Locked out of your Chevy, GMC, Buick, Cadillac or Pontiac stereo after a battery change? Here's exactly what to do.
If your GM radio is showing LOC, LOCKED or THEFTLOCK and won't play, the stereo's anti-theft system has activated — almost always after a dead or disconnected battery. You'll need your factory unlock code to get it working again. This applies to Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Saturn factory radios.
GM factory radios store a serial number internally or printed on the unit's label. In most cases the correct code can be retrieved from the radio's serial or part number. We'll tell you exactly what we need.
Send us your GM radio serial number (or VIN where applicable) and we'll look up the correct factory code and email it to you. Standard delivery is 30 minutes to 24 hours, 7 days a week. Express is guaranteed within one hour during business hours.
Enter the code using the preset / number buttons as shown in your emailed instructions. If your radio is in a THEFTLOCK wait state, our instructions explain how to clear it first.
We supply factory unlock codes for Chevrolet, GMC, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Oldsmobile and Saturn. Not sure whether your radio is GM-built? Send the serial and we'll confirm. You can also read what THEFTLOCK means, or see our dedicated Chevrolet radio code guide.
We've supplied factory car stereo unlock codes since 1998, with a money-back guarantee if we can't retrieve a working code. Thousands of GM owners have used us to get their radios playing again.
Need help entering it? See the GM input manual.