Why car radio won’t turn ON after the battery died?
A car radio might not turn on after the battery has died because of the built-in protection mode of the unit or due to the faulty attempt of jump-starting the car.
You might not succeed in resuming all your car functions after resurrecting its battery through a jump-start. Case in point: a car radio doesn’t turn on after the battery dies and you jump-start your vehicle.
To get around this frustration, you should know why the car radio won’t turn on after the battery has died and got a new life through jump-start.
Table of Contents
The activation of the Protection Mode
Most car radios come with a protection mode. It is essentially an anti-theft security feature that makes sure petty thieves and burglars can’t benefit from taking out your head unit from a parked car. This protection mode is based on the power connection of the radio.
If the power connection of the stereo is terminated in any case, the protection mode is activated. Since thieves have to sever the power wires before taking out the radio unit, therefore experts have made power connections the basis of this security feature.
However, the same underlying mechanism of protection mode also becomes a nuisance when then the power connection of the radio is terminated due to any reason other than theft.
For instance, the power loss due to a dead battery will also be processed by the internal circuit of the radio the same way when a thief removes the unit from the car.
Therefore, when you jump-start your car, the radio doesn’t turn on. Instead, it opens the protection mode window. Usually, you will need a passcode to get around the protection mode.
You can also refer to our write-ups on how to get the car radio out of the protection mode (JVC or Kenwood unit) to find out what you need to do to turn your radio again.
A reckless jump-start
Jump-starting a car must be done with due diligence. Otherwise, it can result in damage to different components of the car including the radio unit.
If your car radio doesn’t have the protection mode, but it is still not turning on after the jump-start, your jump-starting procedure might be the culprit.
A jump-start with sparks is not a good sign for the electrical parts of the car. Therefore, always be cautious when you connect jumper wires to your car battery from the external power source. Even a slight touch on the wrong terminal of the battery can cause damage to the radio and other components.
Examine all the fuses and fusible links between the battery and the radio. If you identify a blown fused or link, you need to replace it first before starting the radio again.
Other reasons
Apart from these two reasons, the uncanny timing is another reason why your car radio doesn’t turn on after you have brought your car battery back to life.
If it is not the protection mode issue, there are no blown fuses and melted links either, and the power wires of the stereo are also perfectly intact, your radio developed some internal fault at the time when the car battery died.
You can’t do anything about such a pure coincidence besides troubleshooting your radio for common problems.
FAQ
How do I reset my car radio after the battery died?
For OEM radios you may need to enter a code or perform a factory reset. find the instructions in your car manual. For aftermarket units check our guides for Kenwood, JVC, or Pioneer head units, for other units, try to find them online.
Why is my radio not working after the battery change?
There could be a problem with the wiring or circuit board in the radio. Try the reset if that doesn’t help it is best to have a professional look at it.
