For precise speaker and amplifier connections in this vehicle, locate the factory harness behind the head unit. The primary wiring bundle includes six color-coded pairs:
- Front Left Speaker: Gray (positive), Gray/Brown (negative)
- Front Right Speaker: White (positive), White/Brown (negative)
- Rear Left Speaker: Green (positive), Green/Orange (negative)
- Rear Right Speaker: Purple (positive), Purple/Orange (negative)
- Amplifier Remote Turn-On: Blue/White (requires 12V signal to activate external equipment)
- Constant 12V Power: Yellow (fused at 10A, connects directly to battery)
- Switched 12V Power: Red (activates with ignition)
- Ground: Black (secure to chassis with star washer for corrosion resistance)
If retaining the original amplifier–typically a 120W unit mounted under the driver’s seat–ensure continuity through the Dark Green/Light Blue data wire. This carries the audio signal from the head unit to the amp. Disconnecting it without bridging the input/output lines will result in no sound from rear channels.
Aftermarket integration demands attention to impedance matching. Factory speakers maintain a 2-ohm load; substituting with standard 4-ohm units without a resistor will distort output. Verify polarity during installation–reversing wires causes phase cancellation, reducing bass response by up to 60%. Test with a 1kHz tone before finalizing connections.
For StealthBox or subwoofer installations, tap the Blue/White remote wire at the head unit side rather than splicing into the main harness. This preserves factory wiring integrity and prevents backfeeding voltage into the amplifier circuit when ignition is off.
Backup the original wiring harness before modification. Use crimp connectors instead of solder for field repairs–heat from soldering can degrade factory insulation over time, leading to intermittent shorts. Label each wire with masking tape during disassembly to avoid misrouting during reassembly.
Color-Coded Connector Pinout for Factory Audio System
Locate the 16-pin ISO harness behind the OEM head unit; pin assignments follow Chrysler’s MY-06 schema. Left connector (A) carries power and speaker outputs:
- A1 (Yellow/Black) – Aftermarket amplifier trigger, 12 V constant.
- A2 (Dark Blue) – Rear right door speaker, negative polarity.
- A3 (Dark Green/Violet) – Rear right door speaker, positive polarity.
- A4 (Orange/Black) – Illumination feed, dims with headlights.
- A5 (Gray) – Front left tweeter, negative polarity.
- A6 (Light Green) – Front left tweeter, positive polarity.
- A7 (Brown/Yellow) – Vehicle speed pulse, 5 V square wave.
- A8 (Black) – Ground, chassis reference.
- A9 (Violet/White) – Rear subwoofer, negative polarity (factory 7-channel system only).
- A10 (Tan/Blue) – Rear subwoofer, positive polarity.
- A11–A16 – Unused, capped off.
Right connector (B) handles inputs and steering-wheel controls:
- B1 (Light Blue/White) – Antenna motor drive, 12 V switched.
- B2 (Red) – Switched power, key-on accessory.
- B3 (Brown/Red) – Steering-wheel control data, 5 V logic, CAN bus protocol.
- B4 (Pink/Black) – Front right door speaker, negative polarity.
- B5 (Dark Blue/Orange) – Front right door speaker, positive polarity.
- B6–B10 – Unused, terminate with 3 kΩ resistors to avoid fault codes.
- B11 (White/Violet) – Rear left door speaker, negative polarity.
- B12 (Brown/Violet) – Rear left door speaker, positive polarity.
- B13 (Yellow) – Constant battery feed, 20 A fuse.
- B14 (Gray/Black) – Front left door speaker, negative polarity.
- B15 (Blue/White) – Front left door speaker, positive polarity.
- B16 – Unused.
Critical Adapter Notes
Use Metra 70-1002 or Scosche SU06B connector interfaces; avoid splicing speaker wires directly–OEM harness includes 50 W inline resistors on mid-woofer outputs. Test each wire with a multimeter before mating connectors; expected resistance is 1–4 Ω for individual speakers, 8–12 Ω for parallel door pairs. Steering-wheel control modules require ASWC-1 adapter flashed with Chrysler CVP firmware–adapters programmed for Ford protocols will not decode pulse-width signals correctly.
Decoding OEM Audio Connection Schemes for Original Equipment Units
Locate the 12-pin ISO connector behind the original receiver; it houses every necessary feed for aftermarket integration without cutting leads. The harness splits into three distinct clusters: power delivery, speaker outputs, and antenna activation.
Use a multimeter in continuity mode to verify each wire’s function–this prevents reverse polarity on door tweeters, which can blow the amplifier circuit. Reference the chart below for confirmed assignments:
| Pin Position | Wire Hue | Designated Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dark Green | Front Right (+) |
| 2 | Light Blue/White | Rear Right (+) |
| 3 | Yellow | Battery Constant |
| 4 | Red | Switched Ignition |
| 5 | Pink | Antenna Trigger |
| 6 | Gray | Front Left (+) |
| 7 | Brown | Front Right (-) |
| 8 | Light Green/White | Rear Right (-) |
| 9 | Black | Ground |
| 10 | Violet | Front Left (-) |
| 11 | Dark Blue | Rear Left (+) |
| 12 | Tan | Rear Left (-) |
Strip only 5 mm of insulation to avoid accidental bridging; excess exposed copper can short adjacent terminals under dashboard vibration. Twist each freshly exposed strand clockwise before crimping–this compacts the filaments for a gas-tight bond that resists corrosion.
Note that the pink antenna lead carries 500 mA at 12 VDC; exceeding this draw can fry the factory amplifier relay, rendering the signal booster inoperative. Always route aftermarket power cables through a 15 A fuse within 18 inches of the battery terminal.
Subwoofer feeds–if present–hide inside the quadlock connector’s orange segment. Probe with a 1 kHz test tone while monitoring the rear cargo sub; a clean sine wave confirms the channel’s integrity without triggering the bass limiter.
After securing all connections, power the vehicle and measure voltage at the head unit’s yellow feed with the ignition off–expect 12.6 V; anything below 12.0 V indicates parasitic drain or failing alternator diodes, which will flatten the battery overnight.
Connecting an External Audio System: A Precise Installation Walkthrough
Begin by matching the aftermarket unit’s power leads to the vehicle’s factory harness. Identify the constant 12V (yellow), ignition-switched 12V (red), and ground (black) wires on the new head unit–these correspond to the vehicle’s solid orange, pink-striped violet, and brown with white stripe conductors. Use a multimeter set to DC voltage (20V range) to verify each wire’s function before splicing; probe the factory connectors while toggling the ignition to confirm live circuits.
For signal wires–front left (gray), front right (white), rear left (green), and rear right (purple)–align them with the vehicle’s tan, light green, brown, and dark green leads. Twist each pair tightly, then secure with solder or crimp connectors; heat-shrink tubing prevents corrosion. If the aftermarket unit includes a dedicated remote turn-on (blue/white), splice it into the vehicle’s dark blue wire, which triggers amplifier activation. Avoid twisting dissimilar metals (e.g., copper to aluminum) to prevent galvanic corrosion.
Secure Connections and Functional Testing
After splicing, bundle the joined wires with loom tubing or electrical tape, routing them away from moving parts or heat sources. Reconnect the battery negative terminal, then power on the system to test each channel. Adjust balance/fade settings to ensure all speakers output sound evenly. If distortion occurs, recheck ground connections and verify the aftermarket unit’s impedance matches the factory speaker load (typically 4 ohms).
For systems with steering-wheel controls, integrate a compatible adapter (e.g., Axxess ASWC-1) by splicing its harness into the vehicle’s light blue/red wire. Program the adapter according to the manufacturer’s instructions, mapping each button function to the new head unit. If retaining the factory subwoofer (connected via gray/black wire), ensure the aftermarket unit supports low-level preamp outputs or add an external amplifier with high-pass filters to protect tweeters.
Finding the Factory Amplifier Connector and Direct Speaker Hookup
Disconnect the negative battery terminal before accessing the rear trim panels. The amplifier module sits behind the left-side panel in the cargo area–remove the plastic clips securing the trim by prying upward with a trim tool. Unplug the 24-pin amplifier harness marked “C1” and “C2” near the center; these carry low-level signals to the door and rear speakers. Trace the thicker wires from the amplifier output side–typically color-coded violet (right rear positive), dark blue (right rear negative), gray (left rear positive), and dark green (left rear negative)–back to the harness grommet leading to the vehicle interior.
Steps to Bypass the Amplifier
- Strip ¼ inch of insulation from each amplifier output wire (violet, dark blue, gray, dark green) and twist with a corresponding 14-gauge speaker wire–use solder or butt connectors for a secure joint.
- Route the new speaker wires directly to the door or rear speaker locations, avoiding the original amplifier path to prevent signal interference.
- Connect the head unit’s front-channel outputs (front right: light green/black; front left: tan/light blue) directly to the door speakers’ positive and negative terminals, bypassing the amplifier’s preamp altogether.
- Secure all connections with heat-shrink tubing or electrical tape to prevent short circuits.
Reinstall trim panels only after verifying all connections with a multimeter–measure for 2-8 ohms resistance across each speaker’s terminals. If the stereo outputs high-power signals (40W+ per channel), retain the amplifier ground wire (black/light green stripe) to maintain circuit integrity; failure to do so may trigger error codes in the vehicle’s ECU. Label all bypassed wires with masking tape for future troubleshooting.