2009 Forester Navigation System Dead

[John W]

I bought a 2009 one-owner limited Forester for my daughter at a large dealership. All indications are it was exceedingly well taken care of. Nothing is missing, mint, all keys, floormats x2, manuals etc. Near the end of negotiations they dropped the price another $500 because the stereo/navigation system wasn't working and their techs 'were too busy to get to it.' SO, it's dead, blank, powerless in all aspects. I've been online for two days and am amazed I can't get an answer of any kind by googling "2009 Forester Navigation System Dead" and EVERY variation of those keywords. It's the factory head unit, and I have the little dog tags with security codes. Called the local Subaru dealership (not where I bought it) and will have to make an appointment, which is fine, but I couldn't get any specifics. I mean, it's gotta be something they know what the deal is, but they weren't going to say. Anyone know how I can get the unit up and working? Did disconnecting the battery at the dealership cause this? Should I just get a 2016 stereo installed and forget about it?  I'm a tired old man at this point, first time to this forum. Thanks! 

[gbhrps]

Joe W,

 

I feel your pain, but before you pull your hair out there are a few things to try and consider.

 

It may be something very simple as a blown fuse. Dig through the fuse panels (all of them) looking for any that refers to the radio, nav, or communications. Pull them, test them and replace them. You might get lucky.

 

Then, if necessary, pull the unit from the console/dash to get at its wiring harness connectors to the back of the head unit. Download the service manual for the car (its free) and check the wiring diagrams section for the 12 volt power wire and ground connections wire and test them with a continuity test (basically a transparent handled sharp pointed screwdriver like device that lights when 12 volts crosses both the point and its wired pigtail). If no power gets to the unit, no worky. Find the break in the wiring.

 

The electrical section of the manual will also give the flow chart for troubleshooting the unit.

 

Use this link to the manual in PDF format that is a 10 minute download:    http://jdmfsm.info/Auto/Japan/Subaru/     then find Forester and year and download.

 

Frequently the ribbon cable that connects the display/touch screen to these head units units can come loose, and removing and  reattaching it fixes the issue. That is if you're a tinkerer type who likes to delve into these kinds of things. I've got lucky over the years and fixed all kinds of items like this, sometimes I didn't. Worth a try if its going to be junked anyway.

 

You can always swap the entire head unit for a used one from a wreck, or simply just replace it with the next lower down radio that Subaru put in that year, or even swap everything for an aftermarket nav/radio from Sony/Alpine/Kenwood/etc.  Good Luck!

[John W]

Thanks for the advice, though it's not the quick fix I'm hoping for. I had the fuses checked by my friend the mechanic after I did the same, all good. There is advice online about other electrical problems/fixes with Subarus, and a bunch of them say to 'disconnect the negative battery terminal, wait 30 minutes, reconnect it, put the key in and turn it to the first stop, wait 30 seconds, then turn over the car.' For many it's been the amazing Voila! fix for their problems with idling and stalling etc, which all started when the battery was replaced or jumped. I know the battery was disconnected by the dealership to do the engine cleaning on this car. I don't have the time or energy to pull the unit out and troubleshoot etc, so it looks like I'll try disconnecting the battery and see what happens before I keep the appointment next week at the Subaru dealership to get the thing going. Thanks again for taking the time to make your suggestions!

[gbhrps]

John W,

 

I had one more thought after I made my first post. I have seen internal fuses inside the circuit boards of these critters in the past. If you should get adventurous, there is the possibility that either a glass fuse is in a holder on a circuit board (have to open the case to get to it in most cases), and I have seen where a bladed mini fuse is visible and just inserted into the rear of the radio/nav head unit.