2002 jetta radio stopped working

[lizbe315]

i recently purchased a 2002 jetta 1.8t. it only has about 24,000 miles on it. i drove about 11 miles to the store listening to a CD the whole way. i drove back home again listening to a CD the whole time. i shut the car off and was only there about 5 minutes while i picked up a few things. when i started the car again and drove off the stereo wouldn't turn on. i drove around for almost an hour thinking it was some kind of anti-theft thing that would clear itself up, although i didn't do anything out of the ordinary. i looked in the owner's manual, but there's no info on this. i called the dealership and they had no answers, but told me to bring it in. i've only had the car 2 weeks. is this gonna happen every 2 weeks? or every 24,000 miles? i would appreciate any info. thanks.

[boschmann]

Did the radio go blank with only the theft light blinking? If so, it's a common problem, VW knows about it. Sometimes disconnecting the battery can reset the problem, but it will usually happen again (besides disconnecting the battery can also cause other problems). The car should still be under warranty, I'd just have VW replace the unit.

[lizbe315]

yes, that's what happened. by disconnecting the battery, do you mean all wires or just one? what problems can that cause? i wouldn't be surprised if that's the most the dealership will do for me anyway. do you know what causes this problem?

[boschmann]

From what I understand it's an internal software issue. Veedubmechanic may be able to add some input. I know some dealerships have been replacing them.