Occasionally, when I plug in my iPhone to listen to music, I get this message: "Incompatible USB Device." I'm using the iPod audio source mode on a 2016 RDX Advance and I'm using an Apple lightning to USB cord. There's no way to tell when it happens, it just occurs from time to time and when it does, renders the USB port useless until the car is restarted. Even then, this error can occur again immediately after restarting (this happened on a road trip). I searched thru other forums and online for advice and some people on the Accord and Odyssey forums posted a service manual which said that the fix was powering off the radio, disconnecting the device, then powering on the radio. However, pressing the vol/power button in the RDX just causes the screen to say "audio off" but does not actually power off the radio. Does anyone know how to fully power off the radio while driving? I searched thru the hidden menus but have yet to find anything to even restart the audio system without turning off the car. Some people believe what happens is the USB port overheats and goes into a safety mode, which may explain why restarting the car can cause the error to happen again immediately afterwards. I had this happen many times to me last week and I'm waiting to see if it happens again to test whether or not it's due to the port overheating. At one point it was so bad (every time I used the car) I used the hidden menu to reset the software to factory specs which alleviated the problem for about 2-3 months. I know that bluetooth still works (if you add your phone before starting to drive) and is a solution but the bluetooth has that 3 second delay and can't play lossless audio. Has anyone else had this issue or know of a fix I haven't found yet?

 

Try a new cable

 

Gave that a try. Doesn't seem to change when the error happens. It's very sporadic and random, but when it does happen, I can count on it reoccurring thru the whole day. I was able to test whether or not the port overheats because the error occurred again the other day and that doesn't seem to be the case as the port was reading the same as the ambient temperature in the vehicle (78 deg F). I managed to talk with an Acura Service Representative who recommended trying to clean the port both in the car and on my phone as it could be sensitive to small amounts of dust, dirt, or lint that could build up in there over time. If nothing else works, I'll be heading to CarToys as the Acura Service Rep told me they always send people who have electronics issues to them. If I find a solution, I'll post it since I haven't found a permanent solution to this online. Restarting the car seems to be the only temporary fix.

 

When this happens is it after your iPhone receives an update? Many times the updates can have unintended consequences like this.

 

This isn't particularly helpful, but I experience the same message from time to time on my desktop and laptop computers. With the laptop specifically, it is puzzling because I have no USB devices plugged in. I replaced the DVD/CD player with a solid state drive for storage; that internal device is the only thing that *could* be on the USB bus. It doesn't seem to be problematic on either computer, and as in your car, seems to happen randomly and sporadically. The problem, for me, is not attributable to cables, nor to loose connections. It is a mystery.

I suppose I am only sharing this to say that for me, it is a ghost in the machine. Having to restart the car is more of a pain, though. Good luck!


RFT!!!
Dave Kelsen
--
"The more I study religions the more I am convinced that man never worshipped anything but himself." -- Sir Richard F. Burton

 

​​​​​​​No. It doesn't seem to be affected by software updates or even the type of phone as other people have plugged in their phones to have my car spit out the same error message. If they didn't set up bluetooth before driving, then there'd be no other way for them to play music/hear nav directions until the car is stopped or turned off unfortunately.

 

I have the feeling there's likely a software bug on the Acura system. But maybe you're onto something about the SSD. The RDX has an onboard SSD that is probably more prone to deterioration due to vibration and bumps from being in a car. The USB port must have some way of transferring data to the SSD as you can store photos on the system for custom backgrounds on the info screen as well as receiving Gracenote updates. However, it doesn't allow data transfer for music or seemingly anything else, but maybe a Honda/Acura computer has a special plug in for the USB to do analytics/updates. But like your situation, it is a complete mystery to me still.

 

I wonder if there is a issue with the HFL. There was a couple of conversations regarding the module failing. If I remember right, a member did replace the module and had to contact Acura to get it working properly.

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rdx-...orking-984876/

https://acurazine.com/forums/2g-rdx-...cation-962621/

Also a member mentions a possible software update for the module.

 

It could be a number of things honestly. I've been trying to narrow it down. The problem is too intermittent to perform pass/fail type of testing on what works and what doesn't. HFL functions all work perfectly on my vehicle with the exception of the 3 second bluetooth delay which is a problem on every Honda/Acura from these years and I know someone found the exact line of code in the software where the bug is that causes this and even fixed it for them. But I don't think Acura plans on offering let alone just spending time making a software update for a 6 year old car that's out of production, especially since it can likely only be updated at a dealer . I get the idea that the issue on my car is a software bug, but the only reason that likely isn't true is because there aren't very many reports of this, and the software should affect every vehicle with this infotainment, including the Hondas (like with the bluetooth bug). Maybe many people don't plug in their phones for music or they don't care since they restart the car and it's better most of the time. It's also very intermittent, so maybe 1-2 times a month doesn't even register for most people. I get this issue seemingly 3-4 times a week (sometimes even 3+ times in a single day) but then it won't show up for maybe a month. For me, it happens half of the time mid drive, when I don't really feel like pulling off the freeway and restarting my car. I will keep trying things though.

 

I did a quick search and it does seem this is an issue with the Honda/Acura technology in this era. It seems to be mostly with the iPhone or iPod. One suggestion I read was to unplug the phone, turn off the radio and re-start the radio. I read another about doing a hard reset of your iPhone. Here's an insert from the 2016 MDX manual: https://www.manualslib.com/manual/97....html?page=256

I wonder if this is an Acura/Honda issue or Apple iPhone issue?

 

I'm glad you linked that MDX manual because I found that a while back while doing some research myself. Just can't figure out how to "turn the audio system off." Only way to do it is to turn off the car completely. The power/volume button doesn't turn off the audio system all the way, rather it just mutes the system. I'm trying to figure out if there is a way to power off the audio system completely while the car is on.

 

It's been a while since I've posted on this thread but I may have had a break in figuring out how to solve this problem. Since last time I posted, this error message has been popping up way more frequently than it used to. I'd say it happens about 4x a week to me now (for the last 3 weeks or so) whereas it used to be months apart. I've been messing around in the car's diagnostics menu looking for a way to reboot the audio system without turning off the car when the problem occurred again. And it gave me the idea to run the car's own automated diagnostics system to which it gave me an error for the USB. It doesn't specify whether it's the drive, the port, or something else USB but it gave an error with a code 1102 (many times). It also threw a code 2710 which specified "USB Cable Diag" (but only once). It also seems the system keeps a log of some of the times I've had this error happen since I got the car. I don't think it shows every time this error happens, as there have definitely been more than 18 (of which some are error codes for other things). This isn't an OBD2 error code either, as I've been searching far and wide for what these error codes mean with no luck, but I did come across someone who had that same USB code but for a hard drive, and it pertained to a buggy iTunes folder which caused the hard drive to have a similar issue to my car (maybe there's a chance Acura uses a hard drive from Western Digital and that's my problem). But it looks like I'd have to take it to a Honda/Acura tech to get the meaning of them. The last thing I tried was seeing if it recognized when I plugged devices in like a phone or a flash drive of which the system says nothing is connected in the diagnostic menu. I figured it would say this as this error locks up the whole audio system once it occurs, it even stops the USB port from charging devices until the system is rebooted by turning the car off. So basically, does anyone here happen to know what error code 1102 or 2710 mean when it pertains to the internal diagnostics system? Does anyone have access to tech manuals which show how to fix this?

 

Hi came across this thread and am hoping you were able to get this issue resolved as I am going through the same exact thing with my 2018 RDX. Any helpful tips?

 

I'm glad you found your way here. I haven't figured out a permanent solution but I do have a bunch of things that I've figured out that have significantly reduced the frequency in which I see the problem. For me, this used to happen 2-5x per week easily and now I've got it to where it's rare if I see this issue once per month. When it does still show up, it's usually right as the vehicle starts up now and it isn't happening as often after the car is started and I'm in the middle of driving. I still believe this issue is caused by a software bug but it could very well be that I have a bad USB port that needs to be replaced. Until it completely fails (which I thought it nearly did), I won't try to replace it. But here's my list of fixes:

1. If the screen shows "Incompatible USB Device" immediately after starting the car, turn it off, wait about 5-10 secs, and while waiting, open and close the drivers door. For whatever reason, this seems to reset it better than just turning off the car and turning it back on.
2. I've noticed that I've been able to cause this issue directly by doing things like changing the song/playlist thru my phone and not the car. So my advice is set it and leave it, or use the car to do it. Don't switch back in forth between apps if possible, as this has caused the error to appear too. I use Waze for info and Apple Maps for directions so sometimes I switch back and forth and notice that it causes the error right when I switch the apps.
3. The error appears less often in cooler weather. On hot days, I definitely see this more than on cold days. Not helpful unless you move to a colder climate, like I did. I haven't tried this but maybe blowing A/C into the USB port area would help. I've never felt the port get hot, so I don't know why colder weather affects it.
4. Use a USB stick/Bluetooth/Pandora. Bluetooth is always the backup (and yes I know it sucks that it's laggy and lower quality). I've never got the error using a flash drive but if I got the error with my phone first, then the flash drives won't work either. Strangely, Pandora works (not connected to Bluetooth) with the cable even if the error message shows up. For whatever reason, the Pandora software overrides it (the buttons come back and the car will read the error message on Ads but it keeps preventing it from locking up the screen), but doesn't undo the message appearing if you try to switch back to the phone or flash drive. Also note that the charging doesn't work with the cable still, but you can still use Pandora. I don't know if navigation directions from the phone come thru while using Pandora.
5. Lastly, if all else fails, perform a factory reset. I tried this once and it significantly reduced the occurrence of seeing this error for about a year. I thought I had gotten rid of it, but nope, it came back the first time around 6 months after I did the reset (survived summer in CA so it was quite a feat). It was no longer a daily thing afterwards, more like an every other week thing after that first 6 months. If you need help doing a factory reset, I can teach you how to do it and other threads have it as well.

If I think of anything else I know, I'll update this list. But may I ask what device you are using that is causing the issue for you? I use an iPhone XR with the Apple cable. Lots of people recommend replacing the cable you are using. I think some people said this actually worked for them but no cable has solved this issue for me. My biggest gripe is that I have yet to find a way to reset the screen while driving. There might be a trick using Pandora but I haven't found it yet. Right now you pretty much have to park and reset the car. Unless you want to put your car in Neutral while driving then restart the engine...

 

Wow, thank you for such a comprehensive response to my inquiry!
I replaced my cable and did a factory reset yesterday and today I drove for about 40 minutes and it worked without an issue. This is a huge improvement since I was consistently seeing the error almost every time I plugged my phone in (an iPhone 14) for the past 2 weeks. A few times the system recognized my phone and started played a song but then would suddenly stop and show the error again.

One thing I forgot to ask is if you ever had Acura take a look at it? I’m assuming not worth the hassle?
My vehicle is a 2018 RDX but I’ve only had it for a few months. I had no problems with it until recently so I was feeling perplexed. So glad I found your post, thank you!

 

You're welcome! I hope this improves your problem because it seems like yours was even worse than mine was at its worst point about a year and a half ago. I haven't taken mine into Acura for a diagnosis, mostly due to the fact that it will cost $ for the diagnosis, if they even find anything. And given my case that I found ways to make it much better and that I can't make the error happen on command, they'll probably tell me nothing is wrong. I did talk with a service rep from Acura over the phone a while back about the error code and my transmission's rough shifting (which I fixed as well). He told me he hasn't personally encountered the issue and was the guy who told me that it could be the port overheating or that maybe it got dust in it. I cleaned it (with compressed air) and started checking for the overheating but no luck. The service rep told me the port might need replacing but that was about all they could offer for help unless they knew what the issue was. Since that call, I was able to locate those error codes on the hidden menus that I believe pertain directly to this issue. I should probably call them again and ask what the error codes mean as I searched far and wide across the internet and I couldn't find those error codes anywhere. It's likely that they're buried on some Honda/Acura service manuals for the infotainment/usb system and even if pay the steep subscription fee to access those, there's no guarantee that those codes are specifically listed in the ones they release to the public. It would be nice if I could find a dealer that would do the diagnosis for free.

One thing I forgot to mention as a tip is don't unplug and replug the cable from the car when it's working. I leave mine plugged into the car even once I've turned off the car. I have multiple cables myself so I get it if you need to take it out because it's your only cable but I found this improved the error rate as well. I used to unplug it when I left the car and put the dust cover back on but I found that the errors went down more when I just left it in (if it was working). If you get the "Connect Retry" error, just unplug the cable from your phone and plug it back in. I thankfully get the "Connect Retry" error much more (always has been about 1x per week for me, even pre and post factory reset) than I get the "Incompatible USB Device" (less than 1x per month) these days.