A Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died – What To Do?

If you’ve heard this one before, stop now: The car battery died and radio won’t work because you left the headlights on. You could have used a jump start, a rechargeable battery pack, or possibly a new battery to remedy the issue. Now your car radio won’t turn on after battery died. It appears one of these days after your battery died first and your vehicle audio followed.

You silently make the remaining distance to work, hoping your next step won’t get brand-new vehicle audio. And it most likely isn’t. Usually, it’s easier to fix car audio that stopped operating after the battery died. Undoubtedly, it might also be challenging.

Deciphering The Dead Batteries And Deader Radio Code

When the battery is fully dead, there seem to be a few potential reasons why a car radio won’t turn on after battery died. The radio includes an anti-theft “feature” that activates if battery power is disconnected. This is the first and by far the most prevalent. If that happens, you must input the proper auto radio code to get back on track.

You could be faced with a broken radio in certain extremely rare circumstances or possibly harm to other power equipment outside. For instance, your audio system and other delicate devices have been damaged if your jump-start attempt failed and your radio ceased operating.

If you’re lucky, it could only be a fuse in car radio, but if not, use this as a reminder of how crucial it is to connect jumper cables or battery chargers properly.

Some Typical Causes Of The Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died

Here are some typical reasons why your audio stops working after the battery dies:

Security Components

You most likely have this problem if the word “code” displays on your radio. When the batteries die or are unplugged, car stereos with a password feature demand that you enter a pre-programmed code, your owner’s handbook could include the code, or you might need to speak with a dealer.

Injuries Occurred With A Jump Start

Electrical system components may be harmed during a jump start if safety measures aren’t performed. The stereo most likely has an internal problem if it has either power or ground. Before judging the radio, ensure the required fuses and fusible linkages are in place.

A Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died - Radio Wont Turn On

Radio Wont Turn On

Random Occurrence

A vehicle radio on car won’t start can be caused by a dead battery or a jumping start, but it might also be an odd coincidence. You’ll need to do additional diagnostic testing to determine the cause of the issue if your radio lacks a car radio security code and all the fuses and fusible connections are in good condition.

The Mysterious Car Radio Code Case

The purpose of car radio codes is to function as a passive anti-theft device. The function activates when the radio’s power is disconnected, and when it is restored, the device is essentially bricked unless a certain code is entered.

Depending on the manufacturer, the readout could usefully show the term “code,” or it might be blank or show an even more confusing message. The key takeaway is that thieves typically target aftermarket head units when they steal vehicle radios, which are more likely to include this capability than OEM head units.

As a result, vehicle audio codes frequently cause problems for the legitimate owners of certain car stereos rather than the criminals they are intended to annoy. Avoiding contact with a vehicle radio code is the recommended action.

You should find out the password and write it down in advance, along with the reset method, if your radio has this capability and your battery hasn’t already died. While the procedure for locating a car stereo code varies depending on the make, you should often start by consulting your owner’s handbook.

If you purchased your automobile secondhand, the prior owner could have noted the number in the owner’s handbook; some manuals even contain a spot for it. Visit the OEM site or contact your local dealer if it isn’t there. You might have to pay a nearby store or an internet service to seek the code, though.

The Risks Associated With Improper Car Charging Or Jumping Starting

A Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died - Car Stereo Wiring Harness Lead Mobile

Car Stereo Wiring Harness Lead Mobile

If your automobile radio ceased operating after a battery or a jump start, the issue might still be connected to an anti-theft feature on your device. Check to see whether it has that functionality, and if it does, make sure that entering the right code doesn’t make the radio come back on. You could be dealing with a more serious issue if it doesn’t.

You’ll want to rule it out before you take any more action. The problem is that, even while charging or jump-starting a car battery is completely safe, it is incredibly dangerous when done incorrectly. The explosive properties of the hydrogen that might escape from a lead-acid battery provide the most risk when jump-starting and charging a battery.

Due to this, the ground wire should always be the last connection you connect. It ought to be connected to the ground instead of the battery. If any hydrogen has spilled from the battery, the spark that results from hooking directly up to a battery might ignite the gas and result in an explosion.

In addition to the risks of a car battery explosion, which I’ll presume didn’t occur since a dying radio would have been the least of your worries at that point, improperly connecting jumper cables or even a charger can also harm an electrical system.

If the wires were connected backward and your device ceased operating, the stereo may have been permanently damaged. Additionally, various other components in addition to your radio might catch fire.

When Fusible Links And Fuses Save The Day

Contrary to humans, who may waste their whole lives looking for meaning, fuses are introduced to the world, knowing with absolute certainty that they’ll one day die saving another. The fuse for your vehicle radio is made to sacrifice itself to stop a potentially harmful quantity of electricity from passing through the radio and the circuit it is connected to.

If you’re fortunate, you could discover that your car stereo fuse has blown if your radio is dead due to a failed jump start or charge. It could be a fuse in the stereo in some circumstances, or it might be the circuit in the fuse box of the automobile. In other instances, you could discover that a wire has melted or that a fusible connection has blown.

A Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died - Car Wont Start After Replacing Battery

Car Wont Start After Replacing Battery

You could discover that other electrical components, including your costly electronic control unit, have been destroyed in other, much more dangerous situations. Because of this, it’s crucial to understand how to utilize a jump box to jump-start a vehicle, and you should never allow anyone—no matter how well-intentioned—to hook them up incorrectly.

Coincidences Do Occasionally Occur

It’s simple to infer that two events are connected when they occur at the same moment. Additionally, there is a strong possibility that the issues with dead batteries or vehicle audio systems are connected. However, you could discover that for some completely unconnected reason.

For instance, if the radio comes on and shows a station, but there is no sound on radio in car, there may be a problem with the speakers stopped working in car, the wiring, and even the antenna.

In the same spirit, if other audio sources, such as the CD player, perform just fine, poor radio reception caused by an antenna problem may be to blame for a vehicle system with a non-functioning radio.

The Radio Stopped Working After Changing The Battery

Two things occur when you change your battery:

  • The electrically powered parts of your automobile must first be unplugged from the power source.
  • Second, you might subject the parts above to a strong electric surge when you start your automobile after changing the battery, leading to the radio doesn’t turn on when car starts.
A Car Radio Wont Turn On After Battery Died - A Battery

A Battery

Your automobile may sustain damages as a consequence of improper handling and practices, and your stereo may suffer internal damage or have its fuses blown by the unexpected electric surge. But the story doesn’t end there. You or the person changing your battery might skip over some important stages or fail to take care of something important.

For instance, you might not be aware that a memory saver is necessary when changing the battery in your car to prevent the audio system and other electronics from resetting. When this occurs, your automobile will suffer from memory loss once turned back on.

You could also have trouble adjusting your stereo’s time, like losing access to the radio, or it might require you to enter an anti-theft code.

Watch the video to learn more information:

Conclusion

Incorrect installation or electric surges can cause car radio wont turn on after battery died, while damaged fuses are frequently seen in automobile radios. If you have a faulty fuse, an incorrectly placed battery, or a locked radio, your car audio could not turn on even after you change its battery. While this happens, your car’s memory resets, locking the radio.

There are occasions when a vehicle audio problem is simple to resolve. However, if the damage is a little more sophisticated than typical, you could need to follow more difficult measures to switch on your stereo.

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