Many brands of cars have stereos with an anti-theft radio security code specific to that unit. When power is cut to the stereo (or whole car in this case), the stereo resets and needs the code to operate.
Do you have the original owner’s manuals? Sometimes there is a sticker or someone would write down the radio security code.
Barring that, the dealer is your only option. They don’t have the code, but can contact the factory on your behalf and get the code. The factory charges them money for this access, so it’s not free to them either.
Dattinator
I had this happen to a rental Honda Pilot. I broke out the manual and there was a website I had to visit where I had to punch in the VIN number and the serial number of the head unit. After that I was able to use it.
![Saw this [Porsche 918 spyder] in a car wash](https://www.evshift.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/66fvpi8j45bd1-770x515.jpeg "Saw this [Porsche 918 spyder] in a car wash")
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Many brands of cars have stereos with an anti-theft radio security code specific to that unit. When power is cut to the stereo (or whole car in this case), the stereo resets and needs the code to operate.
Do you have the original owner’s manuals? Sometimes there is a sticker or someone would write down the radio security code.
Barring that, the dealer is your only option. They don’t have the code, but can contact the factory on your behalf and get the code. The factory charges them money for this access, so it’s not free to them either.
I had this happen to a rental Honda Pilot. I broke out the manual and there was a website I had to visit where I had to punch in the VIN number and the serial number of the head unit. After that I was able to use it.