I replaced my battery this morning, and lo and behold, the code in the manual (bought as a certified used acura) didn't work. The radio would reset and read "code", but as soon as I entered it, it would say "Err1", then "Err2" etc as many times as I tried it.

I called the dealer, assuming that when I bought it, they just handed me a random car manual that had the code for a different car, and he suggested checking for a sticker under the coin holder or the side of the glove box. No dice, and no choice but to bring it in.

I took it to the dealer, assuming they would have to pull the radio, get the serial nbr, and then use it to get the code. The service guy tried the code himself (which, of course, did not work) and then pulled the main fuse for about 10 secs and replaced it. This time, the radio took the code. Very weird. He warned about pulling the main fuse though, saying that it could cause issues if done often (not sure why).

He also said they had just received a bulletin from Honda/Acura about radios not accepting codes (maybe just for 2003 models) and that the radio would have to be replaced.

Just thought I'd put it out here in the forum in case anyone else has the same issue.

 

Thanks for posting your experience.

Yes, the fuse pull has worked for other forum members.

And others have had to pull the antenna connector out of the back of the radio. I had to do that once.

And there are other techniques that have worked. There have been many threads of the "Radio won't accept code" problem.

 

Sorry if this subject has already been discussed. I didn't see it when I was looking at "battery" related posts, but I failed to search for "radio codes" before posting. Oh well, at least it is well covered/documented!

 

No need to apologize. It's always nice to see real world reports of what methods work.

Thanks again for sharing that.

 

I also had this problem with my 2003 TL 3.2 after some body work was done and the battery had been disconnected. Radio would not accept the code after many attempts. I stopped by the Acura dealer who suggested disconnecting the antenna lead from the radio and then enter the code. I removed the left side console cover and was able to fit my fingers to the lower left back side of the radio and pull the antenna lead. Turned on radio and entered code and it accepted it on the first try. Reconnected antenna lead and replaced console cover. All is well.

 

Thanks for the report and welcome to Acurazine!