[Boomage]

My outside temperature reads 8 degrees too high consistently. I am dropping the van off at the dealer this morning to fix another issue and will be pushing for a resolution on this as well. When speaking to them on the phone, they stated that this is normal due to the temperature being an estimate. Does anyone else feel that their's is inaccurate?

 

[PacificaLimited]

I — for one — have never put any faith in the outside temperature readings of any vehicle I have ever owned. Heck, just driving around sub-urban areas that have banks/businesses that have temperature readings in their signage can show VASTLY different interpretations of the "current temperature". I usually assume the following:

- Do not even CONSIDER looking at the in-dash-outdoor temperature within the first 10-minutes of driving your car. It will most SURELY "normalize" to a MORE-accurate (not accurate) reading by that time.
- Assume that your particular vehicle will have a propensity to be "off" plus-or-minus by a particular amount consistently.
- Assume that given that offset tendency, there's also probably going to be a 5° F margin of error even AFTER waiting for it to normalize after 10-min.

To me... it's like using a sun dial to set a precise baking time of 8 and 1/2 minutes.

Maybe I am too cynical, but I have never trusted "outdoor temp" mechanisms in any vehicle to be accurate.
{ shrug }

 

[ezdays]

I mentioned this very issue a while back. Sometimes ours seem to be close, other times it can look like it's a good 10 degrees too high. I don't think I want to spend the time bringing it in just for that, but I sure would like it to work right...

 

[BrettP]

I couldn't agree more with

PacificaLimited

If you bring it in for an 8 degree difference they will likely just give you a long "cow stare" and then eventually say something like "8 degrees compared to what?". I've been there! You could locate the Pacifica sensor (likely somewhere near the front grill) and then place a couple good thermometers around it to prove the Pacifica sensor is off. I haven't found any place in Uconnect to adjust the temperature...not even on the "Engineering screen".

ezdays

- your sensor probably melted. I liked your de-icer comment the other day where you said windshield wipers get so hot where you live that they melt and stick to the windshield.

 

[ezdays]

...
- your sensor probably melted. I liked your de-icer comment the other day where you said windshield wipers get so hot where you live that they melt and stick to the windshield.

Yeah, our biggest fear is that the door seal rubber will melt and one day we won't be able to get in... or out...

I was here back when it got up to 122 in the Phoenix area and the blacktop in our business parking lot was kind of soft as you walked on it. Glad my tires didn't melt to the blacktop, or I'd never been able to go home that day.

 

[dolee7]

out door temp sensor

Mine isnt very accurate either but on different cars they have never been really good either. If mine says its 100 out I know its hot or 10 below I know its cold out how precise it is I really dont know.You can have 10 different thermometers and they probably will all read different.

 

[ezdays]

The outside temperature gauge is kind of like the radio, you really don't need either one to get to where you're going, but these are features that you've paid for and want them to work right. I've had outside temp monitoring on at least the last five vehicles that we've owned, and they've all been in one or two degrees of what it says on those small billboards outside of businesses. Our Pacifica is sometimes within a few degrees, but the hotter it is, the worse it is. Yesterday it was reading 106 and temps never got above the mid-90's. The sensor is in all likelihood a veristor, (it's electrical resistance varies with temperature) and a poor connection can add resistance and change the reading, especially when it seems to be OK for a while, then it goes off by 10 degrees. I've looked, but I cannot find the sensor.

 

[Boomage]

The outside temperature gauge is kind of like the radio, you really don't need either one to get to where you're going, but these are features that you've paid for and want them to work right. I've had outside temp monitoring on at least the last five vehicles that we've owned, and they've all been in one or two degrees of what it says on those small billboards outside of businesses. Our Pacifica is sometimes within a few degrees, but the hotter it is, the worse it is. Yesterday it was reading 106 and temps never got above the mid-90's. The sensor is in all likelihood a veristor, (it's electrical resistance varies with temperature) and a poor connection can add resistance and change the reading, especially when it seems to be OK for a while, then it goes off by 10 degrees. I've looked, but I cannot find the sensor.

I agree. When you have a vehicle that is stickered over $50k, kinda expect the extra options to work. Especially when I traded in a base model 08'Dodge Nitro with an accurate gauge. The explanation I got was that it was the "feel like" temp.

 

[PacificaLimited]

So, this morning I realized a real-world impact on having the vehicle know a semi-accurate reading of the outside temp.

This morning, around 4:15 am before leaving for work, I looked on my computer's weather widget which showed it was down to 37-degrees... checked on my phone as well which uses Yahoo... same thing... 37-degrees.

So I grabbed my key-fob and remote started the Pacifica.
I recall reading that if the temperature was below 40-degrees, it would automatically engage the heated steering wheel (if enabled in Uconnect, which it is for me). I get out to my car 5-10 minutes later... heated steering wheel NOT on.

I press the button to bring the instrument cluster to life and as the Uconnect screen boots-up, it shows the outside temp as 43-degrees. That's 6-degrees warmer, but more importantly, it might need to get as cold as 33-degrees for my car to think it's 39-degrees and enable the heated steering wheel. THAT would be a REAL pain in the backside.

 

[Boomage]

Can you change the setting for when the heated stearing wheel comes on? In Houston, the heated stearing wheel does not come into play.

 

[ezdays]

I sure hope that the heated seats don't decide when to come on based on the whims of the outside temp sensor.

 

[generaltso]

I sure hope that the heated seats don't decide when to come on based on the whims of the outside temp sensor.

Only if you have that option enabled.

 

[PacificaLimited]

I sure hope that the heated seats don't decide when to come on based on the whims of the outside temp sensor.

As noted in the manual:

Remote Start Comfort Systems — If Equipped
When Remote Start is activated, the Climate Control, vented seats (if equipped) are also activated in temperatures above 80° F (26.7° C), and the optional heated seats, and optional heated steering wheel in temperatures below 40° F (4.4° C).. These features will stay on through the duration of Remote Start or until the ignition switch is cycled to the ON/RUN position.

NOTE: The Remote Start Comfort System can be activated and deactivated through the Uconnect Settings. For more information on Remote Start Comfort System operation, refer to “Uconnect Settings” in “Multimedia.”
​

 

[ezdays]

This morning it was 64 by the outside temp reading on my Pacifica. I have no idea if that was realistically close or not, but for us it was a bit chilly since a few weeks ago, it was in the 90's this early in the morning. Anyway, I turned on the driver side seat heater and it showed as being on hi and it did start to feel warm. I did the same with the passenger side, and my wife said it was warming up. When we stopped, I left them on to see what would happen, and sure enough, they were turned off when we started up again. That's good, since that's what all my other vehicles that had heated seats did and I don't mind turning them back on if I need to. So, the outside temp reading has no bearing on whether the seat heaters go on or not, for us that's good since it rarely gets below 40 degrees, maybe a half-dozen times in the winter, but anything under 60 degrees is getting cold around here.

 

[generaltso]

So, the outside temp reading has no bearing on whether the seat heaters go on or not

That's not entirely true. Auto wheel heating and seat heat/venting is an option that can be enabled or disabled through the Uconnect menu. If it's enabled, it will absolutely rely on the outside temp.

 

[ezdays]

That's not entirely true. Auto wheel heating and seat heat/venting is an option that can be enabled or disabled through the Uconnect menu. If it's enabled, it will absolutely rely on the outside temp.

Ahh, I understand. We have ours set to manual, which is fine for around here. We had a Mountaineer and an Avalanche, both had heated seats, but not auto. I had a friend one time when it was around 110+ wondering why his tush was hot, but never said anything. I notice as he got out that he had accidentally hit the seat heater button on the door.:surprise:

 

[azcreeker]

my 11 van reads 5 higher until I get moving which sounds ok to me

 

[Inga]

Any update?

Is it the consensus of the group that the higher outside temperature reading is an annoying "feature" or has anyone figured out a workaround? My thermometer consistently reads 5-6 degrees too high.

 

[ezdays]

Is it the consensus of the group that the higher outside temperature reading is an annoying "feature" or has anyone figured out a workaround? My thermometer consistently reads 5-6 degrees too high.

No workaround, it is annoying enough though to know that it's around 105 outside according to the weather service, yet your seeing a reading of 115. I don't know how much ours is off at lower temps yet, but it seems that the hotter it is, the more error in the reading.

 

[generaltso]

Mine seems to be very accurate. But if it's only hot temps that throw it off, I won't know for many months.