2010 Jetta TDI Radio stopped working suddenly

k.hahn

New member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Location
san luis obispo
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Hi all. The radio on my 2010 Jetta TDI stopped working all of a sudden. It has about 58,000 miles on it and is not eligible under warranty. The vehicle has the premium sound system 8, and has never been altered.
Yesterday, I was listening to music using the aux-in on the way home from work, this morning the screen was black (no back-lighting), the little red light at the top-right of the unit was no longer blinking, and the radio would not turn on. Read some forums, tried a few things: associated fuses under the hood seem to be intact, holding the power button for 1 to 2 minutes didn't do anything, and now I'm stuck.
Also, the manual makes reference to two fuses related to the radio. The 15 amp one was still working (replaced it anyway) but there was no 30 amp fuse under the hood (as referenced in the manual). Is this right? Are there any other fuse positions I should try? Tried putting a 30 amp fuse in there: nothing.
Some have recommended pulling the radio out and checking a fuse on the posterior side, but I have no idea how to get the radio out.
I made an appointment with the dealer for this coming Wednesday morning but I really hope to find a solution before then. Finances are very tight right now. Plus, this has been an extremely trying day at work and at home, and now not having access to music or news on my drive is really bringing me down. Any help you could provide would be so appreciated. I am a complete newbie here. Thank you.
 

paramedick

TDIClub Enthusiast, Vendor
Joined
Jul 29, 2001
Location
Versailles, Kentucky
TDI
2015 Audi Q5 TDI
Common failure. It might even start working again.
Our's cut out several times before it was replaced. Hint. IMF you get it replaced with a new unit, make sure they code it so the aux works.
 

k.hahn

New member
Joined
Jul 12, 2013
Location
san luis obispo
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Is there anything I can do about it? Does it just start working again suddenly?

So far it seems pretty dead, but you never know I guess.
 

wstewart

New member
Joined
Sep 5, 2013
Location
Charlestown, R.I.
TDI
Jetta TDI Sprotwagon
dead radio

I have the same problem in my 2011 Jetta Sportwagon. Checked all of the fuses and they were fine. There was a suggestion of pulling out the radio fuse for 30 seconds or so but I have no idea which fuse that is. The manual that comes with the car is useless! Thanks for any help.
 

np101

Member
Joined
May 7, 2009
Location
California
TDI
none
I just encounter the exact same problem. 2010 jetta sportwagon tdi.

Drove to the store with it working fine, shopped, got in the car to drive home and nothing. Blank. Standard radio that comes with the car, no GPS.
 

vwman2

Veteran Member
Joined
Feb 8, 2012
Location
Orange County NY
TDI
03 Jetta Wagon Tdi, 2010 Golf TDI
Just today the girl friend lost am/fm functions. Sat and Bluetooth work.. Did some searching just to see many others who say it just went away on its own. Has not for us yet.
 

DereksTDI

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Location
Columbus, Oh
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Solutions

Ok, so I have been having a lot of these same problems and I am going to post my journey here about what I found and what I did to fix the problems. I am not a auto mechanic but was a mechanic in the military and I am an engineering student at OSU so not an expert but not stupid ;).
My TDI:
I have a 2010 TDI with the premium 8 radio (no nav, but it is touch screen, sat, etc.)
Symptoms:
1. Radio went out for no reason. 3 minute reset won’t work and neither fuse is blown for the radio circuit (fuse F8 for my jetta) and the fuse behind the radio is fine too.
2. After waiting to replace the radio for a few months ($ reasons) the car battery started dying too.
Fixes:
1. The radio went out, I pulled it out and checked the fuse behind it with a multimeter, it was fine. I pulled fuse F8 from engine compartment and tested it, it was fine.
a. THE OWNERS MANUAL SAYS IT’S A 10 AMP FUSE but a 15 amp fuse was in place instead. A 15 amp fuse was also used behind the radio. I believe this could be a possible cause (too much amperage can fry circuits) but it’s not my primary suspect. I noticed the heat vent directly above the radio and my wife keeps this vent closed so more air will come out of the other vents. This is where I think problems are arising, if this vent is closed and it’s a hot summer day I think the radios are being damaged by heat to be honest. This dmg doesn't have to show up immediately either, it can take some time. I have read a few posts and people describe components of the radio gradually dying out and the order seems to be the ones closer to the heat duct that goes first but this isn’t always the case because mine went out completely and all of a sudden.
2. If you are one mile out of warranty VW will not touch this radio, it is EXPENSIVE!!!!!!!! (unduly) When I first looked I believe it was $800+ and you can get a way better radio professionally installed for way less.
3. I digress, it was a few months after the car radio died the battery was draining. Since it was winter I first thought it was just getting old (5 years) and didn’t have the strength to crank over a cold diesel engine. So I removed the battery got it charged, the auto store tested it and said it was in great condition (btw there is an indicator on top of the battery, DOH!) 2 days later it went dead again which told me there is a leak. I immediately suspected the radio, I jumped the battery and drove the car to the auto store to diagnose it and sure enough the DEAD RADIO somehow was getting power and draining the battery, but while killing my battery it was doing nothing for me. If there was an internal ground in the unit from a melted wire this can easily lead to a fire, so for 6 months this was a possible risk I wasn't aware of. (SEE explaination for tips on diagnosing electrical problems.)
[FONT=&quot]Explanation: At the auto stores around here they have portable ammeters that measure discharge rates from your battery. They are very expensive pieces of equipment so I don’t recommend buying one, just go to autozone or whatever and have them do it for you. Also a multimeter can be used if set up as a load in a circuit but it is a pain in the butt and takes a little more electrical know how than the average person cares to know. Once the auto store clerk has the machine hooked up (it’s a whole process of starting the car stopping the car blah blah) at the end of the tests he will tell you if you have a unwanted discharge. A discharge of 5 mamps is normal for things like the car's computer memory, stereo memory settings, seats, etc anything more and your battery is going to be sad often. While the ammeter is hooked up, pull the fuse for the circuit you suspect and see if your leak goes away, if the leak is in the circuit the discharge will go down to acceptable levels immediately. You can just leave this fuse out (assuming non vital) until you get the problem fixed. Anything beyond this I would probably say take it to the dealership or something. This will isolate your electrical leak and give you a good starting point on what to fix. Places like firestone or tuffy or whatever charge $100-$180 just to do this same procedure then once they find the circuit they charge you the man hours to fix it.
[/FONT]​
Ill post a TLDR too (too long didn;t read)
Thanks for anyone with more know how for giving input, like I said most of this came from troubleshooting and googling things. :D
[FONT=&quot] [/FONT]​
 

DereksTDI

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Location
Columbus, Oh
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
TLDR?
If 3 min reset won't work your radio is probably fried but it can still be draining battery with no indication of life, idk why or how.
I think it could be overheating from duct above the radio being shut or something. It could also be a wrong fuse in the fuse box or even behind the radio. (too much amperage can fry electrical circuits if rated for less then 15amps)
IF BATTERY DYING TOO: (this can be used for any purpose, not just radio)
Go to autozone and ask them to measure your batteries discharge with car off.
Pull fuse and see if discharge goes away. Now you isolated your electrical prob.
Bottom line, I bought a radio off crutchfield for like $350 and it has more features then the VW one and took me about 4-5 hours to hook up. Wife still has bluetooth phone and music streaming, now has DVD player, still has steering wheel controls (seperate hook up for ~$40) and I can even install a reverse camera if I wanted. DONT PAY VW $800 FOR A NEW RADIO!
 

DereksTDI

Member
Joined
Jan 4, 2014
Location
Columbus, Oh
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Also, I have seen a few people say their radio came back on. This didn't happen for me but it does seemed linked with my radio discharging the battery. If the radio starts to ground, maybe a speed bump or whatever moves the ground some, the radio starts working again for some time until the wire gets moved again and grounds out. THIS CAN BE A VERY DANGEROUS FIRE HAZARD not to mention eventually leave you with a dead battery in 10 degree weather like it did me. The fuse box diagram is in the owners manual towards the back. For the 2010 jetta tdi's the radio circuit fuse is located in the engine.
 

sisyphus

Veteran Member
Joined
Dec 8, 2008
Location
Appleton, Maine
TDI
99.5, '01 A4 Jetta sedans, 5 sp box, Hamman mod, Joey mod, Bilsteins, 2.00" lift
The Monsoon radio in my wife's '02 wagon just quit the other day. The fix seems to be, as conventional wisdom has it, pulling fuse 42 until the red security light stops blinking and then plugging the fuse back in.
I found the fuse and to my surprise it'd been replaced by a 25 amp fuse!! Apparently this has been a problem, but not in the newer cars.
I think the head unit is probably toast but won't know until I pull it tomorrow.
 

darlingone

New member
Joined
Nov 12, 2009
Location
Delaware
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
Having the same issue. 2010 Jetta TDI, turned on the car and nothing from the radio unit. I don't know to which red light your referring, but nothing. Checked fuse, it was fine. Waited 3 minutes before putting it back in, nothing. Held the power button for 2 minutes (as was advertised somewhere else, and nothing.

The only bright spot (?) is that my phone still connects to the bluetooth. Nothing happens, I can't hear anything, no does anything show on the unit, but clearly the unit is getting power and is sending a signal to my phone. No idea if that's good or bad, but looking for options outside of just replacing it. Thoughts?
 

thecrusher773

Veteran Member
Joined
May 12, 2013
Location
Coweta, OK
TDI
2002 5 Speed Beetle-sold, 2010 Jetta-sold 2014 Beetle
Having the same issue. 2010 Jetta TDI, turned on the car and nothing from the radio unit. I don't know to which red light your referring, but nothing. Checked fuse, it was fine. Waited 3 minutes before putting it back in, nothing. Held the power button for 2 minutes (as was advertised somewhere else, and nothing.

The only bright spot (?) is that my phone still connects to the bluetooth. Nothing happens, I can't hear anything, no does anything show on the unit, but clearly the unit is getting power and is sending a signal to my phone. No idea if that's good or bad, but looking for options outside of just replacing it. Thoughts?

Ours just started doing the same thing. Drove around all day no issues got in it again to leave and dead as it could be. Doesn't show the time or anything. At night with the lights on it doesn't even light up the buttons. My bluetooth also links up but I can't hear anything. Does anyone else have a fix for this?
 

Colleen DiR

New member
Joined
Sep 16, 2014
Location
Dover, DE
TDI
2010 6-speed jetta
TDI 2010 radio

Thank you for the information about the radio. I drive a lot and not having it is not good. I appreciate your insights and helps.
TLDR?
If 3 min reset won't work your radio is probably fried but it can still be draining battery with no indication of life, idk why or how.
I think it could be overheating from duct above the radio being shut or something. It could also be a wrong fuse in the fuse box or even behind the radio. (too much amperage can fry electrical circuits if rated for less then 15amps)
IF BATTERY DYING TOO: (this can be used for any purpose, not just radio)
Go to autozone and ask them to measure your batteries discharge with car off.
Pull fuse and see if discharge goes away. Now you isolated your electrical prob.
Bottom line, I bought a radio off crutchfield for like $350 and it has more features then the VW one and took me about 4-5 hours to hook up. Wife still has bluetooth phone and music streaming, now has DVD player, still has steering wheel controls (seperate hook up for ~$40) and I can even install a reverse camera if I wanted. DONT PAY VW $800 FOR A NEW RADIO!
 

jetlagmech

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Location
Toledo, WA
TDI
2010 jetta
just replaced mine this month. just quit and none of reset ideas helped, fuse behind unit was good. bought a OEM from a member here that sells many, BarryT82 it was a model upgrade from my 2010. plug and play and took about an hour to install. My wife even noticed a large upgrade in sound quality.

the worst part was taking my old unit apart to get the CD's out, had to buy a new set of star tips because the set I had didn't go small enough for the screws on unit. don't worry about trying to save unit to re-assemble.....too many screws, springs, and little parts. If you need instructions to remove radio let me know and I can send you how I did mine. I read where the dead radio was draining battery so I removed mine before I ordered the new one. Barry was more than half off from dealer and wife didn't want aftermarket look. ordered it on a Tuesday evening, had it in my hand Saturday. But not sure if your DE location is Delaware US or Germany.
 

CatJetta

New member
Joined
Jun 19, 2015
Location
New Jersey
TDI
2010 Jetta Sportwagon
Dead radio in 2010 Jetta Sportwagon

Radio went dead today. I see from posts that there is a possible "3 minute reset." Can someone tell me how to do that? I'd like to try . I don't have the booklet regarding the Sound System, as I purchased the Jetta pre-owned.
 

jetlagmech

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Location
Toledo, WA
TDI
2010 jetta
push and hold the power button for radio is suppose to be the reset. there are a few people said it worked for them, but they seem to be just a few lucky ones.
 

TDIWGN

New member
Joined
May 27, 2013
Location
NB Canada
TDI
2010 Golf Wagon TDI
Mine stopped working yesterday all of a sudden too. Drove to work to access the bike path and was enjoying my music. Then I left for the bike ride. When I got back to the car, the unit was dead.. it was a hot day and it was hot in the car... 111 000km's on it. Thankfully I still have the warranty on it, taking it in on Saturday to see what's the problem.

Thanks for the tips, tried some things, but still nothing.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
It's a common issue with the revision AC radios. You can swap out your radio with a newer revision or a navigation. You need the security code for the radio and you may possibly need VCDS to recode it. If you need one send me a message. I normally have a few available.
 

XCRunner

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 2, 2010
Location
OH
TDI
...
Another 2010 Jetta with a dead radio. I called VW of America and said it's not the 1st one they have heard of but it's not a common issue. It seems that most people are just not even dealing with it an just putting in aftermarket equipment. In order for VW to offer a recall or address the issue more people need to call and report it. The number is 1-800-822-8987. Please call and let them know. Hopefully we can get this issue addressed. This is crazy that a 5yr old car has a dead radio...

Runner
 

KARKS

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Location
Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
TDI
Golf Wagon TDI 2012
Same problem here, mine died just this morning without warning. All was working with no issue. Started my car this morning and it didn't power up. My Bluetooth connects as well, but cannot hear anything. Going to take it to VW to check out and they can log the issue. If it is in fact dead I am thinking it will be best to replace with an aftermarket - any recommendations?
 

jetlagmech

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 1, 2009
Location
Toledo, WA
TDI
2010 jetta
Same problem here, mine died just this morning without warning. All was working with no issue. Started my car this morning and it didn't power up. My Bluetooth connects as well, but cannot hear anything. Going to take it to VW to check out and they can log the issue. If it is in fact dead I am thinking it will be best to replace with an aftermarket - any recommendations?
the dealer will probably charge you $100 to diagnose a bad radio. that 100 will go a long ways toward your new one.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
They'll charge you an hour labor to check it and then try to sell you a refurb or new radio. Buy a newer radio from a 2013 or newer car. You'll get more features and a better radio. I have a few for sale.
 

KARKS

Veteran Member
Joined
Sep 15, 2005
Location
Wasaga Beach, Ontario, Canada
TDI
Golf Wagon TDI 2012
Took the car to the dealer for a warranty item and had them look at the head unit. They confirmed what I already knew that the head unit is DOA! And they want $975 Plus tax plus install to replace. I was impressed with my service advisor who said not to bother with going OEM based on the price.

I also called VW of Canada to report this issue and why they are not covering when so many reporting the issue. They opened up a case file. I highly doubt anything will come of it, but wanted to at least report the issue.

BarryT82 what options do you have the cost for the Unit and Shipping to Ontario.
 

maybe368

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Location
Phoenix
TDI
Happily none
Took the car to the dealer for a warranty item and had them look at the head unit. They confirmed what I already knew that the head unit is DOA! And they want $975 Plus tax plus install to replace. I was impressed with my service advisor who said not to bother with going OEM based on the price.

I also called VW of Canada to report this issue and why they are not covering when so many reporting the issue. They opened up a case file. I highly doubt anything will come of it, but wanted to at least report the issue.

BarryT82 what options do you have the cost for the Unit and Shipping to Ontario.
Barry is the man on these radios. I bought one from him and I am pleased with the unit, the shipping and the price. Send him a PM...Mark
 

billmc2010TDI

Active member
Joined
May 13, 2010
Location
Massachusetts
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI Sportswagen
Hi DereksTDI, I am another of the thousands of dead radio victims (2010 Jetta TDI). I saw a few radio models on Crutchfield and wondered which one you went with. Also, since the VW unit has a muti-wire harness connection, were you able to connect the new one via a similar harness, vs connecting each wire separately. Like you, I'm disinclined to buy another VW unit, only to have it die also. After all, we all own our tdi's for the "long haul". Many thanks, Bill
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
It's only the early version AC radios that have the issue. It's a fuse on the board that goes bad, but it's cheaper to buy a new radio than to repair the broken one.
 

m22mike

New member
Joined
Sep 17, 2015
Location
Royal Oak, MI
TDI
2010 Jetta TDI
My radio died about 3 weeks ago. Dealer wanted me to buy a new one for $500+ but I said I'd get back to them. Then I found this thread. Thanks for the info all. Definitely didn't like the idea of spending so much money for a radio that shouldn't go bad.
 

Farff

Active member
Joined
Jun 11, 2009
Location
Jackson, Miss.
TDI
'09 Jetta TDI
I'm taking my 2009 Jetta TDI in to the dealer tomorrow for my FOURTH radio. Various failures over the years had me replace the first radio under the original warranty. That one failed, and I had to buy a new one. The dealership had to replace that one under the one year warranty that comes with the part, and they're about to do that again. Ridiculous.
 

BarryT82

Veteran Member
Joined
Mar 26, 2010
Location
Charleston, WV
TDI
‘12 JSW TDI
I'm taking my 2009 Jetta TDI in to the dealer tomorrow for my FOURTH radio. Various failures over the years had me replace the first radio under the original warranty. That one failed, and I had to buy a new one. The dealership had to replace that one under the one year warranty that comes with the part, and they're about to do that again. Ridiculous.
Tell them to give you a newer revision. They're probably giving you a refurbished revision AC. If you pull it out and look at the label you'll see the part number. The refurbished radios end with X so it would be 1k0035180acx.
 
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