Radio turning on by itself

Danger_Mouse

Hi,

My car radio has been turning itself on randomly and draining my battery, anyone have any ideas what the issue could be?

Its an 09 plate ford focus zetec s

DUTR

How do you know this?
Perhaps it's just a duff battery and requires replacement.

Ebe_Scrooge

If you're sure it's the radio then I'd suspect a dodgy connection in the switching circuit. But far more common ( at least in my experience ) is an interior light being left on, usually due to a faulty switch. Boot lights are the worst culprit, as you usually can't actually see that it's left on. This is where bribing a small child ( preferably your own ! ) with sweets can help - get them to climb into the boot, shut the lid, and get them to see if the light goes out. If you're feeling charitable, you can let them out again after just a few seconds :rotfl:

Danger_Mouse

Hi, I was walking past the car and could hear the radio blaring out. Tried to turn it off a couple of times and came back on. Thought I'd finally turned it off but obviously not

Only had a new battery about 4 months ago

Jackmydad

Possibly water getting in somewhere behind the dash. Could be a blocked drainhole somewhere.

almillar

What's the power switch on the stereo like - is it worn or dirty (on the inside)? - even if the switch was dodgy and causing it to turn on, I'd imagine a half modern car like this would only allow the stereo to stay on for, say, 15 mins, and automatically switch it off.
It could be a complex wiring issue but try this very simple one - when you leave the car, switch the stereo off manually, instead of just letting it switch itself off when you cut the ignition or open the door. It's a workaround, not a fix, but it's free and easy...

reeac

You can buy special builders' radios which I believe don't have an on/off switch. Perhaps someone's substituted one of them.

Strider590

Experience tells me that this is more than likely a dodgy switch caused by someone spilling liquid all over it.
I dare say there are nearby cup holders or an area above where drinks/etc area placed.

facade

The radio in my old vectra used to do this. Vauxhall used some daft system that you could switch it on without the keys in by pressing the on switch. Taking the dog for a walk, it always seemed to be playing when I walked past the car, despite it being off when I locked up.

As above, was probably damp inside the switch. I just swapped the radio for another one, and never had any more trouble.

interstellaflyer

Christine reincarnated :eek: