I have a 2008 Prius.. All has been great except for the radio lately. In the last few weeks the radio will all of a sudden go into an uncontrollable loud static blast. I have to turn off the power to the radio in order to stop it. It continues as long as the car is running. Once turned off the radio is fine until the blast happens again. I have replaced the radio on warranty, but it still has the problem. I also have an external XM Radio attached, but I don't think that's the problem... Any suggestions as to what's wrong?
Does it happen if you disconnect the external XM radio? If it does, then you know what is causing the static. When this happens, are you on AM or FM? Is the radio a JBL system radio? A little more info would be helpful...
The problem happens when the XM radio is off also. The radio is on..it happens. The problem occurs in AM and FM. Had the radio replaced with a new one. This problem didn't happen for two years since we purchased the Prius and XM external. I haven't disconnected the XM radio to see what happens... Had a new one recently put in and told the people at Best Buy of the problem. They couldn't figure it out either.It is a JBL system. Could it be the external XM causing the problem? I guess the only way to find out is disconnect. Thanks and any more suggestions you have will be helpful.
There are antenna amplifiers in the roof near the antenna. If the amplifier(s) go bad, it will cause static. I had that problem with my 04, but it was just on AM.
The JBL system uses an external amplifier which is located under the passenger seat. If they have already replaced the head unit, then it's possible this is the cause. It's also possible this could be caused by the MFD, as faulty signaling over the AVCLAN could tell the radio to do something strange. Have you noticed any other anomalies on the MFD?
Just an idea- my niece had similar problem with a Grand Am. Drove us nuts. Ended up the volume up button was worn out on steering wheel. It was stuck on. We put some WD-40 in the button and worked for a little bit, until we could get a replacement.
