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What To Do If the USB Is Not Working In Car Stereo

Imagine you’re taking a long drive, and your stereo doesn’t produce music like it used to! Well, the USB can be highly responsible for this problem.

There are various reasons why a car’s stereo USB might not work. There could be firmware issues, or the USB port might be damaged. You might even have a faulty USB cable that’s hindering your overall music.

So, to aid you with all the troubles, we’ve shortlisted all the do’s if the USB is not working in your car’s Stereo.

There’re always chances that if you remove and then re-insert the USB device, the issue may be resolved.

However, in some cases, the task may involve more than just getting your USB removed or replaced.

So, here in this section, are some common challenges and fixes for your faulty stereo USB :

1. Wrong USB Port

You may have put the cable into a non-stereo USB port, causing the background music to not play.

Possible Solution: This is a pretty minor problem that can be fixed by locating the USB port dedicated to the stereo system and plugging your USB device or cable into that port. Simply doing this can get your problem solved. 

2. Faulty USB Port or USB cable/device

Having faulty USB cable or port can be quite a common issue that can hinder your stereo from playing music.

That’s not all; the item or cable you are connecting in may have a broken wire or circuit, preventing the system from recognizing it.

Possible Solution:  For the faulty USB port issue, you can try plugging your device into an alternate USB port of the stereo system and the issue should be fixed.

However, if that does not work, then it means your alternate ports are also damaged.

In this case, you need to consult a technician to have a better look at your stereo to identify the “core” problem.

On the flip side, to fix your USB cable or device issue, all you need is to just get a new peripheral that is not faulty!

Faulty USB Port or USB cable or device
Note: Make sure you are using a data cable for your system, not a power cable, because even though they look the same, they have entirely different functionalities.

3. USB port Could be Jammed by Debris

When you open your vehicle’s windows, debris gets into it and sometimes enters your stereo's USB connector.

When this happens, the USB ports get jammed, so the plugged-in device cannot complete the circuit with the USB port. In addition, the USB ports may get tainted and turn out faulty later.

USB port Could be Jammed by Debris

Possible Solution: You can use a blower to blast the dust out of your USB port or a cotton swab and tweezers to remove hidden dirt in the corner. Once cleaned, plug in the cable and check whether or not it works!

4. The Hardware Driver is Outdated

Sometimes, even after you don’t have a faulty USB port or device, the stereo system may still not be playing you the “kind of music” you actually want. The outdated hardware driver can be solely responsible!

Note: Hardware Drivers are a set of instructions that hardware follows to perform a specified task.

Possible Solution: To update the hardware drivers of your stereo system, all you need to do is plug in your car's speakers to your computer. Then, you must search for the specific model’s driver and install it. Once done, your hardware driver is updated and ready to blast music!

5. Plugged-in device is not being recognized by the system

The system may sometimes not recognize the device or cable your plug into your stereo. This could be because the USB device you plugged in might be incorrectly formatted, which is why the system can’t recognize it.

Possible Solution: To resolve this issue, you need to change your USB device’s format to “FAT32.” All you need to do is plug in your USB device to your computer and click on your USB icon. After that, right-click on the USB icon, select the “Format” option and choose “FAT32” as your option and click on “OK”

Some aftermarket stereo systems, such as SONY, require the USB drive to be in “Read-only” or “Player Mode” format to play some tunes.

Another aftermarket stereo system, BOSE, requires resetting the control console of the system when faced with such difficulties. You could also try these methods for your stereo system.

Plugged-in device is not recognized by the system

6. The Speakers Might be Damaged

Maybe this time, it has nothing to do with the USB ports or devices you are plugging. It could be possible for your stereo’s speakers to be damaged or have a malfunctioning circuit for which you cannot blast your favorite music.

Possible Solution: You could try to look into your stereo’s speakers by bringing it out and try to reverse engineer the problem yourself, but that would not be very wise, would it? Therefore, you must call your technician and get it fixed.

The fixes and issues discussed earlier are not brand-specific, and your car's sound system should not experience any difficulties due to them.

If you are having problems of this nature with your stereo system, you would want to give them a shot.

When To Get Experts Help?

If the problem of you not being able to play music still exists after you have tried all of the solutions from the above list, then at this point you should stop attempting to repair it yourself and call customer support so that they can come to your rescue and help you solve the issue.

The solutions that have been discussed thus far are reserved for significant issues that anybody with a basic understanding of the relevant technology can resolve.

If the issue is particularly serious, you should contact customer support since they are the only ones who can correctly identify what the issue is by dismantling your audio system and correcting whatever technological problem has arisen.

Bottom Line

After reading this, we hope you understand what to do if the USB is not working in the car’s stereo. There could be various reasons for the USB not working, for which you might be unable to play some music. However, most of the time, the concerning problems are self-solvable. In rare cases, you might have to get some expert help. So, if you think you need the assistance of a technician, don’t wait!

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