Did you ever have one of those moments when your car radio wouldn’t turn off?
Do you know the kind where it just keeps playing the same song over and over again, no matter how many times you try to change the station? Well, I had that exact experience last week. And let me tell you, it was not fun.
Luckily, I was able to find a fix and I’m going to share it with you in this post. So if your car radio won’t turn off, keep reading!
What Causes a Car Radio to Stay on All the Time?
Car radios are designed to turn off when you get out of the car or turn the car off, but there are many reasons they may not be doing this.
Ignition Switch:
If you notice that the car radio stays on even after you exit and close your vehicle door, then it is likely that something is wrong with your ignition switch. A faulty ignition switch can lead to other car problems, so it is important to have this checked as soon as possible.
Low Battery Voltage:
A car radio that won’t turn off might also be because of low battery voltage. Your battery may have just gone dead, which does not allow the radio to shut off after you exit your vehicle. This could also happen due to low battery voltage.
When the battery finds it hard to provide enough power to the system, the electrical system start malfunctioning. And ironically, you’ll see some weird thing like the radio not turning off as well due to that.
Stuck Relay Switch:
A relay switch is a device that allows low amperage to trigger high voltage. If the relay gets stuck, it may cut the power off from your radio but still allow other components, like power locks and windows, to function correctly.
If you suspect you have a stuck relay switch on your car, then first check if there is any power at the radio wires.
Blown fuse:
If your car radio is experiencing electrical issues and it’s not turning off, then the blown fuse is most likely to blame.
Firstly, check that all of your fuses under the hood and inside the vehicle are properly positioned and not broken or blown. If you notice that some of your lights aren’t working, there is a good chance that your fuses are blown and need to be replaced.
While this is extremely rare, having separate fuses for different parts of the radio can cause the issue.
Alternator Issue:
Another possible reason why your car radio stays on is that the alternator may not be charging your battery correctly. This could lead to your battery dying and makes it so that your car can’t turn off the radio.
Out of memory:
If your car is equipped with an aftermarket navigation system, then there may be a chance that it has run out of memory and continues to stay on because it can’t process the data.
This mostly happens in cheap products that are equipped with low-powered processors.
How to Fix a Car Radio That Won’t Turn Off?
To solve this problem, try these tips:
Disable Auto-Off Feature
If your radio has an auto-off feature, you may be able to disable it. Different car models have different settings for this, so consult your owner’s manual for more information.
Unplug the Car Radio
Check where your stereo wires run into the dash of your car. Generally, behind the stereo system.
You can simply get the system out of the dash and unplug the power cable and plug it in again. If there was any software or processor related, it should be solved right away.
Add Your Car Radio to a Continuous Power Source
Some vehicle models have a continuous power source that you can connect your accessories to.
This includes things like stereos, radar detectors, and GPS units. If this is the case for your car, make sure the accessory has a continuous power source powered by its own battery or wired directly into the car’s battery.
Check the battery Connection:
If your radio isn’t turning off, the first thing you’ll want to look at is where its power cord plugs into the stereo. If it’s loose, tighten it up. If it’s corroded or dirty, clean it with a wire brush or some contact cleaner before connecting/disconnecting it again.
If that doesn’t fix anything, try another power source. If your car has a battery just for accessories, you’ll need to disconnect that first before removing the key or turning off your engine.
Check all fuses
Replace any that are blown, and check the fuse panel to see if fuses are missing or have been pulled out.
If you find that a fuse has been pulled out or is missing, then replace it as soon as possible. This should solve your problem too because if there’s no power to your radio, then it won’t be able to turn on.
Fix Low battery voltage:
If the battery has been drained, it can cause your car to stay on. First, make sure there are no dash lights or other accessories staying on while the key is out of the ignition.
If all the lights are off, check your voltage to see if it’s low. If so, hook up a battery charger and wait until you’ve changed it back up before trying again. If the car is running, you can leave the alternator to run and recharge the battery as well instead of using a battery charger.
How an Ignition Switch Prevents a Radio From Turning Off?
Car radios generally use a few different types of power sources to work:
Battery:
Some cars have a battery just for the radio and only turn the juice off when the key is out of the ignition.
If you’re changing batteries, do not disconnect this power source, or your radio will reset and forget its settings and presets. Some cars use a separate battery for accessories like radios and radar detectors, so you’ll need to disconnect it in addition to removing your key.
Ignition:
Some car radios are only powered when the key is in the ignition and turned on. If you turn off your engine, or if you need to change out of the park (or put it in neutral), this will cut power to your radio. This is because the ignition switch makes sure that electricity from the battery can’t pass until it’s in a stable resting place.
Anytime you shut off the car, the ignition switch senses that shift and sends power throughout the entire system to tell everything it’s okay to turn off. If there’s a problem with any of your electronics (besides the radio), it will prevent shutting down for safety reasons; this is why sometimes when you cut the power, your car radio continues to play.
To turn it off, simply wait a minute or so and the ignition switch will tell your car radio to shut down so you can get out of the car.
Causes of Car Radio Won’t Turn Off When Door Opens?
There are some simple reasons behind this issue-
The door is not closed all the way
If this is so, simply push the door closed firmly until you hear a click at which time it should be secure.
The radio’s volume is turned up too high
Turn the volume down to a reasonable level, so after opening the door, it will turn itself off by not being able to detect any sound from the car speakers.
Although this may be annoying when you are trying to listen closely to a song or a conversation on a CD or a radio station, it is far better than the radio staying on.
The radio’s tone is adjusted to bass or treble high settings.
Adjust the tone to a low/flat setting so that when opening a door, there will be no sound from the audio speakers and therefore turn off by itself.
An aftermarket amplifier has been installed into the vehicle.
Some amplifiers have a signal-sensing circuit that will not allow the amp to turn on when the door is opened and therefore, turn off after a few seconds. A quick solution would be disconnecting or turning down the amp’s gain knob to ensure this does not happen again.
An electronic lock has been installed.
There is an electronic lock on your car’s doors or trunk/hatch lid that prevents the radio from turning off when you open one of these unless you also open the other.
Note: Some GM cars (and possibly others) have an electronic door lock system. When you open your door with one of these it will disable the radio and/or cassette deck from turning off automatically when you open a door.
When should the car radio turn off?
There isn’t a specific time that you should leave your car radio on or off because it depends on whether or not you will be returning to the car soon. To sum it up:
- If you are leaving the car and not coming back in 20 minutes, then turn off the car completely.
- If you can come back in 15 minutes, then leave the car radio on as it could save time by quickly reconnecting to the station you were listening to without auto-tuning.
Radio won’t turn off when the engine is off and keys out
If you see that the radio is still on despite the engine being off and keys being out of the ignition, that can be a sign of a potential issue. Some of the main causes of that problem are:
- The Radio Knob has been turned to a specific station or mode.
- Power for the radio is being supplied from the car battery even though the ignition key has been removed from the vehicle.
- A fuse could have blown and needs replacing.
- There might be a short in your radio wiring.
How to fix:
If you have a car radio problem where the radio will not turn off, here are some things you can do to solve this problem.
1. Try to switch the car on, wait a minute and then turn it off again – this has fixed many radio issues in the past. If you have done this correctly, your radio should now be turned off as well.
2. Check if there is a setting on your radio that automatically turns it off after a while. If so, the radio will often be turned off after a while of being switched on.
3. Make sure your battery is not low on power – if it is, you should recharge it or have it checked out by a professional. Low power can prevent your car from turning off correctly and may result in different electrical problems within your car.
4. Check which fuses your radio is connected to and, if necessary, replace it with a new one.
5. If you have a Bluetooth connection in your car, make sure the phone is turned off before leaving your car.
6. Check if anyone has left anything on in the car when they exited it – for example, a window or sunroof open or lights switched on.
7. Make sure there are no liquids spilled anywhere in your car – liquids can be the root cause of many different electrical problems within your car.
8. Make sure you do not have any warning lights lit up on your dashboard – if there are, they will create issues for you to start your car correctly. You should get them checked out by a professional.
If all else fails, you can try to disconnect the battery – this may reset all of your car’s electrical components and may solve the problem.
Conclusion:
So what’s the bottom line? If your car radio won’t turn off, you’re not alone. Many drivers have dealt with this issue at one time or another.
The good news is that there are a few potential causes, and most of them are easy to fix. Hopefully one of these solutions will work for you and you’ll be able to listen to your favorite tunes without worry.
