Hello everyone, i just bought my first scion, a 2005 tc, and am having some problems with the radio. When i first recieved the car it was on an FM station, but just to see if everything worked i pressed the AM and CD buttons. Everything seemed to be fine, but when i tried to go back to FM the radio would not do anything. I could go from AM to CD, but cannot access the FM stations. I also noticed that i cannot tune stations either. In order to go from station to station on the AM frequency, i must press the scan button until i find the channel i am looking for. Is it just a bad radio, or is there something i can do to revive this thing?

The radio is a stock PIoneer with a single CD player. If anyone would like a picture of it just let me know and i can post one. Thank you all in advance for any help you might be able to give me.

2995 tC ...there out already ?? ...lol jk

i cant say i ever heard of that problem before, but what i would do if i were you would be to disconnect the negative terminal from the battery and leave it off for about 15 minutes, hook it back up and the radio should have reset ( clock and stuff ) that might reset whatever is messed up with it ....thats what i would try first

hope it works out for you

Haha i didn't even know i had put that. Disconnecting the battery might help me, i had to replace the battery because it would not accept a charge, completely dead. I'll leave it off for a few and see what happens. I tried taking the face plate off thinking that maybe the contacts were dirty, but i had no luck there. I will keep you guys informed, thanks for the suggestion.

Ok so as suggested i took the negative off the battery and waited a few minutes. When i put it back on, the radio defaulted to the FM 1 channels. I tried pushing the tune buttons, still no go, and when i push the FM button to go to FM 2, it just stays on FM 1. So i guess that didn't do the trick, but at least i have the FM going haha. Anything else i might be able to try before i am forced to get a new one?

maybe you got a busted radio ? do you know if its still under warranty ? if so, bring it to toyota ...if not ...you can find Stock OEM radios, for 2005 on here for like 40-60 bucks...ill look for you

http://www.scionlife.com/forums/showthread.php?t=170460&highlight=fs+scion+radio

this one is at 100 bucks but im sure you can make him an offer, this is the 2006 one with ipod connection

Pull out the radio (if you haven't already) and check to see that the antennae was plugged back in. Sounds stupid but hey, it's used so you never know...

Pull out the radio (if you haven't already) and check to see that the antennae was plugged back in. Sounds stupid but hey, it's used so you never know...

yea it could be barely connected and dangling ...could explain why you get FM once in a while ..doubt it but worth a try

let me know if you need help on takin out the radio, ive done it so many times i think i can set a national speed record for doing it..lol

Thanks for the reply's guys, and sorry i wasn't able to get back to you until now. I think it might be the radio. I don't have a problem getting any FM channels once it is on FM, but the problem is that the actual FM button does not work. The only reason i am able to get the FM channels now is because as advised i disconnected the battery and then when i reconnected it, it defaulted to FM, (i have not touched it yet haha). So it's definately a problem with the radio, whether it's fixable or not, thats a different story haha.

I have taken the radio out, i took it out to take the face off to see if the connectors were ok, but i didn't have any luck. I guess i'll have to take a look aound and see what i can find. Thanks for the links as well.

i'm thinking one of the buttons might be stuck and is preventing you from selecting stuff properly.

oh ok, that is a good idea, how would i go by checking if that is the case, any ideas?

hit it with a hammer.:rolling: sorry i'm cuban thats the only tool we know how to use.

haha i was tempted to do just that, at least that way i'll know i need a new radio :lol: But on a serious note, do you guys have any suggestions on how to find out if it is a button that might be stuck. But if it is a stuck button why would that affect the FM and tune buttons?

cause it's messing with the radio?

kind of a totally exaggerated analogy.. but say you wanted to change the volume to be higher.. but the volume down button is stuck.. so... it obviously is messing with something..

it'd press a bunch of buttons first to see.. and then take the faceplate apart as a last resort.

You said you just bought it?
I would take it back to wherever you purchased it from and have them replace it for you.

yea did you buy it from a dealer or private party?

i did just buy the car, but i bought it from a private party, they were just trying to get rid of it, it needed some tlc, so i got it for a decent price. I tried pushing all the buttons, but i can't seem to figure out why those buttons won't work. I also took the face plate off, but from what i could see, everything looked ok. I did notice something new today though. When i tried to push the FM button the radio dimmed a little bit, then when i released the button it got a little brighter. So i think that the radio knows i am pushing the button, but it doesn't know what to do? i don't know, i'm so confused haha. I'll have to take it apart again and see if maybe there is a loose wire somewhere maybe.

^^ sounds like you should start tracing the power to the faceplate/circuit board. It dims because the power when you push a button is being drained elsewhere and not actually entering the command it is intended to. Do you have a multimeter? And experience with circuits? First check the mounting of the plate where the faceplate's buttons are into the circuit board. Might be a loose solder joint.

And not to make you sad, but the 05 radios weren't known for their quality. Many, many of them were replaced under warranty. Things like the CD drive dying, radio not working correctly. I'm not surprised to see the buttons have problems on yours. The 06's+ had rotary volume controls and played wma files, plus other things.

If you can't fix it eventually it would be cheaper to get an aftermarket headunit and install kit from a place like Crutchfield.com
I saw some nice ones from Kenwood and Alpine that have usb connections and aux inputs for under $200. wattages were similar to what we already have in the stock headunit

i do have some knowledge with that, but i don't think it is worth my time to be messing around with this radio. I honestly don't like the radio enough, but i mean if it was simple i would have tried to get by with fixing it, this way i could save some money and be able to purchase a better radio. For now i might just go with a used radio, just so i don't have to spend too much on it. I found a radio for $75 from a 2006 tc, a t1807, i would like to get it, but i just want to make sure it will fit, same plugs and all. Also do any of the stock radios come with an aux port built in, to listen to mp3 players?

i do have some knowledge with that, but i don't think it is worth my time to be messing around with this radio. I honestly don't like the radio enough, but i mean if it was simple i would have tried to get by with fixing it, this way i could save some money and be able to purchase a better radio. For now i might just go with a used radio, just so i don't have to spend too much on it. I found a radio for $75 from a 2006 tc, a t1807, i would like to get it, but i just want to make sure it will fit, same plugs and all. Also do any of the stock radios come with an aux port built in, to listen to mp3 players?

yeah i agree that it might not be worth your time to fix it. The 06's are like the 05's sound-wise. The difference is that it will play wma files in addition to mp3, it has a rotary volume control as well. The plugs are identical to the 05 everything is the same. The 06's had volume and up/down buttons on the steering wheel, but you wouldn't use that part so no big deal with the plug

the aux is on the 06, t1807 radio you're looking at, you just need to get the wiring harness that gives you that aux input. so it's not like aftermarket where it's just built into the unit. I know PIE made an aux in for the 05, but when you pay for all that you could've gone aftermarket for the same price. it's like $75 for the PIE adapter.

ok great, thank you for that info, i really appreciate it. So just to make sure there is no aux in input on these radios, but i can buy an adapter for $75? If thats the case, i think i'm just going to throw a used one in for now, then once i have some money saved up i'll buy a radio, and sub.

Not sure if the price i found was good or not, but is $75 for a used 06 T1807 a good price, or should i keep shopping around. I definately want an 06 or higher radio though, because having to push the volume button multiple times is annoying haha.

yeah i think $75 is a good price, considering a new one is $300 (from dealer) for an 06, just make sure the thing works, and listen to the radio to make sure it doesn't have the "ghost tuning radio" which some 06's had. It would randomly change stations on its own.

there is an aux in on the 06, but you need the wiring harness to get that. There is NO aux in on the radio itself.

I'm wondering if the 07's were any good? Didn't want you to get an 06 with that radio problem.