Your Honda stereo is showing CODE and nothing you press makes it play. Nothing is broken. Here is what happened, and how to get it working again today.
Every factory Honda stereo has an anti-theft lock built into it. The moment the radio loses power, it assumes it has been pulled out of the dashboard and shuts itself down until someone proves it is still in the right car.
In practice, the power cut is almost never a theft. It is usually one of these:
The radio has no way of telling the difference. It locks either way.
Depending on the year and the model, the display will be showing one of these:
All of them mean the same thing: the radio wants its five-digit factory code.
This trips people up constantly. If your Honda has a factory navigation screen, the navigation system has its own anti-theft code, completely separate from the radio code. Unlocking one does not unlock the other.
So before you go any further, check which one is actually asking:
For Honda we work from the radio serial number. You do not need your VIN and you do not need your registration documents — just the serial.
There are two places to get it.
Most Hondas from roughly 2001 onward will show you the serial on the display. With the radio switched off, hold down preset button 1 and preset button 6 together, and while holding them turn the ignition to ON.
The display shows an eight-character serial, usually split across two lines — often labelled U and L. Write down both lines. Together they are your serial number.
This does not work on every unit. If nothing appears after a few seconds, use the label instead.
The serial is printed on a white sticker on the top or the side of the radio casing, which means the unit has to come out of the dash to read it. On most Hondas the trim panel around the stereo unclips by hand, and the unit itself is held in by four bolts.
Once you have the serial number, that is all we need. We look up the factory code that was issued for your unit and email it to you.
Current pricing for each option is shown on the Honda order form, where you choose between standard and express and enter your details.
We work seven days a week, around the clock. There is no waiting for an office to open — orders placed at three in the morning are handled the same way as orders placed at midday.
Honda uses a five-digit code, entered on the preset buttons.
Turn the audio system on so COdE is showing in the frequency display, then enter your five digits on the presets. Enter it correctly and the radio starts playing immediately — there is no separate confirm button.
If you mistype, do not start over. Complete the whole five-digit sequence, let it be rejected, then enter the correct code.
You have three attempts before the radio stops accepting entries. After that it must be left switched on for one hour.
Afterwards you will need to set your station presets and the clock again. Those went when the power did.
Too many wrong attempts puts the unit into a timed lockout. It is not damaged and it is not permanent.
Turn the ignition to ON, leave the radio powered up, and leave it alone for one hour. Do not keep pressing buttons — on most units that restarts the timer. After the hour the display returns to CODE and will accept a code again.
Get the code right first time and this never comes up.
Have your radio serial number ready and we will have your code back to you, usually well inside the hour.
Not sure which code you need? Start here.
Seeing exactly CODE and nothing else? Here's what it means →
