes fast and doesn't use any gas. I popped the hood and checked the battery cables--tight. I put a charger on. No clue why the phone app gave me this message. Except, two days ago I did get a Uconnect update.... Very suspicious Has anyone else seen this app message?
yes I am getting the notification also. I have contacted the dealer and RAM connect and they have no answers.
 
#40 ·
Today I got an app message and email (with, as before, no MIL or other warning light in the vehicle) telling me about a “Vehicle Electronic Throttle Control Alert.” Hadn’t seen that one before.

When I looked at the app, I noticed that “Electronic Throttle Control” is now the first item on the list (where “Charging System” used to be) and “Charging System” is missing entirely. So my operating hypothesis is that because they didn’t know another way to fix the problem, they removed the Charging System from the App/account system entirely, and so now the new first thing on the list trips instead as a result of whatever bug they have.

The funniest part is that every time I open the app, they tell me “Action Required!” and I should pay to subscribe to their services because of how valuable they are.

I love the truck. I hate the app.
 
#42 ·
Today I got an app message and email (with, as before, no MIL or other warning light in the vehicle) telling me about a “Vehicle Electronic Throttle Control Alert.” Hadn’t seen that one before.

When I looked at the app, I noticed that “Electronic Throttle Control” is now the first item on the list (where “Charging System” used to be) and “Charging System” is missing entirely. So my operating hypothesis is that because they didn’t know another way to fix the problem, they removed the Charging System from the App/account system entirely, and so now the new first thing on the list trips instead as a result of whatever bug they have.

The funniest part is that every time I open the app, they tell me “Action Required!” and I should pay to subscribe to their services because of how valuable they are.

I love the truck. I hate the app.
I got an OTA update two days ago that may have fixed it. I was surprised that it seemed to download while the truck was not running. I still haven't driven it much, so I can't be completely sure yet, but at least the voltage before starting was 12.2 instead of mid-11s.

I also have different things showing up on the Health Report. Maybe they just show them randomly! These are from today and October.

UPDATE: @scotth, I had written this last night and forgot to post it. Perhaps our troubles are over--well, that one. My rearview camera quit working so I have to take it in anyway!
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