flyingbunnys

This morning going to work my radio (2007 non-nav) would not come on and there was a red blinking light next to the power button. After looking through the forums it appears that this indicates that the radio is locked. The only solutions I could find on the forums was the battery disconnect or Tech 2 Clone. I have a few questions that I was not able to find in previous posts:

There does not appear to be any evidence that I can see of the alarm being triggered or loss of power from the battery. Does anyone know if there would be a notice displayed if there is loss of power from the battery or the alarm is triggered?

Does anyone know if it can also be reset using an OBD II code reader other than the GM tech 2?

Would replacing the original radio with an aftermarket Pioneer, Kenwood, Alpine, Sony ect. radio fix the radio lock or would the new radio be locked once installed?

RC4G

Only GM OEM radios will lock once installed a different vehicle. You cannot unlock a GM antitheft lock code with a standard OBD II code reader, you must use a Tech2.

Aftermarket radios have anti-theft locks but they normally involve you configuring a 4-6 digit code. If you forget the code it can only be unlocked by the radio manufacturer.

flyingbunnys

Thanks, I will give the battery disconnect a try. If it doesn't work then I will look to replace the radio, I was planning on replacing it in October so it doesn't make much since to pay to get the old radio working again.


I have been looking at the Kenwood 9904s or 9704s, which are both available for preorder right now.

RC4G

When the screen went out on my OEM nav Bose radio I considered replacing it with the Kenwood 9904S from Dennis at DoubleD Mods but I was able to source a replacement OEM navigation radio from a local Grandsport part-out at a price I just couldn't ignore. I had already decided to purchase a clone Tech2 anyway as I own several GM vehicles and justified the cost on not having to pay the dealer to reprogram remotes alone.

FWIW, losing battery will not cause the TheftLockout on the OEM radio to activate, it only occurs if the unit is powered on in a car with a different VIN than originally programmed for so I don't think this is the case.

Vette_DD

Just remember that a battery reconnect means resetting the window indexing on both doors.

flyingbunnys

This is odd then because the radio hasn't changed. Does this mean there might be some sort of electrical grimlin?

RC4G

The flashing red light should only activate when the ignition is off and indicates that the car's TheftLock system has been activated. If the light is flashing or the radio displays "LOCKED" while the ignition is on the radio needs to be reprogrammed to your VIN (via Tech2).

Page 267 of your manual:
Theft-Deterrent Feature
THEFTLOCK® is designed to discourage theft of your vehicle’s radio. The feature works automatically by learning a portion of the Vehicle Identification Number (VIN). If the radio is moved to a different vehicle, it will not operate and LOCKED will appear on the display.

With THEFTLOCK® activated, the radio will not operate if stolen.
Your radio has a blinking indicator light located on the upper left side of the radio. The indicator light is used to show that the theft-deterrent feature mode is set. The blinking indicator light
will only flash when the ignition is in the off position.