Stereo issues -LOUD popping, crackling, white noise ---HELP!!!

246435 Views 157 Replies 70 Participants Last post by edwardse100, 9 d ago

JWhite09

Discussion Starter · Mar 17, 2015 (Edited by Moderator)

Buyer's remorse or blue oval blues. My stereo has decided to terrorize me with LOUD popping, crackling, and white noise. In the beginning, my stereo would make a loud pop and then not emit any sound. The display would work, and I could change the stations, inputs, and volume, but no noise would come out of the speakers. I would simply turn the car off and back on and the problem would be resolved. Since then, this gremlin has transformed into a creature from a "Predator" movie. Now when I start my car, the music may play for a couple of seconds and then the loud popping takes over. Whether the volume is on "1" or "10" the noise is just as loud and startling. I would simply turn off the power to the stereo, but this did not seem to alleviate anything. Although not as consistent, the noise seems to intermittently come even if the car is turned off and the key is NOT in the ignition.
As stated, this noise is very loud and startling. It startled me enough that I accidentally jerked the wheel out of reflex while driving down the highway yesterday. Music is a luxury, but having the crap scared out of you by your own car while driving is a GIANT SAFETY ISSUE!!

A little back history on this vehicle: I bought it brand new from a Ford dealer. My last vehicle (Toyota) was completely unreliable and I was excited to have a new, dependable, car with good fuel economy that would bring me peace of mind. Unfortunately, this radio issue is not its only defect. Like many others, I too have been dealing with the transmission issues of it shuttering, grinding, losing power, and killing my MPG.

Is there any hope in Ford rectifying my issues or should this lemon be returned to the farm?[

] Unfortunately, my warranty has expired as I am now at 40,000 miles. One dealer wants $80 just to diagnose the radio issue, while the other wants $120 to do the same. Both stated that the transmission parts are on back order so they can't do anything about it for a while. I have read other threads from people with this radio issue and am wondering if Ford is acknowledging this issue or simply trying to sweep it under the rug and let their loyal customers' wallets take the heat for their shortcomings.

I don't hate Ford, my other Ford vehicles were awesome. But this one has made me lose a lot of hope in their brand and the overall quality of American auto manufacturers' products.

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Amandaponc

· #121 · Jun 16, 2020

JWhite09 said:
Buyer's remorse or blue oval blues. My stereo has decided to terrorize me with LOUD popping, crackling, and white noise. In the beginning my stereo would make a loud pop and then not emit any sound. The display would work, and I could change the stations, inputs, and volume, but no noise would come out of the speakers. I would simply turn the car off and back on and the problem would be resolved. Since, this gremlin has transformed into a creature off a "Predator" movie. Now when I start my car, the music may play for a couple seconds and then the loud popping takes over. Whether the volume is on "1" or "10" the noise is just as loud and startling. I would simply turn off the power to the stereo, but this did not seem to alleviate anything. Although not as consistent, the noise seems to intermittently come even if the car is turned off and the key NOT in the ignition.
As stated, this noise is very loud and startling. It startled me enough that I accidentally jerked the wheel out of reflex while driving down the highway yesterday. Music is a luxury, but having the crap scared out of you by your own car while driving is a GIANT SAFETY ISSUE!!

A little back history on this vehicle: I bought it brand new from a Ford dealer. My last vehicle (Toyota) was completely unreliable and I was excited to have a new, dependable, car with good fuel economy and would bring me peace of mind. Unfortunately, this radio issue is not its only defect. As many others, I too have been dealing with the transmission issues of it shuttering, grinding, losing power, and killing my MPG.

Is there any hope in Ford rectifying my issues or should this lemon be returned to the farm?[] Unfortunately my warranty has expired as I am now at 40,000 miles. One dealer wants $80 just to diagnose the radio issue, while the other wants $120 to do the same. Both stated that the transmission parts are on back order so they can't do anything about it for a while. I have read other threads from people with this radio issue and am wondering if Ford is acknowledging this issue or simply trying to sweep it under the rug and let their loyal customers' wallets take the heat for their shortcomings??

I don't hate Ford, my other Ford vehicles were awesome. But this one has made me lose a lot of hope in their brand and the overall quality of American auto manufacturers' products.

Hey did you ever figure out what was happening to your car or how to fix it? My car is doing the EXACT same thing and it’s driving me nuts. Any advice is appreciated!

Reactions: 1

StLCards

· #122 · Jun 16, 2020

If you are talking about the stereo, mine did stuff like that. The fix was replacing the ACM (aka head unit).

If you go that route you should probably consider aftermarket though imo.

gannaways

· #123 · Jun 20, 2020

My 2011 Fiesta is doing the same thing. Scares me so bad. I am thinking of taking it to Ford next week and just paying them to rip out the radio and hope it solves all my noise problems.

petecities

· #124 · Sep 21, 2020

gannaways said:
My 2011 Fiesta is doing the same thing. Scares me so bad. I am thinking of taking it to Ford next week and just paying them to rip out the radio and hope it solves all my noise problems.

I also have a 2011 Ford Fiesta with this problem. Instead of paying Ford to rip out the radio, you could pull the Fuse for the "Radio, SYNC module", which is in the f10 position. This would disable the radio, but also takes care of the horrible static and popping sounds.

I think in this thread, most people want their radio, so they are willing to do more involved work to rip and replace their current audio control module. I may want to do that in the future, but for now the silence is blissful.

2013 SE Hatch

· #125 · Sep 21, 2020

2013 SE Hatch said:
I'm now 21 months into my 2016 Ebay replacement of my original 2013 radio. I know there was a change to the amplifier/volume circuitry between the 2013 and the 2016 since I now have to crank the volume about 2x to get the same sound level. So Ford definitely changed something in the radio unit in 2016, perhaps to address the radio failures they were probably aware of by then. Perhaps I've missed it, but the issue seems to occur in the 2012-2015 Focus (oh, and Fiesta from a friend of mine.)

OK, after 2 years with the 2016 radio, it's now "popping off". So far it will recover and continue to function after cycling the ignition, and I can still use the Bluetooth after it pops and sound goes off, implying that it's the tuner or logic that's failing.

chelray

· #126 · Nov 4, 2020

Well, I had the same exact issue....I pulled the radio out and unhooked all the connections in the back, I then blew out the radio with compressed air and then used the compressed air on the back of the connectors and the connectors themselves.. I hooked the radio back up and everything is working fine....

FrankT

· #127 · Dec 22, 2020

So I had the same issues as many here. It should have been recalled. I ended up completely disconnecting the CD drive by removing the flat ribbon. It was hard creased in several locations (Not sure if that had anything to do with it). So far I have all functions back from Sync to radio except CD of course. I cannot find a replacement radio for under 200 right now. I read (in this forum somewhere) someone had said it was the CD causing the issue.

Fiesta-baby-Triple

· #128 · Feb 20, 2021

The radio issue is easily fixable with a replacement unit from wrecking yard - in my case $85 (Canadian). Make sure you get the Parts Number of original Head Unit, and to determine whether it has Voice Activation/Sirius XM Satellite etc. There are 20 different variants for Fiestas 2010-2018.

Overall, the car is a very good car. My (2015) is reasonable fit & finish given that the assembly was done in Turkey, and the 3-cylinder 1.0 litre engine with Eco-Boost turbo was built in Cologne, Germany. 5 speed manual is mated to a tall 5th gear for Interstate speed fuel efficiency - in the US, on RON-89 gas, with semi-frequent Lucas Injector lubricant, I get 51-52 mpg at 105-110kph (65-67 mph). Handles decent in Canadian snow. Put 105,000 miles on it in 2-years travelling the southern US and western Canada. 25,000. No major parts yet - synthetic 5W-20 oil/filter, Air Filter every 25,000 miles in dusty Arizona, front bakes discs, pads at 150,000 miles. Two front low-beam halogen light bulbs, and one rear brake light - nice design in that I screw and a catch release, and the entire lamp sense unit pulls out where you can then change bulbs with lamp unit on your knee.

Complete Prestone coolant flush at 100,000 miles as the 3-cylinder has some Ford Cosworth F-1 tech involved - head and block cooled at separate flow rates, head at 21-PSI including liquid-cooled exhaust header. There are 2 water pumps and 2 thermostats to do this. Overall, runs about 90-F hotter than regular 4-cylinder 1.6 engine without turbo, and the small bore turbo spools at 25,000rpm - so coolant is important in this model, and should be fresh every couple of years. Am presently at 240,000 miles and have done front brakes twice, and on original rear drum shoes. Struts and shocks still original on this 2015 model. Every powered driver feature still works properly - P/windows/mirrors, colour select interior lights, brake assist/Hillside assist, ECM full traction control, all digital distance and fuel use metrics, emergency brake cable still tight, 12-V outlets, USB, headphone jack, and GPS compass direction all still work well. Since end of warranty 60,000m/100,000kilometers, the emissions purge vent valve smaller black box under rear trunk has filled somewhat and after refuelling, the vapours of gas are collected in this box but mine is full and when you start ignition, the car sounds as if it won't start - put foot to floor and it will then gain ignition and start because its non-mechanical truly Electronic Direct Injection like a VW Golf diesel. The 1.0-litre option over the 4-banger 1.6 without turbo was $1,100 Canadian. Superb fuel consumption (except it is temperature sensitive, and below 20-F I block front grille with air blanket as small displacement takes awhile to produce good heat). The 1-litre 3-cylinder has way more torque and horsepower than the 1.6-litre 4-cylinder, and is far more fun to drive with a 5-speed manual stick - particularly the coastal mountainous, California Pacific Highway CPH-1. In my case, the only and last Ford product in the family was in an intersection smash up in 1978 - went 40 years driving Japanes and German - then "Have You Driven A FORD lately" came over me when I read about this Euro tech engine design. Really like the car, and mine was purchased used at 101,000-km just off warranty for $6,700 cash. Original price in Canada was $18,400. Great little car. Been Toronto-Miami-Texas-California and back, twice, and many times to Texas and south Florida.

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chelray

· #129 · Mar 25, 2021

Welp, I posted around 5 months ago that I took the radio out and blew it out with compressed air and put it back in and it started working. Well it worked for about 3 months and then the radio started the LOUD popping again and then after a day or two of that, it finally just wouldnt turn on anymore. After a couple of weeks, I just removed the radio. Finally, after driving with no radio for a month, I broke down and ordered a replacement from FORD. It was $245 tax and all. It took 3 days to get here, so at least shipping was good. Anyways, I hooked up the new radio and BOOM, everything is working PERFECT. No issues now at all. I just cant believe that a radio would fail like it did and make those horrible loud cracking noises, but leave it up to FORD. I now have my focus paid off so Im going to drive it till the wheels fall off. After that I will get another car, BUT you better believe it will NOT be a FORD!!!!!!!

2013 SE Hatch

· #130 · Mar 25, 2021

2013 SE Hatch said:
OK, after 2 years with the 2016 radio, it's now "popping off". So far it will recover and continue to function after cycling the ignition, and I can still use the Bluetooth after it pops and sound goes off, implying that it's the tuner or logic that's failing.

New 2016 radio in my 2013 finally failed completely during a longer trip. Cracking, popping, non-responsive etc. I broke out the T20 & T15 to remove and take the bottom off (screws holding amps to chassis must be loosened to remove circuit card.) Anyway, I looked, nothing exciting other than the card is less wide and the chassis was redesigned. I removed the CD player, not because I think it'll help as it made no difference with the original radio, but because I'll never use it.

I reassembled it, making sure everything is tight and the tabs that snap on to complete the grounding of the chassis were clean to ensure a good connection. The interference and relation to the location of my cell phone make me suspicious about radio interference since the radio is always on.

We'll see how it goes. It always works for a while after being removed from the car power. It's like a computer or router that needs to be "reset" every once in a while. The problem seems to be in the digital control circuitry since it can't even be turned off at times when it's acting up (and other weird behavior.)

It's been 3 weeks since I did the remove and replace, it's worked perfectly, even on an all day trip. We'll see how long it lasts this time. if it fails again I'm going to do what I did with the previous radio and just put an on/off switch to disconnect the power from the radio when I leave the car. This will allow the radio to work indefinitely...

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Anita Jacobs

· #131 · Apr 18, 2021

JWhite09 said:
Buyer's remorse or blue oval blues. My stereo has decided to terrorize me with LOUD popping, crackling, and white noise. In the beginning my stereo would make a loud pop and then not emit any sound. The display would work, and I could change the stations, inputs, and volume, but no noise would come out of the speakers. I would simply turn the car off and back on and the problem would be resolved. Since, this gremlin has transformed into a creature off a "Predator" movie. Now when I start my car, the music may play for a couple seconds and then the loud popping takes over. Whether the volume is on "1" or "10" the noise is just as loud and startling. I would simply turn off the power to the stereo, but this did not seem to alleviate anything. Although not as consistent, the noise seems to intermittently come even if the car is turned off and the key NOT in the ignition.
As stated, this noise is very loud and startling. It startled me enough that I accidentally jerked the wheel out of reflex while driving down the highway yesterday. Music is a luxury, but having the crap scared out of you by your own car while driving is a GIANT SAFETY ISSUE!!

A little back history on this vehicle: I bought it brand new from a Ford dealer. My last vehicle (Toyota) was completely unreliable and I was excited to have a new, dependable, car with good fuel economy and would bring me peace of mind. Unfortunately, this radio issue is not its only defect. As many others, I too have been dealing with the transmission issues of it shuttering, grinding, losing power, and killing my MPG.

Is there any hope in Ford rectifying my issues or should this lemon be returned to the farm?[] Unfortunately my warranty has expired as I am now at 40,000 miles. One dealer wants $80 just to diagnose the radio issue, while the other wants $120 to do the same. Both stated that the transmission parts are on back order so they can't do anything about it for a while. I have read other threads from people with this radio issue and am wondering if Ford is acknowledging this issue or simply trying to sweep it under the rug and let their loyal customers' wallets take the heat for their shortcomings??

I don't hate Ford, my other Ford vehicles were awesome. But this one has made me lose a lot of hope in their brand and the overall quality of American auto manufacturers' products.

JWhite09 said:
Freemind------ I appreciate the quick response.

The thought crossed my mind as far as connections and shorts in speaker wires. I'm not an electrical/wiring guru, so please correct me if I am wrong in my school of thought here. I would think that if that was the case, I would not have the loud noises if the radio was turned off. The car can be locked and completely turned off, I pull my keys out, unlock it and open the passenger door and the noises start. I would not think that a lose connection or short would cause this as no signal is being sent to the speakers. No music, no parking sensors, and no door ajar beepers as I used the passenger door instead of the drivers and did not put the keys in the ignition.

Like I said, please correct me if my logic is wrong here. That's why I opted to post a thread---- for constructive criticism and help.

If you figure it out please Post a update. What it was and how you did it and what you did where you did it. I as well am having same issues

Reactions: 1

Anita Jacobs

· #132 · Apr 18, 2021

I was going down the road in springfield missouri and people looking at me glaring and I'm like what? It's not my choice to listen to this either at stop light and windows up it was startling and embarrassing. Last night i went out open door to get my drink after couple hours of it parked no keys not running and it decided to start static and crackle and thump at me loud as it could I heard it with door shut window up inside of my home and neighbors called the cops on me for Peace disturbing at 9:45 at night Saturday.. thank God it did it again when the officer was here and he went over tell the nagging neighbor it wasn't me or intentionally she said it is every day and night so unbeknownst to me it goes off all the time my son has decided to take it upon his self to be Smart 🤓 pants told the lady she just jelious his mom has top secret transformer car and then she slammed the door on the cop. Funny but not really 😅 I'm ready to kill the "Transformers" in my radio
Replacing radio and fuse and speakers hoping for a fix.

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Beastdro

· #133 · Apr 20, 2021

kxweil38 said:
Same issue has happened with me. Lasr year it happened twice. First time was at a gas station. All of the speakers and the sub-woofer started to make a loud thumping sound. Doors were closed and the vehicle was not running. Took it to the dealer and they re-loaded the software. Had not happened until about two weeks ago when it did the same thing and scared my wife, who had no idea what was going on.

My mother has a Ford fiesta and it is doing the same damn thing. It started about a month ago and it went away after I punched the radio LOL but then 2 days ago when I was driving down to Cape cod it decided to come back with a vengeance and wouldn't stop for the whole 2-hour ride there in 2 hours back. I've checked the door connectors I've googled it I can't find much about it. I lifted up the faceplate to the radio and checked all the wires and nothing's loose. All that seems to stop it briefly is a quick punch on the radio it drives me crazy. I even unplugged the connector to the volume on the radio and it still does it. Does anyone have any fixes for this

Beastdro

· #134 · Apr 20, 2021

JWhite09 said:
I Give Up

Well everyone, here's the update after this morning's diagnosis with the local Ford dealer:
There is three different control modules tied into the audio system. One of these modules may be bad, but they don't know if or which one. They believe that there is a short or broken wire in the wiring harness that connects these 3 control modules. They do not know where the issue is with the wiring harness and it would be cheaper to replace it than to strip the car and search for the problem.
The bad news: Since there are deer dents on the driver's side, they are placing the liability of the wiring harness on me[nutkick]. I think its funny that the deer dents happened when the car was brand new and still had factory oil in its veins in 2012, but the problem has only started here recently. Also odd that many others on different forums have stated the EXACT same issues as me, but have no cosmetic flaws. They quoted me $1,596.95 to just to replace the wiring harness ---which may lead them to a bad control module as well. They recommended that I turn it into my insurance company.

All in all, I'm at a loss for words.[dunno] This was the first vehicle that I have ever bought new off the lot, yet it has been the biggest nightmare.[?|] I was super excited for the release of the new Bronco's as I have always had a soft spot for them, but will never allow myself buy another "Fix Or Repair Daily." I will also strongly recommend any shoppers to stay away from the blue oval (especially the Focus).

I thank everyone on here that has tried to help me and brought different ideas to the table. Freemind: thanks a million; you picked up my thread quick and were very helpful in getting me in front of the right people. And Meagan: you are a sweetie and I very much appreciate your time and assistance in trying to get Ford to rectify their design flaws. It was a heck of a try, but it looks like Ford is sweeping this one under the rug. [V]

Wow that is ridiculous $1,600 for a radio issue? Those dealerships really are something else I find they always tend to take advantage of the person at least all of the ones I've ever dealt with. Not just Ford but Dodge and Lexus. I'm just going to have to pull the unit out myself and check the wires

Beastdro

· #135 · Apr 20, 2021

slock7 said:
Ok check this out the noise was driving me crazy I found the fuse it was under the glove box third row / third fuse up 15 amp I pulled it out so I wouldn't have to listen to the noise when I got home I watched a YouTube video on how to remove the stereo it's very simple I remove the stereo and then took the top off of the stereo there is a flat ribbon cable that goes from the stereo to the CD player I unhooked it and plugged it back in I blew the stereo out with air I blew all of the plugins out with air by blowing on them I hooked everything back up put the fuse in and everything has been working fine. It all started almost a year ago the stereo would make a loud pop and just go off I could turn the key off and back on and the stereo would be fine for a long time it started getting more frequent then eventually it started making loud noise through the speakers even with the stereo off and even with the key out of the car I hope that it was just some kind of loose connection what made me think this was when the noise would blast through my speakers as I was driving it made me so mad I could beat on my dash and it would quit hope this helps oh and by the way when you take the top off of the stereo itself watch the Edge they are very sharp I sliced my finger open you will need a Torx 10 and a Torx 20 and a small flat head screwdriver just to pray the bottom panel off to get to screws

That's exactly what I've been doing punching the radio of my mother's Ford fiesta. I was having the same crackle Pop hissing aggravating noise and then I punched the dashboard and it went away for about a month but it just came back with a vengeance about 2 days ago. It even does it after I've shut the vehicle off and open the door to get out it was doing it as well. I'm going to have to pull the dash plate off and see what I got going on inside. I know that some of the plastic clips have broken off from me striking it repeatedly that sound draws rage from me for some reason I can't help it but bash the **** out of it!!

Beastdro

· #136 · Apr 20, 2021

silenthill said:
There seem to be two threads on this same issue. Is this the sound you're getting?:

I have an appointment this week for my car. We'll see what happens.

That's the sound that enrages me and my mother's Ford fiesta 2014.. the sound makes me react by striking the dash repeatedly until it stops. What did the dealership say?

2013 SE Hatch

· #137 · Apr 21, 2021

Now the original 2013 radio and 2016 replacement radios won't work no matter what I do. They're toast and I'm tired of playing games to get them to work temporarily. Looks like I'm going to grab an aftermarket unit.

Beastdro

· #138 · Apr 21, 2021

Sorry to hear that. That sucks. I'm hoping that's not going to be the case for my mother's car. The noise that it produces with the high-pitched sounds and the crackling sends me into a rage. I don't know what it is about that sound but it it triggers a reaction for me to strike and it stops it sometimes for a couple minutes but it's right back to it forcing me to strike it repeatedly again

2013 SE Hatch

· #139 · Apr 21, 2021

Oh, believe me it drives me into a rage too - especially when I'm embarking on a 40 mile drive and it decides it's going to play "torture music" the entire trip. Now I keep the correct (T20?) tool in the glove box and remove the cover and unplug the radio while I'm driving (yes, I've gotten so good at it that I can R & R the radio while on the highway!

Oh, and removing the cover inevitably activates the rear-wiper switch. I've had the radio out so many times that I think I've activated the rear wipers at least 100 times.

Wrenchandarattle

· #140 · Jun 10, 2021

Fordwinneys said:
Any resolution to this? I am so lucky to be driving this pile of junk and it is a leased car that my employer pays for, because now I know that I will never buy a Ford and I make sure to tell everyone I know what garbage these cars are. History:

failed valve somewhere in the fuel delivery system resulted in the fuel tank getting bent out of shape and collapsing on itself since the pressure getting pulled out of it was too much

passenger window stopped working

transmission failed and got replaced

ghost stereo torture sounds even when it's off

recall on door handles, apparently your door could open on its own while you driving

Who makes these cars? Monkeys? Ford will soon be history at this pace.

My focus was the first car I ever bought new and I have never had this many problems with any used vehicle I've ever owned.
In addition to the dozen plus recalls i have also run into this unbelievable list of issues;
- TCM repair 4 times now -Front driver side window stopped working but motor and switch both operational -Rear driver side window will only roll down 1.5 inches. -had to pull fuse for radio due to ghost speaker problem that nearly endured heart attacks and or car crashes more than once- I am on my 3rd clutch/clutch assembly thanks to the geniuses at Ford deciding on a dual dry clutch system and they honestly shit the bed on this one in every way. First time it happened they said it was the clutch assembly and not the clutch itself and wasn't covered under warranty (happened at 38k miles) 2nd time it happened they switched up their lies and said it was the clutch itself not the clutch assembly so it wasn't covered (this was at 54k miles) then happened again at 100,004 miles and they said it wasn't want covered under the warranty. I did end up getting reimbursed for the first 2 but my initial out of pocket costs for these 3 repairs was over $7k and each time it took between 2.5 and 5 weeks for them to "have the time" to do said repairs. - recurring issue with vacuum gas system that sticks and doesn't seal properly so after filling up you have to rev the engine or it will bog out and die. -Y hose bringing coolant from engine to radiator has blown twice -usb/cigarette lighter port fuses are constantly blowing and finally 6 times now I have had to have the key/s re coded bc the computer just randomly wouldn't recognize the key any longer with no explanation and of course, I was charged between $150-$275 every single time depending on if I just had the current key coded or just got an entirely new key which didn't fix the issue. Unbelievably disappointed in this vehicle. My 1992 Buick that I bought for $900 in 2008 and lasted me 6 more years had one repair in that time to replace a wheel bearing. I miss that boat

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