Radio Dead (2002 TDi, Jetta) - Radio Removal

mrGutWrench

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Aug 29, 2002
Location
Carrboro, NC
TDI
'03 Jetta Wagon, 5-speed, 563K Miles (July '23)
Jetta GLS, 2002 TDi, no Monsoon, with the "double DIN" radio/CD/cassette
OK, I switch on the ignition and the radio is dead - it won't eject a CD, play cassettes, or respond in ANY way. Only sign of life is that the red anti-theft light is flashing.
I go to the TDIClub listing and find the "remove the fuse 42 trick" -- OK, that works like a charm.
(And apparently VW knows about this and has an update for the radio to prevent this happening in the future.)
But if that hadn't worked I'd have had to remove the radio to get to the fuse on the back of it. How does one do this? On late Land Rover Discovery radios, there are similar locking slots -- they required a flat metal hook (one in each of the four slots) but you could get by with tripping the locks with plastic wire ties. Any similar trick on VW's?
Thanks, Bruce, Wallace NC
 

TheMetalMeghan

New member
Joined
Jan 7, 2014
Location
Grande Prairie
TDI
2002 Jetta TDI
Radio on the Fritz and #42 fuse is OK

Hey, my radio stopped working on me one day at random in my 02 Jetta TDI, so I pulled fuse #42 for about 30 seconds and it fixed the problem. I read on some forums that this was a VW recall; however, the dealer told me my car did not qualify for this (my car wasn't produced in the correct month).

A month later the same problem has occurred, but pulling fuse #42 failed to correct the issue. I've read that there is a fuse on the back of the radio that can be pulled out or replaced, is this true? If so, where would I find said fuse?

I watched a video on removing the stereo (I have the VW stock stereo with the CD and tape player), but there was no mention of fuses; furthermore, I don't have the keys to remove the stereo. Is there a quick and cheap solution for this? If not, anyone have a ball park guesstimate on the price of said keys? I'd rather not get ripped off.

Any help is appreciated. Thanks!

I should also mention the CD player is functioning fine, just the radio that is failing.
 

Dave_D

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 9, 2003
Location
Gaithersburg, MD, USA
TDI
2015 Passat Titanium Beige six speed manual & Jetta, 1999.5, Tornado Red
Is your CD player in the trunk and cabled to the back of the radio and plays when you hit the "CD" button on the radio? If so and the CD player is working, then that fuse in the back is not your problem.

What happens when you hit the "AM" or "FM" button? Does anything display on the radio? Do you have access to VCDS? If so, what error codes does the radio show?

Dave
 

deejaaa

Veteran Member
Joined
Apr 15, 2007
Location
Baytown, Texas
TDI
FOR SALE, 2002 Jetta GLS, 5 speed
keys are less than 5 on the auction site.
the fuse is below the cluster of plug connections at the back of radio.
i removed mine without using the keys. either i or the po ruined the clips by trying to be cheap or improvise.
 
Top