Sensor, Ambient Temperature: Operation
WARNING: This page is about a different car, the 2020 Chrysler 300 and 2019 Chrysler 300. However, it is still accessible from the selected car via links, so may be relevant.
The ambient temperature sensor is a variable resistor that operates on a five-volt reference signal sent by the Body Control Module (BCM) (also known as the Common Body Controller/CBC). The resistance in the sensor changes as temperature changes, changing the temperature sensor signal circuit voltage to the BCM. Based upon the resistance in the sensor, the BCM senses a specific voltage on the temperature sensor signal circuit. The BCM then translates the voltage into a temperature reading that it sent over the Controller Area Network (CAN) data bus to other modules utilizing temperature information.