Last Updated on: October 6, 2022
Pioneer is a world-leading electronics brand that produces innovative and consumer-driven products.
The company offers several models in its car stereo systems lines with fantastic sound quality and excellent features.
If you have a Pioneer car stereo, this article is for you.
Over time your car radio will develop some minor performance issues, requiring either a simple reset or a factory reset to fix.
In this article, I give you some tips on how to reset a Pioneer radio in a couple of minutes to get it working again.
Why Your Pioneer Stereo May Need Resetting
There are a couple of reasons one might need to reset their Pioneer radio. One of these is that your car battery got disconnected during servicing, causing a loss of power to the radio.
Also, the headset may have bugs in the firmware that cause it to be unresponsive. In both these cases, you’ll need to perform a soft reset to unlock the head unit and get it working again.
On the other hand, other factors may cause you to perform a hard reset on your radio. One of these is if you want to change custom settings afresh, especially if you have added or replaced your car speakers.
Furthermore, it could be that the soft reset did not work as intended, and only a system reset may get your car radio working again.
However, I recommend checking that your car radio installation is correct before you try to reset it, as that could be why it is not working.
How to Reset a Pioneer Stereo
Pioneer has a variety of car stereo models in its product catalog. Unfortunately, there isn’t one reset method that applies to all models, as you would find in other brands.
However, I will share below the various car stereo resetting methods available for different Pioneer car stereos, and you can choose the one that works for your particular model.
Pioneer DEH Model
The Pioneer DEH CD Receivers are popular models with exciting features, such as MIXTRAX technology for seamless music playback.
I outline four easy steps on how to reset Pioneer car stereo DEH receivers like the Pioneer DEH-S4220BT below.
- Locate the SRC button and press it down until the radio goes into Demo Mode. Depending on the model, you can find the SRC button either on the upper left or right side of the Selector button.
- Next, long-press the Selector button until the screen displays the Menu.
- Release and rotate the Selector button to the option labeled Initial. Push the Selector button to select the option.
- Rotate the Selector button again until you get to the System Reset option. Select this option by pushing down the Selector button, and the reset process will commence.
Pioneer AVH Model
The Pioneer AVH car stereo features a resistive touchscreen, Android and iPhone compatibility, MixTrax, Bluetooth, and extra features like SiriusXM Satelite radio.
Resetting a Pioneer touchscreen radio, such as the Pioneer AVH-W4400NEX, is understandably different from other models. However, it is a simple reset process with three steps, which I outline below.
- Look for the Settings icon, reflected as a gear symbol, on your touchscreen and tap on it to open the settings menu.
- The screen will display the Toolkit icon next, usually symbolized by a wrench and screwdriver. Tap on it to open the Toolkit menu.
- Scroll the Toolkit menu until you get to the Restore Settings option. Select this tab and the confirmation notification that comes after to initiate the soft reset process.
Pioneer 2DIN Car Radio
We’ll consider how to reset your Pioneer radio double-DIN models, manufactured from 2020 and beyond, in this section.
DIN is the acronym of Deutsches Institut für Normung, the German Standards Organization that gave us the original car headset standards that we use today.
The DIN standard refers to the headset dimensions, where a double-DIN head unit is twice as tall as a single DIN radio.
The dimensions are standard, allowing car radio manufacturers to produce the same size stereo for use in any car.
The method I describe below works for models in the MVH and FH series, such as the Pioneer MVH-S622BS and Pioneer FH-S520BT receivers.
- The first step is to locate the reset button on the display panel. Unlike the car stereos we’ve looked at above, the Pioneer reset button on a 2DIN stereo is inside a small hole.
- Step two is to get a pointed tool such as a narrow-tipped pen, pin, or a paper clip that can fit inside the pinhole to push the reset button.
- The Pioneer car radio will reset automatically after pushing the reset button with a pointed tool.
Single-DIN Pioneer Car Stereos
While 1DIN car radios have fewer features than the 2DIN varieties, they are still very user-friendly, and the Pioneer models offer an excellent array of features.
This soft reset method is for you if your car has a single DIN Pioneer car radio made in the year 2020 and onwards.
- The first step is to locate the faceplate removal button on the head unit. Unlike the 2DIN models where the reset button is on the display panel, you would have to remove the faceplate for 1DIN models.
- The next step is to locate the small hole with the reset button on the front panel of the radio that is now exposed.
- With a pointed tool, such as a pen or paper clip, insert it in the hole and press the button for about five seconds to reset automatically.
How to Reset a Pioneer Bluetooth Car Stereo
Below are two methods of removing paired devices from your Pioneer Bluetooth car stereo. The first method works for single-DIN head units.
- Step one is to press the Multi-Controller tab to access the Main Menu options.
- Next, set the Multi-Controller to System Settings and select it.
- From the menu display, locate the Bluetooth Settings option and select it.
- Select the Yes prompt to confirm the deletion.
The second method is suitable for touchscreen models.
- Tap on the Settings tab, displayed as a gear icon, on the right-hand corner of the touchscreen.
- Next, select Bluetooth from the Settings menu displayed.
- Then select Bluetooth Memory Clear option from the Bluetooth menu.
- Finally, select the OK prompt that shows up to complete the process.
How to Factory Reset a Pioneer Car Stereo
The factory reset method below shows you how to reset Pioneer car stereo to its factory settings.
One of the reasons to factory restore could be that you have drastically altered the radio settings, and you need to start afresh.
This hard reset method is as easy to execute as the various soft reset methods discussed above.
However, restoring the car stereo to its factory default settings will not bypass the security codes. I recommend checking your car stereo manual to get the codes when required.
- The first step is to switch off your car and pop the hood to access your car battery.
- The next step is disconnecting the negative terminal from the battery post for about 30 seconds using a wrench.
- Disconnecting your Pioneer car stereo temporarily from the car power will erase all your settings and restore factory settings.
- Reconnect the negative terminal to the battery and switch on the car stereo to program your settings afresh.
Pro Auto Thought: You might be surprised to learn this but car amps also have protection modes installed in them. If you experience your amp locking you out, then proceed to our post here and know what to do — How To Bypass Protection Mode On Amp Using Our 3 Proven Tips.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my car stereo not working?
The first thing I would recommend is to check if it is installed correctly, as that is a common problem among users. Also, check if the volume is at the minimum setting, as that may be why you can’t hear any sound. Other issues include a blown-out fuse or the speaker wires being short. These would require a professional to fix.
However, if the car receiver is unresponsive when you use buttons or a touchscreen, you can soft-reset Pioneer radio to resolve these minor issues.
Where is the reset button on a Pioneer car stereo?
If you have a 1DIN car radio, then the reset button is on the front panel after removing the faceplate. On the other hand, for 2DIN car radios, you can find the reset button on the display panel. However, Pioneer has several other models that don’t feature a reset button. For these models, I have outlined helpful details on how you can use the stereo buttons to perform a soft reset.
Conclusion
Your Pioneer car radio will develop minor issues that need fixing at one time or another. Alternatively, you might require to restore factory settings to resolve conflicts with your radio settings.
Whichever the case, knowing how to reset a Pioneer radio is a helpful skill in such situations. Plus, it only takes the average person three to five minutes to reset their car radio with the guidelines above.