Radio safe mode problem

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
I took my car in and they replaced the instrument cluster. The radio was in a mode called 2 safe when I got it back. The mechanic told me to leave the ignition on for an hour and it would reset and then just put the code in he gave me. Well after over an hour the radio is still in safe mode and not working . Its a jetta 06... Any help would be more than appreciated. I do have access to a vag if I need it or if it would help. thanks bTW just a side note the mechanic is the dealership and I DONT want to go back there unless necessary. The only reason I did was the cluster was still under warranty.
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
Thats really the problem it didnt ask me for a code nor give me the opportunity to put in a code. I got the car drove it home and then turned on the radio and there was the SAFE on the radio dial. I called the dealer and they say just leave the radio on with the key in and it would reset after an hour....it would go back to an interface asking for a code and when it did just put in a code they gave me over the phone. After multiple hours the radio still says SAFE not asking for a code. I did find a thread with these instructions

Heres directions for the radio code per 98 Jetta manual. Turn the radio on and the word "SAFE" appeares on the display. Press mode and scan buttons SIMULTANEOSLY and hold until "1000" appears on display.
Use station buttons 1 to 4 to input code. First digit can only be 1 or left blank. Once the code is in, press mode and scan buttons SIMULTANEOUSLY again until "SAFE" appears. If the code is correct, a frequency will appear on the display.

"If the code is wrong, "SAFE" will be blinking, then stay on continuously. At that point you can repeat the steps one time. If the code is wrong again, it locks the radio up for one hour. Leave radio on for an hour to clear. This is per 98 Jetta manual."

but I dont know if they work on my 06 yet. Its like 20 degrees at 630am and a wind chill of 5 so I am going to get dressed and try it.....
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
actually I just checked I dont have a mode button must be the older model. I just have the modes on the side....cd mix am fm...I think our older 2003 had a button for mode. Anyway that was not the right fix. Anyone have any idea just how to get back to let me enter the code?
 

PDJetta

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Location
Northern Virginia
TDI
'04 Jetta GLS TDI Pumpe Duce Platinum Grey w/ Leather
This is odd. Sometime around model year 2000 and thereafter VW used radios that recognized the car they came from the factory without going into "safe" mode when power was disconnected. Install the radio in a different car, though, the radio would go into safe mode and the code that came with the car would be needed to unlock the radio.

I suspect that this "recoginization" may be performed by the immobilizer in the instrument cluster and if this was replaced, then the radio in a newer VW would in fact go into "safe" mode with a new cluster installed. If this is the case, it is totally the job of the shop that installed your cluster to fix this problem, and for no additional money, I would hope.

You need to have the code that came with your car's radio, mine was in the info packet I got with my car. It was a little black numbered tag. No amount of turning on the ignition and waiting will fix this issue.

--Nate
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
Thanks for the suggestion to push the 1-4 buttons but my 06 radio has 6 stations buttons. And although I have been tempted to randomly start pushing buttons my better judgement got the best of me. As far as taking it back to the dealer I was hoping to avoid that....who knows what they will break next if it goes back.
 

DickSilver

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Joined
Jun 6, 2004
Location
Kentucky
TDI
2004 B5.5V, 1996 B4V
The practical method is to let the dealer be responsible for completing the work that they started... even if you dislike them. Just be sure to document what happens carefully in case of problems.
 

PDJetta

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Location
Northern Virginia
TDI
'04 Jetta GLS TDI Pumpe Duce Platinum Grey w/ Leather
If you have the owner's manual and radio code, you can do this yourself, otherwise, you need to go back to the dealer.

--Nate
 

rackaracka

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
rickyble said:
Thanks for the suggestion to push the 1-4 buttons but my 06 radio has 6 stations buttons. And although I have been tempted to randomly start pushing buttons my better judgement got the best of me. As far as taking it back to the dealer I was hoping to avoid that....who knows what they will break next if it goes back.
When you turn the radio on and it is in SAFE mode, you just press the first button (1) and it scrolls the digit in the first position of the 4 digit code. You repeat pressing 1 until you get to the correct first digit, it rolls up through 9 and then goes back to zero. Then you press button number two to get the second digit. When you have the full code matching the code the dealer provided you press the seek button and it should work. If it is the wrong code, it goes to safe mode for a second chance. You get three tries and then it locks up the radio for an hour or so.
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
Well ur safe mode must be different then mine. My safe simply says 2 with the word SAFE underneath it. NO buttons do anything other than the power on power off. I tried the hour waiting and it didnt do anything. and here is why I dont want to go back to the dealer. They are wanting to order adn put in a brand new radio ....is that the most ridiculous thing you ever heard? For going into safe mode. Save from this world of idiocrasy
 

jetta 97

Vendor
Joined
Dec 25, 2008
Location
Dallas (McKinney) ,TX ,USA
TDI
2 X Jatta MK5 2006
Look in your owners manual ,there is going to be instruction how to do it.
Every radio it comes with SAFE ,but you just need to do something to get to numbers (like 1000)
then you put code.
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
Actually I did read the owners manual and it also says just wait around for an hour and it will go back to the screen where you can enter the codes in. However for some reason after not just an hour but several hours it still sets on SAFE. I just was hoping someone on here would say ...Oh yes hold the xxxxxxxx button and the yyyyyyy button at the same time and the code entry screen will magically come back. Its pretty straight forward in the book what to do with the right screen but thats the whole problem. It looks like I will just have to take it back to the dealership and let there incompetent staff break something else.Thanks anyway for all the suggestions...it was worth a shot.
 

PDJetta

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Nov 6, 2003
Location
Northern Virginia
TDI
'04 Jetta GLS TDI Pumpe Duce Platinum Grey w/ Leather
Give it a rest for the day and try it again tomorrow. Does the power have to be on during the wait?

--Nate
 

rackaracka

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2001
Location
Monroe, NJ
I'd pull fuse 43 or the battery for 15 seconds and get safe mode reset. I am pretty sure that the Safe2 means that the readio is locked because of failed attempts to enter the correct code. Let us knoiw what you find out.
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
Well after 2 hours and 34 minutes it reset. Unbelievable and then simply entered the code....I have no idea why it took so long. Yes it does have to be turned on but not the switch just the radio....What a way to make a dollar....thanks to everyone for the tries.
 

Steve99

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 3, 2009
Location
Langley, BC
TDI
04 Golf TDI, 04 R32
The dealership had obviously tried the wrong code too many times and the radio went into a lockout mode.
Glad to hear its working.
 

rickyble

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 11, 2005
Location
winston salem, north carolina usa
TDI
2004Beetle auto DSG 2006 Jetta auto DSG
One last Post Script or epilogue as they say to whole situation. I got one of those surveys in my email from the Dealership and filled it out honestly and factually. I received a call last night from the service rep and she wanted to try to make things right. I explained to her, again from a factual point of view, with nothing added and told her I really didn't want my car to be in her shop ever again unless it was just unavoidable. She offered to fix the original fuel lid release problem, (which by the way was the original problem that started the whole mess) for free if I would bring it by. And they would give me a free loaner car too. The latch would not release and I had to break the lid to get it open. It was running on fumes and I really didn't have any other choice at the time. I had ask them to check this problem when I took it in for the cluster repair and they had listed it as check ok. As soon as I got in the car to pick it up I tested the latch and of course it didn't work. I figured I would fix it myself. I am thinking about taking it in and seeing what and how they handle it. She was most convincing especially when I told her I was a member of this forum and this was very common treatment from the VW dealerships. A lot of the members post about bad experiences with their local dealerships and the good ones also. Anyway just thought Id throw that out that at least some of the dealerships are aware of this forum and don't seem to want to be listed here as bad...
 

81first

Member
Joined
Mar 10, 2008
Location
Rehoboth Beach De
TDI
81 rabitt
Can anyone tell me if I can get the code from anywhere on the radio mine is a vw replasement radio and the code in the book does not work.
I remover the radio and have all the numbers that were printed on it or do i need a dealer or someone with a vag-com system
(7 Passat TDI wagon)
 
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