Press Clutch to Start (its an Auto)

Tiny
WKSIEZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2012 JEEP GRAND CHEROKEE
  • 3.6L
  • 6 CYL
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 80,000 MILES
After leaving the battery disconnected for 2 weeks, I reconnected it and received a message on the gauge indicating that I needed to press the clutch to start. I tried to use my OBDII scanner, but it could not communicate with the PCM but could see other modules and the DTCs (there are many of them), mostly no communications with the PCM, invalid car config, etc. Start/stop is not working; it displays "damaged key" to both FOBs when present, but the remotes work for locking and unlocking the doors.
Sunday, August 3rd, 2025 AT 9:15 PM

2 Replies

Tiny
WKSIEZ
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
The battery is only 8 months old and fully charged. Thank you.
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Sunday, August 3rd, 2025 AT 9:16 PM
Tiny
STEVE W.
  • MECHANIC
  • 15,231 POSTS
The issue was leaving the battery disconnected. Most of the vehicles built after about 2005 or so don't use a memory system that works without power. Instead they need the PCM and TIPM to have constant power or they go blank. That is why they have a fuse in them tagged as the IOD fuse (Ignition Off Draw). When they are shipped or setting on the lot that fuse gets moved and it only keeps power to those items, the rest of the car gets no power. They can set there for about four months that way. Then you move the fuse back and can start the car like nothing was ever touched. The side effect of no battery is that essentially the modules go dumb. The solution is to have a dealer with the correct WiTech connection re-flash the modules and it should be fine. However depending on the actual module part numbers they may need to change out the module instead, Chrysler had some odd pieces in that time range that could be re-flashed as long as they had power, if they lost power it turned them into a brick. Jeeps and other Chrysler products also don't respond well to programming with anything other than the factory software, which is the most expensive in both costs and time.
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Monday, August 4th, 2025 AT 7:45 AM

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