ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required Jeep: What to Do?

While you are on the road, riding your jeep and suddenly a warning pooped on the screen “ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required”. Are you scared of it thinking that you need to stop your jeep immediately? Well, calm down and keep driving to a safe distance before taking steps. 

So, what causes ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required Jeep warning?

 ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required Jeep warning indicates internal system fault or limitation in ACC functionality. The problem behind this warning can be poor weather, dirty lower bumper, damaged or dirty sensor, incompatible grille, or excessive light reflexing. However, there are easy solutions available for these issues. 

This is just the hint of the whole scenario. We have reasons and solutions remaining for discussion in the following article. So stay tuned!

ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required Jeep: Meaning?

While on the road, you might get ACC/FCW unavailable service required warning in jeep which indicates a malfunction in the system or temporary fault in the system. This basically indicates limitations in the ACC functionality. In those circumstances, ACC would be unavailable but you can still run the jeep.

While having such an issue, try to restart the ACC again following the ignition cycle. If it still seems the same, inspect your vehicle carefully. You can also take experts’ help for the inspection and after figuring out the issue, resolve that as soon as possible. 

This problem is mostly be found in Grand Cherokee. You can also have a look at ACC/FCW limited functionality issues to be aware of the issues. 

ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required Jeep: Reasons & Solutions

Let’s look at the reasons for the warning and solutions to them-

Jeep Front Sensor Lower Bumper Dirty:

Sometimes dirty front sensors can be a reason for the jeep’s unavailable service required. Let’s explore the reasons and solution to this issue-

Reason:

Sometimes your jeep’s lower bumper is filled with dirt, dust, and road mud hence it doesn’t perform efficiently. The sensor misunderstands the dirt with a foreign object and the sensor can not work properly. So you will get the unavailable service required warning. 

Solution:

The solution to an dirty lower bumper is pretty simple and straightforward. All you have to do is to follow three simple steps to clean it. You will require car shampoo, warm water, and a microfiber cloth. 

The steps for cleaning sensors are-

1. Take a bowl of warm water and add the required amount of car shampoo to it. 
2. Dunk and rinse the microfiber cloth in the water. Make sure there is no first in the cloth and if there is any, remove it carefully. 
3. Using the microfiber cloth, gently wipe off the dirt from the parking sensor. Use it with a circular motion by using the tip of your finger for effective coverage in dirt removal. 

Jeep driven in poor weather conditions:

During unfavorable weather, you might get an unavailable service warning from your vehicle. Let’s see the reasons and solution to it-

Reason:

When the weather is adverse, it is very common to get the ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required in your jeep. But the matter of relief is that the scenario is temporary. Which means there is no issue with your jeep. 

But the bad news is that the situation will last as long as the weather is bad. 

Solution:

There is no proper solution to the situation as there is no malfunction in the system and it gets better with the weather. However, you may follow a few steps for the citation to get better.

1. During heavy snowfall, the visibility range of the sensor gets down. So you can take a break to remove the snow lumps as much as possible. 
2. During heavy rainfall, the visibility range of the sensor is also reduced. In that case, take a break until the force of the rain is a bit low. 
3. Hailstorm also causes the same issue with jeeps. Take a break until the situation gets better to avoid such warnings. 

Jeep sensor is broken:

In some cases, other than all possibilities, the sensor itself can go wrong. Here are the reasons and solutions for it-

Reason:

You might have a fragile or damaged sensor while you were on the road. It can happen due to overheating or any kind of accident. You need a proper inspection of the sensor to figure out whether there is a fault with your sensor or not. 

Once you find the issue in the sensor, you need to take immediate action without any further delay. 

Solution:

In most cases, you need to replace the broken sensor for a smooth ride with your jeep. However, before replacing it, you can reset your sensor once. 

Here are the steps for sensor reset-

1. First, turn the key to the on position without starting the jeep. 
2. Hold the TPMS button until you see the light flash thrice. 
3. Finally, start the vehicle and wait for 20 mins to reset the sensor. 

Jeep driven in areas with lots of light-reflecting surfaces

Occasionally excessive light can cause problems and hence cause unavailable service required warning. Let us know the reasons and fix the problem. 

Reason:

Here are why the unavailable service required warning arises due to light- 

1. Sensors might get confused by excessive light and then shuts down the system. Therefore, you will get a warning. 
2. Sometimes snow and ice reflect a lot of light. Hence such a problem may arise. 
3. Tunnels full of reflective tiles can cause excessive lighting, hence you get the warning. 

Solution:

The only thing you can do in such a situation is to avoid those areas while driving. Since that is not always possible while on the road, have a mindset of getting the warning. You don’t need to worry as there is no system malfunction in your vehicle. 

Installed an incompatible grille in Jeep:

When accidents occur, the part that gets affected first would be the grille. And that is where the problem starts with the jeep. 

Reason:

Here are the reasons behind the grille problem in a jeep-

1. If the grille is replaced, the newer one is not as good as the original one. 
2. If the grille is not getting the required amount of brightness, it can cause problems. 
3. Installing the wrong grille can be a reason for such problems. 

Solution:

Here is the solution to the incompatible grille problem in the jeep-

1. Try to repair the original grille rather than replace it. 
2. If you have to replace the grille, make sure you get as close as the original one.
3. Make sure your jeep grille is getting enough light that it requires. 
4. While replacing the jeep grille, be careful with every step. 

Jeep Maintenance Tips

Here are some jeep maintenance tips for you so that you don’t have to face anything unwanted further-

1. For the proper functioning of your jeep, you need to change the oil regularly maintaining a certain time limit. 
2. Check the fluid of your vehicle and change it if required. 
3. To get the maximum possible miles through tires, you have to rotate the tires. 
4. Checking and making adjustments to the tire pressure can be another important maintenance for long-lasting tires in vehicles. 
5. It’s important to change the jeep’s air filter regularly. 
6. Replace your jeep’s wear down brake pads. 
7. If you don’t have a properly aligned wheel for your jeep, make sure you align them as soon as possible.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):

What does FCW service mean?

FCW service means a forward collision warning system that scans the road you are driving to detect obstacles on the road. It detects other vehicles, pedestrians, fixed objects, and so on. While driving with your vehicle, your FCW service will detect the distance between your vehicle and the object ahead. 

What does ACC unavailable mean?

ACC unavailable or adaptive cruise control (ACC) is not available means that action should be taken. When the indicator sensor is yellow, that means the radar sensor is dirty. So as soon as you indicate the issue, take the necessary steps to fix the problem. You can generally clean the radar sensor by yourself by following some simple steps. 

Why is my FCW light showing on?

Forward collision warning or FCW warning light gets on when it finds the possibility of collision observing the road ahead of you. It will possibly stop your vehicle or slow the vehicle while detecting the obstacle. So the moment the sensor detects any possible obstacle, it will warn you with multiple warnings like sound or light. 

Final Words

Hopefully, this article could help you to have a clear vision on ACC/FCW Unavailable Service Required jeep. Just go through the mentioned procedures above to resolve the problems accordingly. 

But if it still doesn’t help much, then get your vehicle checked with experts for better inspection and fixing.