Yesterday, my husband’s Acura would not start so we called AAA and they replaced the car’s battery. Then when my husband started the car he got an error message on the car’s computer screen that the radio code needed to be reset. So we called the Acura dealer and they told us how to do it, but it didn’t work. We then took it to the dealer and they had the same problem. They said the problem was that the on/off switch for the radio, which is necessary to reset its security code, was not working, so they checked a few connections under the hood but everything there was fine. If the radio was a stand alone component of the car we would have just taken the car to a place that replaces car radios but this car radio controls other things such as the car’s GPS, navigation system, etc.
The dealer said that they will need to remove the car radio and send it to place that can either repair or replace it and we have an appointment to leave the car with them on Monday. Fortunately, it is still safe to drive the car but it is annoying that so many components of his car are dependent on the car’s radio.
Has anyone else ever had a similar car issue. Acura’s rationale behind this feature of the car is that if someone steals the car radio they won’t be able to use it. Getting that error message after a battery is replaced is typical for the this model, but not being able to turn the radio on to do it is not.