Poor Reception And/Or Static On AM Stations - keywords antenna electrical entertainment inop inoperative rear radio speaker static

This PI was updated to include 2007 model year vehicles. Please discard PIC3222.

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.

Some customers may comment about poor reception or static on the AM band. The customer may also hear a pop through the speakers when depressing the brake pedal or when using other electrical systems on the car. This may be a normal condition - see below for additional information.

Compare the customer's vehicle to another XLR. VERY IMPORTANT - Be sure that the two vehicles are parked next to each other and pointing in the same direction! If the complaint vehicle exhibits considerably more static the following may help identify a open or poor connection in the antenna coax. As a starting point tune the radio to any known station on the AM band. Then push seek button and count the number of stations that the radio stops at until it goes all the way through the band, and comes back to the station you started with. Repeat the test on the comparison XLR. A system that has a open or poor connection will lock in on very few stations when compared to a good XLR. If the complaint vehicle locks on very few stations, verify that the radio coax cable is properly connected and that the antenna wires are properly secured to the antenna modules.

If the vehicle are comparable, do not attempt a repair at this time. Replacing components will not improve the condition. Engineering is currently investigating possible reception improvement solutions, and addition information will be made available as soon as it is available.

Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.