There are several scenarios where your car radio can start asking for the security code, for example, when your car battery dies, temporarily leaving the radio unit without power or when the unit is removed from the vehicle, again temporarily left without power.
When this happens and you power your radio unit back on, the dreaded CODE message appears on screen asking you to enter the 4-digit security pin code to re-activate the car radio.
This can be troublesome leaving many motorists without a car radio if they have lost their security activation code or simply just forgotten where they put it, in this guide we will talk you through how to re-activate your ford car radio for free.
How to find your radio activation code
There are several ways to find or recover your radio activation code, some of which include:
The owner’s manual
Whilst it may sound obvious, the first place we would suggest looking is the vehicle owner’s manual, the owner’s manual should have your 4-digit pin or in some cases a security code card which shows your 4-digit radio pin.
Generally speaking, most owner’s manuals are left in the glovebox of the vehicle, so be sure to check there first.
Radio label
A lot of radio sellers on websites such as eBay write the radio unlock code on the label located on the back, top or side of the radio unit. So, it’s definitely worth checking there as well. You will probably require radio release keys to partly remove the unit and check. These can be bought from websites such as eBay or Amazon for less than $10.
Previous owner
If you purchased the vehicle or radio unit from a previous owner then try contacting them, they may have written down or saved the radio code somewhere when they were the owner so it’s worth asking.
The internet
With the internet has come many technologic advances, one of which is being able to recover your lost radio activation code online.
There are several free and paid options available for users wanting to recover their activation code using the internet, one website that offers a free service is Get My Radio Codes who claim to offer a free service and unlock code via email within 24 hours.
Manufacturer’s website
If all the above steps have failed, check out the manufacture’s website for further guidance on where and how to retrieve your radio activation code.
Alternatively, if the manufacturer’s website doesn’t reveal anything useful, you can always try contacting the vehicle and/or radio manufacturer asking them for further assistance, there are several ways to do this depending on the manufacturer but try phone or email.
Try the local garage/mechanic
It goes without saying, a local car garage or mechanic is a more cost-effective option vs a main dealership, so it may be worth phoning around some of your local garages if all the steps above have failed.
Be sure to get the radio make, model and serial number before contacting your local garages to avoid any confusion or delay’s.
Main dealership
If all the above failed, then try the main dealership. In some situations, a radio unit can become permanently locked after too many failed code entry attempts, when this happens there’s two options, either visit the main dealership or buy a new radio unit.
