# Mazda radio's stuck on KUOW (seattle NPR station) **URL:** \ **Category:** General Discussion\ **Created:** [February 9, 2022, 5:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376 "2022-02-09T05:30:23Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:30am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/1 "2022-02-09T05:30:23Z")
2014-2017 Mazda’s have had a wierd issue with the infotainment that’s connected to the HD signal from KUOW in Seattle. Mazda has a fix but parts are unavailable at this time > **[You’re listening to KUOW … like it or not: Mysterious glitch has Mazda...](https://www.geekwire.com/2022/youre-listening-to-kuow-like-it-or-not-mysterious-glitch-has-mazda-drivers-stuck-on-public-radio/)** > > Drivers of certain vehicles in Seattle and other parts of Western Washington are shouting at their car radios this week. Not because of any particular song or news item that's being broadcast… ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/2 "2022-02-09T05:41:08Z")
Just start pushing buttons, can’t make it worse I guess. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:46am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/3 "2022-02-09T05:46:01Z")
They’ve tried that, even things like the backup camera and bluetooth don’t work anymore. Mazda Dealers up and down I-5 are dealing with angry customers. ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 1:07pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/4 "2022-02-09T13:07:35Z")
Ah, might be caused by Invaders From Space. ![image](https://global.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/original/3X/a/0/a00e9b459bccf488f81e280dc29a40c041417177.jpeg) ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 2:41pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/5 "2022-02-09T14:41:43Z")
Was CarTalk on the NPR station when it switched? ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:46pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/6 "2022-02-09T16:46:18Z")
It’s a side effect of getting a booster of COVID vaccine. The NPR connection is deliberate. Everyone knows that getting a booster exposes you to a secret sauce that forces you to listen only to NPR. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 4:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/7 "2022-02-09T16:49:33Z")
> [@wentwest](#): > > It’s a side effect of getting a booster of COVID vaccine. The NPR connection is deliberate. Everyone knows that getting a booster exposes you to a secret sauce that forces you to listen only to NPR. In todays climate it’s tough to tell if this is a joke or not. I know a certain group of people who actually believe this. Oh well ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:13pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/8 "2022-02-09T17:13:30Z")
> [@wentwest](#): > > Everyone knows that getting a booster exposes you to a **secret sauce** that forces you to listen only to NPR. No! It’s a microchip, and the interference between Bill Gates’ chip and the Mazda system is causing the problem. 😏 Clearly, the only “fix” is to wear an aluminum foil helmet, and to wrap the entire vehicle in foil. 😄 ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:19pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/9 "2022-02-09T17:19:55Z")
There is a defect in the radio. on my aftermarket radio in my truck, if you disconnect the battery for too long or hit the station reset button by mistake all the stations will be reset to one station. but I do love all the joking answers. OR IS IT THE TRUTH??? LOL ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 5:34pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/10 "2022-02-09T17:34:29Z")
They stopped airing Car Talk years ago, When they did it was only on Saturday mornings, Used to be at the top of the ratings for Seattle/Tacoma radio for news/talk but is well behind Kiro FM which has a signal that reaches much further. ---
**Author:** ![wentwest](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wentwest/32/6073_2.png) [@wentwest](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wentwest)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 9:20pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/11 "2022-02-09T21:20:11Z")
I was worried a little that my snide comment would seem serious, so I added in the “secret sauce” to make it more ridiculous. It’s a commentary on today’s world that people were still uncertain whether I was serious. I was not. Just reaching for an anonymous chuckle. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 9:29pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/12 "2022-02-09T21:29:02Z")
I knew you were being silly but it is hard to tell on a Forum . Unfortunately there are those that just accept everything . There are even people who don’t think the Pillow Guy is nuts. 😲 ---
**Author:** ![weekend-warrior](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/weekend-warrior/32/26122_2.png) [@weekend-warrior](https://community.cartalk.com/u/weekend-warrior)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 9:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/13 "2022-02-09T21:39:19Z")
maybe his MEMORY is FOAM. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [February 9, 2022, 9:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/14 "2022-02-09T21:47:08Z")
… _shredded_ foam, just like in his crappy pillows… ---
**Author:** ![Purebred](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/purebred/32/46796_2.png) [@Purebred](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Purebred)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 12:58am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/15 "2022-02-10T00:58:55Z")
I think the mention of secret sauce indicates a joke! ---
**Author:** ![davepsinbox\_157004](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/73ab20/32.png) [@davepsinbox\_157004](https://community.cartalk.com/u/davepsinbox_157004)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 1:39am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/16 "2022-02-10T01:39:50Z")
I don’t see what the problem is. Everyone should listen to NPR anyway, right? 😉 Seriously, the radio in my Corolla has 10 presets for FM and it stays tuned to KWMU, the local NPR station, 99% of the time. ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/17 "2022-02-10T03:40:02Z")
The problem isn’t as much as the radio’s stuck on one station as the rest of the infotainment system doesn’t work. No Backup camera or bluetooth. They’ve tracked the problem down to a single file that wasn’t saved with an extension. Mazda and the company behind HD radio are working with the station to figure out why a single file would cause the system to reboot at will. From other reports the Mazda dealer’s aren’t finding this quite as amusing. It’s going to cost well over $1,000 per car for the part to fix this. ---
**Author:** ![Barkydog](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/barkydog/32/2470_2.png) [@Barkydog](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Barkydog)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 4:17am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/18 "2022-02-10T04:17:05Z")
One report I read it was due to 5g communication towers, and the inability of older 3g systems to deal with it, ---
**Author:** ![wolyrobb](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/wolyrobb/32/45497_2.png) [@wolyrobb](https://community.cartalk.com/u/wolyrobb)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 4:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/19 "2022-02-10T04:23:51Z")
There was that theory but that’s been ruled out. Jalopnik has a lot more detail. > **[A Weird Radio Glitch Has Mazda Owners Stuck Listening To NPR](https://jalopnik.com/a-weird-radio-glitch-has-mazda-owners-stuck-listening-t-1848506850)** > > Mazda owners in Washington are going to get their money's worth on their NPR pledge. ---
**Author:** ![MikeInNH](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a587f6/32.png) [@MikeInNH](https://community.cartalk.com/u/MikeInNH)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2022, 4:00pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mazda-radios-stuck-on-kuow-seattle-npr-station/182376/20 "2022-02-10T16:00:10Z")
[Here’s a viable solution](https://www.crutchfield.com/g_462350/Apple-CarPlay-Compatible-Receivers.html?tp=72357)