Audio Keeps Popping / Cutting Out Randomly

[jfol]

How has this solution held up since you last posted? Are you still cutout and crackle free? My car is doing it right now and I originally tried to have the dealership look at it but they said that it falls under radio/infotainment warranty which conveniently expired 1 month before I bought the car and I didn't want to pay $1000 right out of the gate to get my stereo working.

Still crackle and pop and cut out free. Have you had time to pull the coils and see if they looked like mine?

 

[jfol]

It’s still working. Cutout and crackle free since the day they were all replaced. I would recommend buying the 20 bucks worth of tools to remove the coils yourself and see if they looked like mine did.

 

[Knowa]

It’s still working. Cutout and crackle free since the day they were all replaced. I would recommend buying the 20 bucks worth of tools to remove the coils yourself and see if they looked like mine did.

I have the tools to do it, I was just curious if the fix held up for you. Once you pull the coils out do they just pull apart or do I need I need to like pry them open? Sorry, I haven't ever taken them apart before

 

[jfol]

I have the tools to do it, I was just curious if the fix held up for you. Once you pull the coils out do they just pull apart or do I need I need to like pry them open? Sorry, I haven't ever taken them apart before

Ok good. You’ll need to pry a little bit but you shouldn’t have to work too hard at it. Rubber just fits into grooves on the hard plastic parts. Without prying, you can look up into the boot and see the spring and that will most likely tell you if anything is rusted. It took me some time the first time doing it but I was being extra careful and dropped my socket. Spent a good 20 mins or so trying to fish that out. Could pull, crack them open, take pics, and put them back into the car in about 30 mins.

 

[Knowa]

Ok good. You’ll need to pry a little bit but you shouldn’t have to work too hard at it. Rubber just fits into grooves on the hard plastic parts. Without prying, you can look up into the boot and see the spring and that will most likely tell you if anything is rusted. It took me some time the first time doing it but I was being extra careful and dropped my socket. Spent a good 20 mins or so trying to fish that out. Could pull, crack them open, take pics, and put them back into the car in about 30 mins.

Got a chance to look at them today. #2, 3, and 5 are all rusted to shit while 1, 4, and 6 look like they just came off the assembly line. I took a couple pics of the corroded one and some pics of the good looking ones. Guess I need to give the dealership a call.

Any advice on talking to them to make sure they warranty it? I have a feeling they're gonna do the old dip and twirl and try everything they can to dodge a claim.

 

[jfol]

Got a chance to look at them today. #2, 3, and 5 are all rusted to shit while 1, 4, and 6 look like they just came off the assembly line. I took a couple pics of the corroded one and some pics of the good looking ones. Guess I need to give the dealership a call.

Any advice on talking to them to make sure they warranty it? I have a feeling they're gonna do the old dip and twirl and try everything they can to dodge a claim.

I would ask them to pull the coils and take a look at them. They’re electrical components that should not have rust on them. See if you can get them to pull and physically examine the coils. Explain to them your issue, what you’ve researched, and ask them investigate. You can explain to them your issue, reference this thread and my case number listed above with the Kia customer service line. If they say “everything’s good” then show your pictures and ask them to explain how having rust and corrosion on electrical components is good and not a sign of a faulty product. My dealer had some whole process where they were testing misfires and timings and that wasn’t the case so it didn’t show anything wrong with the “ignition system”. They shouldn’t need to do the test but if they do, you can get the car to throw a code by pulling a coil and start your car for a second. It’ll sound like shit and throw a code and they can look at it from there. I ended up doing that with every single bad coil pack on mine before I brought it back for the last time and they finally fixed it… lots of hassle but worth it in the end.

It still doesn’t make much sense to me how the coils can cause the radio interference and snapping and popping but it definitely fixed it for me. The service manager and techs that had been working on my car were all pretty shocked when they tried replacing the coils and it fixed the audio system.

 

[RedCal]

It still doesn’t make much sense to me how the coils can cause the radio interference and snapping and popping but it definitely fixed it for me. The service manager and techs that had been working on my car were all pretty shocked when they tried replacing the coils and it fixed the audio system.

Bad electrical & arcing will kickoff a lot a radio frequency interference, and so you got to hear the problem.

 

[Knowa]

So I took it in and on the day I dropped it off they told me they didn't see any corrosion on the coils, they didn't experience the radio issue at all and they didn't see any misfires on their scanner. He said he would drive it one more day and see if he noticed anything and that I should send those pics in to the technicians email so that they can pull the coils and check them. I sent him the pics of the obviously corroded coils and now today they said that they are ordering a new coil for it and some recall part but still didn't experience any misfires and didn't experience the radio issue at all.

I am not sure if i'm just going crazy or if they are just not doing their jobs. It's impossible to go on a 5 minute drive and not experience the radio issue dozens of times and my handheld reader reads 100-200 misfires over a 20-30 minute drive. Is it possible my scanner just isn't accurate? I would figure with that many misfires I would get a CEL but I haven't gotten anything so far.

I would ask them to pull the coils and take a look at them. They’re electrical components that should not have rust on them. See if you can get them to pull and physically examine the coils. Explain to them your issue, what you’ve researched, and ask them investigate. You can explain to them your issue, reference this thread and my case number listed above with the Kia customer service line. If they say “everything’s good” then show your pictures and ask them to explain how having rust and corrosion on electrical components is good and not a sign of a faulty product. My dealer had some whole process where they were testing misfires and timings and that wasn’t the case so it didn’t show anything wrong with the “ignition system”. They shouldn’t need to do the test but if they do, you can get the car to throw a code by pulling a coil and start your car for a second. It’ll sound like shit and throw a code and they can look at it from there. I ended up doing that with every single bad coil pack on mine before I brought it back for the last time and they finally fixed it… lots of hassle but worth it in the end.

It still doesn’t make much sense to me how the coils can cause the radio interference and snapping and popping but it definitely fixed it for me. The service manager and techs that had been working on my car were all pretty shocked when they tried replacing the coils and it fixed the audio system.

 

[jfol]

So I took it in and on the day I dropped it off they told me they didn't see any corrosion on the coils, they didn't experience the radio issue at all and they didn't see any misfires on their scanner. He said he would drive it one more day and see if he noticed anything and that I should send those pics in to the technicians email so that they can pull the coils and check them. I sent him the pics of the obviously corroded coils and now today they said that they are ordering a new coil for it and some recall part but still didn't experience any misfires and didn't experience the radio issue at all.

I am not sure if i'm just going crazy or if they are just not doing their jobs. It's impossible to go on a 5 minute drive and not experience the radio issue dozens of times and my handheld reader reads 100-200 misfires over a 20-30 minute drive. Is it possible my scanner just isn't accurate? I would figure with that many misfires I would get a CEL but I haven't gotten anything so far.

I was using a blue driver handheld scanner and was getting about the same as you. The audio issue was driving me wild though. If they replace the corroded coils I can almost bet with 100% certainty it will fix your audio issue. I haven’t done the blue driver since it’s been fixed but I might and compare the two.

 

[MerlintheMad]

So I took it in and on the day I dropped it off they told me they didn't see any corrosion on the coils, they didn't experience the radio issue at all and they didn't see any misfires on their scanner. He said he would drive it one more day and see if he noticed anything and that I should send those pics in to the technicians email so that they can pull the coils and check them. I sent him the pics of the obviously corroded coils and now today they said that they are ordering a new coil for it and some recall part but still didn't experience any misfires and didn't experience the radio issue at all.

I am not sure if i'm just going crazy or if they are just not doing their jobs. It's impossible to go on a 5 minute drive and not experience the radio issue dozens of times and my handheld reader reads 100-200 misfires over a 20-30 minute drive. Is it possible my scanner just isn't accurate? I would figure with that many misfires I would get a CEL but I haven't gotten anything so far.

Why haven't you insisted on going for a drive together? You're sure, and they are in denial. "Hear that??" And again and again: you'll know if they are up to shenanigans if they deny what you clearly hear in their presence. If they make excuses to not go driving together, that is shenanigans too.

 

[Knowa]

Why haven't you insisted on going for a drive together? You're sure, and they are in denial. "Hear that??" And again and again: you'll know if they are up to shenanigans if they deny what you clearly hear in their presence. If they make excuses to not go driving together, that is shenanigans too.

I haven't had a chance to because their hours conflict with my work schedule and I am just too busy to take a day off for my car right now. I am picking the car up today after work and as soon as I get in the car and it inevitably happens, I am going to convince them to sit down and listen and show them my scanner after a 30 second drive.

 

[JP28]

The only reason they finally fixed my radio was because my plug went bad. Had 10k on the car. Bad plugs are where the interference is coming from. Factory plugs are worthless as you can see from the pictured in this thread. I took it in three times and they couldn't duplicate it and I had given up. Then one day for some reason I'll never figure out I filled up with 87 at the pump. Have had two stingers since april 2020 and have never put anything but 93 in lol all I have are injen intakes but for some reason it completely fried everything. I took it in and they replaced them all and my radio has worked flawlessly since. They called and asked if had added boost to the car which I obviously hadn't. Zero knowledge on Stingers out there smh

My dealership is an hour away. The day I went and picked it up I had made it almost all the way home and then the check engine light came back on and I lost all power and it started running like shit again. Had to take it all the way back. Turns out they just swapped them instead of actually doing their job. They don't get paid for warranty work they do whatever they can to get your car out of the garage. Was a massive annoying ordeal but my radio has been fine ever since. They had my car a week. If you have a cool dealer cherish it.

 

[legbuh]

Has anyone tried to clean the rusted coils and maybe coat them with some dielectric grease? I still haven't taken the time to check mine out, but I can say the popping isn't getting better... it may be getting worse.

 

[legbuh]

Wow.. I went out to check a couple and I can barely see how to get out one without major dismantling of a lot of turbo lines, wires, etc.. hints?

 

[legbuh]

Well, I looked at 2, 4 and 6. They were all perfect. Bummer. I didn't feel like fighting with 1, 3 and 5 right now.

 

[Ysiof]

I had the same problem on my 2019 GT Limited Canadian version (GT2). Did it on everything, radio, satellite, Bluetooth, USB. I brought it to my dealership with the info I got from this forum, I actually gave them the link to Duox's Youtube post since it showed exactly the same problem I had. I told them they could road test and may never hear it but to take my word for it, that was the problem. I shared also what was discussed in here. SPDIF cable grounding, unsuccessful component changes, and the coils. It took several visits for them to troubleshoot because there was delay with head office after each finding, normally about 24-48 hours (My dealership is 5 km away form my home so no big deal). At first they checked all connections, then they checked resistance of some cables (Sorry I don't know which ones) and finally they did change the coils, taking the set from the showroom car. It's only been a few days, but I haven't heard the problem anymore. I asked if my coils looked corroded like some of the pictures in this thread, and they said no. We all agreed it seemed very strange that the coils would do this, but they say they can emit interface frequencies.

 

[Knowa]

The only reason they finally fixed my radio was because my plug went bad. Had 10k on the car. Bad plugs are where the interference is coming from. Factory plugs are worthless as you can see from the pictured in this thread. I took it in three times and they couldn't duplicate it and I had given up. Then one day for some reason I'll never figure out I filled up with 87 at the pump. Have had two stingers since april 2020 and have never put anything but 93 in lol all I have are injen intakes but for some reason it completely fried everything. I took it in and they replaced them all and my radio has worked flawlessly since. They called and asked if had added boost to the car which I obviously hadn't. Zero knowledge on Stingers out there smh

My dealership is an hour away. The day I went and picked it up I had made it almost all the way home and then the check engine light came back on and I lost all power and it started running like shit again. Had to take it all the way back. Turns out they just swapped them instead of actually doing their job. They don't get paid for warranty work they do whatever they can to get your car out of the garage. Was a massive annoying ordeal but my radio has been fine ever since. They had my car a week. If you have a cool dealer cherish it.

We're exactly the same lmfao. I ran out of gas in this small ass back woods town and premium was over $4.75/gallon when I'm used to paying $3.50/gallon. I said f*ck it and just put 87 in it and put my car back on map 0, no popping/cracking/nothing. Put 93/94 back in it next fill-up and it pops, drops out, and cracks all the time.

 

[JP28]

We're exactly the same lmfao. I ran out of gas in this small ass back woods town and premium was over $4.75/gallon when I'm used to paying $3.50/gallon. I said f*ck it and just put 87 in it and put my car back on map 0, no popping/cracking/nothing. Put 93/94 back in it next fill-up and it pops, drops out, and cracks all the time.

Jesus f-ing C I just reread thru what you said earlier. So they only decided to replace the coils after you showed them a picture of the corrosion they said wasn't there????

Now that I think about it I had to wait on a part too but they didn't mention anything about a recall do you have any idea what it was?

Thinking about that day has me pissed all over again lol this is my first experience with a dealership are they all like this?

 

[Knowa]

Jesus f-ing C I just reread thru what you said earlier. So they only decided to replace the coils after you showed them a picture of the corrosion they said wasn't there????

That's not even the best part. They still haven't fixed it lol. I get the dip and twirl every time I call and schedule an appointment, "Oh those are backordered, it's probably a 2-3 month wait", "Oh we're backed up right now, next service is 6 weeks out". I am honestly about to just bite the bullet and just order 2 coils and do them myself. The $150 + tax just isn't worth the headache of dealing with the dealership and removing my jb4/questionable warranty mods.

Now that I think about it I had to wait on a part too but they didn't mention anything about a recall do you have any idea what it was?

It was a supplemental brake vacuum pump. It only affected 2018s for the first couple months of production. It's was a very niche situation where it would even become a problem too. You had to like basically start your car in freezing weather, WOT, and then slam on your brakes about 3-4 times each. If you let your car warm up it was ever an issue.

Thinking about that day has me pissed all over again lol this is my first experience with a dealership are they all like this?

From what I understand, this is basically bog standard Kia dealership experience all around the country. Part of the buying decision for me was that I still had basically an entire new car's warranty on a 3 year old car but trying to get any warranty work done on it might as well be pulling teeth from a meth addict. It's just not going to happen.

 

[JP28]

That's not even the best part. They still haven't fixed it lol. I get the dip and twirl every time I call and schedule an appointment, "Oh those are backordered, it's probably a 2-3 month wait", "Oh we're backed up right now, next service is 6 weeks out". I am honestly about to just bite the bullet and just order 2 coils and do them myself. The $150 + tax just isn't worth the headache of dealing with the dealership and removing my jb4/questionable warranty mods.


It was a supplemental brake vacuum pump. It only affected 2018s for the first couple months of production. It's was a very niche situation where it would even become a problem too. You had to like basically start your car in freezing weather, WOT, and then slam on your brakes about 3-4 times each. If you let your car warm up it was ever an issue.


From what I understand, this is basically bog standard Kia dealership experience all around the country. Part of the buying decision for me was that I still had basically an entire new car's warranty on a 3 year old car but trying to get any warranty work done on it might as well be pulling teeth from a meth addict. It's just not going to happen.

Yeah I've already dug thru this site for the brake problems. Once in awhile I'll go out to start it and get a dead pedal. I've heard of it on 19, 20, and mines a 21. Everyone says the dealer tells them they can't duplicate, their favorite phrase.

I also just started to notice a very faint ticking I can hear but not feel while my cruise is set or I'm coasting. Goes away under throttle. Found a post from another guy on here attempting to get it figured out and after his second update from the dealershit I just closed my computer. My 2020 was flawless. This 21 has been nothing but a pain in the ass from the radio to the coils to the back driver side window going out.

Wow and i totally forgot until just now, two days after it was delivered something with the wiring went bad and the outer part of the triangle on the break light went out and my left turn signal wouldn't work. And even still the cars so good none of that would bother me, but I'm an hour from the nearest dealership.