1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

FM Radio Dropout

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Main Forum' started by shimma, Nov 18, 2005.

  1. shimma

    shimma New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2005
    34
    0
    0
    11/18/05

    I acquired my '05 on 8/8/05. About six weeks ago my standard FM1 radio started cutting out. On the highway, suddenly, the reception would quit for about a second or two, then resume, sometimes with a static sound, sometimes not. The CD was not affected

    The first thing I did was to ensure the antenna was secured.

    Then I took it to the dealer, Fremont Toyota. A Master Technician and I took it for a five mile test drive, but of course the intermittent problem did not present itself.

    So, while I waited about 90 minutes, the mechanic removed the dash display to access the radio. He checked all the connections, and removed certain codes he said were entered into the radio during various construction phases of the vehicle.

    The repair was virtually flawless, as I'd advised the technician that I was very, very allergic to damage to the fragile glossy plastic dashboard surfaces.

    They set up some kind of a factory alert regarding my car, and asked that I monitor any further dropouts, noting the presence of high voltage power lines or large concrete surfaces. They requested my feedback within 10 days.

    Happily, the problem desisted. Anybody out there have a similar experience?

    Thanks. Shimma :p
     
    #1 shimma, Nov 18, 2005
  2. Jack 06

    Jack 06 New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 13, 2005
    2,556
    0
    0
    Location:
    Winters, CA: Prius capital of US. 30 miles W of S
    Yes, but my FM radio problem turned out to be part of a bigger problem, so it may not be related.

    First I started losing the radio. Then I could make the radio work by turning it "off". Then I started losing the MFD (but the miles kept accumulating accurately, unseen!). Then the MFD turned into a slow pinball machine.

    Long story short: they had to replace something in the MFD, but not the screen itself---and it related to the audio controls.

    This was on my '04. Hasn't happened since.

    Oh, and at first it happened only VERY intermittently---like once a week. Then twice...and not when the dealer was looking, of course...had to leave it overnight, as it turned out it usually did it just after starting in the morning...and it did...
     
    #2 Jack 06, Nov 19, 2005
  3. hdrygas

    hdrygas New Member

    Joined:
    May 22, 2004
    3,650
    6
    0
    Location:
    Olympia Wa
    Vehicle:
    2004 Prius
    My FM station and radio works well. I only listen to one station KPLU 88.5 in the PNW, but they are a strong station. Do you know where the transmitter is? Remember FM is line of sight and then after that the bounce pattern is weird, I get KPLU clearly in Astoria but not 5 miles out of town. All over the Puget Sound area I have no problem
     
    #3 hdrygas, Nov 19, 2005
  4. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    360
    3
    0
    Location:
    Olympia, Portland, Seattle...
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius
    KPLU's broadcast antenna is on Tiger Mountain in Issaquah. It's a 100,000 Watt Tx. FCC max regulation.

    I can hear it most of the way to Portland.


    It's too bad 89.3 KAOS has a crappy transmitter that interferes with KNHC 89.5...
     
    #4 oly_57mpg, Nov 19, 2005
  5. shimma

    shimma New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2005
    34
    0
    0
     
    #5 shimma, Nov 19, 2005
  6. shimma

    shimma New Member

    Joined:
    Oct 28, 2005
    34
    0
    0
    Thanks for your feedback. I don't believe this was a transmission issue, as all stations were affected.

    Actually, I think the dealer caused the problem. Two weeks earlier, I'd brought the car to them because the AC fan, when on high, began making intermittent rumbling sounds. They disasembled the fan assembly looking for the cause and probably left something loose. They didn't find anything amiss, although the rumbling stopped...

    Needless to say, with two dealership actions within 90 days, my Prius flunked the J D Powers Initial Quality contest. :mellow:
     
    #6 shimma, Nov 19, 2005
  7. oly_57mpg

    oly_57mpg New Member

    Joined:
    May 2, 2005
    360
    3
    0
    Location:
    Olympia, Portland, Seattle...
    Vehicle:
    2005 Prius

    Sounds like one of the relays might be loose... Just enough to turn the radio on and off... Check the relays...
     
    #7 oly_57mpg, Nov 19, 2005
  8. DanMan32

    DanMan32 Senior Member

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2004
    3,799
    26
    0
    Location:
    Tampa Bay, FL
    What relay would that be? The only relays involved would be turning the ACC on for the whole car, or integrated into the radio itself.
     
    #8 DanMan32, Nov 21, 2005
  9. Mauibound

    Mauibound New Member

    Joined:
    May 21, 2006
    64
    1
    0
    Location:
    Newport Coast, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I'm having this same problem, only it's happening on FM, AM, and the dealer installed Sirius satellite radio. Worked fine when I left the dealership. About a week later this started happening. Yesterday I was on the road for about an hour and got about 15 minutes of radio usage out of it. And I'm in the greater Los Angeles area, where signals are strong and this is still happening. Going to have to take it in. :angry:
     
    #9 Mauibound, Jul 31, 2006
(You must log in or sign up to post here.)