Although the error is quite bizarre, they can still adjust the volume.
Some people listen to national public radio, despite the many forms of entertainment available in cars. This is how it is, and there’s nothing wrong.
According to a report from KUOW-FM (a NPR member station in Washington) at 94.9 MHz frequency, however, some Mazda drivers in Seattle have no choice.
According to the radio station, it received reports from Mazda owners in Puget Sound via private messages and social media posts that their infotainment systems were stuck at 94.9.
One 2016 Mazda CX-5 owner reported that his infotainment stopped working after he returned to his car from grocery shopping. After trying to reboot, he discovered that he couldn’t change the volume, not Bluetooth or changing the radio station (which is still at KUOW FM).
Smith stated, “Luckily I am an NPR listener so it’s fine.”
KUOW reports that other Mazda owners with the same model year experience the same infotainment problem.
KUOW reported that service managers at three Mazda dealerships in Seattle have been overwhelmed by calls from owners experiencing the same problem over the past three weeks.
Although it is not clear why this is happening, there are some theories. One reason is the recent rollout of 5G technology for smartphones. Although not all cars have this technology, particularly dates ones, it doesn’t explain why the issue is only affecting Mazda vehicles, and why they are stuck at 94.9.
KUOW reached out to Mazda USA, but they did not respond to a request for comment. The dealers said that replacement parts would arrive within a few weeks. Mazda owners affected by the accident are still able to listen to KUOW-FM.
Here is the official statement of the radio station on the matter:
KUOW has been made aware that there is an issue with our signal and certain Mazda infotainment system signals. This causes radios to restart when they connect to KUOW’s 94.9 FM station. We have reached out to Xperi, who owns the technology behind HD Radio and given them access to our transmitters in order to find the cause. Our operations team is working hard to help them find a quick solution. We are grateful for the help of listeners who alerted KUOW about this issue and provided additional information to assist in the investigation.