There’s a new feature in Stellantis Dodge vehicles that drivers just can’t dodge—unwanted pop-up ads.
Newsweek has reached out to Stellantis via email for comment.
Why It Matters
Dodge operates under Stellantis, a multinational automotive company that also owns Jeep, Chrysler and other major car brands. Dodge is a popular brand with a significant presence in the U.S., but it recently reported a 43 percent decline in sales during the third quarter of 2024.
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What To Know
This week, social media users who own or use Dodge cars, and other Stellantis vehicles like Jeep, reported that they have been experiencing unwanted pop-up ads in their cars.
Wired recently reported that Stellantis has said the repeated ads are a glitch and an isolated incident.
Nevertheless, users of the vehicles have complained on internet forums that the ads are popping up when their vehicles go to a stop. Some ads promote extended warranty plans with the tagline “Purchase Peace of Mind.” Users also report that the ads require drivers to manually dismiss them, or that they have been unable to make the ad disappear.
The issue has sparked frustration among drivers, who view the unsolicited ads as a distraction and a safety hazard. One user wrote on the r/Dodge forum on Reddit: “I just got a 2023 dodge charger a few days ago and then yesterday this c*** started popping up every time I stopped.”
Reports of the in-car ads are a relatively new phenomenon—although a Jeep user did complain about them on an online forum in 2023—but they could become more common.
In 2021, Stellantis announced a plan to collect $20.8 billion annually from software-enabled vehicles. The company said at the time that the move “greatly expands the options customers have to add innovative features and services via regular over-the-air (OTA) updates keeping vehicles fresh, exciting, and updated years after they have been built.”
They did not say that in-car ads would be a part of this plan, but some users are theorizing that they will be. One Reddit user wrote: “Why would any brand take that level of risk for pennies in ad revenue,” to which another user responded: “Because stellantis NEEDS those pennies.” Another user wrote: “It’s 2025, ads is the way of life now!”
What People Are Saying
One Reddit user: “Ads on the center screen now? That’s wild.”
Another Reddit user: “Dump the brand, it’s a shell of its former self and is pretty much done.”
One user on X, formerly Twitter: “Dodge Charger drivers now get a pop up ad every time they hit a light.”
What Happens Next
The emergence of the pop-up ads in Dodge and other Stellantis vehicles has sparked driver dissatisfaction, and questions over the integration of advertising into car systems. Whether the ads continue remains to be seen.
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